My Current Task: the Crafting of the Novel, "Men of Eagles."

            While I thoroughly enjoy the art of fine research and nonfictional study, the chance to create my own world amid a time of giants is too enticing to resist. While sources are plentiful on the heroic tales of Napoleon, Murat, Ney, LaSalle, and even Wellington, and Blucher, providing fictional interpretations of their characters has always fascinated me. As such, I have embarked upon a personal project to write a compilation of tales regarding Napoleonic commanders and soldiers.

            This work, tentatively entitled Men of Eagles, will hopefully comprise a time span of the entire Napoleonic Era, as well as several stories from the preceding Revolutionary Era. If you have been following my blog or have me as a friend on Facebook, you know that I have provided several previews into my work. In fact, there is an entire story on this site later to be featured in Men of Eagles.

            While I have provided glimpses into the lives of the famous, such as Joachim Murat and Michel Ney, other unknown men have given their tales as well. One story, Rise and Rise Again¸ provides a conversation of letters between lovers amid the wars of the age. We see their burgeoning love for each other and La France through treasured, shared correspondences. Other stories provide a sweeping view on the battles that shaped Europe's history during this era. Marching with Michel Ney through the blizzards of wintery Russia, we forsake frustration for courage and success for survival. Additionally, General Jean Baptiste Kléber suppresses rebellions among the aged pyramids of Egypt as he mourns for the needless loss of his enemies' lives.

            A sprawling compilation that, hopefully, depicts the sorrow and triumph of an incredibly complex era, Men of Eagles is still a work in progress. As I must bear the wonderful weight of relationships, work, and scholastic study, little time seems to be left for devotion to writing. In spite of this, I have managed to complete, I feel, a rather praise-worthy amount of stories thus far. With any luck, this book will be done by the end of next summer or fall. Then comes the editing process and the search for publication. I am also considering its release on www.podiobooks.com, a wonderful site devoted to the exposition of new and exciting works through free audio-book, serial podcasts. Regardless, the process of completing this work is a challenge and a boon for me, and we will have to see what develops. For now, I will strive onwards, and continue to provide updates as the book proceeds.