Need some blogging advice

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm almost done with my next Civil War horror novel. After it's done it goes to my crit partners and I'll start working on a new project.

I'm doing National Novel Writing Month for the first time. November is generally a bad month for me because I usually have a nonfiction book deadline in December. This year I don't, so I'll take the plunge and write a short post-apocalyptic novel that's been stewing in my brain. After that, I'll be in Tangier all December finishing up my novel set there. It's contemporary fiction. After that I'll probably work on a World War One action novel called Trench Raiders, which may turn into a series a bit like Jack Badelaire's Commando series. If I can be half as good as he is with the action genre, I'll be happy.

Anyway, it may be some time before I get back to Civil War fiction. My two books are linked but stand alone, so there's no pressing need to write another, although eventually I will.

Which brings me to this blog. While I intend to continue with it, my writing queue is drifting away from its core subject matter. What to do? I'm thinking of reviving my old blog Midlist Writer. I can give it a much-needed redesign, trot it out as my NaNo blog, and use it as my main writing/travel/randomness blog, keeping the Civil War and Old West stuff on this blog. Or perhaps I can feed that stuff onto Midlist Writer as well so I don't have to double up blog posts on those days?

Does that sound like a good idea? How do I make the switch without losing followers? Anyone out there done something like this? I need your advice! Oh, and I'd love the input of the larger blogger community, so if you could link to this question on your own blog that would help me a lot.

Civil War Horror tops 100,000 hits!

My hit counter told me yesterday that I've gone past 100,000 hits! Thanks for reading, everyone!

This isn't the only place I can be found on the Internet. I'd love to connect with you beyond this blog. We can talk books on Goodreads, follow each other on Twitter, and you can see all of my news and online articles on my Facebook fan page. If you want to chat privately, feel free to email me at the address on the sidebar.

And if you're looking for help promoting your work, check out the How Can I Help You? page on this blog.

Done with the A to Z Blogfest

This April I participated in the A to Z Challenge, in which more than a thousand bloggers wrote posts related to every letter in the alphabet. I kept to my usual themes of the Civil War, Wild West, and adventure travel, with a bit of high strangeness thrown in for kicks.

I did every letter except X. My excuse? I went on this caving expedition and I couldn't think of anything anyway.

Of course, the point of the blogfest isn't really to do all the letters, it's to meet other bloggers and have fun. Mission accomplished. Check out my blogger profile if you want to see some of the blogs I like to read. While many are related to the subjects I write about, some are completely different, and that's fun too.

Military history of Tangier, Morocco

So much has been going on this past week I forgot to mention that I did a guest post over at the Black Gate blog about Exploring the Defenses of Tangier. You'll see lots of pictures and info that didn't make it into my Tangier travel series I did for Gadling. Head on over and check it out!

Tangier was an inspiring place with a lot going on. I'm thinking of taking a solo trip there later this year to work on a writing project. See you back here tomorrow with Wild West Photo Friday!

Reader news for February 19

My readers have been pretty busy lately. First up is Shelly Akron, who has just come out with the print version of her ghostly novel Secondhand Shoes. To celebrate, she's made the ebook version free! She's also hosting the Run Away Bride Give Away and Blog Party on Feb. 19th, 20th, and 21st. You could win a 15 dollar Amazon card or an autographed copy of Secondhand Shoes.

Tyrean Martinson recently came out with Champion in the Darkness, book one of her YA Christian fantasy series The Champion Trilogy.

At the beginning of the month, Jack Badelaire announced that he was finishing up the draft for Commando: Operation Bedlam. This will be the followup to his awesome Commando: Operation Arrowhead, which I reviewed here. It will come out this spring and it's on the top of my to-read list.

David Meyer, author of Chaos, has finally restarted his Guerrilla Explorer website, one of my favorites. It features "mysteries of history, lost treasure, strange science, cryptids, conspiracies, forgotten lands, and explorers." Welcome back to the blogosphere, Dave!

Are you a reader of this blog and have some news to share? It doesn't have to be writing related. Drop me a line at the email address to the left and I'll add it to the next Reader News!

Military History Photo Friday: The Killer Vespa

What? No Civil War Photo Friday? No Wild West Photo Friday? Nope, today I'm leaving the 19th century to delve into the 20th. The excellent Warfare History blog posted yesterday about the Algerian War of Independence 1956-1961 so I've decided to post about an odd weapon that came out of that war.

Introducing the Vespa 150 T.A.P., a girly Euroscooter painted a less-than-girly olive drab and equipped with a manly M20 75mm recoiless rifle!

I discovered this gem while blogging about tank museums, and was impressed by the clever mix of an inexpensive scooter and dangerous firepower.

