Red Over Red*

Two Unrelated Observations...

2012-03-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

1. Thought this was interesting. I got a royalty statement from McBooks Press for The Only Life that Mattered the other day. Book's still chugging along. But what was interesting is that the number of e-books sold nearly equalled the number of hard copies. The times they are a changin'.

2. Why has no one pointed out that if you shift just one letter in Mitt Romney's last name it spells R Money? As in, "Arrr! Money!"

What I Did on My Winter Vacation

2012-03-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a great mini-trip to Mystic, CT where I gave a talk at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Always a treat. They put on a great event, with a good crowd despite some pretty unpleasant weather. And managed to hit a couple of great, historic inns for dinner, the Captain Daniel Packer in Mystic and the White Horse Tavern in Newport, where we went the next day to do research (read the log of U.S.S. Lawrence, Perry's flagship at Erie, in the Newport Historical Society. What a thrill to hold that!)

Here are some pics from the trip:

Signing books after the talk at Mystic Seaport

At the grave of Benedict Arnold's Great (?) Grandfather in Newport, RI
(I don't mean to suggest he wasn't great, just not sure how many generations back from Revolutionary War Arnold he was)

Getting the bill at the historic White Horse Tavern

Great Quote

2012-02-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

I came across this quote the other day. It's from Melville's Redburn. The two characters are sitting in the forecastle after a particularly bad voyage is over. I think the sentiment here expresses why we do a lot of things that seem to make little sense:

But in silent gratitude at the end of a voyage almost equally uncongenial to both of us, and so bitter to one, Harry and I sat on a chest in the forecastle. And now the ship that we had loathed grew lovely in our eyes, which lingered over every familiar old timber, for the scene of suffering is a scene of joy when the suffering is past and the silent reminiscence of hardships departed is sweeter than the presence of delight.

Crazy Season

2012-02-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, here it goes...

Crazy Season is about to start (which means Nutty Season is just ending). Gearing up for many promo events for the Spring and Summer.

This week I'm at St. Albans giving a talk for Osher Lifelong Learning, which I always enjoy.

Next week, down to Mystic Seaport. My wife was going to come to that one, then decided not to. Then the woman from Mystic called and mentioned to my wife that they would be putting me up in a quaint historic inn in quaint downtown Mystic and my wife said, "That will be a room for two, please."

On March 10 I'll be participating in Cooks for Books, where people entertain authors and other guests for dinner as a fundraiser for the Portland Public Library.

Hope we'll see some of you at some of these events!

Disaster (or Nearly So)

2011-11-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago our Sea Scout boat, the Rowan Hope, parted her mooring in the middle of the night in 40 knots of wind and took an unscheduled voyage across Potts Harbor and came to rest as you see her above. Incredibly, as you can see in the picture, she skipped over the granite ledge, missed the ledge ahead of her, and flopped over on the one stretch of mud and eel grass along the entire shore line (God loves Sea Scouts, and there's the proof). This was actually on my neighbors', the Bibbers, property. Bobby Bibber ran a line from the bow and stern to an old apple tree while people tried to figure out who the boat belonged to.

The tide started coming in in the afternoon. Bobby drove his tractor out on the dock and we threw a line over the mast to haul her over to get the keel to clear the ledge. Some of the local lobstermen came by to help.

As the tide came in she floated free. In this picture you can see the line above the spreaders hauling the boat over. She took a couple of good thumps on the ledge but got over into the deep water.

Some of the guys helping us come over in a skiff and put her on a mooring. Incredibly, she suffered no damage, even where she hit hard on the ledge. Tough little boats, those Bristol 24s. We've since sailed her back to Bath, ten miles on open water and another ten up the river, with no problems. She's hauled out for the winter and we can't see any damage done by her little adventure. Ready for another season next year.

