Category Archives: Uncategorized

It should come as no surprise that authors can be snarky. (Mr. Google defines the word as, “critical or mocking in an indirect or sarcastic way.”) Creative minds yield creative snark. Some of the quotes that follow concern the craft, … Continue reading →

I’m excited to give everyone a glimpse of my next novel. A PERSISTENT ECHO will be published late this summer. The cover, designed by David King of Black Rose Writing, is pitch-perfect. 1897. August Simms—explorer, soldier, world traveler—returns to Rhome, … Continue reading →

A Shadow Melody, available January 5th, 2023, is a child with four parents. That is, I wrote the book with four distinct genre influences in mind. Rather than a mashup, I think the four separate genres reinforce each other. First, … Continue reading →

2023 is shaping up to be a really good year. I wanted to share the news with you. First, I have a book coming out on January 5th. A Shadow Melody is a historical novel with a paranormal twist. In … Continue reading →

A few years back, I did a blogpost with links to writer’s sources for Indy press, hybrid press, and self-published authors. The links are meant to serve as a starting point for authors looking for publishing options, or simply wanting … Continue reading →

Mark James Miller is an educator, columnist, and author of The White Cockade: A Novel of the American Revolution, available for pre-order at Amazon. The Civil War was America’s greatest agony, and almost all of the characters in Brian Kaufman’s … Continue reading →

One of the more intriguing rocketry legends involves reports of a two-stage, liquid-fueled rocket fired at Washington in the twilight of the Civil War. According to the story, a Confederate agent enlisted overseas help from Lord Kelvin to deliver liquid … Continue reading →

Rockets were an unsuccessful part of Civil War weaponry. Fledgling rocket technology lagged behind established ordnance (such as the staple 12-pounder Napoleon, a brass smooth-bore cannon). Some of the men put in charge of rocketry projects brought dubious credentials and … Continue reading →

“The Earth is the cradle of mankind, but mankind can’t stay in the cradle forever.” — K. E. Tsiolkovsky In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers designed a hot air balloon. Unmanned test flights were relatively successful. On the 19th of September, … Continue reading →

One of the pivotal scenes in my Civil War novel, Dread Tribunal of Last Resort, was based on real events. In 1862, a purported rocket expert named Joshua Burrows Hyde gained an audience with President Lincoln and Secretary Seward. As … Continue reading →