Lila’s Vow is Up for Best Book of the Week at LASR!

I hope I will be forgiven for doing some shameless promotion here, but I am so excited! My third Civil War novel, LILA’S VOW, has been nominated for the Best Book of the Week at the Long and Short Reviews website.

If you would like to read an excerpt, you can find one here: http://www.dianewylie.com/lilasvow.html

Getting the Best Book honor depends on the readers voting. If you will consider voting for LILA’S VOW, I would be very grateful. Voting runs from Saturday, 11/28,  through Sunday, 11/29.   Here is the website:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm

Thanks so much for your time and have a wonderful weekend!

Diane Wylie

 

Confederate General Trivia: I

JUBAL ANDERSON EARLY: 1816 – 1894

VIRGINIA  LAWYER and GENERAL

This will be first in a series of “Lessons” about great – and not so great – generals who served in the Confederate Army. Some were handsome and noble and rode a horse with more royal bearing than a European king. Others were little more than scalawags and renegades who went to war to serve their own interests. 

Jubal Early was the heroic sort of general. Smart, quick and possessed of the finest military education available at the time, he could have served on either side of the conflict. Being a Virginan, he chose to fight for the Confederacy.

Oh! I forgot to tell you! There WILL be a quiz over ALL the generals – so you people in the back row need to listen and take notes.

The quiz is scheduled for early January and will be a large part of your grade.

Back to Jubal A. Early. He was of high character and made an imposing figure as he led soldiers into battle. He is still remembered, admired and honored today. Anyone would be proud to claim him as an ancestor. Right? Of course. And so it is with a young Canadian actor who lives and works in the United States. No, I don’t know how General Early’s DNA made it to Edmonton, Alberta, but as I’ve indicated- Jubal Early was a resourceful man.

Can you spot a resemblance between General Early and actor Nathan Fillion, who was born in Edmonton in 1971?

Study the next two photos closely.

 Jubal Early disguised himself as a farmer in order to escape to Mexico in 1865. Nathan Fillion diguised himself as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in oder to command the spaceship SERENITY in the FIREFLY TV series.

Hold on to your notes and be ready for the January Quiz!

Confederate General Trivia: III

This man was born on January 19, 1807 in the beautiful Virgina mansion still known as Stratford. He was the fifth child (by his second wife) of “Light-Horse Harry,” a hero of the Revolution and later the governor of Virginia.  George Washington was still a living memory where this young man grew up. He had many family ties to Revolutionary War heroes.

Dedicated and idealistic, he received an appointment to West Point in 1825. He graduated in 1829, second in his class and without a single demerit. He was commissioned a brevet 2nd Lieutenant of Engineers. He married Mary Ann Randolph Custis on June 30, 1831. They had seven children. All three of their sons served in the Confederate army.

His name was Robert Edward Lee, and he was known as one of the handsomest men in America in his early years..

He had regal bearing and sat his horse as a king should. All eyes were on him – where ever he went – even as a distinguished elderly college president.

His looks alone would probably have made him a celebrity, even if he’d been a scoundral. As we would say now, he had “star quality.”

Happy New Year

May 2010 be healthy, happy, and prosperous for all. What are your writing (or non-writig) goals for 2010?

What happened during the Civil War on Janurary 1?

Major General John B. Magruder the Confederate commander of military forces in Texas, attacked at 3:00 am on New Year’s Day, 1863, Galveston, Texas: four Confederate gunboats appeared, coming down the bay toward. The result was a Confederate victory.

President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all slaves in areas still in rebellion were, in the eyes of the federal government, free.

Confederate General Trivia: II

CAMILLE ARMAND JULES MARIE PRINCE de POLIGNAC 1809-1913

 This dashing CSA officer was born in France, and was a bona fide prince whose father was born at the Palace of Versailles. His grandmother, Gabrielle, had been a famous aristocratic beauty and Queen Marie-Antoinette’s closest friend. The royal friendship was rewarded by the family being ensconced in a thirteen room apartment in the massive palace.   Who was this handsome prince?