Speaking of Sea Scouts, our Ship, 243, the Kennebec Rover is holding a fundraiser Chowder Supper at Maine Maritime Museum November 18, 5:00 - 7:00. If you would like some great chowder, great live music performed by the scouts, and a chance to support this great cause, come on by! For more info e-mail me at jlnelson76@comcast.net.

Meeting My Heroes

2011-10-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

It was when I first started to sail seriously, and was living on my boat in Marina Del Rey, California (that's in Los Angeles, for the uninitiated) that I first became acquainted with the books of Lin and Larry Pardey. The Pardey's were one of the first cruising couples, sailing in the wake of Joshua Slocum, and among the first to seriously write about it, bringing that whole subculture of cruising sailors to public attention. I devoured their books, the narratives of their sailing adventures, starting with Cruising in Serraffyn as well as their how-too books, such as Capable Cruiser. In fact, I was ready to follow their example and head off cruising when the sailing ship Golden Hinde arrived in Marina Del Rey and my life spun off in another direction.

So, it was a great thrill to finally meet Lin and Larry in person at the Newport International Boat Show last month, where they and I were signing our new books. They were every bit as wonderful as I imagined they would be, personable and helpful, and with the sense of humor essential to successful sailing. As you can see from the above photo, Larry was even willing to interrupt his lunch to have his picture taken with me (though he was not willing to unhand the sandwich).

For anyone interested in small boat sailing, or armchair adventures at sea, the Pardey's books are a must.

Back in the Element

2011-08-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

For about four years now I have owned a lovely sailing vessel, a 26' Pierson Ariel, and for those same four years, every Spring, I have decided I did not have enough a) time or b) money to put it in the water. This Spring I decided that I still did not have enough time or money to put it in the water, but my kids were getting older, I was (apparently) not getting younger and the boat had to go in. My wife Lisa has been very into the idea as well (we met on a ship, after all, and boats were the first thing we had in common). So S/V Paraclete, along with myself, my wife and our kids are finally getting back to where we belong.

Paraclete getting ready to head to sea

Underway in the golden hour, the captain stands in the companionway

Power of the Press

2011-08-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

An amusing side benefit of the New York Times mention of my book Reign of Iron - I got to see the sales ranking on Amazon.com shoot up as people who read the article bought the book. Not to say it became a best seller, and with Amazon you have no way of knowing how many books are actually sold (I'm guessing maybe a dozen), but it was clear from the rankings that the article inspired people to buy the book.

And that's why book review editors are flooded with every new title to come out.

I heard a great quote on The Writer's Almanac this morning, by the writer Andre Dubus II:

"[T]he writer who endures and keeps working will finally know that writing the book was something hard and glorious, for at the desk a writer must try to be free of prejudice, meanness of spirit, pettiness, and hatred; strive to be a better human being than the writer normally is, and to do this through concentration on a single word, and then another, and another. This is splendid work, as worthy and demanding as any, and the will and resilience to do it are good for the writer's soul. If the work is not published, or is published for little money and less public attention, it remains a spiritual, mental, and physical achievement; and if, in public, it is the widow's mite, it is also, like the widow, more blessed."

Making the New York Times for Real!

2011-08-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that I finally earned a mention in the New York Times that goes beyond a blurry photo from thirty-seven years ago. I was reading this article about the preservation work being done on the turret of the U.S.S. Monitor and thinking that the history part of the article sure seemed to track my book Reign of Iron pretty close. Sure enough, on the second page they cite the book and, of course, name the author.

Okay, now I can die happy.

But not immediately.

Luckily for all interested, Reign of Iron is still in print.

I Finally Make the New York Times!

2011-06-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

No, not a book review. That would be nice, but you gotta take what you can get. The picture below appeared in the NYT a couple of days ago, in connection to the current activity of former Watergate conspirator John Dean. It shows Dean being sworn in before the Senate Investigating Committee in 1973.

