Welcome to our mini blog tour. Samantha Wilcoxson, Sharon Bennett Connolly and I are celebrating the release of our latest books with Pen and Sword, which are respectively James Alexander Hamilton: Son of the American Revolution, Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From Saint Margaret to Margaret of Denmark, and Searching for the Last Anglo-Saxon King: Harold Godwinson, England’s golden Warrior
Today I am hosting Samantha Wilcoxson with an interview about her writing processes and why she chose James Hamilton to write about.
Take the floor Samantha!
How did your book come about?
I decided to write about James Alexander Hamilton after I had written a chapter about his mother, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, in my book, Women of the American Revolution. He published a collection of “reminiscences” in 1869, giving unique insight into his life and the formation of the United States government from its birth through the Civil War.
What is the book about and what makes it different from others?
Not only does no other biography of James Alexander Hamilton exist, but he is not even often mentioned in other works covering this era. Worse, when he is mentioned, it is sometimes with the inaccurate assertion that he opposed his father’s national bank. This assumption is based on the fact that James was temporary secretary of state for President Andrew Jackson, but digging into their correspondence uncovers a plethora of evidence that James was a fervent defender of his father’s bank and other work.
This book is also unique in providing James’s perspective as an observer of an important but often overlooked era of US history. Men like his father had left substantial work for the next generation. They had won independence, but now a new nation had to be forged. Important questions about what that would look like were not quickly or easily answered.
What was your greatest challenge in writing non-fiction?
For this book, my greatest challenge was interpreting James’s handwriting! I was thankful to be able to supplement his Reminiscences with letter collections held by different libraries and historical societies, but his handwriting was so difficult to read.
And what was the easiest part?
The easiest part of writing about James was staying excited about the project. I felt like I was constantly uncovering something new that wasn’t just out there on the internet easy to find. Probably the most fantastic discovery was a portrait of James held by one of his descendants. Through a contact at Columbia University, I was put in touch with Helen Hamilton Spaulding, who generously gave permission for this private portrait to be used for my book cover.
Did you come across any particularly intriguing or gruesome stories?
So many great stories! I loved moments when James’s personality was revealed, because his Reminiscences are written to serve as a record of the history he lived through rather than his life in particular. Therefore, reading personal letters between him and his children was particularly touching. I was surprised to discover that James had helped fight New York’s Great Fire of 1835, which he recorded an amusing quip about. He also was a member of the crew of the schooner, America, which the America’s Cup is named for. All this besides advising presidents from Andrew Jackson to Abraham Lincoln!
How do you approach your writing day?
I’m dreadfully disorganized, so I don’t have much of a routine. I do try to take care of nonwriting tasks, which can threaten to overtake the entire schedule, in the morning, and focus on writing in the afternoons. But if I wake up with a scene or chapter idea in mind, I’m writing before I’m out of my pjs.
What is your favourite thing about being a writer?
Besides being able to spend my days doing something I love and researching topics and people that I find interesting, I love the flexibility of writing. I’m able to take days off whenever my family needs me, and I can write from wherever I happen to be.
What would be the best bit of advice you could give someone who is starting their first writing project?
Start building a support network. Even when I’m writing for a publisher, versus self-publishing, I have go-to people to read my work, help with historical research, and provide objective feedback. Having people to help make my work the best that it can be is a priceless resource.
What are you working on now?
I am back to writing fiction and am working on a Wars of the Roses trilogy for Sapere Books. I’m hoping the first book will be published early next year.
Thanks so much Samantha for coming onto my blog it was a pleasure to have you here!
Excellent interview and I can't wait to read the book.
It was super to have you on my blog Samantha thanks for coming!