Today's Chat with Sarah features James Kelly author of I am a Soldier, First and Always: The Distinguished Career of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock.
To view the official review, click here.
To view the book on OBC bookshelves, click here.
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1. Have you always wanted to write a book?
The desire to write a book has always been with me, but it really became prominent in the last ten years. It seemed to be something that I felt I could accomplish given the years of professional writing within the Department of Defense. Whether it would be commercially successful didn’t matter. Holding a book in my hands would provide a sense of accomplishment.
2. What historical figure is your favorite?
There are so many it is hard to identify one; however, Theodore Roosevelt stands out as a fascinating figure in American history. His accomplishments are too numerous to list here, but I would say his life is full of significant milestones: Harvard graduate, adventurer and naturalist, soldier, Governor of New York, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Vice President, and the youngest President of the United States. Love of family and of this country marked the energetic politician. “Bully!”
3. Let's talk about your book I am a Soldier, First and Always: The Distinguished Career of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. How did you find out about Major Hancock and why him?
In 2008, I attended the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington D.C (Fort McNair). They, and many of the other Senior Service Colleges, spend time studying strategy and the proximity of the colleges to national battlefields affords each school the opportunity to conduct “staff walks.” These are meant to place students on the ground of a particular battle and understand what decisions were made and why. We were off to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and students are asked to present short talks to their fellow classmates on aspects of the battle or on individuals. I was assigned Winfield Scott Hancock of the Union Army of the Potomac. Even a short presentation requires research. I was fascinated with Hancock’s actions at Gettysburg and the fact that he was instrumental in the Union’s success July 1-3, 1863.
That presentation set me on the path to further research and a five-year quest to capture his life in a book. There were already a number of non-fiction books that told Hancock’s story on one battlefield or another. Reading through many of these I began to ask questions regarding how Winfield reacted to orders, decisions of higher, or, more importantly, what I believed he considered in making his own decisions. I wanted to offer the possible and plausible actions and dialogue that provided insight into is character. How he interacted with seniors, subordinates and family drove the writing. Hence, the story became one of historical fiction.
4. The official reviewer applauds the book for the detailed battle scenes. Do you have military knowledge or how did you make these scenes so authentic?
I spent 26 years on active duty in the Army followed by a second career with the Department of Defense. I should add that I grew up on military installations as my father was a soldier, as well. A military career has allowed me to pursue my passion for walking history’s battlefields. They include the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War (through the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York); World War I and II in Europe and the Pacific; and in Korea.
I continue to be interested in why decisions and action were made upon various battlefields and how they were ultimately executed. My library is full of fiction and non-fiction, memoirs and letters on people and battles.
5. Because the book is historical fiction, there were many characters. How did you keep them all straight?
An accurate command structure existed for each army during the various conflicts in which Hancock participated. The men who actually commanded units were included so the reader could keep their actions straight – who moved when and why.
Principal characters during a particular conflict passed in and out of the story. Of course, the Civil War encompasses a large portion of the book. It is why the original book was developed as two volumes. There were also personal connections to people who remained with Hancock as aides and those with whom he was a friend – some were historically correct and others were fictional characters. One character, in particular, set the stage for my next book.
6. How was the experience of writing and publishing a book for you?
Writing is a new career… not a single book. I enjoy the challenge of researching a particular period of history and the people involved. I am a Soldier only served to enhance the desire to capture stories that inspire or entertain, set within a historical context. I write at the same time every day beginning around 5:00 am for two to three hours. It is quiet with no distractions and allows me to think about scenes and chapters. I’m sort of disciplined after the long military career and structure is great for me.
Amazon Kindle provides everything one would need to self-publish a book. Their pages are full of helpful information for the writer. Getting the book edited and ready for publication takes time. You want to ensure the book is ready for “prime time” when you finally hit publish in Kindle Direct Publishing.
It is much harder to get people to review your work once they have purchased and read the novel. I don’t believe comments good and bad are as important as the number of reviews in Amazon. The Online Book Club “Book of the Day” offer resulted in a large number of books being downloaded. I hope that translates to reviews when readers finish. When a prospective reader calls up the book and looks for details it is always a plus to have a large number of reviews.
One more thing, I would encourage writers to check out MasterClass. Known authors provide invaluable instruction on writing skills and their process to developing stories. An amazing asset!
7. What was the most difficult part? What was the easiest part?
Most difficult is, and continues to be, marketing. I am working through all of that today. Advertising and getting the word out about your book is the larger part of the process. There is so much to learn and not all of it is intuitive. When authors say you are in marketing they are 100% correct. Self-publishing is wonderful, but I learned that traditional publishing houses shy away from previously published material. A good manuscript and great query letter are my next objective.
The writing came easier, not easy. Years of research to help shape the story needed to be trimmed down to make the story readable. I am learning every day and hope my next effort will be better than the first. I am encouraged that Turning Point and its companion book Rebellion both received 4 out of 4 stars through Online Club’s review process.
8. Do you have more books planned? Do you have a website you want to share?
I have embarked on a new “career” with writing and love it. I see I am a Soldier, First and Always as a series. My plan includes three more books beyond Hancock. It will follow the life and family of a fictional character who served under Hancock and carry through generations to the Twentieth Century and World War II.
My next historical fiction novel focuses on the U.S. Cavalry in the Great Plains after the Civil War. I’m pretty far along in research and hope to have this ready by late fall. To gain appreciation for the location I am travelling to Fort Laramie, Wyoming in summer/fall. You must see the ground and surrounding area to provide a better sense of the time and place for the reader.
Readers can learn more about my writer’s journey and upcoming works on my website at https://www.jharoldkellystories.com/. I ask if you have read Rebellion and/or Turning Point please leave a review on Amazon.
I like to end on some fun questions.
9. What's on your radio, Siri, Alexa, or CD player?
Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits. Journey’s double CD of Greatest Hits is on the seat of the car waiting to be played. I’m dated, I know, but it seems everyone still wants to hear (and sing along) with these masterpieces.
10. What place are you most wanting to visit and why?
In all my travels I have never visited Paris, and it is at the top of my list. I promised my wife, Linda, we would cruise the Seine.
11. Which season is your favorite?
I live in Florida and Spring is a wonderful time for us. Winter is closing and warm weather is perfect before the heat of summer. We are beach people and look forward to days relaxing on the Gulf Coast shoreline.
12. If you could only use one utensil for the rest of your life, which one would you use?
A knife seems to be pretty handy. I can drink soup from a cup and I can whittle chop sticks instead of a fork, but a knife is multi-purpose. Yeah, a knife gets my vote.