To Dean's left there is a guy looking at a pad of paper. Above that guy's left shoulder, right where his sleeve meets his coat, you can see the top of a blond head. That's my head! I was eleven years old and my family was taking a trip across country when we happened to be in Washington for Dean's historic testimony. My dad is the man standing against the back wall right over the left shoulder of Notepad Man. Notepad Man is blocking my sister and mother, who were sitting to my right.

A nearly identical picture, taken from a higher angle, appears in Dean's book Blind Ambition. In that one my sister and I are clearly visible, which is how I know that the scalp in this picture is me.

I was a bit young to truly appreciate the historical significance of Dean's testimony, but listening to my folks talk I knew it was big.

Now, the next New York Times appearance had better be a glowing book review...

The Madness Continues

2011-05-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Haven't updated the blog in a while because I keep waiting for some exciting news to report but there appears to be none in the offing. So, just to let folks know I'm still above ground, here we go.

Still hitting to promotion trail for the new book, With Fire and Sword. I was recently down in Boston doing a book signing at U.S.S. Constitution, my favorite ship. Here are some pictures.

Cool ship. Bloody cold day.

Some school kids from St. Louis recently sent me a Flat Stanley, a cut out guy based on kids book by Jeff Brown of that name. The idea is that Stanley enjoys adventures in other places, and then returns to the kids who sent him. In this case Stanley helped me with my book signing.

Jim Nelson and Flat Stanley sign books at the U.S.S. Constitution Museum Store

Jim and Lisa's Great Virginia Adventure

2011-03-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Mount Vernon, where I had the chance to deliver one of the talks at their Michelle Smith Lecture Series. Excellent trip. On the morning of the talk my wife Lisa and I (we had driven to Virginia the day before) woke up and had a leisurely (i.e. no kids) breakfast then drove the half hour to Mount Vernon. There we were shown the suite they were putting us up in (I'm not saying it was terrific, but they did have to call security to get us to leave the next day. The guards had to pry Lisa's fingers from the post of the four poster bed) and we spent the day touring the grounds and the wonderful museum they have there. Great place, a must see.

Here we are in front of Mount Vernon

Later on we changed and walked through the grounds to the Welcome Center where I gave the talk. A full house, and people who love Washington and all things Revolution, the best kind of audience. After that signed books furiously for forty-five minutes. Sold out nearly all the stock of books. Next Lisa and I had a wonderful dinner with Jim Rees, Executive Director at Mount Vernon, Mrs. Smith who sponsored the series and some other wonderful people. That done, it was back to our suite.

The next day I said to Lisa, "I'm not sure how a day can get any better..."

Furiously signing books - my favorite activity

(or at least it's pretty high on the list)

And now, back to reality...

Let the Madness Commence!

2011-03-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

The official book promo madness has begun! Did my first book signing for With Fire and Sword the other night at Borders in Portland, Maine. Had to sign books quick as the bank was in the process of repossessing the store while I sat there.

Naw, just kidding. Apparently none of the Borders in Maine are slated to close. Which is good because every other bookstore in the state has been crushed underfoot.

Tomorrow my wife Lisa and I are off to Virginia for a talk at Mount Vernon (members only...which makes me ask, "would I want to give a talk at a place that would have me as a speaker?") then next weekend off to the Virginia Festival of the Book. The whole nutty schedule is on my web site, www.jameslnelson.com.

With Fire and Sword got a nice review in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Actually, a very nice review.

The Pub Date!

2011-03-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

For regular folk, a "Pub Date" would probably mean taking your wife or girlfriend out for a fun evening at some quaint Irish or British-inspired drinking establishment, sucking down Guiness and playing darts. But to the writer, those words have a much greater significance:

The New Book is Out!

At long last, the most anticipated literary event in south western Harpswell, Maine, With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution is officially available! While it may take a week or so to filter into stores, it is available for immediate purchase on line at Amazon.com, Borders.com (careful of that bankruptcy thing) and Barnes & Noble.com.

Rush out in a buying frenzy! If you buy two, you can use one for parts. And remember, it is scientifically proven that buying used books can cause irritable bowel syndrome.

