# Historical Fiction from Jeff Hepple



## Jeff

*Gone For a Soldier*
A novel of the American Revolution​
Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback







*Land of the Free*
A novel of the War of 1812​Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback,







*Home of the Brave*
A novel of the Texas Revolution and the Mexican War​Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback






*Lonely Is The Soldier*
A novel of modern asymmetric war​
Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback






*The Treasure of La Malinche*
An adventure novel in two volumes of the current US/Mexico struggles​
Volume 1: Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback

Volume 2: Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback













*The Angel of 1776*
A Novella​ In 1776, between Christmas and New Year's Day, the continually retreating, seemingly defeated Continental Army of the fledgling United States of America went on the attack and changed the course of history. Was the army's sudden reversal of fortune purely a product of General George Washington's brilliance, or did Washington get some divine assistance?

Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback













*Antebellum*​ The American Army officers that served together in the Mexican War must now take sides in the growing issue of secession. Beginning immediately after Home of the Brave, Antebellum follows the lives of the Van Buskirk family as they interweave with those of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman and John Buford.
This is a continuation of the Gone For Soldiers series and the first book in a Civil War trilogy called Johnny Comes Marching Home.

Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback













*The Way of All Soldiers*​ Book two in the Johnny Comes Marching Home trilogy covers the period from the first Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) to the Battle of Gettysburg.

Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback













*Freedom*​Book three in the Johnny Comes Marching Home trilogy covers the period from the Battle of Gettysburg to the beginning of Reconstruction.​
Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback​



_Johnny Comes Marching Home_ includes the full text of _Antebellum, The Way of All Soldiers and Freedom_









 ​




 



 





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Proud supporter of Operation eBook Drop

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​


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## Leslie

I like your book trailers, Jeff. Very nicely done!

L


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## Jeff

Thank you, Leslie. Sailor did the voice-over of La Malinche, Spanish accent and all. 

I was hoping to see some tease about your novella today since this is D-Day.


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## tlshaw

Jeff, Great to see what works are coming. I love that they are all going to tie together. Can't wait to read.


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## geoffthomas

Well I am ready to read more.

Not pushing

Just sayin......


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## Jeff

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Can't wait to read.





geoffthomas said:


> Not pushing


Soon.


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## geoffthomas

Now I realize that you just said soon on June 6th, but....

It is now the 23rd of June and I (and others, I might add) am wondering how soon soon is.

Just wonderin.........


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## sebat

Love the trailers.  I just started Vol. 1 of The Treasure of La Malinche and am really enjoying it.  It sucked me in from the very beginning.


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## Anju 

I can't believe I missed this thread   I have a friend that read Treasure first, both volumes, loved it, When I was reading Gone I knew she would love it, but went with the other first, but she is going to get to it pretty quick.  I can hardly wait for more from you - quit playing with those great grand kids and get to work.


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## Jeff

These two books are not really historical fiction so I had removed them from the original post. However, rather than starting a new thread to an already glutted topic I'm adding them back. Yes, I know, I tend to wake up in a different world every day.


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## Paul Clayton

Jeff,

I like your video for your book.  I'd asked a family member to make one for me but that hasn't happened.  I was thinking live actors, action, voiceovers.  But you got me thinking that maybe I'll do it myself.  You know what they say...

Best!

Paul Clayton, author of

White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke


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## Paul Clayton

Jeff,

One further thing, I was wondering if you could tell me more about how you did that?  I have access to some good graphics about my book (White Seed), and I could do the voice overs.  I also have some good musical scores I could use.  But I've never done any videos.  Any advice?  What program did you use?  Any suggestions for me?  Contact me offline if you can help.
thanks,
Paul Clayton


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## Beth A

Jeff said:


> These two books are not really historical fiction so I had removed them from the original post. However, rather than starting a new thread to an already glutted topic I'm adding them back. Yes, I know, I tend to wake up in a different world every day.


I am currently reading The Treasure of La Malinche Volume 2, and my husband is currently reading Gone for a Soldier. These are EXCELLENT books and I HIGHLY recommend them.


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## Anju 

One of my favorite authors and wonderful hang in there until all hours of the night books!  I'm waiting for the next one


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## Jeff

callingcrow said:


> What program did you use? Any suggestions for me?


I used Windows Movie Maker and fumbled my way through it.



Beth A said:


> I am currently reading The Treasure of La Malinche Volume 2, and my husband is currently reading Gone for a Soldier. These are EXCELLENT books and I HIGHLY recommend them.


Thank you, Beth. I'm very pleased that you and your husband like them.


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## Jeff

Anju No. 469 said:


> One of my favorite authors and wonderful hang in there until all hours of the night books! I'm waiting for the next one


Thank you, Dona. If you'd like to read proof-read and/or edit the pre-release of _The Land of the Free_ in MS Word format, please contact me by PM or email. It's the sequel to _Gone For a Soldier_, is currently about 300 pages and is pretty well fleshed out but infested with typos.

The first draft of _Home of the Brave_, which is the next in the series, is almost finished. It should be ready for beta readers in about two weeks. These two books tie _Gone For a Soldier_ to _The Treasure of La Malinche_.

There are three more books planned to complete the series. The prequel to _The Treasure of La Malinche_, called _Lonely is the Soldier_, is about half written. I'll finish it before jumping back to the Civil War with _Johnny Comes Marching Home_. The last book, tentatively titled, _Don't sit Under the Apple Tree_ is probably at least a year away.


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## geoffthomas

Jeff,
It is good to see posts about your work again.
I anxiously await the new books.
And would be happy to help in any way possible.

Just sayin.....


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## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> It is good to see posts about your work again.


I let some negative people get me down for a while and I stopped posting but I didn't stop writing. I sincerely appreciate your support and that of many others that I've been fortunate to meet here on KindleBoards.



geoffthomas said:


> I anxiously await the new books.
> And would be happy to help in any way possible.


I'd certainly welcome your help, Geoff. Please send me the email address that you have associated with your Windows ID (Passport) and I'll add you to the editing team. If you'd rather have a Kindle version instead of the Word documents, just send me a PM and I'll compile one for you.


