Folks, I wanted to provide an update on my book:
The Lost War for Texas: Mexican Rebels, American Burrites and the Texas Revolution of 1811.
So the latest word from A&M Press is that it will be ready to ship out in June. This is a delay, but it's the nature of the publishing industry that such things happen. For those of you who have pre-ordered it, great. Tell all of your friends, of course. I'm going to depend heavily on word of mouth, and it's kind of hard to do word of mouth until the book is actually out there and people are reading it. I have no doubt you will like it.
I'll keep the promotion part short, since Texags staff has a habit of killing my posts promoting the book on other forums here, presumably so that they can get money from me. (Don't worry staff, once the book is out, I'll do a sponsored post! Right now I'm just getting advice from your wonderful readers.)
Now, here's where I need some History Board input/advice.
I'm starting to do some interviews, so I'm looking for any leads on good places to do shows. Radio, TV, podcasts, etc. Already planning Wise on Texas, Once Upon a Time in Texas, and Finding Medina. I've thought about doing my own podcast, but I kind of have a voice for print journalism.
Share anything else in terms of venues that are Texas historyish that you know of. I'm open to it all. Also, any journalists (radio, TV or print) who take an interest in Texas history. Please comment, as I'm going to try to set up some of these in the next few months. Additionally, I'm happy to speak to any groups anywhere in the state if I can make the travel work. Obviously, DRT and SRT groups, but any history-themed groups or even Lions Club or whatever. If I can get a decent turnout and there's a reasonable chance I can sell 10 or more books, it's worth a trip. Also, any independent bookstores (I'm working the chains already). Send any ideas or thoughts here or to info at lostwarfortexas dot com.
I've been prepping for interviews with some stock, obvious questions, but if you have questions, go ahead and shoot them my way. That helps me prepare, so that when I get to the point that Texas Monthly does a storry I've got my points honed down and simple. Also, different levels of detail for different audiences. I've got a powerpoint that I can do in 15 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour, depending on need.
Most people have not even heard of what I call the Texas Revolution of 1811. I call it that because it's a full-out war and doesn't even really have a name. It's typically referred to as the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, but it's actually far more than that. Equating it with the filibuster is like calling World War II the "War against Hitlerism." Yes, that's true, but it's far more than that. It begins in 1811 with the Casas and Zambrano Revolts in San Antonio, encompasses the filibuster the next year, and continues beyond the point at which the foriegn filibusters cease to be the majority of the Republican Army of the North (by the Battle of Medina, it is probably 60-70 percent native Tejanos). (In fact, the "struggle" even continues on past Medina. For instance, I found hitherto unknown proof that there was a Tejano government in exile in Louisiana from about 1813-14).
When I give a brief explanation, I hear people all the time say, "Oh, that's the Battle of Medina" as if all I'm talking about is one battle, when it's far bigger than that. There were three major battles and a seige 7 1/2 times longer than the Alamo. More people died in it than in the entire Texas Revolution of 1836, even though Texas had 1/10 the population. It's significantly bigger than just a battle.
My goal with this isn't to just get a book out there, but to revolutionize the understanding of Texas History. This is not just an arcane discussion. There are a lot of ties between my period and the colonization of Texas and the 1836 revolution. The point I make in the book is that you wouldn't try to argue the causes and impacts of World War II in complete ignorance of World War I. How could you understand the rise of Naziism if you were completely ignorant of that first war? I would argue this is no different, because the 1811-13 revolution sets the stage for 1836 just as assuredly. Anyone who is making loud and polemical statements about the cause of 1836 without understanding this war is just plain negligent. Is 1836 about slavery? Can we say that definitively if we know that some of the exact same people who fought in that war (and more frequently their parents or close friends or relatives) fought in a very similar cause 25 years before, when slavery's expansion was never really questioned and slavery was perfectly legal no matter who won? Maybe you can argue the slavery case. I don't actually care what point you take. But you can't argue it in good faith if you do it in ignorance of the full context. And my book, I hope, moves us closer to that context.
Another thing it occurred to me as I gave an interview last week is that this is a story that is almost so unknown that it seems nearly unprecedented. (Not that I'm claiming discovery. There have been 4-5 books talking about this in some context. Mine is far more robust, but not unique.) I'm looking for a comparison to point out how an entire war, with important causes and effects, has basically hidden beneath the radar. Trying to think of other historical events that were unknown or very poorly known, that were then later brought out into the light of day and have ultimately become accepted. I can't think of many. That the Vikings didn't just touch Greenland, but actually made it to New Foundland is something that has only really been widely known in the last 30-40 years, probably. The Trojan War was believed to be a myth until Heinrich Schliemann dug up Troy in 1870. We didn't actually know about Ultra breaking Enigma until 20 years after World War II. What other things are out there?