Helen Hollick's Blog

2011-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

A friend and fellow writer, Helen Hollick, who is much more adept at the whole blog thing than I am, has started a page where she invites guests to be featured on her blog. This month I get that honor! Check out Helen's blog here - it's fun, lots of good stuff, and an interview with me, which does not detract much from the overall quality.

Free-Bees for the Winning!

2011-02-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Now is your chance to win free copies of my George Washington related titles! In celebration of Washington's Birthday, the publisher, McGraw-Hill/International Marine is running a sweepstakes on their Facebook page. So check it out and enter! If you win, you get a free book. If you lose, an old pirate comes to your door and hands you a paper with a black spot on it. Then you're on your own.

More Good News...

2011-02-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

Just heard that the new book, With Fire and Sword, has been selected as a Military Book of the Month Club Alternate Selection and a History Book Club Main Selection. That's a nice honor, and the money I get from the sub rights sale will allow me to treat my whole family to pizza with three toppings!

With Fire and Sword will be in book stores March 1.

Off to Buffalo, NY and Ann Arbor next week for research on the next book, TBA. I would like to check out some of the War of 1812 sites, but I suspect they are under fifteen feet of snow.

Adding an increasing number of Author Events to the schedule for this year. You can check it out on my web site (which needs some serious work, and will get it, one of these days).

Another SIB

2011-02-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here's one I made for my wife, Lisa, for her birthday. It's her and me sailing on the boat I owned when we met, a Newport 27. It is supposed to depict our first sail together. I wasn't sure she would like it - we have a lot of ships in bottles - but she cried when she saw what it was, which is always the reaction you want (as long as it's tears with something like, "Oh, honey, that's so romantic!" as opposed to "Oh! You cheap SOB, what I said I wanted was...").

Anyway, I was very happy with the reaction.

SIBs

2011-02-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

That's Ships in Bottles. I've found a little time to pursue an old, favorite hobby, the traditional sailors' art of ships in bottles (a good activity when your entire world is buried in snow). Here's a Gloucester fishing schooner of pretty recent vintage. (SIBs are notoriously hard to photograph).

And it Just Gets Better...

2011-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Two more great reviews, one from Kirkus (a starred review - special merit. That's good) and one from Booklist.

The book is With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution. There seems to be some confusion from the last post as to the publication date, so let me say again, the book will be published

March 1, 2011

There will be considerable mention made of that event (at least by me) so you'll know about it.

Here are the hightlights of the new reviews:

From Kirkus:

A clever, often sardonic history of an iconic battle.

Prolific historian Nelson (George Washington’s Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle that Won the American Revolution, 2010, etc.) begins in turbulent 1760s Massachusetts, which, in his often tongue-in-cheek narrative, resembles less the traditional high-school patriotic pageant than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict... Nelson makes an entertaining case that the American Revolution may have been won on Bunker Hill.

And from Booklist:

The battles of Lexington and Concord, deemed the “shots heard around the world,” are usually considered

the opening conflicts of the Revolutionary War. Perhaps so, but as Nelson indicates in his detailed and

stirring account, the subsequent battle at Bunker Hill had a much greater impact in both America and

Britain. He convincingly asserts that the massive casualties sustained meant a true

turning point had arrived. American confidence was bolstered, while the British realized the rebels would

not be easily subdued. This is a well-done examination of a critical battle, ideal for general readers.

The Critics are Raving!

