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.
It’s a time of year for looking back and looking forward.
My son spent Thanksgiving with his in-laws who lived a while in the States and who take the holiday very seriously. Everyone had to say what they gave thanks for that year. As a buttoned-up Brit, I felt this was all a bit much but, on this last day of the old year, I feel an uncharacteristic urge to join in.
This year had a landmark birthday (no, I’m not telling you which one) and, even though the celebrations were back in April, the memory of a wonderful day in a house packed with wonderful friends is still fresh. So the first thing to be grateful for is that we have a place we can entertain, friends to share it with, and music we can all dance to. It was special.
Landmark birthdays, though, do rather remind us that we are getting older and the year saw some minor, but debilitating, health issues get suddenly worse, which was a concern. The NHS, though, with all its problems, came through for me. Just over a month ago, I had surgery that has essentially sorted me out. Because things had snuck up on me, I hadn’t realised how bad they had got until they were fixed. It is truly wonderful to have my health back.
I know I’m overusing the word ‘wonderful’ but that’s sort of the point of this little essay. Life this year has, indeed, been wonderful, and I want to acknowledge this at a time when the world looks an increasingly dark and dangerous place. As we face the vicissitudes of an uncertain 2025, we all need to remember the good stuff we have now.
What else? If you were reading this blog back in February you will know that after many years of promising to visit the home of an Indian friend, we finally made the trip. It was, yet again, and in the literal meaning of the word, wonderful. Our friend had arranged a tour that took us to some remarkable places and showed us a world we had never seen before. We are so lucky to know such a kind and generous person. Take a bow, Veena!
Summer saw, even by our standards, a ridiculous amount of dancing. When it finally stopped raining, Londoners took to dancing open-air tango every weekend and often during the week as well. Those afternoons and evening are certainly something else to be thankful for.
Somewhere in all this, I seem to have found time to write. I started Burke and the War of 1812 around April and I’m in the final throes of editing now. How I move on with writing is definitely something to consider under the ‘looking forward’ category. Perhaps that’s something to blog about another week but, for now, however frustrating this writing business can be, the fact that I’m still able to string a sentence together is another thing to be grateful for.
So to the end of the year and Christmas. We spent it in a Victorian castle, bringing a bit of Xmas movie romance to real life and it was everything we could have hoped.
None of this would mean much without my beloved and our son. At this time of year we should all be thankful to be able to spend time with the people we love.
So that’s my Thanksgiving done for the year. I promise I’ll be back to my regular cynical self as soon as we’ve seen out 2024.
There’s no escaping Christmas now. The Christmas advertisements are out, the shops are full of Xmas products and the Christmas lights are everywhere. Everywhere including Seven Dials, where I was out last night to dance tango and stopped on my way to take this photo.
Cynical old curmudgeon as I am, I still really like the lights here. It’s lovely that they’ve made the Seven Dials sundial the centre of the illuminations. When Seven Dials was originally laid out in the early 1690s the Seven Dials column was put at the centre with all the roads in the development radiating out from it. It was originally seen as a desirable place to live but, as the city moved westward, Seven Dials was left behind. It became a notorious slum and the column was viewed by the authorities as a meeting place for gangs of rogues, so it was demolished. The existing column is an exact reproduction of the original, unveiled in 1989. It is London’s only column sundial.
Seven Dials is the setting for my book, Back Home. It is the end of a trilogy of books following the adventures of the (fictional) John Williamson and his travels to Borneo and India before returning to London in the mid-19th century. The books are very different to the Burke series and look at questions of Empire during a tumultuous time (including an account of the siege of Cawnpore during the Indian Mutiny/War of Independence). Although the stories all feature a lot of excitement and incident, they also ask more serious questions about the relationship between colonisers and colonised and how this reflected power relationships back in London. They’re not as much fun to read as the Burke series but, I like to think, more rewarding. The paperbacks are cheaper too, because I really want people to read them. I’m so fond of them that the first in the series, The White Rajah, is the only one of my books that you can buy in hardback. All three stories are standalone, although you will probably get more out of them if you read them in order. Perhaps, given the Christmas theme, you might consider The Williamson Papers as Xmas gifts. I’d love it if you did.
I’ve finally got to the end of the first draft of Burke and the War of 1812. I usually take the unfashionable approach of editing as I go, so there’s not a huge gap between finishing my first draft and having something that I feel ready to show to people, but this one has been an exception. I think there’s still quite a lot of work to do. For the moment, though, I am revelling in the fact that I don’t have to write the damn thing for a few days, so I can turn my mind to selling the books I’ve written already. This balancing of writing and selling is one I always find tricky. I love getting readers – that’s pretty much the point of writing – but I’m retired and I don’t have to do this for the money so putting in the hours that I need to promote the books is always a low priority. This pause in my writing gives me a good opportunity to do a little bit of selling. And it’s November: the month when book sales traditionally take off as writers all try to persuade you that books make ideal Christmas presents. They do. They really do!
