This morning, I have the first book in a fiction series to share! Learn about Dangerous Times and author William Kinsolving in this book blitz spotlight. 

Fiction

Date Published: May 1, 2025

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

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This book's background is the prophetic but overlooked decade of American history, 1846 to 1856, from the Mexican War to the presidential election of James Buchanan. The decade was a foreshadowing of our national cataclysm. Underlying every social aspect was the nation's fatal flaw, slavery, that perverted the Constitution on which the Enlightenment ideals of a "United States" were based. And on every day, similarities to the distortions of the present decade are obvious.

I chose a Southern ethos, finding an unexpected woman to suffer and survive the decade; and three brothers, each of whom carves a unique path through it, one as a fugitive unjustly accused of murder and slave-stealing, one as an enigmatic operative across the jagged spectrum of antebellum party politics, and the eldest who inherits his family's storied tobacco plantation as its lands burn out.

The story is told chronologically, the fiction adhering to the history. Should a question arise as to which is which, any event of historical significance - no matter how bizarre or implausible -- did indeed happen.

The novel echoes ethnic truths as they were at the time. I write of intimacies as well as horrors found in historical records. Both public and private relations were often infused with their own destruction -- as were the expanding "United States" in that decade, and I fear in this one.

About the Author

After a questionable academic career at Stanford (I mean, how practical is a double major in Drama and Far Eastern Theology?), Kinsolving fled to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to play Richard II. He then attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art for polish. Returning to New York, he appeared as an actor under-, off- and on Broadway, as well as a saloon singer in foul Greenwich Village nightclubs. For creative diversion during these years, he acted and/or directed back in Oregon, at the Stratford (CT) Shakespeare Theater, Harvard, Dartmouth, Café La Mama, then went out and won the Best Actor of the Year award from the San Francisco Chronicle for performing at the Berkeley Rep.

Ineluctably transitioning to a second career, Kinsolving wrote a play with 84 speaking roles, was awarded a Ford Foundation Playwriting Grant, and had the play produced by the Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival. This led to the first of some 54 films on which he worked for every major studio (and several distinctly minor ones) in Los Angeles, London and Rome (ask him about Zeffirelli sometime) as screenwriter and script doctor. Suspecting that such a life was leading to the utter corruption of his soul (not to dare mention his body), he retreated to Carmel to write the first of five novels (a NY Times best-seller, a couple of Literary Guild Main Selections, he adds humbly, but only if asked).

While serving on the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of the Arts, he regressed happily to nightclub and fundraising performances, accompanied by the likes of Peter Duchin and Emmanuel Ax, singing at the Algonquin Hotel’s late lamented Oak Room and for one of the late Brooke Astor’s better birthday parties among many other less name-dropping venues.

Last year, he directed a musical for which he wrote the book and lyrics in the nave of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral about Johann Sebastian Bach and his family. Bach provided all the music, and proved to be very easy to work with. THAT WEEK WITH THE BACHS had the best voices in the Bay Area, including the ineffable Frederica von Stade.

He began work on the historical novel DANGEROUS TIMES between the diversions above. He knew the history, but even so, was startled by how constant the similarities are in that destructive time to what’s going on in this one.

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Today, we are joining the book release blitz for historical fiction novel Too Much the Lion! Check out the book, learn about author Preston Lewis and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

US Historical Fiction/Civil War

Date Published: 05-13-2025

Publisher: Bariso Press

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.

The soldiers did the fighting; the generals, the Infighting

In the waning months of the American Civil War, a delusional Confederate commander makes a desperate attempt to change the course of the South’s dwindling hopes by invading middle Tennessee. The tragic result of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s misplaced hubris devastates his Army of Tennessee and alters the lives of the citizens of Franklin, Tennessee.

In a historical novel reminiscent of The Killer Angels, Too Much the Lion follows a handful of Confederate generals, infantrymen and local residents through the five days leading up to the horrific Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The lives of soldiers ranging from Major General Patrick Cleburne to Brigadier General Hiram Granbury and from Sergeant Major Sumner Cunningham to Corporal Sam Watkins will be forever changed by Hood’s decisions and mistakes.