France developed these in the late 1950s, when it was strapped for cash and mired in a bitter war with their colony Algeria. Vespas were fast, cost only 500 bucks, and light enough that they could be airdropped on parachutes, making them good rapid infantry transport. The shaped charge warhead on the M20 could penetrate 100mm of armor, capable of punching through pillboxes, buildings, and lightly armored vehicles. Since there was no recoil, they could be fired from the Vespa, although ideally they were dismounted and set up on a tripod. About 800 saw use in the war. Despite this, the French lost and Algeria became a nation.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. For more pictures, check out this site.

The Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest!

Today I and a whole bunch of my online friends are participating in the Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest. If you don't know Alex Cavanaugh, he's a bestselling science fiction writer who has made a name for himself in the blogosphere by helping others. His positive outlook is an inspiration and we want to thank him.

The rules of this blogfest are to answer the following four questions:

What does Alex look like?
No idea. We all get mental pictures of people we don't know, though. I imagine a middle-aged guy, slightly receding hairline, bit of a paunch (sorry Alex, but there it is), and a smile permanently fixed on his face. I know I have the smile part right.

Who could play Alex in a documentary? (Living or dead.)
For a living Alex it could be just about any male actor, since we don't know what he looks like. For a dead Alex, any of the male zombies from 28 Days Later. Can you imagine Alex with the Rage Virus? Weird, huh?

Who does Alex remind you of?
That cheerful kid in high school who we all knew. Everyone liked him and he skated through adolescence with no damage. "Whatever happened to that guy?" "Oh, he became a science fiction writer." "Figures."

Write flash fiction using all these prompts: Cavanaugh, Ninja, IWSG, Cosbolt, Guitar.
Mrs. Cavanaugh took her red pen and marked a word on the manuscript that lay on the dining room table. She looked up to where a man in a ninja costume clung to the ceiling.
"Replaced that light bulb yet, honey?" she asked.
"Just getting to it now," the ninja replied as he scuttled upside down towards the chandelier.
"You misspelled Cosbolt again," she said. "This time you have it as 'Cosbot'. Makes it sound like some kind of droid."
The ninja detached himself from the ceiling, did a triple back flip, and landed soundlessly on the floor.
"Thanks, honey, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Mrs. Cavanaugh put her pen aside and studied the ninja for a moment.
"Now that you've completed the third book, what are you going to do?" she asked.
The ninja shrugged.
"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe take up my guitar again and start a band. Rap is still big, how about I do that?"
The ninja struck a gangsta pose, or at least a computer programmer's approximation of a gangsta pose, and rapped out, "I'm down with IWSG, yeah you know me!"
Mrs. Cavanaugh folded her hands on her lap, let out a sigh, and said, "Honey, I think it's best if you write another novel."

Bonus Points: Leave a comment for Mrs. Cavanaugh - thanking her for sharing.
Included above. Thanks Mrs. Ninja!

Civil War Horror blog wins the Liebster Award!

O.K., it ain't the Oscars, but this still makes me happy. Blogger buddy Sapper Joe over at Sapper Joe's Wargaming & Toys has awarded me the Liebster Award, a recognition of a fun blog with fewer than 200 followers. I may have few followers, but I have cool ones!

This being a blog award, it comes with some rules:

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Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.

Pass the award to your top 5 favourite blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.

Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day!
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Only five, huh? That's tricky. I know a lot more deserving bloggers than that! Here are my picks:

The 2nd Kansas State Militia and the Battle of The Blue: You knew I was going to pick a Trans-Miss blog, didn't you? Jeff Bell digs into the little-known history of this Civil War battle and what happened to his ancestor John F. Bell and his comrades. Bell (the modern one) doesn't post very often but I immediately click on his posts when he does. I've been studying the Trans-Mississippi Theater for years and he always teaches me something new!

The Sable Arm: Jimmy Price blogs about black soldiers in the Civil War. This is another blogger who I wish posted more often. There's a lot of good material here, including a fascinating series on whether Robert E. Lee's slaves joined the Union army.

The Post Modern Pulp Blog: Jack Badelaire is becoming an indie publishing machine. He loves all those men's adventure novels of the 60s, 70s, and 80s and he's busy writing new ones in the old style. He blogs about his favorite genre and throws in some reviews and military history to boot.

Mad Padre: A Canadian Army chaplain blogging about spirituality, wargaming, books, and travel. He has a second blog called Mad Padre's Wargames Page that's also worth a visit. I'm not a wargamer, but his posts there are entertaining that I read them anyway. I can't seem to find his real name. He just goes by "Mad Padre." I wonder what his regiment thinks of that?

Donna's Book Pub: Donna Volkenannt is a Missouri writer whose short stories and articles have appeared all over the place, including the Chicken Soup books. She blogs about her work, the writing life, and posts calls for submissions. If you're looking for a blog about the writing life from a hardworking pro, this is a good one to follow. She's at 165 followers; let's see if this award can push her over 200!

