Q and A with the author

Q: What made you decide to write a book?

A: The Goal of my first book, It's Not About the Funeral, was to educate people about funerals and the funeral industry. Most people are completely unprepared for dealing with a funeral, and don't know the ins and outs of funeral planning, whether for themselves or for someone else. As I saw while working in the industry, decisions are ofter emotional and not always for the best interest of the client.

Writing that book led to an interest in writing, and made me think about what book I would like to read. The result was To Kill a General; historical fiction with action, engaging characters, and accuracy, both in details of the everyday, and in times, places, and people involved.

Q: Why historical fiction?
A: Because that's what I like to read. I also enjoy researching history down to the smaller details. The Civil War is especially interesting to me, and especially American. It's a part of our shared past and shapes who we are today. I also wonder what I would have been like in that situation. I would like to think I would be a hero and shot the people who needed to be shot, and I know I would have gotten myself into trouble like the hero of the book has.

Q: What kind of research did you do?

A: I'm a voracious reader, and there are details that stand out to me. I'm interested both in how commanders planned battles, and what it was really like to be there at the time. What and where did soldiers eat? What did they wear? Where did they sleep? What was camp like? How did they take care of their gear? Where did they bathe and go to the latrine?

For the big picture, there are some great online resources like battlefields.org and sites maintained by people who are Civil War buffs like thomaslegion.net.

Q: How long did it take you to write?

A: Between the research for the book, writer’s block, and periods of illness, it took nine years to complete and make available for distribution.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m now working on the sequel to To Kill A General, where Franklin is given command of an Infantry regiment and is caught up in the horrific battle of Chickamauga Creek, tentatively titled, River of Blook - Two Days at Chickamauga Creek, hopefully to be completed by the Fall of 2023. In this book, Franklin desperately fights to save as many of his men from death and capture as possible.