MacMillan Judge, Privateer is a novel I work on from time to time. Well, I was doing some research the other day and came across some a very interesting find at the National Archives (of the United States that is). I was looking for information about the War of 1812 as it is known in America, when the United States fought Great Britain again. The character MacMillan Judge missed out on his chance to serve in this war due to the fact that his father was a Quaker and not only forbid MacMillan to fight, but also ruined his chances by revealing certain information to the United States Navy regarding a renegade action MacMillan was about to undertake.
So in the national archives, I found the report of Colonel Armistead, who was commander at Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the famous British shelling of that facility. This is the event that triggered Francis Scott Key to write the Stars Spangled Banner. Here is the direct link to the page that contains the document: http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/todays-doc/index.html?dod-date=914
Below I insert a thumbnail of the first page of this two-page document for your review:
Note the clear handwriting of this man, something that always impresses me about previous generations. (My own left-handed scrawl is barely legible, sometimes only to myself and perhaps one other person). Also, he describes the action clearly and almost detachedly, simply related the facts of the situation without much embellishment or exaggeration. I’ve seen log books from previous centuries which include similar writings. It is literally amazing the records that still remain. We can learn plenty of these first hand accounts, which I dare to say are better than what passes for journalism in the current age.
Thanks to my editor, I made some last minute changes that truly improved the story. Happiness is having a good editor who makes you’re writing better, even when you thought you had the story exactly the way you wanted it. This has been a pleasant surprise for me during the completion of Bonk’s Bar, as well as An Island Away. Soon I’ll be working with her on my next novel. I’m looking forward to it.
John was in the Polish Underground during the Second World War. He fought the Nazis and the Russian Communists. His brother was involved with another resistance group which was sometimes at odds with John’s. As the war came to an end, John escaped from Poland (to avoid the Soviets) and ended up in Germany of all places before making his way to America. He was very successful in business and now visits Aruba, Poland, and other places every year. What a guy!
It’s a true pleasure to meet people who have read the book or heard about it and want to know more. I’m surprised at the questions asked, which actually serve as inspiration to keep writing. After all, if a reader wants to know more or found something particularly interesting, it is a cue to include it in the next story.
Of course, hearing people’s stories about Aruba is also fascinating. There are many visitors who have been going to the island for 20 or 30 consecutive years. That’s quite a few frequent flier miles. Aruba is a wonderful island full of nice people, good restaurants, and fringed by beautiful beach. However, I don’t write much about that part of Aruba.
I write mostly about the refinery boomtown of San Nicolaas. It was here that I came in 1994, when I first visited the island. It’s a strange place, full of characters and stories, all of which are incredible when understood in the context of the Caribbean.
The Bent Page 
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