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## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Dona. If you'd like to read proof-read and/or edit the pre-release of _The Land of the Free_ in MS Word format, please contact me by PM or email. It's the sequel to _Gone For a Soldier_, is currently about 300 pages and is pretty well fleshed out but infested with typos.
> 
> The first draft of _Home of the Brave_, which is the next in the series, is almost finished. It should be ready for beta readers in about two weeks. These two books tie _Gone For a Soldier_ to _The Treasure of La Malinche_.
> 
> There are three more books planned to complete the series. The prequel to _The Treasure of La Malinche_, called _Lonely is the Soldier_, is about half written. I'll finish it before jumping back to the Civil War with _Johnny Comes Marching Home_. The last book, tentatively titled, _Don't sit Under the Apple Tree_ is probably at least a year away.


I had no idea you were working on so much. Very ambitious. I'll look forward to them all.


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## tlshaw

Jeff, It is great to see you back. I am loving Land of the Free. I am hoping to finish up Book one in the next day or so. Thanks for letting me be a part.


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## Jeff

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Jeff, It is great to see you back. I am loving Land of the Free. I am hoping to finish up Book one in the next day or so. Thanks for letting me be a part.


Teresa, That's good news. I'm glad that the typos haven't been too distracting and am, as always, very grateful for your help and support.

I'll add you to the _Home of the Brave_ readers group whenever you're ready.

Jeff


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## Anju 

sending you  a pm -


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## Anju 

Jeff - for some reason I cannot get a pm to you from my major e-mail address which is in my KB account.  I think I have one from you from way back when - I'll see if it is there.  But YES YES YES !


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## Jeff

Anju No. 469 said:


> Jeff - for some reason I cannot get a pm to you from my major e-mail address which is in my KB account. I think I have one from you from way back when - I'll see if it is there. But YES YES YES !


Dona, I compiled a Kindle version of Book One for you and for anyone else that just wants to read and critique rather than proof-reading or editing. I'll send you a link by PM because I'd rather not have it out in public in such a raw state. I've had no luck at fixing typos, etc. from location numbers but if you send me enough of the context I can do a search in Word.

Thank you again,

Jeff


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## Anju 

Jeff - I am FORCING myself to be here on kindleboards - this is another terrific read!  I did find a few typos and when I finish, probably later today, I'll pm you the information.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!


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## Jeff

Anju No. 469 said:


> Jeff - I am FORCING myself to be here on kindleboards - this is another terrific read! I did find a few typos and when I finish, probably later today, I'll pm you the information.
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you thank you!


It's good news that you like it. I really liked writing it, but that's not much of an indication of value. 

Don't worry about the typos yet please; just go on to the next book. First let's make sure that the continuity works, that there are no holes in the plot and the characters stay consistent throughout the book. Those are the kinds of errors that cause readers to throw books. We don't want any smashed Kindles on our consciences.

Here are the proposed book covers:


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## geoffthomas

That is nice artwork.
Original?


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## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> That is nice artwork.
> Original?


They're both public domain paintings. The one on the left is of the Battle of Lake Borgne at New Orleans in the War of 1812 and the other is the Battle of Buena Vista during the United States Mexican War.


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## Jeff

I'm one plot device away from finishing - but stuck. So, dear friends, how does Marina get her revenge?


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## Gertie Kindle

So, Marina wants revenge on Carver on behalf of her friend Anna because Marina thinks Carver seduced Anna and got her pregnant.  Is that the scenario?  

Does this revenge have to take place at the Ball, or can some time pass?  

How old is Carver?  Need some background on him, at least as much as Marina and Peggy know.


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## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> So, Marina wants revenge on Carver on behalf of her friend Anna because Marina thinks Carver seduced Anna and got her pregnant. Is that the scenario?


Oops. That was sloppy of me. Sorry.

You may recall from _Gone for a Soldier_ that in 1777, John and Anna Van Buskirk had a son that they nicknamed Yankee Doodle. He grew up to be called Yank. Marina is Yank Van Buskirk's Mexican born wife. Anna is their only daughter.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Does this revenge have to take place at the Ball, or can some time pass?


We have until the end of the Mexican War to get even with Carver. But in 1829 Yank is in Illinois chasing Black Hawk and Marina is on her own in Washington, so the next few months would be appropriate . Marina, by her own description is not a lady; she just happened to marry a gentlemen.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> How old is Carver? Need some background on him, at least as much as Marina and Peggy know.


Carver is a well known Washington Lothario, married, x kids, a bit younger than Marina, who is 42. Peggy O'Neal Eaton, who is a real person from American history, would have been about 33 in 1829.









Peggy O'Neal Cigars​


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## Gertie Kindle

Okay, that gives me a bit more to go on.  It makes more sense that Marina would want revenge since Anna is her daughter.  If Anna Sr. were around, she would take care of Carver with a flick of her eyebrow.  

I'll sleep on it and see if I can come up with anything.  Root canal tomorrow at 8:15, so I'll have plenty of time to cogitate on it in between moaning and groaning.


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## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Root canal tomorrow at 8:15, so I'll have plenty of time to cogitate on it in between moaning and groaning.


Don't plan on posing for your new book jacket photo tomorrow. Good luck.


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## Gertie Kindle

I suggested *double *shots of novocaine.  Between that and the valium, I got through it fine. Took 4 ibuprofen for the pain about an hour ago, and now I'm back to napping again.

I have a germ of an idea for your dilemma.


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## Jeff




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## Anju 

HOO Boy- I'll leave it up to you imaginative folks!  But if I come up with anything I'll let you know


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## Edward C. Patterson

love the proposed covers, Jeff. They are classy. 

Ed Patterson


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## Jeff

Edward C. Patterson said:


> love the proposed covers, Jeff. They are classy.


Thank you, Ed.


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## Paul Clayton

Jeff,

could you please tell me who made the trailer for your book?  Or did you make it?thanks,
PAC


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## Jeff

callingcrow said:


> could you please tell me who made the trailer for your book? Or did you make it?thanks,


I made them.


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## Jeff

The printer's proof of _Land of the Free_ is on the way. As soon as I get it, I'll forward it to Susan in VA for final proofing.

_Home of the Brave_ is being re-written to flesh out some of the minor characters.

Thank you everyone, for your help.


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## Susan in VA

Yay, I can't wait!  And perfect timing too, since most of my exams will be done by the end of the week.

Since I haven't yet read all the others, I didn't realize that they were all interconnected.    Is there a particular order in which they should be read?


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## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Since I haven't yet read all the others, I didn't realize that they were all interconnected.  Is there a particular order in which they should be read?


The first is _Gone For a Soldier_, but they should all stand on their own. Let's see what you think. 

Thank you for doing this, Susan.


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## Gertie Kindle

Good news, Jeff.  I assume the e-book will come out at the same time?


