On New Year’s Eve I wrote about the year gone by, but now, with Twelfth Night almost on us, it’s time to look to the future.
I’ve been talking a bit lately about the latest Burke book, Burke and the War of 1812. It’s set, as you’d expect, in the war with the USA, which ran as a bit of a sideshow while Britain was more occupied with the war against Napoleon. It’s not often talked about on this side of the Atlantic. If it’s remembered at all, it’s probably because that’s the war where we burned down the White House. It was a strange and rather scrappy little conflict but it cast a long shadow. It defined the relationship between the USA and Canada for a long time. (No-one likes being invaded.) In fact, with Trump expressing his somewhat idiosyncratic notions on the USA’s relationships with its neighbours, memories of 1812 seem to be stirring for the first time in a while.
Last week, the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, was asked on Fox News about Trump’s reported joke about Canada’s joining the U.S.
Ford complimented Trump’s sense of humor. “It’s a funny comment. I guess he’s still upset that, you know, in 1812, we burnt down your White House, and he’s holding a grudge after 212 years,” he said.
NBC News: Dec 10 2024
In a recent interview on Fox Business, Canadian businessman and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary expressed support for President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canada could become the 51st US state … Rooted partly in the 19th-century notion of “Manifest Destiny,” this concept has been fueled by historical events like the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and brief 19th-century annexation sentiments in Canada…
Pakistan Today: Jan 3 2025
If I were President Trump, I’d think twice before invading Canada. The last time the U.S. tried something like that— back in the War of 1812 —it didn’t exactly end well.
Jean Charest (former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada) on X: Dec 3 2024
For me, writing about that war has meant learning about a whole new theatre of war and the political background to the conflict. The book sees Burke spying in Washington and fighting alongside both Native Americans and British troops. I’ve done a lot of reading in my efforts to get things right and I’m still not sure I have. A couple of beta readers think the plot holds together but I’ll be sending it to more people who know enough about the time and the place to pick up some of the errors I’m sure remain. Let me know if you’re interested in helping with that.
It’s been harder work than most of my Burke series. I’m a lazy writer and I find the mechanics of writing hard work. If I manage a thousand words a day, I feel I’ve done well. I started writing sometime around April, having already done a fair bit of reading, and I’m pretty much written out. I suspect I may always feel this way at this stage but, right now, I’m tempted to walk away from James Burke. This will be the eighth book in the series and writing them just doesn’t seem to be as easy as it was.
Of course, a few good reviews and some sales may make me feel differently. I know writers are always asking people to leave reviews, and it’s true that they do sell books, but it’s also true that good reviews can keep us writing. As do sales. All the Burke books are available on Kindle at £3.99 or less. If you want me (or any of your other favourite authors) to write more (or faster) buying their books is a great motivator.
It’s been a long time since the last Burke book, partly because in 2023 I published the third of the Galbraith & Pole vampire fantasies. I’ve missed Galbraith & Pole while I’ve been writing Burke. Urban Fantasy is much easier to write than historical fiction, though the only time I’ve ever had to read 16th century French for my research was while I was writing the second in the series, Eat the Poor. With only three written, I’m still enjoying them. I saw a review somewhere that said it looked as if I was just having fun and taking the reader along for the ride, which is pretty much how I feel. If 2025 sees me writing something new, it will probably be the next Galbraith & Pole.
It’s about 15 years since my first novel, The White Rajah. Burke and the War of 1812 will be the 15th book. Perhaps it’s not surprising that I am drawing breath and wondering what comes next.
I’ve been traditionally published by a small press, but nowadays I self-publish. I’ve enjoyed the freedom and, unexpectedly, the improved sales that come with self-publishing. Still, it can be hard work and I don’t enjoy the marketing side of it – which is, perhaps, why I don’t give that nearly the attention that I should. It’s probably a bit late in the day to start the whole business of trying to find an agent and a publisher again but if anyone has an interest in buying the rights to an existing series, by now I’d probably be open to them. It won’t happen though.
So at the start of the New Year, like so many other people, I’m looking uncertainly at the paths ahead and wondering which one to take. There are a lot of alternatives to writing more fiction. There are tangos to dance, new places to see, even perhaps a return to non-fiction. We’ll see. In the meantime, I have a book to tidy up.
Burke and the War of 1812 should be published this Spring.
Happy New Year!
