Start Here!
Middle-grade historical fiction Hattie’s War is a middle-grade historical fiction novel. That means the book is a fictional story based on real historical events, in this case, the American Civil War. Middle-grade means it is …
Anatomy Of The Cover
Cover is everything these days in book publishing. Think about it, when you’re browsing the bookshelves at the library, local bookstore, or on Amazon, it’s a book’s cover that draws your attention if only for …
Civil War Books for Young Readers
The American Civil War is the most studied and written about event in human history. It’s estimated that over 60,000 books have been written about the war. Dozens of books are being published every year …
For the Record
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve moved them in the last fifty-plus years, lugging them from New York to Florida to a dozen places in Washington State. Once numbering well over one hundred, …
The New York 76th Volunteer Regiment
The New York 76th Volunteer Regiment Hannibal’s regiment, the NY 76th, is well-documented. There is a website devoted to the NY 76th and a history of the regiment written shortly after the war by AP Smith. who …
Jump the hoops of traditional publishing
Get ready because the real work is about to begin. These days getting published by a major publisher requires a literary agent. Few if any publishers accept submissions directly from writers unless, of course, you …
Dennis Schneider 9/7/1954 – 1/10/2022
I don’t think I ever saw him sweat. If memory serves, he hardly ever purposely indulged in physical exertion of any kind. Yet, in an ironic twist of fate, it was a solitary walk and …
Take A Picture Joe!
Our family friend Joe Kaschak had a birthday that was always easy to remember, January 8th, the day after Orthodox Christmas. Most years, even after several days of Christmas celebrating, everyone would gather to celebrate …
Never Stop Digging!
One thing I’ve learned in writing Hattie’s War is never stop digging. Time and again, often when I least expected it, a new tidbit of information, a new resource, or person, would emerge to fill …
Photos and Drawings… the gory details
The Civil War was the first war to be photo-documented, leaving us with a vast collection of graphic imagery of the horrors of warfare. The best-known photographer of the war was Mathew Brady, but there …