Miller is the author of “The First Assassin,” a historical fiction thriller about a plot to kill President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He lives in Prince William County. How did you get the interest in the topic?
I’ve been a Civil War buff since I was a kid as well as a fan of thrillers. When the idea for this story came to me — a story about a hit man who stalks President Lincoln at the start of the Civil War — “The First Assassin” became a book I had to write.
Are you looking forward to sesquicentennial events?
Any excuse to learn more about the Civil War works for me, whether it’s for the 150th anniversary or any other reason. In the last few weeks, I’ve taken my kids to the battlefields at Bull Run and Gettysburg and we’ve had a blast.
Do you have a favorite Civil War-era author?
My favorite Civil War historian is Bruce Catton. He’s a fellow Michigan native. My grandfather turned me on to him. He’s a graceful writer who worked the perspectives of ordinary soldiers into his narratives.
What drove you?
I became fascinated by the early days of the Civil War, as the Southern states seceded, Fort Sumter fell, and Washington feared an invasion from Virginia. It was a harrowing moment in American history — a great period to research and then to include as the backdrop to a thriller.
How long did it take?
I started in 1996, so quite a while. It wasn’t nonstop work as I wrote three nonfiction books in the meantime. But I kept coming back to it and was determined to finish.
Is there a sequel in the works?
I have an idea for a sequel and would like to write it — a story that takes several of the main characters from “The First Assassin” and brings them further into the war.
