Posts Tagged ‘Stephen Crane’

Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center

During the week and on the second weekend of the Gettysburg Fringe Festival I was busy signing more books and talking to folks about history and Gettysburg.  By far the highlight of this time was several hours spent signing books at the Museum Book Store in the new Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP) Visitor Center.  It wasn’t easy to arrange. The Park has a very high quality control vetting process for books they place on their shelves, and they do not ordinarily take fiction, even Civil War historical fiction.

I had my work cut out for me to become accepted.  If so, I would be in very high company.  Their fiction shelf contains such stalwarts as Jeff Shaara, Newt Gingrich, Margaret Mitchell, and Stephen Crane – and not many others.  I had to gain the approval of the National Park Service staff, the Museum Book Store, and an outside organization, Event Network, who buy the books for the Museum Book Store – and they are in California. They all had to read and approve the work.  Of course, the book had to be about the town of Gettysburg, the battle, or at least the American Civil War.  Therefore, my two Crimean War books would not qualify.

After many months of paperwork, numerous phone calls and emails, and being bounced about between these entities a bit, I received word that The Gettysburg Conspiracy, my recent novel about a fictional attempt to assassinate Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address, had made the grade. I must say, it was well worth the time and trouble. Acceptance meant that the book would also be available at the David Wills House on the square in Gettysburg (which figures prominently in the plot of the story), as well as in the Park Museum Book Store.  Between the Park and the Wills House, the annual visitation is over one and a half million.

I spent my time at the Visitor Center Book Store this weekend amazed at the quality and quantity of historical books, staggered by the amount of traffic, and delighted at the intense interest in anything “Civil War.”   The book store staff were kind and helpful, and it is always fun talking to folks and answering questions about my favorite subject.

It was among the elegant pages of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage where I discovered my profound interest in history and especially the Civil War.  I am looking forward to my next book signing session at the Museum Book Store, and to walking into the store to see my novel on that shelf with my childhood icon, Stephen Crane.

As for the Gettysburg Fringe Festival, which prompted all my activities over the past ten days, I am pleased to say it was a total success from my point of view.  Next year should be even better!

When I began to write for myself instead of ‘Uncle Sam,’ I was trying to make up my mind whether to write fiction or non-fiction – a major decision.  I was helped in this difficult time by a group of established writers, who, without pressing me in any particular direction, steadfastly guided me toward making a choice that I would not regret later.  Although I am a photographer and have a published non-fiction history book, my passion remains what I chose as a result of the influence of those wonderful writers.  I write fiction, and more specifically, historical fiction. I write this blog in the hope that my journey might help give better focus to folks out there who are trying to find their niche in the writing arena.

I’ve always thought that good historical fiction is a great way to get people interested in history, and can even be a learning tool. My interest in history, and in the Civil War in particular, began when I was a youngster with Stephen Crane’s  “Red Badge of Courage.”  It has been nurtured since then by such greats as C.S.Forester, Patrick O’Brian, Bernard Cornwell, Michael Shaara, and, of course, his son, Jeff Shaara.

From the first time I put pen to paper, or I should say finger to keyboard, to try writing fiction, I was hooked.  I loved developing the story, in harmony with a set of characters of my own creation.  I embraced the interaction of the characters, almost flowing along without me, except in my roll of quiet, backstage puppet master.  It was a narcotic, and I was quickly a hopeless addict.  So far at least my problem hasn’t been writers’ block … it’s having too much in my head to write about.  I must have at least a half dozen books swirling around in there, half written, trying to escape.

As I may have said before, I believe that fiction is meant to entertain, where non-fiction’s primary purpose is to enlighten or inform.  Historical fiction is rather unique in the fiction world.  In fact, if well-written and well-researched, historical fiction can provide the best of both worlds.  I guess that would be my ultimate goal – that my stories are entertaining, provocative, and historically informative.

I want to entice.  I want to inspire others to look more into the Crimean War, the American Civil War, or perhaps Lincoln’s exposure and vulnerability to being assassinated.