Night of the Cossack, by Thomas Blubaugh

I am honored to have as my guest today, Thomas Blubaugh, author of the NEW release “Night of the Cossack”

This book can only be described as a rare gem. Truly a work of art! I couldn't put it down. You won't find another book like it on the shelf these days. I was caught up in Nathan's life right from the first chapter. At the young age of 16 he was forced into the life of a Cossack soldier. Facing struggles that most of us couldn't even imagine he held true to his upbringing and teachings in the face of adversity. Don't miss out on the chance to own this book!

From what did you draw inspiration for your book Night of the Cossack?

Both of my grandfathers died before I was born. What little I knew about my maternal grandfather drew me to him. I first started developing a historical fiction story about him for myself. Then I felt my children and grandchildren might like to know about him.

What do you hope your readers will take away from this book?

I  really hope readers will find out all they can about their ancestors before it’s too late to learn about them.

Do you know in advance what your message will be or does it reveal itself to you as you are writing?

It’s revealed while I’m writing. I read an article that said that characters direct the writing. I thought, “no way”, but I’ve found it to be true in my case. Although I created my own grandfather, in a sense, he became a strong character and pushed the story in areas I hadn’t thought of.

Do you set aside time to write daily?

Yes, but unless I’m in the mood to write it’s futile effort.

What other pastimes do you enjoy when you are not writing?

I love macro photography. I read, cook, play with my cat, Blacky, ride a motor scooter, play horseshoes and Bocce Ball. Most importantly I spend time with my wife, six children and fourteen grandchildren. I stay busy.

Are you currently working on your next project?

Yes, I have started a sequel to Night of the Cossack.

What advise would you give to new writers?

Write what’s in your heart. Don’t worry about grammar, just write what you want to say. Join a critique group. This is very important.  Try to find a group whose purpose is to get you published.

Additional comments:

You won’t know whether or not you are a writing artist until you try to write.

Check out Tom's Blog at http://tomyblu.com/

Leave a comment for Tom WITH your email address and enter to win a copy of his new novel. Click "follow" to join my blog and be entered in the drawing twice.

The winner will be announced on May 8th, 2011

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Dog Tents

Soldiers in the Civil War had less than comfortable accommodations. The dog tent was issued to Union soldiers in 1862. Each man carried half of the tent in his pack. They buttoned them together in the middle, creating one whole tent. It was meant to provide shelter for both of the men. However it only measured 5' 2' x 4' 8", giving them less than adequate space to be comfortable.

Confederate soldiers didn't have dog tents or really any type of tent at all. They were given a substitute that was used in the making of lean-to. Some soldier acquired dog tents from captured Union soldiers.

The Officer's tent or Wall tent was larger and provided better shelter. It consisted of 4 actual walls and a ceiling height that gave men enough room to stand straight in. The larger wall tents were used as field hospitals.

Finally A Bride, by Vickie McDonough

Keep your eyes wide open for romance in Lookout, Texas. Noah Jeffers enters town determined to make up for past misdeeds. Reporter Jacqueline Davis is determined to nail her story. Will she uncover Noah’s secret before he can capture her heart? With nowhere else to go, ex-con Carly Payton returns to the Lookout boardinghouse. Garret Corbett is looking for an upstanding wife, not some jailbird. What will he do when overpowered by Carly’s unassuming appeal? Does love deserve a second look?

At the Captain's Command, by Louise Gouge

Set in St. Augustine, Florida in 1780.

Dinah Templeton swore she would never consider marrying a seaman. Her father had been killed at sea and her brother was always away at sea, leaving behind his wife and children. She wanted nothing to do with seamen.... until she gave her heart to the charming and handsome Captain Thomas Moberly.

Thomas is in port at St. Augustine, Florida, sworn to protect the area from a notorious pirate known as Nighthawk.

Thomas's father, a duke, would never have approved of him marrying a common American such as Dinah. However, Thomas has the unfortunate task of traveling to see his sister to tell her that their father has since passed away.