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## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Good news, Jeff. I assume the e-book will come out at the same time?


Nothing has been published yet.

Susan wants to work from a paper rather than electronic format.

I'll send her the paperback, she'll proof-read it, send the marked up copy back to me and I'll type in her corrections, then republish the paperback and eBooks.

Clear as mud?


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## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Clear as mud?


And going down for the third time!!


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## Anju 

In my .02, the books don't have to be read in order, they are quite good stand alone.  In order is good, but out of order, no big deal, the words are terrific.


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## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Nothing has been published yet.
> 
> Susan wants to work from a paper rather than electronic format.
> 
> I'll send her the paperback, she'll proof-read it, send the marked up copy back to me and I'll type in her corrections, then republish the paperback and eBooks.
> 
> Clear as mud?


Uhhhh..... am I THAT much of a dinosaur?!? I've done my share of proofing in Word documents; it's just harder on the eyes to read for hours on the computer, and I find Word's options for adding comments and suggestions cumbersome. I've tried on a Kindle too, and the extra layer of specifying "location 173-189, this paragraph, third sentence" is not something I'd want to do for a lengthy manuscript. Paper copies are just so much easier and faster... if there's a comparable higher-tech option that I'm not aware of, please someone enlighten me!

(The easiest way of all, of course, is to have a Word doc AND the authority to just go ahead and make the changes. In commercial documents that's often what I did. But I wouldn't dream of taking that approach with someone's creative work!)

Jeff, thanks for humoring me with the quill-and-papyrus option!


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## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Uhhhh..... am I THAT much of a dinosaur?!? I've done my share of proofing in Word documents; it's just harder on the eyes to read for hours on the computer, and I find Word's options for adding comments and suggestions cumbersome. I've tried on a Kindle too, and the extra layer of specifying "location 173-189, this paragraph, third sentence" is not something I'd want to do for a lengthy manuscript. Paper copies are just so much easier and faster... if there's a comparable higher-tech option that I'm not aware of, please someone enlighten me!
> 
> (The easiest way of all, of course, is to have a Word doc AND the authority to just go ahead and make the changes. In commercial documents that's often what I did. But I wouldn't dream of taking that approach with someone's creative work!)
> 
> Jeff, thank for humoring me with the quill-and-papyrus option!


Well, in the first place I'm so happy for your help that if you insisted that I read it to you over the phone, or write it out in longhand, I'd do that. 

The method that I've used when beta reading for others is MS Word's Track Changes option. That way the author can either accept or reject what you suggest. But it does require reading on the screen. I can send you the book and the Word document if you like. Or if you have a Windows Passport you can create your own version on the internet and share it with the other beta readers.


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## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Well, in the first place I'm so happy for your help that if you insisted that I read it to you over the phone, or write it out in longhand, I'd do that.


  I've done that too.... marked up a twenty-page paper document, then went over it line by line on the phone with the author, because there wasn't time to mail it back. (This was long before scanners or home fax machines...)



Jeff said:


> The method that I've used when beta reading for others is MS Word's Track Changes option. That way the author can either accept or reject what you suggest. But it does require reading on the screen. I can send you the book and the Word document if you like. Or if you have a Windows Passport you can create your own version on the internet and share it with the other beta readers.


I'll play around with the Track Changes option sometime. But there's still the backlit screen... and besides, I suspect that having space in a margin is probably more suited to my habits... it's not just the "needs comma" or "misspelled word" or "tenses don't agree" kind of comment that could be fixed in Word for the author to accept or reject, it's also the ones like "this contradicts what you said eight pages earlier" or "the precise ages of these kids aren't possible unless at least one is adopted; do the math" or "I know this fact you quoted is wrong but YOU have the reference material to check what it should be and I don't"... all real ones I have actually written in margins. Try that in Word, and it gets really messy.


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## Jeff

*Mexican Hero's Family Killed*​
[quote author=New York Times]
MEXICO CITY - It had been an elaborate farewell to one of Mexico's fallen heroes.

Ensign Melquisedet Angulo Córdova, a Special Forces sailor killed during the government's most successful raid on a top drug lord in years, received a stirring, national tribute in which the Navy Secretary presented his mother with the flag that covered her son's casket.

Then, the next day, only hours after the grieving family had finished burying him in his hometown, gunmen burst into the family's house and sprayed the rooms with gunfire, killing his mother and three other relatives, officials said Tuesday.

[/quote]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/world/americas/23mexico.html


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## Gertie Kindle

My God.  How horrible.  I'm in tears for that poor family.  You really brought home the horrors the Mexican people are going through when you wrote Treasure.


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## Jeff

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you're bored with my harping but...

Gunmen fire at Mexican eatery with US mayor inside​
[quote author=Associated Press]
By OSCAR VILLALBA (AP) - 22 hours ago
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico - Gunmen sprayed bullets at a restaurant Tuesday where the mayor of a Texas border town was eating with a Mexican state attorney general and other officials, police said. A woman leaving the building was killed.

Coahuila state Attorney General Jesus Torres and Chad Foster, mayor of Eagle Pass across the border from Piedras Negras, were unharmed, according to police officers at the scene.

Foster was dining with Mexican officials after a ceremony for Jose Manuel Maldonado, the newly elected Piedras Negras mayor who takes office in January.
Torres was rushed out of Piedras Negras and authorities stepped up security at his family's home in the city of Saltillo. Foster left on his own, said police officers, who agreed to discuss the shooting only if granted anonymity out of concern for their safety.

Police scoured the city for the attackers but did not release the names of any suspects or speculate on the motive.

Piedras Negras has seen increasing drug gang violence. In April, gunmen killed the town's police chief, an army colonel who had taken over the local force just three weeks earlier with the aim of purging corruption. Three months later, four other city police officers, including the deputy chief, were kidnapped and remain missing.
[/quote]
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHWLUm1UtoG95H7QyRg_-GiMC4HQD9COMGH

Mexico's narco-war threatens U.S.​
[quote author=THE NEWS TRIBUNE]
In the traditional Sicilian mafia, families were normally off limits. You could kill the capo; you couldn't kill his mother or children.

Leave it to Mexico's drug-traffickers to make the mafia look humane. On Tuesday, one faction took revenge for the death of a cartel leader in a way shocking even by narco-terror standards. Hours after the funeral of a marine who fell in the raid that left Arturo Beltran Leyva dead, some of Leyva's allies invaded the marine's home and gunned down his mother, brother, sister and aunt.