Tales of Empire is just £2.99 in paperback and if you are on Amazon Prime you don’t even need to pay postage. It’s four short stories by four different authors, including me. It’s an ideal stocking filler.
All of my books are available in paperback. E-books have a lot going for them, but I must admit I don’t feel that they work as Christmas gifts. The James Burke series are my bestsellers and cost £9.50 or less. The most popular is Burke in the Peninsula, possibly because it appeals to Sharpe fans, But if you are giving them to somebody who has never read a James Burke book before, I suggest you start with the first one, Burke in the Land of Silver. It’s based quite closely on the life of the real James Burke and the British invasion of Argentina in 1806. Burke spied for the British ahead of the invasion and his story is a thrilling tale of derring-do and gives a fascinating insight into a little known British military adventure.
The White Rajah was my first attempt at historical fiction and (whisper it) still probably my favourite. It was never a great commercial success, though, which is why you can buy it in paperback for just £7.99.
Besides historical fiction, I also write contemporary fantasy books. My comic fantasy, Dark Magic is a novella and the paperback is only £4.99. There’s an audio book too, which I was giving away free for Halloween. If you’re interested, let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I’ve got any left.
As we draw closer to Christmas, I’ll be talking more about my books. If you don’t want to buy any of them, consider buying something by another independent or small press author. Nobody I know has proper marketing budgets and persuading people to buy books in a market dominated by a few very successful writers (or successful celebrities who have people write for them) is an uphill struggle. If you want new books by new authors, supporting their sales efforts really does make a huge difference.
I’m still utterly failing to finish my 1812 Burke book as life seems to be filling up with all sorts of other things. Last Friday I visited Sutton House in Hackney, a National Trust property described as the oldest private house in London. Built in the 16th century by Ralph Sadleir who worked for Thomas Cromwell at Henry VIII’s court, it has undergone many changes over the years. In the 18th century it was divided into two semi-detached houses, one of which became a school. Later the two halves were reunited as it was occupied by a church trust. Abandoned in the 20th century, it was briefly squatted before the National Trust started restoration work. The basic Tudor structure remains unchanged with some elements like the kitchens being taken back to their origins.
From outside, it just looks like an old, vaguely dilapidated house in the centre of Hackney. It’s a wonderful example of how in London we live alongside history without necessarily even being aware of it.
This is one of the original Tudor windows.
The beautiful linenfold panelling is a rare surviving example from the period.
Saturday I was out with fellow skaters celebrating Halloween on the streets of London.
We were out skating again on Sunday, so I got a reasonable number of miles under my belt over the weekend.
Tuesday I was at the Wellington Lecture in Southampton. Not an awful lot about Wellington but a gentle canter through the way that the events of June 1815 still resonated with the British Army in two World Wars. The Navy sometimes remembers his influence too, albeit through gritted teeth.
Thursday was more Halloween celebration, this time at tango.
Perhaps next week will produce some actual writing. I live in hope.
During covid (remember that?) one of my lockdown projects was to make an audiobook of my Urban Fantasy novella, Dark Magic. I was encouraged by a friend who is a professional voice actor but it was a very amateur effort, recorded under a desk with a duvet providing some basic soundproofing. The result was quite fun, but not really intended as a commercial exercise. Still, it’s available on Audible and Spotify and elsewhere. Spotify even sent me codes so I could give copies away but, because I wasn’t trying to actively promote it, I never did anything with them. I’ve got a lot left, gathering electronic dust in hyperspace.
But it’s coming up to Halloween and I’d like to give treats to anyone knocking on my virtual door. If you email me at tom (at) tomwilliamsauthor.co.uk, I’ll send you a code (until I run out). There’s no catch and I’ll not add you to a mailing list. (I once tried to run a mailing list but it seemed a lot of work for not much return.) There’s no warranty either. If the codes don’t work, that’s too bad (though I know some people have used them successfully).
If you like what you hear and you think you might enjoy the books, Dark Magic is available on Kindle and in paperback. You might also like to take a look at my Galbraith & Pole stories featuring the vampire detective Chief Inspector Pole.
Happy Halloween!
Header photos are from London’s Halloween skate. This year’s skate starts from Hyde Park Corner at 5.00pm on Saturday October 26th, weather permitting. Come and join the fun!