I've made it past 300 posts!

This past week I've gone past 300 posts! I didn't even notice at the time, but my post on Thanksgiving in the Civil War was number 300.

This blog keeps growing. I only started in July of 2011 and I've collected a nice group of followers. I appreciate every one of you! Thanks to you my hits have risen to an average of 250-300 a day. I'm planning on expanding this blog in 2013 with more posts and participation in blogfests. I'm always open to guest posts too.

I'm sort of spread out on social media right now and I think it's best to focus only on one or two. This blog and my Goodreads account will be getting the most attention. I'll also be using my Twitter feed, because that brings in new readers.

So what does this picture have to do with anything? Well, it's a 300-pounder Parrot gun, a rifled cannon used as a shore battery that threw a 300-pound shell. The photo is courtesy Wikipedia.

More pictures from Iraq

Hello! Just a quick note to say I'm doing fine in Iraq. We swung through Kurdistan in the north of the country and are back in central Iraq now.

The image above shows a girl picking up some roast chicken to bring home for lunch. Below is a mural on one of the blast walls in Baghdad. These concrete barriers protect sensitive buildings from car bombs and also divide Sunni and Shia neighborhoods. Some have been painted. This one shows a weird figure with a "Well Coom" head balancing a heart and a gun.

My editor posted a few other shots online. I can't seem to get them to open on this slow connection. Pherhaps you'll have better luck. You can see them here.

I heard my first gunshots last night--at a wedding outside my hotel. A couple of the guys were firing in the air to celebrate. I have to head out now but hopefully I'll have the time to post again soon. Stay tuned!

Hello from Iraq!

Yes, I'm alive and well here in Baghdad. I've been having a wonderful time seeing museums, bazaars, and historic mosques. The people have been very welcoming and I've experienced no open hostility. Many look a bit surprised to see us, though! Like in other Arab countries, I'm finding it easy to talk with people and I'm learning a lot about life here.

Above is a photo of yours truly with a fellow writer--the Sumerian scribe Dudu, who we know from an inscription on the back of his statue lived in Lagish around 2400 BC. I'd be willing to live with the name Dudu in exchange for my work to still be read four throusand years after my death.

Below is the felafel stand outside the Iraq Museum, where for 1000 dinars (slightly less than a dollar) I got tea and felafel for lunch. While I was eating a gate next door opened up and a whole crowd of schoolgirls came out. Most passed by with a curious look, but a few ordered Pepsis and stayed to stare. I think they were trying to summon up the courage to practice their English but they didn't quite manage.

My series on Gadling in November is going to be full of amazing stories and photos. If you're hankering for adventure travel in the meantime, check out my series about two months living in Harar, Ethiopia.

Author Interview: fantasy novelist A.J. Walker

I've decided to take a note from uber-blogger Alex Cavanaugh and announce new releases from my followers. If you've been reading my blogs for a while, you'll recognize the name of writer and medievalist A.J. Walker. I've done guest posts for him on such subjects as medieval weapons in the Civil War. He's returned the favor by writing a very popular guest post on leather armor. Now he has a fantasy novel out called Hard Winter and he's joined us to talk about it.


Hi A.J.! First, give us the skinny on Hard Winter.

Hi Sean! Thanks for having me. Hard Winter is the first book in the Timeless Empire series of military fantasy novels. The best summary I can give you is the blurb.

His past has been erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.

The Dragonkin have ruled the human race for centuries, but now the eastern territories have broken away and a blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.

While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. Recorro lost his wife to the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets on moonless nights. Those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.

Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. What he discovers there may answer all his questions, and topple the empire he swore to uphold.


Military fantasy? Tell us more about that subgenre.

Military fantasy isn't a term that's used much, although many books fit into the category. One of my main influences is Glen Cook's Black Company series, especially the grittier early novels where it's a bunch of soldiers just trying to survive. The later books get a bit more elaborate and political. I prefer the common man's view. The same with the Thieves World series. It started out with thieves doing what thieves do, and turned into world-shaking politics. I'm not knocking the later numbers of either series, I just prefer the earlier ones.

Military fantasy is the experience of soldiers in a fantasy setting. Dealing with how magic affects strategy and tactics is a lot of fun and requires some serious thought.

More on the Gadling travel bloggers summit

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently flew from Spain to Washington, DC, to attend the Gadling travel bloggers summit. It was great to finally put faces to names and we got to see some of the city too. My fellow Gadling blogger Laurel Miller has just published an account of that trip. She's so complete that I really have nothing to add. If you want to know what happens when a bunch of travel bloggers get together for a long weekend in a strange city, check it out. It's good, bad, and occasionally ugly!

