Michael Kenneth Smith's Blog, page 6

A Civil War Thanksgiving: Recipes from Miss Leslie’s Complete Cookery

“Every one knows that “the” event of Thanksgiving Day is the Thanksgiving dinner. And it is right and reasonable that it should be thus. For a good dinner is the crowning achievement of every home. It strikes a chord to which all hearts are responsive.”—Godey’s Lady’s Book

While the most widely recognized “first” Thanksgiving was shared in 1621 by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony, it would take another 242 years before the harvest celebration was an “official” holiday—establishe...

Excerpted from SCARRED: A Civil War Novel of Redemption

In which we meet Zach, as he sets forth on his journey toward redemption. . . .

Chapter 3

Late Fall 1863

A reddish-orange sun rose above the heavily-treed mountains to Zach’s right as he rode away from Knoxville. His ears ached from the morning cold.

His horse was a big chestnut gelding with hooves the size of dinner plates. Zach thought he looked like an old warhorse, and he suited his needs perfectly. Zach had bought the horse from a Knoxville livery, and the choices had been few, as both s...

One Kool Day

My school was three miles away. Just walk to Cheshire Road, turn left and keep going. I’dtake the short cut, which supposedly lessened thedistance by a full mile. I would climb thefence in our back yard—the fence that kept our two mares from being bred by the neighbor’s stallion. Then, once over the fence, I could walk diagonally toward Pritchard’s place, over two more fences, a small creek, and…wha-la, the school play ground.

The problem? I was almost always late. My “short cut” wasn’t so sh...

The Writer’s Dig with Novel Writing Advice: How to Write Battle Scenes

A battle scene in a novel can be a very powerful and important element that, if done correctly, will define your protagonist—which is why we all need novel writing advice on how to adequately accomplish write one. Your protagonist might distinguish himself/herself in such a way that the reader gains intimate knowledge into his/her psyche while carrying the story forward. The author can use the natural tension of battle and a soldier’s fear to demonstrate the protagonist’s true character wheth...

The Quivering Pen: My First Time with Michael Kenneth Smith

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands. Today’s guest is Michael Kenneth Smith, author of Scarred: A Civil War Novel of Redemption. Michael trained as a mechanical engineer and began a successful auto parts business in the early 1980s. He sold his business in 2000 and retired. Since then, he’s spent time fishi...

Q&A with Audiobook Narrator, Jeffrey Hutchins

I had the opportunity to catch up with Jeffrey Hutchins this week, for a quick Q&A. You may recall, Jeffrey is the narrator of Scarred: A Civil War Novel of Redemption.

Your voice is the perfect compliment to Scarred, how did you manage to discover my book and what prompted you to audition?

I saw the book listed on ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) and liked the premise of the story. I have a natural southern drawl and thought my voice might be a good fit for the book.

What do you do when you...

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Scarred Makes the Move to Audio

Click for the Audiobook

According to multiple sources, audiobooks are “the fastest growing segment in publishing”. Generating $2.8 billion dollars in 2015, the number of audiobook titles published this year has more than doubled since 2013.

With these stats top of mind, and SCARRED: A Civil War Novel of Redemption ready for publication in print and digital formats, the next step was figuring out how to publish the book in an audio format. Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), owned by Amazon, is...

The Beauty of Historical Fiction

I’ve always been a big non-fiction reader—historical non-fiction. While most such books are not nail-biters, I finished the book with a certain amount of knowledge I didn’t have before. It was that left brain thing again: trying to put two and two together, figuring things out. I would slug my way through all the facts, names and dates with the firm belief I was gaining knowledge and historical understanding.

Then came The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and other historical novels which deli...

What if…?

Several posts ago, we discussed the most powerful question in developing a scene: What if …?

A fiction writer has the most unbelievable tool in the world to work with and that is his/her imagination. Whatever a scene involves, through the writer’s imagination, the reader gets pulled in and the story goes forward.

You may think a particular scene is already well-described, carries the story forward, and has ample drama and excitement. Does that mean there’s no room for improvement? Asking Wha...

SCARRED: A Civil War Novel of Redemption

Excerpted from SCARRED: A Civil War Novel of Redemption. Available on Amazon.

Virginia, 1863

The grey early morning light seeped through the tall sycamores next to the river bank. The hollow sound of a distant hungry woodpecker broke the silence. The scope of a rifle followed the Confederate sharpshooter as he climbed the tree to his hidden platform. The scope’s spider lines centered on the man’s head and Zach Harkin squeezed the trigger. Blood and bone splattered against the tree as the gun...