The Final Reveille required that I do a lot more historical
research than I typically do for one of my mysteries. Even though the novel takes
place in the present day, it is set in a living history museum during a Civil
War reenactment. I felt like I needed a strong background in Civil War history
to write the novel properly. As a librarian, I love research of any kind, and I
always learn something new.
The most interesting fact that I didn’t know and learned while
researching the novel was Walt Whitman, the famous American poet and author of
the poetry book Leaves of Grass,
served as a nurse in Washington DC during the Civil War. To comforted wounded
soldiers, he recited his poems to them. He also wrote poems at the time about
the war, including “Beat! Beat! Drums!” You will find the first verse of the
famous poem at the beginning of The Final
Reveille. It is “Beat! beat! drums!—Blow! bugles! Blow!”
After reading so much about Whitman, I had to include a Walt
Whitman reenactor in The Final Reveille.
You will find him there wandering around the battlefield and camps spouting
verse from Leaves of Grass and
competing with the Abraham Lincoln reenactor for the tourists’ attention.
Whitman is just one of the surprises I have for you in the
novel. I hope you will check it out and see what else I have in store!
Preorder
The Final Reveille today!
Amanda
Flower, a three time Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing
career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade
class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the
top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of
making people laugh with her words. Amanda is an academic librarian for a small
college near Cleveland. She also writes as National Bestselling Author Isabella
Alan.
Connect with Amanda:
Special thanks to Amanda Flower and Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
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