Paul Etherington, AKA Thomas Hamburger Jnr, tells the story of Harry McFry, a genealogical private eye, in his investigative fictional blog The Case of the Missing Family.

Tell us about yourself.
I am a 45 year old health worker who has suffered from anxiety and depression for the last 6 months. I currently live in the North East of England, but spent many years across the Pennines in Merseyside.

What is your blog about?
My blog is a work of fiction, telling the story of Harry McFry, a genealogical private eye, as he searches for the ‘missing’ family of Laurel McFry (no relation).

Are you the only author/contributor?
Yes - except that parts of Chapter 2 were written by my brother (see below). Of course (!) Thomas Hamburger Jnr is a nom-de-plume.

How did you get started?
I wrote a spoof chapter about Harry McFry on my family history website. My brother contributed a second. I guess I thought we could maybe continue it together, but he didn’t have the time. Anyway, I enjoyed the writing so much, I couldn’t stop, and I got a few encouraging e-mails from folk who had dropped by the website.

Why do you blog?
I chose to blog this novel because it’s a great discipline to force me to write. My confidence has been shattered by the period of clinical depression I found myself in and, though it’s hard work at times, I force myself to write a few chapters a week. I believe it has helped me on the road to recovery.

What is the source of your content?
My own family history, plus a love of certain historical periods, gives me lots of ideas. The pursuit of genealogy is rather like a detective game, anyway, so the idea of a Genealogical Private Eye isn’t too far fetched!

How frequently do your write/post?
Sometimes more than once a day if I have a productive one, but more commonly about 4 or 5 times a week. A recent change of medication slowed that down - however, I’m hopeful of getting back up to speed shortly. The blog currently has 80 chapters and a total of about 70,000 words.

Does your blog generate revenue?
No. A couple of weeks ago I installed a Paypal button for donations, just in case anyone was feeling generous, but it hasn’t generated anything. I haven’t put any ads on Harry McFry.

Who visits your blog?
I get a lot of visits from family historians who like a good genealogical puzzle, and a surprisingly large number of Canadians seem to drop by! There is currently a hard-core readership of around 30, but more drop by each day.

Would you like to add anything else?
As this is actually a developing novel, I hadn’t appreciated when I started that publishing via a blog has one disadvantage, in that I can’t in all honesty go back and alter the plot to suit ideas I might have later - it wouldn’t be fair on the early readers who have stuck with Harry. I also never imagined the social networking angle of blogging when I started. It’s been a delight to come across so many brilliant blogs out there: so many creative people (so little time!)

Tags: The Case of the Missing Family, Thomas Hamburger, Fictional Blog

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