My Next Book. . .

. . . started with a visit by me and my husband to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in January 2013. It's one of my favorite museums; we went on that winter day to see an exhibit called "The Civil War and American Art.”  I wasn’t looking for a book topic; we just both like Civil War history. Among the works of art on display was this painting by Winslow Homer entitled “Home, Sweet Home.”  The painting shows soldiers in a Union camp on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  In the background of the scene is a group of soldiers listening to a band playing music –presumably, as the title of the painting suggests, to “Home, Sweet Home,” one of the most popular tunes of the era.What I read there at the exhibit piqued my interest about what happened on the banks of the Rappahannock as the two opposing armies camped there for months after the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.  I went home and started doing research.  I learned about the Confederate and Union soldiers calling across the river to one another, sailing little toy boats across the water to each other, and, most significantly for purposes of the book I ended up writing, playing music and listening to the other side’s music.  And I learned of one particular event, described by several soldiers who were there, when a song known to everyone camped there on the river—“Home, Sweet Home”—bridged the differences between the two sides, the two enemies, if only for a short time.And that's what my next book, Soldier Song, is about. It was just announced today in Publisher's Weekly. The illustrator is Gilbert Ford, and if you take a look at his work on the picture book Mr. Ferris and His Wheel, you'll understand why I feel lucky to have him attached to the project. Publication is set for fall of 2016. I love this story, and can't wait to share it with readers.