2011-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well, one critic, anyway. And maybe not raving. But my new book, With Fire and Sword, just got a very nice write-up in Publisher's Weekly, the publishing industry's top trade magazine. In the words of PW:

With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution
James L. Nelson, St. Martin's/Dunne, $27.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-312-57644-8
This rousing history rescues Bunker Hill from its folkloric shroud and presents it as one of the revolution's more significant and dramatic battles. Historian and novelist Nelson (Benedict Arnold's Navy) calls the 1775 engagement--a struggle for high ground from which American artillery could hit the British stronghold in Boston--the revolution's "first real battle." Amateurish Minutemen weathered a standup fight against the superbly drilled redcoats. (That they could obey the famous order to hold their fire until they could see the whites of their enemies' eyes was a triumph in itself.) The outcome was a bloodbath in which "the [British] front ranks were mowed down as if the hand of God had swept them away"--until the ammunition ran out and the Americans fled. Nelson's gripping portrait of the battle caps a lively chronicle of the early days of the rebellion in Massachusetts and of the revolutionaries' scramble to establish a government and organize an army as they edged uneasily toward independence. Nelson's well-researched, entertaining account of the revolution's opening chapter aptly conveys the difficulty and riskiness of the patriots' gamble.

The great thing about Publisher's Weekly is you can slip them twenty bucks and they'll write anything you want.

Naw, just kidding. The review is legit. Perpare to rush out in a buying frenzy, March 1.

And Happy New Year!

Digging Out

2010-12-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of folks on the East Coast, we spent a good part of yesterday digging out from the storm. Nearly 24 hours of high winds and snow, and miraculously, we did not lose power (in Harpswell a gentle spring rain will usually knock the power out for two days).

Here I am with my sons trying to find the front steps under the snow. It's good to have a crew to supervise, like the old days. Alas, when I started flashing back and bellowing to rise tacks and sheets they didn't know what I was talking about, and judged it the proper moment to go inside for hot chocolate.

New Book Blues

2010-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

I was listening to A Prairie Home Companion tonight. They had former poet laureate Billy Collins on. He was talking about his forthcoming new book. He quoted a writer friend of his who said, "Having a book forthcoming is the calm before the calm."

Hearing that I nearly busted a gut laughing, not good when you happen to be driving on a country road in the dark and pouring rain. But I thought it was a hoot, and very insightful. I suppose you have to be a writer or married to a writer (my wife laughed hard too) to truly appreciate it. There is such a sense of anticipation as the publication date nears. You haunt the bookstores waiting for the volume's first appearance (the books that they anticipate will be best sellers often have what they call a "one day laydown," meaning the books all arrive at stores on the same day. Guys like me have to wait for them to trickle in), then brace yourself for the flood of positive reviews, interviews, author tour. And then...not so much.

That's not to say the phone never rings, the good e-mails don't come, the speaking invitations don't arrive. But unless you are David McCullough-esque in your stature, there is not so much fuss made about your new book as you think is quite right.

But we can change all that. Next March 1, be on the look out for this book:

And check out my web site, www.jameslnelson.com for upcoming author appearences.

Putting Boats to Bed

2010-11-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

That time of the year. I am Skipper of a Sea Scout Ship, Ship 243, the Kennebec Rovers. Sea Scouts are part of the Boy Scouts Venturing Program, and is open to boys and girls 14 to 21. Being the Skipper is the equivalent of being a Boy Scout Scout Master.

The Kennebec Rovers prepare their boat for winter

In any event, our Sea Scout ship recently acquired a Bristol 24, a nice little pocket cruiser. We had a work party to get it ready to overwinter. I was so inspired by the young people's energy I went home and put a frame and cover on my own boat.

Me, my daughter Elizabeth (center) and friend Mary Catherine

You folks in warmer climes may not be familiar with this process. I remember when I lived in Los Angeles I was amazed that people talked about the "sailing season". It seemed to me that all year was sailing season. A December afternoon sailing in Southern California was like a late June day here in Maine.

First Pass Passed - New Book on the Way

2010-11-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

Just finished reviewing first pass pages on the new book. In the last stage of the editing process (at least the last stage that involves the author) the publisher prints out the entire book on loose sheets as it will look when it is bound. Then the author gets one last go-over. The publisher is adamant that this is only to correct spelling and the like, since they have to pay for any changes at this point, but in fact the author can make minor alterations. This is the last look the author gets before it goes to print, but of course by this point you are so sick of the book you can hardly stand to read it.

