Yesterday was the September Toyman Toy Show here in Saint Louis. It’s always fun, hanging out with collectors, authors, fans, and dealers. Matt Hiebert (Blackhand) and Shane Moore (Apocalypse of Enoch) were both at the show as well. Jordan Hembrough also dropped by and it was a blast hanging out with him once again.
Blog
Progress, a Giveaway, and a Pretzel
I’m very happy to say I’ve passed 75,000 words on my latest work in progress. We’re also making some excellent headway on the editing for book two (and that’s good, because the deadline is coming up fast).
Before anyone says “Is that a pretzel?” Yes. Yes, that is a pretzel. I absolutely love this promotional piece my cover art team put together. It’s just so … Damian.
The latest giveaway is live! This week we have a Squishable mini-panda, embroidered Vesik hat, and signed copies of Days Gone Bad up for grabs. Be sure to enter.
Antietam
I sat down to write about our visit to Antietam a few weeks ago, but I needed more distance from it. Antietam remains the bloodiest single day battle in U.S. history. Paintings of the aftermath hang in the battlefield’s museum. Large murals depicting the conflict were painted by Captain James Hope. To see these paintings created by a veteran who stood on that battlefield is a powerful thing.
There are many ghost stories surrounding the horrors of Antietam. It’s easy to understand why when you stand on the sunken road that bears the moniker Bloody Lane. Three short hours of combat in this hauntingly beautiful landscape led to the death or injury of 5,500 soldiers.
One of the most iconic images of Antietam is Burnside Bridge. The sycamore at the far right is the same tree that stood there during the battle. As I’ve come to find with many battlefields, the contrast between their peaceful existence today and the horror of past events is jarring.
Five days after the Union victory at Antietam, Abraham Lincoln delivered the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Gettysburg
We spent some time at the Gettysburg reenactment earlier this month. We drove from Saint Louis. It was not a short drive, but it was an incredible way to celebrate the holiday and observe the 150th anniversary of the battle.
The sheer scale of what the reenactors accomplished was staggering. From the troop movements to the living history camps and the mixture of entertainment with education, it’s the kind of event every history fanatic should attend at least once.
The Latest Goodreads Giveaway
The latest Goodreads giveaway is up and running for US and Canada residents. There are five paperback copies of Days Gone Bad up as prizes, so be sure to enter if you’d like a chance to win!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Days Gone Bad
by Eric R. Asher
Giveaway ends August 04, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Stones River National Battlefield
We set foot on the Civil War battlefield known as Stones River. Union and Confederate lines, three miles long, engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war in these woods and fields.
There is a gravity here, in the rocky earth known as the Slaughter Pen. It’s believed the location was named by men from Chicago. Men who worked in the slaughterhouses drew a parallel between those places and the blood of hundreds of men that formed rivers among the rocks. Trying to imagine assaulting such a position, or retreating over such volatile terrain, is nothing but the stuff of nightmares.
This angle shows the channels where men hid in natural trenches. Some of them are deep enough to stand upright in and be almost completely concealed.
McFadden’s Ford was home to the last action of the battle. Confederates were cut down by 57 cannons mounted on a rise above the river. Shot, shell, and canister took a vicious toll.
One of the people that made our visit to Stones River so informative and entertaining was Jim Lewis, a ranger and historian. His knowledge of the battlefield is astounding, and I would highly recommend joining his tour group if you have the chance to visit Stones River.
In the end, the battle cost 19,000 dead and wounded. A horrific price by any standard.