Tim Wendel

A week after accepting the W.Y. Boyd for historical fiction, I drove to Ottawa to visit the Canadian Museum of History.

There I spoke with curators Lauren McCoy and Tim Foran about the assassination of D'Arcy McGee. (Thanks to both of them for their time.)

Who was D'Arcy McGee? Today he's remembered as the prophet of confederation in Canada. He was a politician and poet, and he helped bring the nation together in mid-1860s. Without him, Canada, at least as we know it, probably wouldn't exist. He's become a major character in the novel I'm currently finishing, which is tentatively entitled A POET'S WAR.

McGee was born in Ireland. In fact, he was a member of early independent groups there before moving to Canada. But when he arrived in Montreal in 1857, he fell in love with his new home and the possibilities there.

The Irish fought on both sides during the Civil War. They demontrated courage at Antietam and Gettysburg. When the war ended, many turned their attention to the dire situation in their homeland. A group called the Fenian Brotherhood formed, which eventually invaded British Canada. Its goal was to seize land there and exchange it for free tracts back in Ireland. I know it sounds far-fetched, but it's true.

McGee, who had won a seat in Parliament in Ottawa, was critical of such efforts. For that he was assassinated by a Fenian conspiracy shortly after he gave a memorable speech on the House floor, which solidified Canadian unity. 

That's the backdrop for the new novel, which is slated to be released in Fall 2026 by Three Hills/Cornell Press. And that's what led me to Ottawa and the insights I found there.

The final, final edits for REBEL FALLS are finished. The historical novel, based in Niagara Falls during the waning months of the Civil War, will be out this spring from Three Hills, the trade imprint for Cornell University Press. 

Filmmaker Ken Burns, novelists Mary Kay Zuravleff and Burt Soloman, poet E. Ethelbert Miller, and SiriusXM host Larry Kirwan have endorsed the novel. I'll send along more of their comments in the new year, along with the amazing book trailer from Bill O'Brian.

For now, I'm thrilled to have the edits behind me and to receive this final note from production editor Jennifer Kelly, "By the way, our proofreader was absolutely enthralled with the book."

Pre-orders are being taken here, as well as at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Asking for cover endorsements or 'blurbs' is among the most humbling things I know of. But then you have a lightning bolt moment like this.

Here's Ken Burns assessment of 'Rebel Falls,' my new novel, which will be out this spring:

"Once again, Tim Wendel finds a riveting story to tell, this time in a little-known theater of our most complicated of wars.  Instead of great armies on familiar fields, this saga leads us to the shadowy world of spies and the improbable battleground at our northern border.  Wendel's narrative is strong, emotional and driven by one of his best characters yet, a heroine with more than her fair share of grit and bravery."

Here's the cover from REBEL FALLS, my historical novel, which will be out this spring.

The story opens in the summer of 1864. That's when Rory Chase, a young woman with a troubled past, reluctantly returns to Niagara Falls and the border with British Canada. Her assignment? Somehow keep Confederate spies John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley from seizing the lone Union gunship remaining on the Great Lakes.

 If Beall and Burley can commandeer the U.S.S. Michigan, they plan to bombard Cleveland and Buffalo on the eve of upcoming presidential election. This will certainly end Abraham Lincoln's chances of a second term.

Based upon true events, REBEL FALLS tells a forgotten chapter of the epic struggle. A time when the clash wasn't between armies and generals, but spies and unlikely allies. A place of extreme beauty where the Civil War briefly hung in the balance.

Many of the old landmarks from the American side of the Falls -- the Cataract House hotel, the Ferry Landing and the Suspension Bridge -- are the sites for major scenes and reveals.

A hardcover Spring 2024 release from Three Hills, the trade imprint for Cornell University Press, REBEL FALLS has garnered advance praise. "This is history that goes down smoothly," writes Burt Solomon, author of THE MURDER OF WILLIE LINCOLN. "You feel like you're there."

Late in the summer of 1864, a young woman with a troubled past reluctantly returns to Niagara Falls and the border with British Canada. Her assignment? Somehow keep rebel spies John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley from seizing the lone Union gunship remaining on the Great Lakes.

If Beall and Burley can commandeer the U.S.S. Michigan, they plan to bombard Cleveland and Buffalo on the eve of upcoming presidential election. This will certainly end Abraham Lincoln's chances of a second term. To a desperate attempt to stop them, Secretary of State William Seward turns to inexperienced agents like Rory Chase, his daughter Fanny's best friend.

Soon time runs out for Rory and the Union operatives. Can they stymie the Confederates before the Michigan falls into rebel hands? In a climactic scene atop the Suspension Bridge spanning the Niagara River, during a raging blizzard, Rory has a final chance to redeem herself.

Based upon true events, REBEL FALLS tells a forgotten chapter of the epic struggle. A time when the clash wasn't between armies and generals, but spies and unlikely allies. A place of extreme beauty where the Civil War briefly hung in the balance.

A hardcover Spring 2024 release from Three Hills, the trade imprint for Cornell University Press, REBEL FALLS has garnered advance praise. "This is history that goes down smoothly," writes Burt Solomon, author of THE MURDER OF WILLIE LINCOLN. "You feel like you're there."

Thanks to the good people at Cornell Press, especially designer Scott Levine, for this great cover for Cancer Crossings: A Brother, His Doctors and the Quest to Cure Childhood Leukemia. I love how it pops.
To go along with it, I recently received a gracious endorsement from filmmaker Ken Burns: "For as long as  Read More 

Coming down the homestretch. These edits need to be back to the publisher by mid-September.

Since January, I've been working with a voice coach, improving my delivery for the classroom at Johns Hopkins and with an eye on the next book tour. It's been fun to take on some commercials, animation and narration. Learning how to vary the pitch, cadence, dare say the feeling of what I'm saying.
In the course of the lessons, with the amazing Mark Neely, I realized the audio for several of my books (Red Rain, Night on Manitou Island, Down to the Last Pitch) has yet to be done. I think I'm now going to tackle them myself.
Last week, I did a demo tape at Bias Studios in Springfield, Va., where Danny Gatton, Emmylou Harris and my friends Eddie From Ohio have cut albums. It was a bit unnerving to walk into Studio B and go through multiple takes of my scripts for commercials and narrations. But, all in all, it went pretty well.
Meanwhile, the good folks at Cornell Press, the publishers for Cancer Crossings: A Brother, His Doctors and the Quest to Cure Childhood Leukemia, sold the audio rights to the new book to Blackstone Audio.
In a nice twist, Blackstone is interested in having me do the narration for Cancer Crossings. At the very least, I have a quality demo to send their way. Read More