How did he wind up in the Confederate army? Fighting in the Red River Campaign?

His name was Camille Armand Jules Marie Prince de Polignac, but he was affectionately called Prince Polecat by his unsophisticated soldiers.

W. P. Doran, a war correspondent for the Houston Telegraph, who wrote under the pseudonym of ‘Sioux,’ stayed with Polignac’s division throughout the Red River campaign, and in 1882 ‘Sioux’ wrote of the general in his biography of the general, as follows:

“Polignac was a true type of a Frenchman. He was about forty-five years of age, medium size with a long sharp nose, and he resembled Napoleon Bonaparte’s portraits. He spoke the French and English languages fluently, and when in camp, was no better dressed than one of his orderlies. Those not knowing him would take him for a common soldier. At one point in the woods, the Federals made a determined stand, and the writer (‘Sioux’) was near Polignac when he gave orders to the different commanders under him… He ordered battalions and regiments to the different points specified on his map with the ease of a chess player.”

Polignac was born February 16, 1832, in Millemont Seine-et-Oise, France into one of the most famous families of the French nobility. His father was Jules, Prince de Polignac, who had been a passionate supporter of absolute monarchy and chief minister during the reign of King Charles X of France. Through his distant cousin, Pierre de Polignac, he was related to the Grimaldis of Monaco, a family who still rule the principality today.

Prince Polecat studied mathematics and music at St. Stanislas College in the 1840s. In 1853 he joined the French army. He served in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1855, receiving a commission as a second lieutenant. He resigned from the army in 1859 and traveled to Central America to study geography and political economy, and also the native plant life. He then visited the United States in the early 1860s.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Polignac initially served on the staffs of generals P. G. T. Beauregard and Braxton Bragg as a lieutenant colonel. He served at the Battle of Shiloh and the subsequent Siege of Corinth. In January 1863, he was promoted to brigadier general. Two months later, he was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department and assigned command of a Texas infantry brigade. Polignac is best known for his leadership at the Battle of Mansfield, April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, a Confederate victory in the first major action of the Red River Campaign. Polignac received a battlefield promotion at Mansfield to division command after the death of Alfred Mouton. He was formally promoted to major general on June 14, 1864. Polignac led the division throughout the remainder of the campaign and during its service in Arkansas in the fall of 1864. In March 1865 he was sent to Napoleon III of France to request intervention on behalf of the Confederacy but he arrived too late to accomplish his mission. He remained in his native France, his role in American history having ended. But his memory lived on in the hearts of his former Louisiana Confederate soldiers, particularly those of Mouton’s Division and the Calcasieu Regiment, who remembered their ‘Prince Polecat’ with a certain fondness throughout the remainder of their lives.

Polignac was married twice and died in France on November 15, 1913, at the age of eighty-one..

Civil War Christmas story part of An American Rose Christmas anthology

My latest release, The Christmas Ball, part of the anthology, An American Rose Christmas, is already available in print as an early bird special at The Wild Rose Press!

Includes novellas by Beth Trissel, Carol A. Spradling, Donna Dalton, Lauri Robinson, Tori Anne and myself.

Reclaimed by his wealthy uncle, former Shawnee captive Corwin Whitfield finds life with his adopted people at an end and reluctantly enters the social world of 1764. His one aim is to run back to the colonial frontier at his first opportunity–until he meets Uncle Randolph’s ward, Dimity Scott.

Tory captain Dr. Nicolas Clayton discovers stolen military secrets on a severely injured female spy. When her wounds heal, Holly Masters must decide if she can kill the man who saved her life.

While pretending to be a male soldier, farm girl Sara Brewster falls for a handsome Union army surgeon. When her secret is revealed, will a lavish Christmas Eve ball work in her favor–or will her heart be broken?

