Welcome to 2026, and I hope the new year is wonderful for you all. The tale of the Mackenzie family continues with the latest (nearly complete) novel, “Advance the Line.” Writing historical fiction has given me a deeper knowledge of history than I had previously known. Well, not briefly because I loved studying history. I knew enough about the topics, but the research for my novels has been extraordinary. There are times when I have my main character in a place or at a specific time, and I stumble upon a major event I was completely unaware of that finds him. It becomes part of the story. Love writing!
“Advance the Line” will be released in the Spring. As I mentioned, I found specific events that were critical to the story I needed to add. I placed my character in an army organization that made sense, given the formation of units in various parts of the country. I had no idea the same unit would be instrumental in the first real engagement of US forces on the Western Front: more writing, research, and historical fiction on the way. Look for the novel soon. Here’s a sample
The Western Front, France.
Dawn and the ground shook as American and French artillery traded fire with the Germans in a lethal two-hour exchange. Jonathan Oliver Mackenzie, rain-drenched and muddy, pressed his body against the trench wall to protect himself from the German artillery. He wished he could become one with the wooden-reinforced trench wall. The shaking deep within him was unsettling as thousands of soldiers waited for the signal to go over the top. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry, fighting the nausea building in his stomach. There was no outward display, only the determined look of an army officer preparing to rise from cover and move forward into enemy fire.
His platoon of foot soldiers waited, rifles with fixed bayonets, each man lost in thought: some asking a higher Deity for protection, others trying to reassure comrades, and some giving in to the nausea and vomiting. The seconds ticked away as the artillery shifted forward, preparing the ground for the soldiers and creating a wall of destruction ahead of the infantry.
Lead, and they’ll follow. Move quickly, but not in a straight line. That’s too easy a target. Listen to the voice from the other side, saying the Lakota ancestors were with him.
I am branching out a bit. I have been asked to talk about the writing craft and my process to create characters, situations, conflict, and tension. Participating as a panel member at this year’s Venice Writers’ Festival and Book Fair (March 26-28), I will field questions about being a “plotter,” a writer who lays out the project from start to finish and follows a set storyline. or a “pantster,” flying by the seat of our pants and seeing where the character and story go. Love the term, by the way. You can get an idea by watching some of the 5-minute videos on YouTube and Instagram.
Well, gotta get back to “Advnace the Line.”
