Seize the Day!: How to wring more satisfaction from your Civil War reenacting events

by William J. Watson

"Seize the Day!" is the distillation of the best available practices now deployed by the cutting-edge cadre of reenactors. They create a stream of magic "We were there" moments by creating organizations and weekend events focused on actually living the life of Civil War soldiers and civilians. The chapters draw heavily on Augustus Kautz's "Customs of Service," written during the war for exactly the same reason: To let soldiers know what was expected of them. Watson brings 38 years of experience as a journalist to bear on the topic of "operational" Civil War events. In addition to "Seize the Day!" he is the author of "history heavy" Civil War fiction, including "Brother William's War" and "Jesse Ludlam's Wars," available from Amazon. "Seize the Day" is published by Broken Lance Enterprises of Stroudsburg, Pa. For more: www.wmjwatson.com

100 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2010

About the author

I write books about history for people who wish they'd been there when it was happening. I also write books helping people make history happen again. I've also written one contemporary murder mystery set on the Jersey Shore, and have another in the works.

I was a career newspaper journalist until 2010. I have more words in print than Stephen King. Unfortunately, they are mostly in newspapers rather than books. This will change. I am also embarked on a career as a public insurance adjuster, that is, someone who gets money for people when they have property damage. I work for homeowners, not insurance companies, which is a great thing in my book. Or it will be in my book, my next one.

I live near Stroudsburg, Pa., in a spot that is 10 degrees colder than anywhere else.