The message couldn't have been more clear: Touch us, and your family may pay the price.

Most Americans pay little attention to Mexico, but this atrocity should a wake-up call. It exemplifies the drug-fueled wave of criminal violence that has been taking on the dimensions of a civil war in that country. More than 15,000 Mexicans have been killed since President Felipe Caldern launched a military offensive against the drug cartels and crime syndicates three years ago.

The body count - criminals, corrupt and honest police, bystanders, mayors, soldiers, federal officials, even priests - can't be blamed on Caldern. It reflects the embedded power of the syndicates and how hard it has been for Caldern's government to challenge that power. The alternative is to stand by and watch crime bosses become the de facto rulers of Mexico - a nightmare for Mexicans and Americans alike.

The United States for the most part takes its southern neighbor for granted. Mexico - fast-developing and largely democratic - has been a key trade partner and a font of rich Latino culture. Its collapse into a narco-state would pose a dire threat to U.S. national security.

America bears immense responsibility for Mexico's troubles. If cocaine and heroin abuse weren't pandemic in this country, there would be less fighting over the smuggling pipelines that carry these drugs through Mexico and across the U.S. border. If the United States were stopping illegal shipments of U.S. arms into Mexico, the cartels would have a much tougher time equipping their armies. If America put its own house in order, Mexico's problems would become far more manageable.

That doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon, so Mexico's courageous offensive against the drug syndicates looks like the main theater in this war.

When the family of an ordinary marine is massacred because he took part in a raid against a cartel leader, it means two things: First, the cartels are raising the stakes as high as they can go. Second, the government is hitting them hard and hurting them badly.

This has become a war of desperation on both sides, and America ought to be paying attention.
[/quote]
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/editorials/story/1005569.html


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## Jeff

Price Changes for 2010



eBook - $4.00, Paperback - $22.50, Hardback - $26.80


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## Jeff

Price Changes for 2010



Volume 1
eBook $3.00, Paperback $19.95, Hardback $27.91
Volume 2
eBook $3.50, Paperback $19.95, Hardback $26.80


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## geoffthomas

And worth every penny.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three books.

Just sayin......


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## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> And worth every penny.
> 
> I thoroughly enjoyed all three books.


Thanks, Geoff.

I'd like to set the price for all three e-books at 99 cents for KindleBoards members. Until I can figure out a better way to do it, anyone interested can send me a Private Message and I'll provide you with a Smashwords discount code.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Impressive Jeff (a long-time owner of Heppleworks).  

Ed Patterson


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## Jeff

Thanks to Susan, and several other KB members, _The Land of the Free_ is currently being published. This is the sequel to _Gone For a Soldier_.








*The Van Buskirk family saga continues with the exploration of the Louisiana Territory and the War of 1812.*

Held captive by the British aboard the warship HMS Surprise, American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, witnessed the British bombardment of American Fort McHenry through the long, rainy night of September 13th and 14th, 1814. As the sun rose the following morning, illuminating the American flag, still flying, he wrote these words on the back of an envelope:

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?​
Amazon Kindle $2.00
 Smashwords.com $2.00
 Mobipocket $2.00
Paperback $14.95
Hardcover $21.36


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## geoffthomas

went over and got mine.


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## Edward C. Patterson

And I got mine.  

Ed Patterson


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## Jeff

Thank you, everyone. _Land of the Free_ is currently the number one best seller in the historical fiction genre on Smashwords.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Excellent!

Ed Patterson


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## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you, everyone. _Land of the Free_ is currently the number one best seller in the historical fiction genre on Smashwords.


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## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Thank you, everyone. _Land of the Free_ is currently the number one best seller in the historical fiction genre on Smashwords.


Congratulations! I hope it stays in that spot until _Home of the Brave_ topples it.


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## Anju 

Jeff said:


> Thank you, everyone. _Land of the Free_ is currently the number one best seller in the historical fiction genre on Smashwords.


AND IT SHOULD BE!


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## Jeff

What a great bunch of people, you are. Thank you for being my friends.


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## geoffthomas

It would be hard NOT to be your friends.

A terrific person.
A terrific researcher.
A terrific writer.
A terrific poster.

What is not to like?

Just sayin......


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## Jeff

​
The Van Buskirk family becomes embroiled in the Texas Revolution and the Mexican War when Thomas resigns his commission and purchases a land grant from Stephen F. Austin.

Amazon Kindle $2.99
Smashwords $2.99 ($0.99 with coupon HY25U)
Trade Paperback - 436 pages, 8.5 x 5.5 x 2 inches, 2.5 pounds $16.95


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## geoffthomas

Well I finished Land of the Free last night.

Bottom Line: - Wow.
I liked it even better than Gone For A Soldier.
And that is saying a lot.
It isn't that this book is "better", but it reads a little faster and somehow it seemed more exciting.
And you gotta understand that John Van Buskirk and Anna were terrific.
I am not sure if I like Yank any better.  But he and his story really moved along.

Jeff, you have done it again.

More than Just sayin.....


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## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Coming soon to a Kindle near you...
> 
> No pressure, Susan.


Good thing I have nothing else planned for the weekend...


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## PraiseGod13

I just purchased my copy of Land of the Free - Kongrats, Jeff!! Can't wait to read it and I'm looking forward to Home of the Brave!! Your books are awesome and I thank you for *many* hours of reading pleasure!!!


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## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> I liked it even better than Gone For A Soldier.


That's great news, Geoff.



PraiseGod13 said:


> Your books are awesome and I thank you for *many* hours of reading pleasure!!!


Thank you, Judy, that's kind of you to say.


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## Jeff

In anticipation of the sequel being released this week, the price of _Land of the Free_ will be going from 99 cents to $2.00 on all retail sites very soon. However, KindleBoards members and guests can still buy the eBook from Smashwords for 99 cents using the code UZ45J when placing an order.

Promotional price: $0.99
Coupon Code: UZ45J
Expires: March 1, 2010

This book, and any of my other books, is available free to any KB member willing to write an honest review on Amazon and/or Smashwords. Just send me a PM.


----------



## Jeff

Well, the week's over and some of you are asking why I haven't released _Home of the Brave_. The short answer is that the edited paperback from Susan hasn't arrived. The long answer is that I mixed up the dates and expected it this week when in fact, next week was more likely. Sorry about that. The senior moments seem to be coming more frequently.

All's well that ends well.


