Q&A
Articles about David and his books
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NOR’EASTER MAGAZINE September 16, 2005 By Ed Okonowicz It’s been called America’s forgotten war, a conflict sandwiched between the Revolution and the Civil War, which both seem to get much more attention. But if a Cecil County, MD author has his way, many more people will learn a lot more information about the War of 1812, and, in particular, its significance and role throughout the Chesapeake Bay. David Healey is the features editor the The Cecil Whig newspaper. David spends a lot of time writing. It’s his full time job and one he’s very good at. In his spare time, David devotes attention to his family and his other love – writing. He squeezes his book writing in on weekends, early mornings, days off and whenever he can find the time. In 1999, Jove Books released David’s Civil War novel, “Sharpshooter.” In 2003, his novel “Rebel Fever” hit the bookshelves. His third book, “1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay’s Forgotten War,” was published earlier this year and, in December, Harbor House will publish his novel “Rebel Train.” David’s third book is the focus of our attention in this column, and it stands apart from his three novels. He said he got the idea while working in his home garden, not far from the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Passing a heavy round ball across his desk for me to examine, he said, “I was digging a tomato patch in our garden and found this musket ball.” Surprised at its presence along the canal, David began asking neighbors how it might have gotten there. A common answer received was, “Maybe it was from the War of 1812.” Although he later discovered that the relic was from the Civil War era, David became fascinated with the War of 1812, and he started to research the period. That’s when he learned how little had been written on the subject. “It’s amazing,” he said, “how much has been written about the Civil War. There are entire bookstores that sell only Civil War books. But if you were to place a collection of all the War of 1812 books together, it would fill half a bookshelf. The number of books written on the topic is very small.” Commenting on why this might be the case, David suggested that the length of the war, misunderstandings about why it occurred and the overpowering influence of the two major American wars that surround the 1812 conflict are only a few of the reasons. “People see it as a small part of our history,” the author said. “Even the places where the battles took place don’t get as much attention. At Civil War sites, there are parks and monuments. You don’t see a lot of commemoration of the War of 1812. It seems to go unnoticed.” Taking a newspaperman’s approach, David set out to see what he could find, particularly in the As he explains in his introduction, “Except for a five-hour drive to Montpelier in Virginia and a weekend trip to southern Maryland, my forays into history were usually limited to how far I could get on a Saturday or Sunday, often with two young children in the back of the car and a patient wife navigating with a map of Maryland spread across the dashboard. When it comes to the War of 1812 on the The result is an 18-chapter work that introduces the reader to historians, battlefield experts, archaeologists, re-enactors and everyday folks who were fascinated and fanatical about this war. Writing his three novels, David said, could be done whenever time for creative expression was found. Using his imagination and knowledge of the Civil War period he developed the characters and plots for his novels in solitude. For 1812, he had to arrange his schedule for personal interviews and on-site research. “The hardest part,” he stressed, “was getting all this done. I wanted to actually go to the locations, and I had to make the time to do that. It (writing a book) took me a long time.” A number of Americans know about Francis Scott Key and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner poem during the War of 1812. But many people don’t realize that British soldiers burned towns along the And while the size of the American flag that flew over When each year, many thousands of re-enactors gather to recreate the great Civil War battles, only a few dozen appear in period costumes at War of 1812 sites. The background and complete stories of these issues and many others are addressed in David’s fascinating book. Divided into chapters, it’s easy to read, set aside and pick up when time or interest allows. While the book is historical in focus, it is written in storytelling style. Each chapter shares the author’s quest and the tales and truths he discovered. “It’s really about the history in your own back yard,” David said. “It would be great if someone reads a chapter in the book and decides to go to Ed Oknowicz is the author of several regional books and is a co-host of “Possessed Possessions” on The
Q. Where did you get the idea for SHARPSHOOTER?A. I wanted to write a Civil War novel that was different from others that have mainly been dramas set against the backdrop of the war. To do this, I began to ask myself a lot of "what if" questions - such as "what if" the South had tried to assassinate General Grant. What I came up with was a story about a very personal war. It doesn't take place on the battlefield, but it's just as brutal and the outcome of the whole war could change depending on the sharpshooter's bullet.
Q. How did you get your interest in history? A. I grew up on a small farm in an old farm house that was built during the 1860s. It was a very rural area but located at an interesting crossroads of the National Road that led west from Baltimore and the Washington Road that led north from the capital. There was a lot of action in the area during the Civil War, with Union troops passing through all the time. In fact, a neighbor used to tell me stories about how his grandfather would hide his horses on the woods on our farm, out of sight of passing Yankee troops.
Q. Are you planning any other books besides SHARPSHOOTER? A. Yes. My next novel is REBEL TRAIN, about an elite group of Confederate raiders who capture Abraham Lincoln on his way to deliver the Gettysburg address.
Q. How long did it take you to write SHARPSHOOTER? A. With all the research and then the actual writing, it took about two years. I used to work an evening shift, so I would write all morning and then go to my newspaper job. Saturdays and Sundays I'd be at the computer, too - basically whenever I found time to work. It takes an unbelievable amount of effort to write a novel. You've got to stick to it.
Q. Which character would be the most fun to have a beer with? A. Definitely Uriah Snodgrass. He likes to have a good time. He has a sense of humor. Don't play poker with him, though - you'll lose whatever is in your wallet, and then some.
Q. The main female character in the book is a Confederate spy in Washington. Tell us something about her. A. It's important to remember that Washington was largely a Southern city in 1861, and many of the older, "society" families were sympathetic to the Confederacy. When the war broke out, these people found themselves on the wrong side of the Potomac River. Anne finds herself stranded in the Union capital, but she does all she can to help the Confederacy. She's a complicated person - on the one hand, trying to keep up appearances as her money dwindles even as she watches Yankee profiteers grow rich off the war; on the other hand, using her contacts in society to learn Union secrets that she sends South. It's a dangerous game, and although she's terrified of going to prison or being hanged, she has a great deal of courage.
Q. What's the hardest part about writing a book like SHARPSHOOTER? A. What's tough is that it's not set against the backdrop of any particular battle or event - the attempt to assassinate Grant takes place all on its own. The novel creates its own historical scenario. Of course, I've been as faithful as possible to the larger history of the Civil War era.
Q. The assassination attempt is pure fiction, then? A. Who can say for certain that it didn't happen? Don't forget that Confederate agents infiltrated Grant's headquarters at City Point and planted a bomb that killed an aide standing near him.
Q. What will someone enjoy most about reading "Sharpshooter"? A. The history, the plot, the characters - I think the three of those combine to make this a different kind of historical thriller.
Q. Who are some of your favorite writers? A. I enjoy the Civil War books by Bernard Cornwell and "Confederates" by Thomas Keneally. Oddly enough, Cornwell is British and Keneally is Australian, but they have a real feel for American history. Howard Bahr's "The Black Flower" is also wonderful. Douglas Jones also has some fine historical novels, like "Elkhorn Tavern" and "The Barefoot Brigade." I'm a big fan of Mark Twain - I keep a postcard tacked above my desk of the room where he wrote "Huckleberry Finn." It's on the third floor of his manson in Hartford, Connecticut. I'd love to sneak in there sometime with my laptop and write for a couple of hours, just to see how it would turn out. |