The new book is called With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginnings of the American Revolution. Anyone who has heard me speak knows that I have a particular interest in the early days of the Revolution and the confused way that it all came together. This book looks at that period, focusing on Boston and the unique part that the Battle of Bunker Hill played on the rest of the war.

More on that subject in later posts. But I have to say, I love the cover of this one!

SIBs Ahoy!

2010-11-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

By SIBs we mean Ships in Bottles of course. It's a hobby I used to enjoy, before Real Life began to eliminate any time for hobbies. But my friend Jim Goodwin in North Carolina has taken SIBing to a new level, turning pro a few years back. He made the SIBs for the movie The Lovely Bones as well as many, many custom bottles.

Now he's offering a course in SIBing at none other than Roy Underhill's Woodwright's School. (Jim was featured on one of Roy's TV episodes). Check it out! Anyone in the area interested in SIBs should take part.

More on Jim's work can be found on his web site, Carolina Ships in Bottles

Okay, now I'm flashed up to get SIBing again. I'll post a photo of the last SIB I made, once my daughter gets back from retreat with the camera (assuming she gets back with the camera).

Advanced Pirate Silliness

2010-10-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a promo we did for the Maine Maritime Museum's Pirate Party. Calling on some of my old film making skill here (clearly quite rusty). My co-stars are Tomm Tomlinson, a.k.a. Crudbeard and Barbara Tomlinson, better known to authorities as Bloodthirsty Barbara. This was shot on board the schooner Sherman Zwicker at Maine Maritime Museum. My son Nate showed me how to embed it on the blog.

Voyage of the No Weight - Maine Maritime Museum's Square Rigged Pumpkin

2010-10-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from the Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival's Pumpkin Boat Race. We built a square rigger for Maine Maritime Museum (a bring, to be precise) and my daughter Elizabeth took command, her first stint as captain. The No Weigh did pretty well down wind, but once Elizabeth rounded the weather mark and tried to claw to windward, things fell apart. Sails all aback, she had to be towed back to dock. Part of the problem of course was that there was no way to trim the sails or steer the vessel.

Next year we'll do better.

Elizabeth Under Way

The proud ship at the dock

Captain Nelson and her first Command

Jim Nelson prior to launching

Dissed by a Better Sort

2010-10-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

The New Yorker recently ran a lengthy essay by Jill Lepore on the staggering number of books about George Washington, this in reaction to the new biography by Ron Chernow. In the piece she refers to the "boutique-y books about the man's military career, his moral fortitude, his friendship with Lafayette, his faith in God, his betrayal by Benedict Arnold, his 'secret navy...'.

That last, of course, is a reference to yours truly, and my previous book, George Washington's Secret Navy. I'm sorry she didn't mention Washington's gambling problem, as illuminated by my book George Washington's Great Gamble (I kid - the book is not really about that, though if your research is no more than a list of what an Amazon.com search brings up you might think so).

I don't know if the comment was intended as a dig to all who write about Washington, but I didn't really take it that way. She makes a point. And even I greeted news of the new Chernow biography with the thought, do we really need this?

Oh, Brave New World...

2010-10-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Still trying to navigate this world of electronic communication. Folks my age (forty-eight and holding) are in an odd place - the generation before was not raised with any of this stuff, and our kids don't know a world in which it did not exist. For folks like me, it all began to emerge in a big way while we were in our twenties. I can still recall my buddy Mike Berns' "portable" computer that he used to bring over to my apartment in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. He would put the floppy disk in and load DOS before he could load the word processing program. We would throw some brontosaurus steaks on the barbacue while we waited.

Anyway, the point is, folks of my generation are neither clueless nor are we completely at home in this virtual world. And so, like a visitor to a city with which I am sort of familier, I blunder forth.

I still have my web site, http://www.jameslnelson.com/, with information on my books, upcoming appearences and such. But I have to admit, this blogging thing looks like fun.