This is Veterans Day weekend. The U.S. federal holiday will be observed Monday, but it falls on 11 November every year. Veterans Day is a time to honor and thank those who are serving or have served in the military. It is the day we recognize and celebrate those veterans who are still with us.

We have fought for, and we continue to fight for our friends, our comrades in arms, the people we love, and for a country and way of life we believe in. America has and will always be a polarizing beacon to the world. We are many voices under one flag, and that has been, and always will be, a challenge.

We have practiced a novel form of democracy since our declaration of independence, that few other nations thought would last. Have we consistently lived up to our ideals? Of course not, no great nation or individual in history ever has. But we strive to, and we live in a nation where freedom abounds and is cherished. Plentiful opportunities exist, and talent and effort are rewarded.

My great, grandparents came here from Italy for a better life and the American dream. They had to work hard, and they made a better life for themselves than they had had before.

The United States is a great nation, and our guarantees of liberty are still a rare thing in this world. Many people come here to live free, and for their shot at the American dream.

Nations and groups have fought to defeat us and take away the freedoms we enjoy. Veterans are the reason they failed. So, for all of you who have served, or who serve now – Thank You. For all the times it was hard or horrible, and you pressed on – Thank You.

Because you were away from home and the ones you love, andfor everything you did, or do, to protect us. Thank you. Your service makes adifference. It has made a better future for all of us.  

Good news! You get to see it first. Here is the cover for Baghdaddy. There were a lot of great ideas, and several concepts, but this one was perfect. Baghdaddy is a gritty story, and a big part of it is about how surviving your childhood, fatherhood, and going to war all require eerily similar skills.

Next week I should get back the line and architectural edits and I’ll be busy. Advanced reader copies (ARCs) are going out to ask for endorsements and reviews, as I type. Some I know I’ll get, but my publisher also sent out a few wish-list requests, my favorite longshot – Chuck Norris. These folks are ridiculously busy, but it was exciting to see my ARCs go out to people who I think are remarkable. Fingers are crossed, and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Baghdaddy should be available everywhere on 7 May 19, and I’llsend an update when the pre-order links are live.

The above image is from another secret location where the Cyphers battle to get their father back and maybe, in the process, save the world.

Another journey ends. I finally wrote my way to THE END. So, the story of Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears, my first young adult thriller is done. We had take-out Chinese, and I munched away patiently while Jodi turned the pages.

She loved the story which made me happy because I love this story, it’s something I always wanted to write, and it was a good ten months of my life, so if my wife’s reaction was…meh…I would have had to switch to whiskey, and this newsletter would have been delayed.

Now that it’s Jo-approved, I’ll do a nose to tail review, get the markup copies out to my awesomely talented beta-readers next week for their reactions and comments, and submit the manuscript to ODNI for government review and release because based on my non-disclosure agreements everything I write must be reviewed prior to public release. Sigh. But perhaps I do know more than I think I do, or I should stop writing things like, “the above image is from another secret location”…but that’s not going to happen.

I did have a cranial MRI done a few years ago. I remember looking at the digital images with a grumpy doctor and how crushed I was when he looked over his glasses and told me, “Your brain is unremarkable.” Fortunately, that turned out to be a good thing because “interesting” areas on an MRI, are bad.   ODNI’s review is a literary diagnostic to ensure I don’t inadvertently divulge something from my classified life, and that’s a good thing. The better thing is that, the more books they review from an author, the faster they turn them, once they see you do take security seriously.

After that, I need to find a good home for the story. A couple of agents and publishers have asked to see it, which is awesome, but it’s all just flattery and a heartache until the manuscript’s under contract. That should be another exciting adventure. I’ll send postcards. ?

Thanks again for reading my newsletter.

Bill

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