Back from the DC Gadling travel blogger summit!

I'm back in Santander all jetlagged and happy. The Gadling travel blogger summit was a huge success. I had only met a few of my coworkers and it was nice to finally put more faces to names. We had some productive planning meetings for how to improve the site, plus lots of social activities like a gastrotour of historic DC and a visit to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

The Smithsonian was a real highlight. The above photo is of Titanoboa, a 48-foot, 2,500 pound snake that was the terror of the prehistoric world. Below is a more modern predator, taken alongside Bu Bambú. My son always sneaks a toy into my luggage when I'm going on a trip, and I take photos of my surprise travel companion wherever I go. Bu Bambú is one of the Gormitis. This TV show (and series of toys, and comic book, etc.) is about a bunch of kids with a secret lab under their parents' house where they can turn into monsters to fight bad guy monsters in a parallel universe. Yeah, it hits all the buttons and is hugely successful.

Of course the best part of the weekend was getting to know my fellow travel bloggers better and swapping travel tales. The Gadling team is an eclectic bunch of writers specializing in adventure travel, food, cruises, outdoors, and more. So head on over to the world's best travel blog and check it out!

On the road again. . .

Tomorrow I'm flying to Washington DC for a conference with my fellow travel bloggers at Gadling. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of talented writers who until now have mostly just been names to me. I'll try to check in over the next five days while I'm there, and will certainly be back on schedule by early next week. After the April A to Z Challenge, I bet lots of people are taking a breather from blogging right now!

If you absolutely can't live without my writing for five whole days (come on, admit it!) you might want to check out my Gadling articles. In the past month I've written on a wide range of topics, including the Lincoln Highway (the first cross-country highway), Carlisle Castle celebrating its 1000th birthday, fake Stonehenges, a guidebook for African-Americans during the days of segregation, my lodging a complaint about rude airport security staff, and much more.

See you soon!

Two writing milestones

I reached two milestones in my writing this week. The first was getting halfway through the next novel in my Civil War horror series. I'm taking a step back for a while to edit, polish, and map out the second half. I'll also be working on a fantasy novel I've been diddling around for a while. The back burner becomes the front burner! I always write new material for something so that editing doesn't become an excuse for not writing.

The second milestone was writing my 1,000th post for Gadling, the travel blog I work for. In total I've written 465,451 words in 1,048 days. That's what persistence gets you! Check out the link for some of my insights from this long and crazy ride.

Guest blogging over at Guerrilla Explorer

I'm a bit late in announcing this one, sorry! I recently guest blogged over at the super-cool Guerrilla Explorer on the enduring historical debate: Did Jesse James fake his own Death?

David Meyer does a fine job with his blog. Guerrilla Explorer explores mysteries of science and history, as well as conspiracy theories and other interesting subjects. His combination of an open mind and a critical eye make for interesting reading. Drop on by to my post and leave a comment, and don't forget to read his other postings!

Getting a hundred hits a day!

After the first ten days of December I had a total of 1,010 hits for this month. I'm now getting a hundred hits a day, my Technorati ranking is steadily rising, and I only started this blog in July. Thanks to all of you for the retweets, follows, etc! Of course I'm not in the big leagues yet (I can't even imagine how many daily hits Alex Cavanaugh gets) but I'm slowly building this blog up.

I'm slowly building up sales and visibility of my Civil War novel too. Thanks a million to those who have been buying it!

Gadling named one of the top ten adventure blogs by Outside Magazine

Ethiopian monk with medieval manuscript, Lake Tana.

In the midst of hateful spew coming at me from Neo-Confederates on this blog, the Missouri Civil War Forum, the Kindle Forum, and even anonymous messages to my public email account (didn't know you could do that until now) I got some good news.

Outside Magazine has named the travel blog I work for, Gadling, one of the top ten adventure blogs! While we cover all aspects of travel, it's the adventure travel that most interests me. Our bloggers go all around the world, doing everything from riding camels in the Middle East to eating bugs in Asia. It's a fun team to work with. I've done a few adventure travel series myself, including a road trip in Ethiopia, visiting Somaliland, and living for two months living in Harar, Ethiopia.

I'm making plans for 2012 but there's nothing solid yet except a visit with my family to the Orkney Islands. In the meantime you can follow my feed where I give you updates about archaeology, art, and short trips I'm doing. Don't forget to go to Gadling's main page to see what my ultra-cool coworkers are writing about too.

I'm interviewed on One Writer's Journey

Fellow author and blogger Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz is interviewing me today on her blog One Writer's Journey. Besides my endless nattering on about my Civil War novel, I talk about how I got into writing, my creative process, and my take on the future of ebooks.

This is a very cool blog I've been reading for a while now. Penny gets a wide variety of authors to talk about their careers and books. Interesting stuff!