The Darkest Dawn

[sandman]

thank you J, Jean and Laurie for the words.......laurie, there are so many really good books out there on lincoln and the assassination that i just count myself lucky to even be swimming in the same pond with them. but yes, you get no bread with one meatball and my publisher, a university press, didn't do much promotion. there was some hope when a doc filmmaker in texas was anxious to do a film based on the darkest dawn. but i have heard nothing in well over a year. alas.

and yes, the bulk of criticism for the book is my treatment of mary. i didn't start out disliking her; didn't really know squat about her. but once i started reading the impressions of others--many/most of whom had no political axe to grind--i did indeed form a harsh opinion of her. i tried to find some balancing accounts of her but the tonnage of criticism simply crushed the few pounds of positives.

and yes, again, for this book i wanted to make it a coast to coast national event. i was shocked when i discovered that a purge--from LA to Bangor, Maine--was taking place as mobs got their revenge on copperheads and luke-warm loyalists. if something REALLY BAD happens in this nation, those same mobs will be out in force. i think the moral of the story is: if something horrible (like the assassination) does happen again, keep your mouth shut, even if you are elated. mobs are like a wild animal and they know that they can tear you limb from limb following such an event, and no one will lift a finger to stop them.