Writing My Civil War Novel

When I began writing Uprooted by War, the third novel in my Appalachian Roots series, I had several concerns. I needed to show some of the horrors and hardships of the Civil War without the book becoming too depressing or gloomy. I wanted to, not only show the problems facing the soldiers but also the families back home. And, those in the Appalachians had some threats specific to that region. In addition, I chose to have good and bad characters on both sides, while showing that slavery was wrong.

I think I had more difficulty keeping a balance in the prison scenes than any other portion of the book. Of course, the research was crucial. I hit roadblocks in trying to research the Salisbury prison. There is general information, but I couldn't find enough specific details. For one thing, so many of the records had been destroyed. However, I used what details I could find and fictionalized (using my background in history) the ones I needed and couldn't find.

Another problem came from the fact that my main characters were going to be separated for much of the book. I used secondary characters to play out their own stories and help move the story along. I think it must have worked, because one of my beta readers said this was the best one yet. Maybe it's because my concerns caused me to work more on it. 

As always, all my profits from the books go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.

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