One of the neat things about becoming an author is meeting other authors at literary events. You get to exchange ideas and learn about their work.

At one event recently, at the National Press Club in Washington, I ran into Matt Gallagher. He’s the author of the Iraq war memoir, KABOOM: EMBRACING THE SUCK IN A SAVAGE LITTLE WAR. Matt has an eye for offbeat details, for moments of humor and moments of horror, that make his work stand out from other recent war memoirs, and I highly recommend his book. He has turned his hand to fiction, and is currently working on a novel tentatively titled IN THE MEANTIME.

At the same event, I met James Swanson, author of the bestseller, MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN’S KILLER. Swanson’s most recent book is BLOODY CRIMES: THE CHASE FOR JEFFERSON DAVIS AND THE DEATH PAGEANT FOR LINOLN’S CORPSE. Both are terrific reads for anyone interested in Civil War history. BLOODY CRIMES describes two simultaneous journeys that took place as the war ended: the Confederate president’s retreat and capture, and the travels of the funeral train that carried Lincoln’s body back to Springfield.

Back in the summer, I attended a writers’ workshop taught by fellow North Carolinian Zelda Lockhart. She’s a terrific instructor, and she was named the 2010 Piedmont Laureate–essentially the poet laureate of central North Carolina. It’s a well-deserved honor, and I highly recommend her novels, which include FIFTH BORN and COLD RUNNING CREEK.

Stay tuned for more good books….