----------



## Susan in VA

^^^  I think I should be the one saying sorry here....  I sent it to Jeff by standard UPS, and I should have checked to see whether he wanted this one shipped more quickly....  but you'll see that it's worth the wait!!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> I sent it to Jeff by standard UPS, and I should have checked to see whether he wanted this one shipped more quickly...


The mix up was only that I'd thought Susan sent it a week-ago-Tuesday when in fact it was Thursday. At least I think it was Thursday. 

Anyway, the book will get here soon, I'll update it promptly with Susan's edits and then get back to _Lonely is the Soldier_, which FearNot has been patiently waiting for since 2008.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> At least I think it was Thursday.


Yep.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> The mix up was only that I'd thought Susan sent it a week-ago-Tuesday when in fact it was Thursday. At least I think it was Thursday.
> 
> Anyway, the book will get here soon, I'll update it promptly with Susan's edits and then get back to _Lonely is the Soldier_, which FearNot has been patiently waiting for since 2008.


I'm looking forward to meeting Linc again.


----------



## tlshaw

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'm looking forward to meeting Linc again.


Me too. But then, I am sure I will have to read Treasure again.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Me too. But then, I am sure I will have to read Treasure again.


Absolutely.


----------



## geoffthomas

And re-reading Treasure would be a "good" thing.

Maybe we can interest some new readers to start with it.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

I really appreciate everyone's kind words but unfortunately, _The Treasure of La Malinche_ is not very popular. _Gone For a Soldier_ and now _Land of the Free_ both out-sell it by better than 10:1. As promised however, I will soon complete _Lonely is the Soldier_, the prequel to _The Treasure of La Malinche_ but I've cancelled plans to write the sequel which was to be post-apocalyptic, back-from-the-ashes adventure.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I thought The Treasure was terrific.
And I liked that it got tied in to the Land of the Free.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Well I thought The Treasure was terrific.
> And I liked that it got tied in to the Land of the Free.


It's gratifying that you and a few others liked it but I think the step toward a future where a ditzy blonde was going to rule the world was just too much suspension of reality for most people. 

Just to be clear, I still intend to write the three books between _Home of the Brave_ and _The Treasure of La Malinche_ but that's going to be the end of the series.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> a future where a ditzy blonde was going to rule the world was just too much suspension of reality for most people.


Hey now. On behalf on blondes everywhere, I take exception to that.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> On behalf on blondes everywhere, I take exception to that.


No one would ever call you ditsy.


----------



## Susan in VA

Unfortunately, you're wrong there.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well most of those who have met you don't.
I, for one am a fan (and I like the little kitty avatar).

Just puttin in my two cents worth.

Oh, yeah and I repeat that I liked Jeff's character.
I have known some women somewhat like her.
And more importantly I liked the intertwined stories.

Just sayin....


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> Oh, yeah and I repeat that I liked Jeff's character.
> I have known some women somewhat like her.


I think that's one of the great things about Jeff's characters -- they're so realistic -- many of them remind me of people I know.

(And Geoff, thank you. And I'm pretty sure my little avatar kitty would like you too... 'specially if you fed her a cat treat. )


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> I have known some women somewhat like her.
> And more importantly I liked the intertwined stories.


Our culture often venerates beautiful women to an exalted status, to wit: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

Perhaps the main reason that the _Treasure of La Malinche_ was perceived as too fanciful is that people don't really know that many of the bizarre incidents set in Mexico were actually true accounts. Here's an AP story from yesterday's Washington Post: 



> *Mexico president race could look like soap opera*​By MARK STEVENSON
> The Associated Press
> Sunday, January 24, 2010; 1:35 AM
> MEXICO CITY -- They appear on the covers of society magazines flanked by their partners, soap-opera bombshells. They use street parties, cheerleaders and slick televised productions to tout their state-level accomplishments to a national audience.
> 
> Neither the mayor of Mexico's biggest city nor the governor of its most populous state have confirmed their 2012 presidential ambitions, but already they are seen as the ones to beat. And while there are stylistic similarities between Marcelo Ebrard and Enrique Pena Nieto, the very different directions they propose could set Mexico's path for years to come.
> 
> While similar in age, the 50-year-old Ebrard and 43-year-old Pena Nieto bear little resemblance to the stiff, bespectacled President Felipe Calderon, 47, a no-nonsense technocrat whose term has been dominated by a brutal drug war that has killed more than 15,000 people since he took office in 2006. So far, no one from Calderon's conservative National Action Party has emerged as a top candidate to succeed him.
> 
> "Definitely, this is a new generation," said Lorena Carreno, president of the Mexican Association of Public Relations Agencies. "They are closing the circle to create an integrated marketing strategy, a prefabricated brand."
> 
> Pena Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party that ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century, is known as "Gel Boy" for the seemingly immovable wave in his hair and his sexy good looks. He appears regularly on the national Televisa network with celebrities who fawn over public works in his impoverished state that rings Mexico City.
> 
> Ebrard, of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, is a charismatic politician recognized internationally for greening one of the world's smoggiest cities, and has created so many subsidies for single mothers, students, retirees and others that some working-class parents jokingly refer to their kids as "the children of Marcelo."
> 
> Both are flamboyant in their pursuit of attention.
> 
> Pena Nieto's speeches and ribbon-cutting events are routinely broadcast as infomercials at the end of Televisa's newscasts. He runs advertisements showing actress and singer Lucero Hogaza (whom Televisa touts as "Lucerito, girlfriend of the Americas") nodding and smiling as he rattles off highway projects he has carried out.
> 
> Ebrard hosts mass quinceanera parties in downtown Mexico City, and recently MCed a graduation ceremony for 600 city-trained female plumbers, some of whom danced for him and offered to "come over and fix your leaks." He built a Harvard award-winning bus system, and bikes to work to reduce smog - though only once a month, surrounded by bodyguards to protect him from road rage in the gridlocked capital.
> 
> "It is clear that there is a change in styles here, toward a more direct communication with the public, and a much more simple style of expression," said Victor Gordoa, an image consultant. "The old way of doing politics is disappearing little by little, as these younger people get into power."
> 
> Both Ebrard and Pena Nieto were previously married and have since hooked up with soap opera stars.
> 
> Ebrard divorced in 2005 and quickly married the dashing Mariagna Prats, an actress whose sometimes stumbling public speeches have proven an embarrassment to the mayor. People close to the couple see Ebrard as protective of his wife and say his one reservation about running for president is the spotlight it would cast on his family life.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/23/AR2010012301228.html


----------



## tlshaw

Sorry to hear that Treasure is not so popular. I very much enjoyed them. Maybe as the series is filled in it will become more popular as readers become more vested in the characters. Then, it will be time to write the sequel.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> It's gratifying that you and a few others liked it but I think the step toward a future where a ditzy blonde was going to rule the world was just too much suspension of reality for most people.


