My theme for the A to Z 2015 Challenge is ‘The War of 1812’, a military conflict, lasting for two-and-a-half years, fought by the United States of America against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, its North American colonies, and its Native American allies.

What were you taught about The War of 1812 in school? Who actually won it? Who lost? Okay it happened two hundred years ago, but it matters. Why? As a colony of Great Britain, Canada was swept up in the War of 1812 and was invaded a number of times by the Americans. For the First Nations this was a chance to halt American expansionism west, and to preserve their land and culture. However, in war there are winners and losers, and often the losers are on both sides. And there are lessons to be learnt.

The Memoirs of a British naval officer from the war is central to my novel “Seeking A Knife” – part of the Snowdon Shadows series. The ‘why’, the disappearance of the officer’s knife, and the death of the sender, only add to the mystery. It is a chance to give you an overview of my research into the events that mattered two hundred years ago to the people living in the United States and Canada. It might even help me find some hidden gems that I can use as I write the Memoir sections of the novel.

THE A TO Z POSTS:

A is for Anishinaabe

B is for Brock

C is for Coloured Corps

D is for Detroit

E is for Erie

F is for First Nations

G is for Ghent

H is for Harrison

I is for Impressment

J is for Jackson

K is for Key

L is for Lundy’s Lane

M is for Madison

N is for New Orleans

O is for Ontario

P is for Pushmataha

Q is for Queenston

R is for Rottenburg

S is for Secord

T is for Tecumseh

U is for U.S Navy

V is for Voltigeurs

W is for White House

X is for X-mark

Y is for York

Z is for Zachary Taylor

Further reading on The War of 1812:

http://www.eighteentwelve.ca/?q=eng

http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-war-of-1812-stupid-but-important/article547554/

http://www.shmoop.com/war-1812/

http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/

 

My 2014 posts in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge focused on various aspects of the future world, which at that point was still called “Gossamer Steel”, as in the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) that provides the mystery in my cyber-crime novel “Wyrm Bait”. In the MMORPG the two main playing zones are Bhārata and The Country and the game touches on aspects of the tales. However, the project is now focused on my saga entitled “Gossamer Flames”.

MY BLOGGING FROM A TO Z APRIL CHALLENGE 2014 POSTS:

A is for Array ~ B is for the Blood-Marked ~ C is for Corylus Avellana ~ D is for Duskweald ~ E is for Energy ~ F is for Feeniks ~ G is for Garuda ~ H is for Herders ~ I is for Ithaka ~ J is for Junk ~ K is for Kitsune ~ L is for Lorelei ~ M is for Mojave ~ N is for Native~ O is for Outcasts  ~ P is for Punk ~ Q is for Quisling ~ R is for Ragnarök ~ S is for Seiðr ~ T is for Technology ~ U is for Urdu~ V is for Vidda ~ W is for Windsong ~X is for Xerarch ~ Y is for Yggdrasil  ~ Z is for Zephyr