Franklin civilians like apprehensive and loving mother Mary Alice McPhail and teen Hardin Figuers, desperate to serve the Confederacy but too young to enlist, are ensnared in the events that will bring death and devastation to their very doorsteps. Devout Confederate Chaplain Charles T. Quintard must reconcile his religious beliefs with his support of slavery. Slaves like the elder Wiley Howard and the inquisitive young Henry B. Free are trapped on the fault line between what has been and what could be.

Too Much the Lion offers an unvarnished account of the dying days of the Confederacy in a powerful and moving narrative of honor and betrayal, bravery and cowardice, death and survival. Told with poignancy and honesty by an accomplished novelist, Too Much the Lion achieves for the Battle of Franklin what The Killer Angels did for the Battle of Gettysburg, providing a classic fictional account of one of the Civil War’s pivotal encounters.

About the Author

Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works.  In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements.

Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with two Spur Awards, one for best article and the second for best western novel.  He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards (six gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel.

Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism.  Additionally, he has a second master’s degree in history from Angelo State University.  He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.

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This morning, I have a historical fiction novel in our book spotlight! Check out The Midnight of Eights, learn about author Justin Newland, & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

In the Island of Angels Series, Book 2

(Can be read as a standalone)

Historical Fiction

Date Published: 10-28-2024

Publisher: The Book Guild

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1580.

Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish, Protestant immigrant who seeks to right the wrongs committed against his family by Catholic Spain, the most powerful nation of the time.

On the way to delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, Nelan finds a plough head buried in the ground. It sparks a premonition that shapes his future.

Nelan sets out to find Eleanor, his long lost love. During his search, he meets a Gypsy shaman who prophesies that he’s to become a Fyremaster and play a leading role in the unfolding destiny of the Island of Angels.

In 1588, Nelan meets his destiny on the night of the Harvest Moon off Calais in France. It was midnight when it happened. His mysterious intervention changed the course of the sea battle between the English fleet and the Spanish Armada, and changed England’s destiny.

It was a midnight of eights.

The Midnight of Eights is the final book in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England's coming of age during the Elizabethan era.

In Book 1, The Mark of the Salamander, Nelan is pressed onto the Golden Hind. During the circumnavigation, he embarks on a voyage of discovery of himself, and learns the arcane arts of the salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.   

About the Author

JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.

His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the traumatic events of the 14th Century on the Silk Road and featuring an unlikely cast of Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, all shrouded in the mystery of a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’.

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

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Twitter @JustinNewland53

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Pinterest @jnewland0711

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This morning, I have a Civil War historical fiction novel in our book teaser spotlight. Learn about Too Much The Lion and author Preston Lewis. 

US Historical Fiction/Civil War

Date Published: 05-13-2025

Publisher: Bariso Press

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.

The soldiers did the fighting; the generals, the Infighting

In the waning months of the American Civil War, a delusional Confederate commander makes a desperate attempt to change the course of the South’s dwindling hopes by invading middle Tennessee. The tragic result of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s misplaced hubris devastates his Army of Tennessee and alters the lives of the citizens of Franklin, Tennessee.

In a historical novel reminiscent of The Killer Angels, Too Much the Lion follows a handful of Confederate generals, infantrymen and local residents through the five days leading up to the horrific Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The lives of soldiers ranging from Major General Patrick Cleburne to Brigadier General Hiram Granbury and from Sergeant Major Sumner Cunningham to Corporal Sam Watkins will be forever changed by Hood’s decisions and mistakes.

Franklin civilians like apprehensive and loving mother Mary Alice McPhail and teen Hardin Figuers, desperate to serve the Confederacy but too young to enlist, are ensnared in the events that will bring death and devastation to their very doorsteps. Devout Confederate Chaplain Charles T. Quintard must reconcile his religious beliefs with his support of slavery. Slaves like the elder Wiley Howard and the inquisitive young Henry B. Free are trapped on the fault line between what has been and what could be.