That's why I call Vol. 2 "Maggie Grows Up." It was clear from the beginning that Maggie was well-educated and highly intelligent. It was unfortunate that she grew up using her sexuality to get her way. She had progressed to a very different person in Vol. 2, and I felt that she had grown into a woman capable of leadership.



> Just to be clear, I still intend to write the three books between _Home of the Brave_ and _The Treasure of La Malinche_ but that's going to be the end of the series.


Good.


----------



## geoffthomas

I want to add to Gertie's comment.
Good.
Good that you intend to write the three books in between.

But I kinda wanted to see what happened after Linc passed on.
Just sayin....


----------



## Anju 

I'm waiting too - and waiting and waiting and waiting!!!


----------



## Jeff

Well crud. It looks like Susan's edited copy of _Home of the Brave_ is lost in the land of UPS.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Okay.... please bear with me here.....  Since I want to read the series in chronological order, I would read....
Gone For a Soldier
Land of the Free
Home of the Brave
To Be Named
To Be Named
Lonely is the Soldier
Treasure of La Malinche I
Treasure of La Malinche II

Do I have it right??  These books are so excellent and I decided I want to read the whole series from first to last (once it's completed, obviously).  Don't give up on that sequel, Jeff..... I agree that once the series is filled in, readers will be wanting that last book!!


----------



## Jeff

PraiseGod13 said:


> Since I want to read the series in chronological order, I would read....
> Gone For a Soldier
> Land of the Free
> Home of the Brave
> To Be Named
> To Be Named
> Lonely is the Soldier
> Treasure of La Malinche I
> Treasure of La Malinche II


Yes, Judy, you're right. Thanks, as always, for your support. The chronology of both published books and works in progress is:

Published - _Gone For a Soldier_. (The America Revolution.)
Published - _Land of the Free_. (American Westward expansion and The War 0f 1812.)
Finished but not quite published - _Home of the Brave_. (The Mexican U.S. War.)
Complete draft - _Johnny Comes Marching Home_. (The America Civil War.)
First draft- _To End All Wars_). (WW-I) *
Rough draft - _Under the Apple Tree_). (WW-II ) *
Finished but not submitted to editing - _Lonely is the Soldier_. (Post Vietnam Delta Force operations.)
Published - Treasure of La Malinche I. (Modern Mexican/American politics intermixed with Spanish/Mexican history.)
Published - Treasure of La Malinche II. (Near future Mexican/American politics.)

* Working titles may be changed.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Thank you so much!!  And... it's easy to be supportive of quality.... and that's you and your writing, for sure!!!


----------



## geoffthomas

PraiseGod13 said:


> Thank you so much!! And... it's easy to be supportive of quality.... and that's you and your writing, for sure!!!


Now that is the truth.
That it is EASY to support quality work.
And that these books are quality with a capital Q.
I LOVE historical fiction. And especially when the historical facts are accurate. Then tell me a story...please.
And Jeff sure has done all of that.
I look forward to many years of reading works from Mr. Hepple.
Thanks for all you do.

Just sayin....


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Well crud. It looks like Susan's edited copy of _Home of the Brave_ is lost in the land of UPS.


Not any more!! Filing a missing-package complaint paid off. They located it about seven hours after you posted that. Yay!! (PM sent with details... posting here in case you haven't seen it.)


----------



## Jeff

Hooray for Susan!

The book hasn't arrived yet but it should be here by Monday or Tuesday. I promise to get the manuscript updated with Susan's edits and published as fast as possible. I'll post here as soon as it goes live on Amazon.

Update: Susan camped out at UPS yesterday and they promised her it would be delivered by 10:30 AM, Texas time, today, Friday February 5th.

The book arrived at 10:28. It was shipped yesterday soon after Susan's visit to UPS.

2/5/10 - 9:22 PM CST. 

The book has been published. I'll make an announcement when the Amazon pages have updated. Thanks to everyone for your patience and Susan for your hard work and persistence.


----------



## Jeff

_Home of the Brave_, the third book in the Gone For Soldiers series, has been released on Amazon, Mobipocket and Smashwords. The eBook version is $2.99 or free with the coupon available from Books on The Knob. (Expires 3/1/2010)

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00378LICG
Mobipocket: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=272288
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/9503

_Home of the Brave_ is currently the number-one-best-seller in the historical fiction genre on Smashwords where it has pushed _Land of the Free_ into the number two slot.

Paperback, $16.95

My most sincere thanks to Susan and everyone here for your support.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I hope you don't mind that I got it from Amazon, Jeff.  I accidentally deleted a couple of books and I just feel safer with Amazon's backup.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I hope you don't mind that I got it from Amazon, Jeff. I accidentally deleted a couple of books and I just feel safer with Amazon's backup.


Thank you, Gertie. I was wondering about all the Amazon sales since it was free at Smashwords. There must be others who would prefer having their books on Amazon.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Yes, Judy, you're right. Thanks, as always, for your support. The chronology of both published books and works in progress is:
> 
> Published - _Gone For a Soldier_. (The America Revolution.)
> Published - _Land of the Free_. (American Westward expansion and The War 0f 1812.)
> Finished but not quite published - _Home of the Brave_. (The Mexican U.S. War.)
> Complete draft - _Johnny Comes Marching Home_. (The America Civil War.)
> First draft- _To End All Wars_). (WW-I) *
> Rough draft - _Under the Apple Tree_). (WW-II ) *
> *Finished but not submitted to editing - Lonely is the Soldier. (Post Vietnam Delta Force operations.)*
> Published - Treasure of La Malinche I. (Modern Mexican/American politics intermixed with Spanish/Mexican history.)
> Published - Treasure of La Malinche II. (Near future Mexican/American politics.)
> 
> * Working titles may be changed.


<ahem>


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> <ahem>


Should I take that as your acceptance of a new mission?  Warning: This one's very gritty with a lot of violence and four-letter words.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Should I take that as your acceptance of a new mission?  Warning: This one's very gritty with a lot of violence and four-letter words.