Southern belle Marybeth Dawson discovers Santa Claus can’t cross the Mason Dixon line–but handsome Union soldier, Trevor Sulton can.When a strong willed upper class New York girl falls for a dashing, compassionate stable boy, it will take a Christmas miracle to bring them together. Thankfully, true love is on their side.

All reformed prostitute Eva Baird wants for Christmas is to have her daughter back in her arms. But gun-toting outlaws, spiteful in-laws, and a sweet-talking stranger with arresting gray eyes threaten to turn her dream into a lump of coal.

Excerpt from my story, The Christmas Ball

She rose, rubbing her hands over her arms. “You won’t tell on me, will you? My parents depend on the money I send home.”

He sighed. “Not if you don’t want me to, but I don’t think this is a wise idea. You could serve just as well as a civilian nurse.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t make near enough money, and I like being a soldier.”

He rose and settled his hand on her shoulder. “I won’t betray your trust, Sara…er, Miss Brewster. I promise.”

Her sharp intake of breath sent his gaze to her face. Her full lips parted and a blush colored her cheeks. He ran his hand down her arm and took her hand. It was work-roughened, the nails broken, but small, making her seem vulnerable and frail. She’d had a hard life by her reckoning. He wanted to do something for her, to help lighten her workload.

To his surprise, she lifted his hand to her face and kissed the back of it. The softness of her lips on his knuckles sent a shiver through him.”Miss Brewster,” he said. “This isn’t a good idea.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Doc Ellison, I’ve longed to do this ever since I first set eyes on you.”

Veteran’s Day

Today we observe Veteran’s or Armistice Day around the world. The end of World War I and the gratitude we show those who served in our Armed Forces. The Civil War was no different.

Veterans of the American Civil War were like any other veteran. They went on to become farmers, businessmen, governors, even presidents. In Kansas alone, 3 vets became governor, 1 US Senator, and 33 state legislators.

And of course, we all know about Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States.

The Union Pacific Railroad used veterans seeking work as well as immigrant labor to complete their lines.

The National Parks Service has a site where you can search the name of a Civil War soldier, sailor, regiments, cemetaries, battles, prisoners, and Medal of Honor recipients.

Most importantly, they also have the complete listing of Civil War National Parks. Is it important to recall these areas, where battles 150+ years ago occurred? Yes. Is it important to keep them as such, open areas where no developments exist? Yes. Why? Because it’s our heritage and our history.

So today, despite there being no Civil War soldiers among us, thank a vet.

Civil War vampire romance released today

My latest release, Sweet Redemption is available today at The Wild Rose Press.

And Dariel Raye is interviewing my hero, Jonathan Hackett, on her blog today. If you leave a comment on the interview post, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a pdf copy of the anthology.

On a cold December night, Union infantry captain, Jonathan Hackett is pinned down on the Fredericksburg battlefield trying to escape Confederate fire. But a creature of the night, more dangerous than any enemy soldier, stalks him. Jon must fight for his life as well as his soul. Maddie Emery has lost everything dear to her. Her husband and parents had passed on and her brothers are off fighting in the Confederate Army. She’s alone, trying single-handedly to hold onto her family’s farm, when a Yankee soldier collapses across her stoop. Maddie and Jon form and bond of love and desire, but as Jon exhibits signs of becoming the creature he fears most, is their love enough to fight off the evil of a centuries old vampire bent on destroying them?

Excerpt:

Those knocks were not made by a wolf, but he suspected the wolf had something to do with Reverend Arnwolf. “Is the wolf his minion, or can he transform himself?” he said, under his breath.

“What?” Mrs. Emery moved close. Her scent invaded his thoughts. “Please, tell me what’s going on?”

Jon sighed. “When I said I was attacked by a wild dog, I lied.” He moved back to the settee and sat, his hands dangling between his knees.

She sat beside him, but held herself ramrod straight. “What or who attacked you?”