Too Much the Lion offers an unvarnished account of the dying days of the Confederacy in a powerful and moving narrative of honor and betrayal, bravery and cowardice, death and survival. Told with poignancy and honesty by an accomplished novelist, Too Much the Lion achieves for the Battle of Franklin what The Killer Angels did for the Battle of Gettysburg, providing a classic fictional account of one of the Civil War’s pivotal encounters.

Read the Forward

Too Much the Lion is the story of the Battle of Franklin and the five days leading up to the disastrous conflict as lived by select generals, infantrymen, and civilians in the waning weeks of the Confederacy. In a war filled with tragic encounters, this was one of the most heartrending, yet least remembered battles of the Civil War, largely because it occurred in the Western Theater, far removed from the aura of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

The Confederate Army of Tennessee produced no Robert E. Lee, but instead fought under a succession of mediocre commanders whose battlefield triumphs were limited to a single decisive but bloody victory at Chickamauga. The army’s commanders had little else to show for the sacrifice of Rebel men and boys. Though the overall leadership lacked the tactical flair of a Lee or a Stonewall Jackson, the Army of Tennessee possessed some superb generals such as cavalryman Nathan Bedford Forrest and division commander Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, who both appear in this account, though the focus is on the lesser-known Cleburne and his division.

With more than 8,500 combined casualties, the Battle of Franklin does not make the top twenty list of Civil War battles with the most losses. Even so, Union and Confederate forces endured five of the most ferocious hours of combat during the War Between the States. Besides the hubris of Army of Tennessee commander John Bell Hood, the events of the preceding night at Spring Hill contributed to the next day’s ill-fated attack—dubbed “the Pickett’s Charge of the West”—at Franklin.

In one of the greatest blunders of the Civil War, the Union army slipped past the Army of Tennessee during the night at Spring Hill, Tennessee, and escaped the trap Lieutenant General Hood had set but failed to execute. Charges and countercharges about who was at fault echoed through the years, and historians remain conflicted about who forfeited one of the South’s last opportunities for a victory over Union forces. The interpretations of the events at Spring Hill in Too Much the Lion are entirely those of the author after considerable research and head-scratching.

In addition to the many generals mentioned in this historical novel, two Confederate infantrymen who left accounts for posterity provide perspective from the viewpoint of the foot soldier. While novels about war rightfully focus on soldiers, battle takes its toll on civilians as well, so two Franklin families—the Carters and the Figuers—provide perceptions beyond those of the troops. Two slaves serving Confederate officers as manservants—one elderly and one in his teens—also enter the narrative.

Except for two characters, all the names listed are those taken from historical accounts. The name of a Franklin doctor was fictionalized, and the last name of the slave named “Henry” was added since the historical account only listed his first name. Otherwise, the names are actual, including the lists of casualties and the causes of their deaths. The interpretation of each character is that of the author, based on his research.

Too Much the Lion is told entirely from the Confederate viewpoint, both soldier and civilian. It is important to remember that by late 1864, both Southern combatants and noncombatants had endured three years of death and deprivation. Both citizens and warriors alike were tired of war, its hardships, and the uncertainty it created for their futures.

For those unfamiliar with the organization of a Confederate army, the Army of Tennessee operated under Lieutenant General John Bell Hood in overall command of three infantry corps and a cavalry corps under the direction of Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. This account focuses on the corps under the command of Major General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham of Tennessee. His three division commanders included Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne of Arkansas and Major General John C. Brown of Tennessee, who are pivotal in this account. Major General William B. Bate of Tennessee also served as a division commander under Cheatham, but he played a lesser role in the events as depicted in Too Much the Lion.

Three brigades under the commands of brigadier generals Hiram B. Granbury of Texas, Daniel C. Govan of Arkansas, and Mark P. Lowery of Mississippi reported to Cleburne, their division commander. Between seven and ten regiments designated by number and state served under these three brigadier generals.

Two of the four brigades in Brown’s division appear in this account. Commanders of those brigades were brigadier generals States Rights Gist of South Carolina and Otho F. Strahl of Ohio. While other generals and combatants show up in this account, their roles are nominal in this telling of the story of the Battle of Franklin.

In compiling this narrative, the author has attempted to stay within the historical framework of the events leading up to and culminating in the Battle of Franklin and its aftermath. Occasionally, time elements may have been compressed or slightly altered for the sake of the overlapping narratives from the different viewpoints.