The Lost War for Texas: Mexican Rebels, American Burrites and the Texas Revolution of 1811.
So the latest word from A&M Press is that it will be ready to ship out in June. This is a delay, but it's the nature of the publishing industry that such things happen. For those of you who have pre-ordered it, great. Tell all of your friends, of course. I'm going to depend heavily on word of mouth, and it's kind of hard to do word of mouth until the book is actually out there and people are reading it. I have no doubt you will like it.
I'll keep the promotion part short, since Texags staff has a habit of killing my posts promoting the book on other forums here, presumably so that they can get money from me. (Don't worry staff, once the book is out, I'll do a sponsored post! Right now I'm just getting advice from your wonderful readers.)
Now, here's where I need some History Board input/advice.
I'm starting to do some interviews, so I'm looking for any leads on good places to do shows. Radio, TV, podcasts, etc. Already planning Wise on Texas, Once Upon a Time in Texas, and Finding Medina. I've thought about doing my own podcast, but I kind of have a voice for print journalism.
Share anything else in terms of venues that are Texas historyish that you know of. I'm open to it all. Also, any journalists (radio, TV or print) who take an interest in Texas history. Please comment, as I'm going to try to set up some of these in the next few months. Additionally, I'm happy to speak to any groups anywhere in the state if I can make the travel work. Obviously, DRT and SRT groups, but any history-themed groups or even Lions Club or whatever. If I can get a decent turnout and there's a reasonable chance I can sell 10 or more books, it's worth a trip. Also, any independent bookstores (I'm working the chains already). Send any ideas or thoughts here or to info at lostwarfortexas dot com.
I've been prepping for interviews with some stock, obvious questions, but if you have questions, go ahead and shoot them my way. That helps me prepare, so that when I get to the point that Texas Monthly does a storry I've got my points honed down and simple. Also, different levels of detail for different audiences. I've got a powerpoint that I can do in 15 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour, depending on need.
Most people have not even heard of what I call the Texas Revolution of 1811. I call it that because it's a full-out war and doesn't even really have a name. It's typically referred to as the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, but it's actually far more than that. Equating it with the filibuster is like calling World War II the "War against Hitlerism." Yes, that's true, but it's far more than that. It begins in 1811 with the Casas and Zambrano Revolts in San Antonio, encompasses the filibuster the next year, and continues beyond the point at which the foriegn filibusters cease to be the majority of the Republican Army of the North (by the Battle of Medina, it is probably 60-70 percent native Tejanos). (In fact, the "struggle" even continues on past Medina. For instance, I found hitherto unknown proof that there was a Tejano government in exile in Louisiana from about 1813-14).
When I give a brief explanation, I hear people all the time say, "Oh, that's the Battle of Medina" as if all I'm talking about is one battle, when it's far bigger than that. There were three major battles and a seige 7 1/2 times longer than the Alamo. More people died in it than in the entire Texas Revolution of 1836, even though Texas had 1/10 the population. It's significantly bigger than just a battle.
My goal with this isn't to just get a book out there, but to revolutionize the understanding of Texas History. This is not just an arcane discussion. There are a lot of ties between my period and the colonization of Texas and the 1836 revolution. The point I make in the book is that you wouldn't try to argue the causes and impacts of World War II in complete ignorance of World War I. How could you understand the rise of Naziism if you were completely ignorant of that first war? I would argue this is no different, because the 1811-13 revolution sets the stage for 1836 just as assuredly. Anyone who is making loud and polemical statements about the cause of 1836 without understanding this war is just plain negligent. Is 1836 about slavery? Can we say that definitively if we know that some of the exact same people who fought in that war (and more frequently their parents or close friends or relatives) fought in a very similar cause 25 years before, when slavery's expansion was never really questioned and slavery was perfectly legal no matter who won? Maybe you can argue the slavery case. I don't actually care what point you take. But you can't argue it in good faith if you do it in ignorance of the full context. And my book, I hope, moves us closer to that context.
Another thing it occurred to me as I gave an interview last week is that this is a story that is almost so unknown that it seems nearly unprecedented. (Not that I'm claiming discovery. There have been 4-5 books talking about this in some context. Mine is far more robust, but not unique.) I'm looking for a comparison to point out how an entire war, with important causes and effects, has basically hidden beneath the radar. Trying to think of other historical events that were unknown or very poorly known, that were then later brought out into the light of day and have ultimately become accepted. I can't think of many. That the Vikings didn't just touch Greenland, but actually made it to New Foundland is something that has only really been widely known in the last 30-40 years, probably. The Trojan War was believed to be a myth until Heinrich Schliemann dug up Troy in 1870. We didn't actually know about Ultra breaking Enigma until 20 years after World War II. What other things are out there?
