Warning: Writer at Work

Today was another day of time spent at the laptop tapping at the keyboard, editing and polishing my next book, a novel.

A published work under my byline was released last December, a narrative history ostensibly about the Macbeth Light Artillery's last year in the Civil War, titled "War in the Mountains". That was the intent when I began the book, to cover the Macbeth in their last year, posted at Asheville, N.C., but after over four years of research, I chose to cover all military actions that took place in upper East Tennessee and the mountains of North Carolina, at least as much as I had found in the historical documents. My reason was I had a wealth of very interesting stories to tell and I wanted the book to cover the entire panorama.

Most reviewers appear to agree this was a wise choice, especially those with an historical bent. But I have gotten some negative comments because the book was not solely about the Macbeth. Let me say I put everything I learned about the Macbeth (from the time they left Charleston, S.C., travelling to Asheville, till their surrender, capture, or escape nine months later) in the book. Also, some of my favorite sections in the book are about other units, even Federal units. I am especially pleased to hear from Civil War readers of long duration, who say they learned lots new from "War in the Mountains."