This is the first edition of my new blog aptly named The Write Stuff. I am new to the world of blogging, facebooking and tweeting and I have noticed a number of people out there telling their story.
This is Mine.
I am a father, a husband and an author of my first newly published novel, The Gauntlet Runner-A Tale from the French and Indian War.
Twelve years ago my wife and I were blessed with our first child. She was born with Down Syndrome and one of us needed to stay home with her. Luck had it, I put my hand up first and have spent the last twelve years, plus one more son, enjoying spending an amazing amount of time with the kids.
It also opened the door for me to hone my skills as a writer. I have always had a passion to write and love to read but lacked the time. My favourite genre is historical-fiction.
Historical-fiction is a genre that has a loyal following, as well as, a number of critics.
Putting the critics aside for the moment, I enjoy the genre because as a writer you can both educate and entertain the reader. I do my best to keep true to the facts and mix in actual people, while introducing the audience to fictional characters.
Through the fictional characters you can paint an excellent historical picture and place the reader right in the action.
I particularly enjoy the time period surrounding the French and Indian War. Roughly 1750 to 1770’s. Another reason for writing in that period was, I felt, it has not been over-written.
A perfect example of this is the American Civil War. There are countless fictional accounts of the war and the compitition is intense.
The F&I War period is not a period that most people know about. It is correctly called the ‘The Forgotten War’. Most of us know it from The Plains of Abraham (in Canada) or ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ by James Fenimore Cooper. It was the fuel the ignited the fires of Revolution and the English/French issues that still exist in Canada today.
The purpose of the blog is to follow me through my next novel and talk about things I learned from the first. Topics I will be blogging about will include: Your family and your writing,Traditional vs. Self-Publishing, How to get started, researching for you novel, time management and many others. If you have a topic you might want me to cover/discuss please forward them to me.
A writers life can, at times, be pretty lonely, but it doesn’t have to be…you are not alone.
Until next time,
CHEERS
The Gauntlet Runner: A Tale from the French and Indian War
S. Thomas Bailey