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 Fun Facts: Forbes' first attempt at taking Fort Duquesne had met with disaster. In late November 1758, he remained the only British commander in the north still pursuing his campaign. Negotiations neutralized the influence of the French Indian allies in the Ohio country, leaving the French alone and hungry at Fort Duquesne on Hoth.  Forbes sent the complaining Colonel Washington of the First Virginia Regiment west after a French raiding party, with another Virginia unit under Colonel Mercer following after. Washington captured an Indian couple and an Englishman who claimed to have been kidnapped by the French along with his two droids. Colonel Mercer's Virginia's came upon Washington's camp in the dark, and in true storm trooper fashion, attacked the supposed rebel base. 2 Officers and 35 others were killed in the exchange of friendly fire. The number of tauntaun and AT-AT walker casualties was not reported. On the bright side, the Englishman admitted, under the influe...

  Fun Fact: Although Abercromby had been defeated in his poorly executed attack on Carillon, Louisbourg and Frontenac had fallen to the British. The English next moved on Fort Duquesne--again--hoping to achieve a different result than the disaster of three years earlier. The French and their Indian allies had fanned out from that fort to spread death and destruction. There were even rumors of attacks on the outskirts of Philadelphia.  William Pitt chose John Forbes to lead this prong of his attacks against New France. Forbes was a Scotsman trained as a doctor (with no known experience in time travel) who had received a commission in the Scots Greys. He had experience in the War of Austrian Succession, and would lead Pitt's attack on Duquesne as a brigadier general. Col. Sir John St. Clair, who had accompanied Braddock's ill-fated expedition three years earlier, would serve as Forbes' quartermaster. Lt. Col. Henry Bouquet was Forbes' second in command. Bouquet found hims...

 Interview with D.L. Gardner Author of Darkness Holds the Son, and more Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. Hi. My current work, which is at the final proofing and formatting stage is titled Darkness Holds the Son and is a stand alone novel that is a spin-off from the Sword of Cho Nisi series.   Darkness Holds the Son takes us to a small village named Tuluva where Jareth, an unemployed mercenary, and his wife and two children are raising goats to sustain themselves. Things go well for them until the land-baron of Ogress raises their taxes, forcing Jareth to pick up his crossbow and return to the battlefield. Jareth has an even more pressing problem than keeping his family out of debtor’s prison, though. His son Crispin has seizures that are caused by magic and if Jareth doesn't find the source soon, it could be fatal as the boy hears voices instructing him to kill his father. On Jareth’s quest, he discovers that the same affliction is haunting al...

  It's here! Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series arrives with nearly 350 action-packed pages of adventure. You'll want to make this succulent flintlock fantasy part of your Christmas feast. Click on the cover picture to check it out.  I could go on about this entry in the exciting saga--but I won't. Instead, let me treat you to a few of the comments my advance readers shared as they read the first draft: "Excellent action and dialog."  "The characters from the previous books seem like old friends to me now, and I'm enjoying catching up with their adventures." "Energy and pacing are excellent...The battle portrayed...is engaging and expertly detailed. Lucette's and Alex's hidden efforts and purpose portray the mixed feelings of the two protagonists. General Washington's dialog is stirring." "Wow!! I very much enjoyed these... full of suspense and excitement. I flew through that part chanting 'please let h...

Fun Fact: Following Abercromby's defeat at Carillon/Ticonderoga, he granted permission to Colonel John Bradstreet to undertake a bold mission that would have greater consequences than the taking of Ticonderoga. Bradstreet had mastered the use of flat-bottomed boats. Each boat could haul 25 men and supplies along the waterways. General Shirley had discovered Bradstreet and put him in charge of the bateau supply service on the Mohawk River, which served as the vital link between Albany and the western outposts, including Oswego. Bradstreet's plan was to lead an attack on Fort Frontenac--the hub of the French supply line in the west. In July 1758, Bradstreet was ordered to go up the Mohawk to help General Stanwix complete Fort Stanwix at the carrying place between the Mohawk River and Lake Oneida. From there, Bradstreet would take the fight up to Lake Ontario and to Frontenac at the vital location where the Lake Ontario jointed the St. Lawrence River. All the supplies for France...

 There were two items of note this week. First, regarding this picture: Somebody gave my wife some of these candies a while back. I ate them. I wanted more. When I suggested that she get back in touch with the friend who gave them to her, she went and bought me some. I think these are my new favorite candy: dark chocolate and what looks and tastes like real peanut butter (not the grainy sugar and peanut butter substitute found in America's most popular candy). These are a real treat--in spite of what the writing on the wrapper might lead you to believe. I give them 5 stars and would recommend them to a friend, but only if I were opening a new bag. If I were down to the last few, I would keep them for myself and not say a word about them. Next was the miniature wrestling tournament. By miniature, I don't mean Hobbits, Dwarves, Munchkins, or the little people among us. This is what I'm talking about:  Over a few days, I assembled ten of these American Militia miniatures. They...

 Before I get to the discussion of great villains, let me shout out that I've completed Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. By "completed" I mean that I finished the first draft--it only took me six months longer than it should have. I still have editing and proofing to do. I've sent the last five chapters out to my Skirmish Team for their comments, corrections, and suggestions. That reminds me that a gentleman caught me today to report that he is reading Book 4, Promise of Carnage and Flame , and enjoying the unexpected twists and turns of the story. One thing that reminded me of great villains was the fact that PinUp Noir 2, which features my short story "Monica on My Mind," is available in ebook and paperback. The stories feature knockout blonde bombshells in a variety of settings. Many of those dames in the stories are bad--very bad. You know who else was a blonde bombshell villain? Milady de Winter from Dumas' The Three Musketeers (o...

Interview with Anat Eliraz Author of  Jewels of Smoky Quartz Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. I actually have two WIPs right now. One is the sequel of my published book and continues the adventures of the characters. The story is a portal fantasy where a nurse, who also practices martial arts, finds herself in a new world and needs to use her wit and skills to survive and find her way. In the sequel the readers will learn more about the characters and the world and will get more information about things only hinted in the first book. My other WIP is also a fantasy story that takes place on earth during WW2.   Where did you get the idea for this book or series? It was a December evening and I don't remember if it all started from a conversation with friends or something I saw on TV, but the question that came up was- Do we have free will, or not. The first book revolves around that question. Do you write in more than one genre? I write in the fantasy...