If nothing else, perhaps Too Much the Lion will drive readers to the historical accounts of the Battle of Franklin to make their own assessments and draw their own conclusions of the tragic encounter in the waning months of the Civil War. If Too Much the Lion accomplishes anything, perhaps it will give Patrick Ronayne Cleburne his due as one of the noble generals of the Civil War, much like The Killer Angels elevated Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain into the public consciousness.

Too Much the Lion is a novel of war, and war is the failure of man to live up to the “better angels of our nature” as President Abraham Lincoln first used the term in his 1861 inaugural address before the start of the conflict that killed more Americans than any other in our nation’s history.

By its very nature, however, any novel of war is also an anti-war novel, for it shows the dire consequences on individuals of political and military deceit and hubris. Perhaps Too Much the Lion offers lessons for today if we are honest and humble enough to accept them.

About the Author

Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works.  In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements.

Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with two Spur Awards, one for best article and the second for best western novel.  He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards (six gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel.

Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism.  Additionally, he has a second master’s degree in history from Angelo State University.  He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.

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This morning, I have a historical fiction novel in our book spotlight! Learn about I'll be Seeing You by author Joanne Kukanza Easley and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

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Read More from the Author

COMING MAY 2025!

Meet the Author

 

​Joanne Kukanza Easley, a retired registered nurse who worked in the cold, stark environment of operating rooms and the highly charged setting of psychiatric facilities, now resides in the Texas Hill Country. There, she crafts fiction centered on complex women of the twentieth century. 

Her debut novel, Sweet Jane, garnered multiple accolades, including the adult fiction prize at the Texas Author Project, and was a finalist for prestigious honors like the Sarton Award and the Eric Hoffer Award, among others. Her second book, Just One Look, was selected as a May 2022 Pulpwood Queen Book Club Pick. Her third novel, I’ll Be Seeing You, revisits characters from Sweet Jane. Her fourth novel, Higher Love, a continuation of her third, is slated for release in Spring 2025. Easley’s award-winning short stories and poetry have been featured in various anthologies.

connect with the author:  website ~ X ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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This morning, we are entering the compelling world of Thomas M. Wing's latest novel, where themes of courage and resilience take center stage in a narrative that explores the complexities of human nature and the strength found in adversity. Check out In Harm's Way, learn about author Thomas M. Wing and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book 1 of The Sea Hawkes Chronicles

Historical Fiction/Nautical Fiction

Date Published: April 10, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

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The man who fights for his family is far more dangerous than the one who fights for his king.

Colonial sea captain Jonas Hawke returns home to Norfolk after a year-long voyage only to have his ship and its valuable cargo seized by the British Royal Navy. As the royal governor further tightens the noose on trade, Jonas is thrust into the chaos of a growing rebellion. Desperate to support his family, he sets out to find work. When he is denied a commission with the newly formed Continental Navy, he outfits his own vessel as a private ship-of-war and voyages to the Caribbean in search of enemy merchant ships he can capture and friends he can trust.

But dangers multiply on the unforgiving sea. The Royal Navy reacts mercilessly to the threat posed by privateers like Jonas. How will Jonas fare now that he has boldly defied the King of Britain to preserve his family? And what will happen to his loved ones while he is away, engulfed in a war to oppose tyranny in the name of freedom?

About the Author

Naval Academy and Naval War College graduate Thomas M. Wing retired after thirty-two years as a Navy Surface Warfare officer. He served more than ten years at sea and twenty-two years ashore in increasingly important tactical and operational billets. A dedicated sailor for half a century, he created the Continental Navy Foundation, served as its executive director, and commanded its brigantine, Megan D. 

He wrote In Harm’s Way from a desire to explore the topic of America’s early sea warriors and how they struck fear into the hearts of British shippers around the globe. Thomas’s award-winning first novel, Against All Enemies, was released in 2023 by Acorn Publishing. He resides in San Diego with his wife and daughter and a cat and a dog. Whatever free time he has is spent on the water.

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Twitter: @thomasmwing1

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