Yes. And that's fine, four-letter words don't bother me, and wartime violence is different from gratuitous creepy horror-movie violence. Bring it on!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Yes. And that's fine, four-letter words don't bother me, and wartime violence is different from gratuitous creepy horror-movie violence. Bring it on!


Great. You're a terrific editor. I need a few weeks to catch up with my software business, then I'll send you the paperback.

Embarrassing Confession:

To anyone that I may have accidently un-friended on Facebook, I sincerely apologize. Last month I tried to change my page name and somehow deleted the page - together with all the associated friends and fans. For anyone interested, here's the URL of the new page.


----------



## Susan in VA

Thank you!


----------



## Jeff

Just a reminder that the below Smashwords coupons expire after next week:

Coupon HY25U $0.99 _Home of the Brave_ Number 1 best seller in historical fiction.
Coupon UZ45J $0.99 _Land of the Free_ Number 2 best seller in historical fiction.
Coupon GH98N $2.00 _Gone For a Soldier_ Number 5 best seller in historical fiction.

Thanks for your support, everyone.

Jeff


----------



## Jeff

To those of you waiting for _Lonely Is The Soldier_, I'm sorry to announce that there will be a delay. I recently discovered that one of the non-fiction books I'd read prior to writing the La Malinche books (_The Hunt for Bin Laden_) may in fact be badly flawed. I'm not certain how much this book influenced me, but the revelation requires a careful re-write of all the Afghanistan portions, especially those involving the the December 2001 Battle of Tora Bora.

The back-story of this is very interesting. I was aware of Jack Idema but had not connected him to Robin Moore's book (which I read in hardcover when it was first published). It should be noted that Mr. Moore's _Green Berets_ is a wonderful, carefully researched book.

_Lonely Is The Soldier_ has been a difficult book to write because all the action post-dates my own military experience. For some reason it has been far easier for me to relate to a soldier in 1776 than to one in 2001. I hope those of you waiting will understand the delay.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Oh, goodness.  Better that you be satisfied with it.  One of the things we can always count on with a Hepple book, is that it will be well-researched and accurate.


----------



## geoffthomas

I agree with Gertie.
A Hepple-written book is worth the wait.
Just let us know when you are satisfied with it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff, I just posted my review of _Gone for a Soldier_. It'll probably take a day to show up, but I wanted you to know.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Jeff, I just posted my review of _Gone for a Soldier_. It'll probably take a day to show up, but I wanted you to know.


Thank you, Gertie. What a wonderful review. I'm very grateful and truly delighted that you liked the book. When (and how) did you find the time to read it?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Gertie. What a wonderful review. I'm very grateful and truly delighted that you liked the book.


It really touched me.



> When (and how) did you find the time to read it?


I'm embarrassed to say.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'm embarrassed to say.


Ah. Now I know why I was so moved by your review.


----------



## geoffthomas

Having finished Gone for A Soldier a while ago,
and
Having finished Land of the Free just recently,
and 
Just finished Home of the Brave.......

Jeff
You knock my socks off.
I told you that I was a fan back with the Treasure of LaMalinche.
Both volumes - loved them. Loved the story telling and the intertwined "stories" that confused some readers, I loved.

I love the obvious personal investment you have in the van Buskirks.
And the obvious personal investment you have in the locales - Texas in the latest.
And the obvious personal investment you have in your country.
You clearly are in love with this place.

Me too.

And you work strengthens my enjoyment of my citizenship.



I sincerely hope that you intend to write more.

I take my hat off to you, my friend.



Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, Geoff. Glad you liked _Home of the Brave_. You're right. I'm unabashedly proud of this grand experiment that we call the United States of America. As for future books: I'll continue to write as long I'm able and as long as there are readers like you.


----------



## Jeff

April $1.00 Promotion
Click the above image then use the coupon below:​
Ebook Price: $3.99
Promotional price: $1.00
Coupon Code: FW94B
Expires: April 30, 2010


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Hi, Jeff.  I see you're not sleeping either.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Hi, Jeff. I see you're not sleeping either.


Busted.

I was trying to finish this book so I can read yours but I needed a break and couldn't think of anything else to post. Maybe that's a signal that I should quit for the night. But what's with you? It's an hour later there.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Busted.
> 
> I was trying to finish this book so I can read yours but I needed a break and couldn't think of anything else to post. Maybe that's a signal that I should quit for the night. But what's with you? It's an hour later there.


Yep, it's 3am here. Lately, I've been falling asleep okay, but then I wake up after an hour. I've always been able to go back to sleep again, but not anymore.

I thought about doing some more writing, but I wanted to check a few more sources. I found an article from February about some archeological discoveries that will change the final scenes. For the purists (like you and me), I'll reference the article at the end. It's doubtful that very many people will know about this announcement.

Going to try to sleep again.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Going to try to sleep again.


Me too. Good night.


----------



## kwajkat

Too bad the prices don't apply to Amazon. I prefer to get mine from Amazon since they keep them archived and I sometimes have computer hiccups.

I hope your next books don't have a lot of 4 letter words. Having been in the military I am not a prude but I do enjoy books that do not have alot of swear words or detailed sex in them. It gets old after a while and I find it distracting besides which it leaves nothing to the imagination. I also find it interesting that books written prior to the 60s without swear words are better reads. Especially military fiction. Both my parents (WWII vets) didn't recall the amount of swear words being used during the 40s as  is portrayed today's books.


----------



## Jeff

kwajkat said:


> Too bad the prices don't apply to Amazon. I prefer to get mine from Amazon since they keep them archived and I sometimes have computer hiccups.


Amazon doesn't offer publishers the ability for limited time promotions to specific groups.



kwajkat said:


> I hope your next books don't have a lot of 4 letter words. Having been in the military I am not a prude but I do enjoy books that do not have alot of swear words or detailed sex in them. It gets old after a while and I find it distracting besides which it leaves nothing to the imagination. I also find it interesting that books written prior to the 60s without swear words are better reads. Especially military fiction. Both my parents (WWII vets) didn't recall the amount of swear words being used during the 40s as is portrayed today's books.


Your hopes will not be fulfilled.

My books that are set in the distant past (Gone for Soldiers series) have a few four-letter-words wherever they seemed appropriate to a particular character and the circumstances.

The three books that are set in present day (The Legacy of La Malinche series) have numerous four letter words reflecting my personal experiences. I fear that you would be offended by them.

I've been criticized for not including detailed sex and for too much sex. I've long ago given up on the idea of pleasing everyone.