Thomas' sister is married to Dinah's brother and they travel together with friends to break the news about the duke's passing.

A family secret reveals itself while they away and Thomas and Dinah realize their love for each other cannot be denied.

Louise Gouge is fantastic at painting images for the reader with her vivid writing skills. You can't help but get emotionally attached to the characters.

The Sheriff's Sweetheart, by Laurie Kingery

A lovely twist on a age old idea: A MALE order groom!

In Laurie Kingery's third novel in the series "Brides of Simpson Creek" Sam Bishop, a gambler down on his luck stumbles across an ad in a Houston Newspaper. The ad describes a small town in Texas whose women are seeking grooms after the end of the Civil War. On the run from his past and a slue of people he has angered along the way, Sam answers the call. After he arrives he takes a job as town Sheriff and turns his life around to win the heart of Prissy Gilmore, the Mayor's daughter.

Laurie Kingery does an outstanding job painting lively and colorful characters in this charming book!

150th Anniversary of Ft Sumter, South Carolina

Tomorrow, April 12^th, marks the 150^th Anniversary of the battle for Ft Sumter, South Carolina, the battle that would ultimately kick off the Civil War.

South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860. In doing so, they demanded that the Federals vacate all forts within their borders and hand control over to the Confederates.

Even though construction of Ft Sumter had begun back in 1827 the fort was still incomplete in 1860 when Major Robert Anderson of the United States Army moved his troops to the fort in an attempt to delay an attack by the Confederates. However, Ft Sumter provided less than adequate artillery and supplies due to its incompletion.

Supply lines were cut off and Anderson and his men were running out of food by April of 1861.

On April 11^th, 1861 Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard of the Confederate Army demanded Anderson’s surrender. The demand was refused.

On April 12^th at 4:30am the Confederates opened fire on the fort for a solid 34 hours. The Federals were unprepared for a large battle due to a low supply of ammunition and weapons and men weak from hunger.

By Saturday, April 13^th, Anderson surrendered Ft Sumter. The flag was lowered and the Confederates had won the first battle of the Civil War.

An interesting tid bit of information: Major Anderson had been one of Beauregard’s instructors at West Point just before the war.

United States Post Office

Benjamin Franklin appointed the first Post Master General in 1775, but the United States Postal Services was officially created in 1794. Initially spanning from Georgia to Maine and covering 195 postal offices. By 1800 there were 903 offices.

Stagecoaches carried a majority of the mail in leather chests. The chests were opened by postal personnel at each stop. The personnel would take out the mail intended for their jurisdiction and add anything outgoing to the chest before it was sent back out on the stage. Smaller routes were covered by men on horseback who carried the mail in their saddlebags.

Stamps were not created until 1847. Before that a fee was paid directly to the Post Master for the letter, who passed on the profit to the Government. The Post Master was paid no base salary. He was paid a percentage of the profit for his jurisdiction.

Envelopes were not available until the late 1840’s. Before then people simply folded their letters inward and addressed the blank side of the page. During the Civil War when paper was not readily available people would make their own envelopes out of wallpaper, brown paper or maps. Pretty much anything they could find that was not needed elsewhere. An existing envelope was used as a template for the homemade envelopes.

In the 1830’s postal rates were often priced by distance as well as per sheet of paper. A single sheet of paper traveling up to 30 miles could cost 6 cents while the same sheet of paper traveling over 400 miles could cost as much as 25 cents. If you had two pieces of paper double that, three pieces you would triple that cost, etc. It could get costly if you were long winded.

As the post office developed mail was carried by steamboats, railroads, etc. Whatever means available to move the increasing amounts of mail at an even faster pace was used.

During the Civil War the post office was severed in two. The Post Office Department of the Confederate States was established on February 21, 1861. The post office lacked funds and stamps as well as steady personnel. The Northern blockades created disruption in service, making it hard to get mail delivered. By November 1865, after the war’s end, the Postal Service resumed services throughout all the states.