Recovery Mode

Last August, my soulmate was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Major surgery eliminated it in September, with no chemo or radiation needed. Sepsis came out of nowhere and almost took her in October. November, December and January were devoted to supporting her recovery from both sepsis and surgery. But, the smell of infection and spectre of death dragged forward dormant memories of the war in Sierra Leone twenty years ago in sharp, vivid details. It has taken me months to calm down and avoid the dark, deep spiral that was pulling me down and stopped me from writing. I had not written since August, until last night: the first 1200 words for my next novel. It is a break from the Beyond 1812 story I had been working on up until August. This will be the first story of a Gas Punk series about airships and ambitions. It is set in a united Roman Empire that the Emperor Justinian wants to make greater. So, once more my ongoing therapy will be to write. Let’s see if I can get this one done and published by October.

The Ebola War

Ebola struck Sierra Leone for the first time in 2014, thirteen years after the war and my time there ended. I had started writing short stories about my tour in that war in 2012, from the view of two child rebels, Angel and Mercy. By 2014, their stories were already forming the chapters of what would become my first novel, The Ceasefire War. When the Ebola struck Sierra Leone, I wondered how those girls, who were now young women, would fare. I wanted to continue their stories and also tell the story of how Sierra Leoneans dealt with this viral threat, as most of what was written about it focused on the international response and support given to Sierra Leone. So, as the Ebola Crisis ended and The Ceasefire War was published in 2016, I began working on the sequel, The Ebola War. Since this story was not based on my experience, I asked the Sierra Leonean writer, Bakar Mansaray, to ensure my characters, Krio dialogue, and cultural details were authentic. We began writing the story together in May 2017. Since Bakar was working out west, we wrote in parallel, using Track Changes in the texts we sent each other, and discussed the development of the drafts in weekly Skypes. The finished story was sent to the editor last month, April, and The Ebola War should be published later this month, a year after we began writing it. And that is the story of this story, and why I have not posted anything here until now.

After the Ceasefire War

My first novel was an historical fiction of my tour as a Loan Officer within the Sierra Leone Army during the final months of a long, brutal war. Instead of yet another veteran’s autobiography, I wrote about the end of the war from the view of two girl rebels we took prisoner. The series is called Angel and Mercy (the girls’ names) and the first book is entitled The Ceasefire War. It was published last year. I’m working on the second book with the author, Bakar Mansaray to relate what happens to Angel and Mercy thirteen years later as the Ebola Crisis hits Sierra Leone. It is entitled The Ebola War and it should be out later this year.

After my first book, I wrote the first book of another series called Beyond 1812. The first book was entitled Winter of 1813. I follow James, a Canadian and his cousin, George, an American as the War of 1812 begins. This is not our world’s history as James will change the course of events, the lives of millions, and the map of a continent by saving the life of one man. It is also the story of a young man searching for love, coping with trauma, dealing with a dysfucntional family, and trying to make his way in life. It was published last May. I have the outline of its sequel, Summer of 1813 ready to start fleshing out as soon as The Ebola War is done.

Otherwise, I have un-retired twice, enjoy having more time for my family, and wish I had time to paint, learn the guitar, and play board games. I hope to make time for an occasional blog.