“I was pinned down on the battlefield. Spent the night in the freezing cold. All of my men had died. A man appeared. Claimed to be a minister from Austria.” Jon grimaced as he recalled Arnwolf’s blood-red eyes and the sharp pierce of his fangs as they entered Jon’s throat. “He offered to help me, but…instead he led me to an abandoned barn and attacked me.”

Mrs. Emery gasped. “You’re not saying this man–”

“He bit me on the throat.” Jon pushed his hand through his hair. “I don’t know exactly what he is, but he’s not human.”

“That’s who you believe was at the door?”

Jon nodded. “I don’t know how, but I now have a connection to him.” He fingered the bumps on his throat. “I know things about him I shouldn’t possibly know.”

Sarah Emma Edmonds

Sarah Emma Edmonds was born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1841. She grew up on a farm, so along with her sisters, she participated alongside her one brother to perform the hard physical work of farming. She tended to the animals, chopped wood, milked cows, planted and harvested. She also learned to ride horses, hunted and fished.

Her upbringing caused her to develop a lean, masculine-looking physique.

In 1860, she was nineteen. She moved south into the United States dressed in men’s garb. Pretending to be a man, she called herself “Franklin Thompson.” She worked in Hartford, Connecticut as a publishing agent, selling Bibles in Canada and Michigan.

In 1861 the Civil War began. She enlisted in Company F of the 2nd Michigan Infantry Volunteers, signing up for three years.

As Franklin Thompson, Sarah spent her first months of military service at the regimental hospital, serving as a “male” nurse. She then became postmaster and then a mail carrier.

One of her superior officers, General O. M. Poe, recalled that “Frank Thompson was effeminate looking, and for that reason was detailed as a mail carrier, to avoid taking an efficient soldier from the ranks.” All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 171.

As a mail carrier, Edmonds carried two or three bushels of mail over a distance of 50 or 60 miles.

In her own words: “I was often compelled to spend the nights alone by the roadside. It was reported that the bushwackers had murdered a mail carrier on that road and robbed the mail, and there seemed to be evidence of the fact, for, in the most lonely of spots of all the road the ground was still strewn with fragments of letters and papers, over which I often passed when it was so dark that I only knew it by the rustle of the letters under my horse’s feet.” All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 171-172.

She was also engaged in combat starting with the battle of First Bull Run in July 1861.

According to a Congressional report: “Franklin Thompson, gave his heart and soul to the regiment, sharing in all its toil and privations, marching and fighting in the various engagements in which it participated… (He was) never absent from duty, obeying all orders with intelligence and alacrity, his whole aim and desire to render zealous and efficient aid to the Union cause.” All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 172-173.

While serving, Sarah became good friends with a young medical steward and assistant surgeon for the 2nd Michigan. She fell in love with the man, confessing that she was female. She felt rebuffed when he told her he was betrothed.

Besides soldiering, Sarah also served the Union as a spy. She disguised herself as a male fugitive slave wearing a wig and coloring her skin with silver nitrate. At other times she portrayed a female Irish peddler by the name of Bridget O’Shea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds

In Kentucky in the spring of 1863, Sarah fell ill with chills and fever. She feared a hospital stay would expose her sex, so, after a request for a leave of absence was denied, she deserted the army. She checked herself into a civilian hospital, planning to return to the army once she’d recovered.

On learning that Franklin Thompson was wanted for desertion, she donned women’s clothes, resumed using her real name and returned to the army to serve as a female nurse for the remainder of the war. All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, p. 178

After the war ended, she published her autobiography, Nurse and Spy in the Union Army under the pen name of S. E. Edmonds. “In 1887, she married L. H. Seelye, a Canadian carpenter with whom she had three children.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Edmonds

For more on Sarah Edmonds and other women soldiers of the American Civil War…

Sources: All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies by Elizabeth D. Leonard

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why we write in the Civil War era

Popping in to make mention of the article up at the FW Examiner, featuring Beyond Scarlett and Rhett authors.

American Civil War and romance. Thanks gals, you had some great answers. We’ll have to do it again in a few months.