I am a retired college professor who specialized in medieval European history  After many years of writing academic monographs, I am now indulging my love of the Civil War by writing historical fiction. But along the way, I've also learned a great deal about today's publishing atmosphere. That experience has led me to publish a handbook on avoiding the traps of self-publishing. "The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese" draws on my adventures while writing "A Scratch with the Rebels" and "Beyond All Price."