Over the five day period surrounding Mothers’ Day 2012 my first novel, French Letters: Virginia’s War, rose to Number One on Amazon Kindle downloads in the category of war fiction, an astonishing compliment to an anti-war novel set on the home … Continue reading
On the second Sunday of this month we honor our mothers. On the last Monday we honor our fellow citizens who gave their lives in our military service. Few realize how much these two special days have in common. Our … Continue reading
Let’s do something new. Instead of more exhuastive book reviews, let’s post what’s on the nightstand. These are the books I am reading, just finished, or am about to read. And, since books are shared surprises, let us know what … Continue reading
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, the celebration of all things Irish. The Irish are generally a special people. Handsome, or attractive, witty, musical, loyal, proud, and principalled. But it has not always been so easy. Well-known is the exodus of … Continue reading
Better still, ‘Hold a Soldier.’ I was one of the very lucky ones. When I was in the Army I had pretty safe assignments. I was never to my knowledge shot at, at least not by the enemy, and my … Continue reading
Tonight is the end of the second season (in the US) of that corsets and castles gripper, Downton Abbey. Season One (spoiler alert) is fun: when the heir to the entailed title and estate joins Leonardo de Caprio on the … Continue reading
My objective criteria for this category is that the humor must be such that on first reading I began to laugh while enjoying a rising sense of someone’s imminent demise. For example, one that should be on the list but … Continue reading
Private Gobbz was sent to the war in the Pacific in 1944 and fought with the marines in every significant battle until the end of the war. He then was assigned to occupation duty in Japan, including house to house weapons … Continue reading
Porcelain on Steel, (2010), Fortis Publishing, $17.95, by Donna McAleer, is a provocative reminder that social evolution is rarely the product of intelligent design. This fine book is a pointillist image of change that is hard won but, seen in retrospect, long … Continue reading
Once, in the days before corporate sponsor naming rights, we named our sports fields ‘Memorial Stadium.’ When the national anthem was played, it was in honor of those Americans in whose memory the memorial stadium had been built. And, in … Continue reading
French Letters: Virginia's War Kindle Version will be available for free from May 11 through May 15 in honor of Mother's Day! http://amzn.to/virginiaswar