One of the highest compliments I ever received was from a working historian, who told me that there was nothing in my novel that couldn’t have happened exactly as I had written it.  I take my research very seriously, to the point where I’ve tossed pages of otherwise perfectly good writing… just because I discovered something that made it so that my fiction couldn’t be squared with the facts.

This serious approach to the history in my historical fiction has now led me to a role that I am deeply honored to have been offered, as a contributor to the Journal of the American Revolution.  Writing for them will not only allow me the opportunity to delve more deeply into topics that catch my interest, but it will also improve my skills as a researcher, as the rigor demanded of a non-fiction article is quite a bit more than is required even for high-quality historical fiction.

So far, they have published my articles on the currencies of the Revolutionary era, a topic that I had brushed against in my research for The Light, and an article on the amazing accomplishments of Bernardo de Gálvez, who animates the pages of The Wind, my current work in progress.  In addition, they have published an article on the state of medicine during the Revolution, a topic that hasn’t made a direct appearance in any of my books… but which may well do so in the future.

I am excited about this development in my career as an author, and I hope that you enjoy these and future articles I contribute to this fine journal.