Name: S. W.
O’Connell
Book Title:
The Cavalier Spy
Genre:
historical fiction
Publisher:
Twilight Times Books
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
SW: I had once published a
magazine, called Living History. With
each issue I wrote a publisher’s letter and often “ghost” wrote a few articles.
I found over time that I preferred the writing to the publishing. After the
magazine went out of circulation, I decided that I would get to the writing I
liked via my favorite reading genre – the historical novel. I grew up reading
Thomas B. Costain, James A. Michener, Leon Uris, Wilbur Smith, and C.S.
Forrester. Later on, I read many of Bernard Cornwell’s books. I learned a lot
about history from those writers. Yet the stories entertained.
Is this your first book?
SW: No, The Cavalier Spy is the second in the Revolutionary War action and
espionage series I call Yankee Doodle Spies. I know the name is a bit “kitschy,”
but I like it. I plan on eventually writing eight books in the series.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
SW: I went with a small trade publisher,
a small press called Twilight Times Books. A friend, the late Lee McCaslin,
referred me to Twilight Times Books. He was a published author himself and was
looking for a new publisher for his second non-fiction book. When he learned
Twilight Times Books published mainly fiction, he referred me and I was
accepted and given a contract for the first three books in the Yankee Doodle
Spies series.
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
SW: Well, I did all the usual
things. After my first manuscript was done, I went on line to search for an
agent. I also met with Dave Meadows and Michael O. Varhola, both published
authors. Dave has written several naval espionage novels. Michael writes
popular history, travel and ghost haunting books. They provided me lots of
insight and encouragement. Lee McCaslkin did as well. But most of our dealings
were by phone and email. I actually wrote a chapter in his book, Secrets of the Cold War. Then began the
long and frustrating search for a literary agent. Mostly by luck (or unluck) I
found two and had contracts with them. They provided feedback on my writing but
it was a bit of drag and die. I would get some generalized comments. After I
would address them and resubmit, I’d get more (different) generalized comments.
It was clear different folks were reading these, as occasionally the comments
clashed. In any case, I never was submitted to a publisher. In one case I was
dropped. In the other, I did the dropping. These were not paid agents but
fairly renowned New York agencies. I’d rate the experience as extremely
frustrating, not to mention nerve grinding, but I did learn from it.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
SW: The most important thing I
learned was to park my ego at the door. When you are writing, you have complete
control of the world you are presenting. But once you get into the publishing
phase, the situation sort of reverses. Editors and publishers now have a
legitimate right to comment and suggest changing things. You have to trust
them. And you have to let go of a part of the creative process. The author
creates a work of literature for people to read. The editor and publisher have
to turn it into a product for people to buy. The kind of fiction I write
doesn’t really fit the cookie cutter mold.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
SW: Yes, I would. I find the
publisher accessible and well versed in all aspects of the business. And this
publisher supports its writers.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
SW: I’ll say that there are a
whole bunch of folks who will shut you down. For them, your work is a business
decision. This is especially true of
some f the agencies. I’d say – find your style… your voice, and hone it. But
don’t try to change it. I’d also say be very patient…. And keep writing!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S.W. O’Connell is the author of the Yankee Doodle Spies series of action and espionage novels set during the American Revolutionary War. The author is a retired Army officer with over twenty years of experience in a variety of intelligence-related assignments around the world. He is long time student of history and lover of the historical novel genre. So it was no surprise that he turned to that genre when he decided to write back in 2009. He lives in Virginia.
////////////////////////////////////
Title: The Cavalier Spy
Genre: Historical
Author: S. W. O’Connell
Website: www.yankeedoodlespies.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Purchase link: http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/TheCavalierSpy_ch1.html
About the Book:
1776: His army clinging to New York by a thread, a desperate General George Washington sends Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed behind British lines once more. But even the audacity of Creed and his band of spies cannot stop the British juggernaut from driving the Americans from New York, and chasing them across New Jersey in a blitzkrieg fashion. Realizing the imminent loss of one of the new nation’s most important states to the enemy, Washington sends Creed into the war-torn Hackensack Valley. His mission: recruit and train a gang of rogues to work behind British lines.
However, his mission takes a strange twist when the British high command plots to kidnap a senior American officer and a mysterious young woman comes between Creed and his plans. The British drive Washington’s army across the Delaware. The new nation faces its darkest moment. But Washington plans a surprise return led by young Creed, who must strike into hostile land so that Washington can rally his army for an audacious gamble that could win, or lose, the war.
“More than a great spy story… it is about leadership and courage in the face of adversity…The Cavalier Spy is the story of America’s first army and the few… those officers and soldiers who gave their all to a cause that was seemingly lost…”
~ Les Brownlee, former Acting Secretary of the Army and retired Army Colonel
“Secret meetings, skirmishes and scorching battles… The Cavalier Spy takes the reader through America’s darkest times and greatest triumphs thanks to its powerful array of fictional and historical characters… this book shows that courage, leadership and audacity are the key elements in war…”
~ F. William Smullen, Director of National Security Studies at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and Author of Ways and Means for Managing UP