----------



## Susan in VA

kwajkat said:


> I also find it interesting that books written prior to the 60s without swear words are better reads. Especially military fiction.


No doubt the ones _with_ swear words are a tad more realistic, though... 



Jeff said:


> I've been criticized for not including detailed sex and for too much sex.


I must've missed the detailed ones. You're good at_ implying_ things, though. So it's up to the reader how much they read into it....


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> I must've missed the detailed ones.


Haha. No you didn't.

Because of a one star review that was accusatory I tried to put more sex into _Lonely is the Soldier_ but I'm very uncomfortable writing graphic details and just added more implied sex.

In the immortal words of Ricky Nelson: "...if you can't please everyone, you gotta please yourself." No double entendre intended.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Implied sex? In the immortal words of Andy Griffith regarding the opera, Carmen ... the curtain falls and time passes.


----------



## tlshaw

ok, some say too much, some say just enough, and some say not enough! It is all a matter of perspective.

Having said that, Jeff, my $.02 is that I immensely enjoy your writing and have not found the swear words or sex(which has not struck me as graphic) as offensive. I was raised as a Southern lady who can't even make myself say a swear word!


----------



## Jeff

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> I was raised as a Southern lady who can't even make myself say a swear word!


Some of the ladies in my books are as refined as you are, Teresa, and others are - well, not ladies.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Just finished _Land of the Free_. Same complaint. Over too quickly. 

Loved meeting Davy Crockett. Loved the info about Okay and Huh. Loved the battles, loved the history, loved it all.

One suggestion. Any way of including maps? I had no problem with _Gone for a Soldier_ since I'm from NJ and knew most of the places. Even though I've lived in Florida for a long time and know Tallahassee and Pensacola and I've traveled to New Orleans, I had a problem with distances, especially with the Great Lakes.

Great read, as usual.

I have to do some research reading (boo-hiss) before I can start on _Home of the Brave_.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> One suggestion. Any way of including maps? I had no problem with _Gone for a Soldier_ since I'm from NJ and knew most of the places. Even though I've lived in Florida for a long time and know Tallahassee and Pensacola and I've traveled to New Orleans, I had a problem with distances, especially with the Great Lakes.


You're quite right. Maps would be very useful in this book if for no other reason than to show how new overland routes were established and new canals were opened. There are maps of the Conquistador's routes in _The Treasure of La Malinche_, but they look terrible on the K1 so I gave up on the idea and removed them from _Gone for a Soldier_ before publishing it. Maybe as the eBook reader technology improves maps will become more practical. If so perhaps I could do a new edition.

I'm very glad you liked the book; thank you for the kind words.


----------



## Anju  

really having problems finding something that holds my attention - seriously thinking of re-reading all your books - just durn good reads!


----------



## Jeff

Anju No. 469 said:


> really having problems finding something that holds my attention - seriously thinking of re-reading all your books - just durn good reads!


If you want a bloody war story, I'll send you the unedited beta version that Geoff is reading.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Fantastic trailer, Jeff. Seeing the twin towers on fire was like a punch in the chest. I started _Home of the Brave_ so I won't have to wait too long to read _Lonely is the Soldier_.

Dumb question, if you don't mind. I know who all Yank's kids are named for except for William. Is William one of John's brothers? And if so, (or whoever he is) I don't remember what happened to him.

Elucidate, please.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I know who all Yank's kids are named for except for William. Is William one of John's brothers? And if so, (or whoever he is) I don't remember what happened to him.


William, Thomas Jr. and Robert were John's older brothers. Thomas was the only one that survived the war.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> William, Thomas Jr. and Robert were John's older brothers. Thomas was the only one that survived the war.


Thanks. Just one of those things that can drive you crazy. Now I can relax and enjoy the story.


----------



## Anju 

yes please!! really do love good bloody war stories!


----------



## Jeff

Anju No. 469 said:


> yes please!! really do love good bloody war stories!


Check you your PMs.


----------



## Jeff

Work in progress...

​
_Johnny Comes Marching Home_ is the sequel to _Home of the Brave_. The story begins as the veterans of Mexican War are going home and continues through the American Civil War.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Nice cover.  I'm still reading Home of the Brave.  Almost up to The Alamo.  I'll probably cry.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Nice cover. I'm still reading Home of the Brave. Almost up to The Alamo. I'll probably cry.


The book skips the siege and instead focuses on Houston's reaction, so crying is unnecessary.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> The book skips the siege and instead focuses on Houston's reaction, so crying is unnecessary.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> The book skips the siege and instead focuses on Houston's reaction, so crying is unnecessary.


But that made it all the more gripping, I thought. I was expecting a detailed account of that part... and then to go more or less straight to the aftermath and reactions gave the reader that "unreal" feeling that actually happens in the wake of a disaster. Very effective.


----------



## geoffthomas

I have finished my effort on the "new" book.
Wow.
No descrepancies that I am aware of.
A bunch of edits.
Will have the "marked up" file back to you electronically with 24 hours.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I have finished my effort on the "new" book.
> Wow.
> No descrepancies that I am aware of.
> A bunch of edits.
> Will have the "marked up" file back to you electronically with 24 hours.


That's why I'm doing my best to finish Home of the Brave quickly. I want to read Lonely is the Soldier ASAP.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you very much, Geoff. I really appreciate your help.

Are you ready, Susan?


----------



## Susan in VA

Bring it on!


----------



## geoffthomas

You are all going to love this book.



Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> You are all going to love this book.


I sure hope you're right, Geoff. I've been working on it for so long that by the time I finished I had no idea if it was any good or not.


----------



## Susan in VA

Dona seemed to be enjoying it, assuming that's the one she was hinting at in the GN thread.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Dona seemed to be enjoying it, assuming that's the one she was hinting at in the GN thread.


Yes. She sent me a PM saying that she liked it. That helped me breathe a little better. Now that Geoff's weighed in with a positive, it may be possible to start worrying about the next one.


----------



## geoffthomas

Way Past Positive.
Dude.

This is seriously good reading.


----------



## Anju 

Hope to finish today, really really enjoying it!  Only found 2 typos and didn't mark them after all Susan needs to earn her keep  

So go ahead Jeff, get started on the next one!


----------



## PraiseGod13

Okay... all of you!!  All this talk about reading the new book has the rest of us hyperventilating!!  LOL!!!  Talk about getting the fan base totally excited about the next installment of this incredible series..... as if we weren't already.  Sure makes us even more anxious!!!  Jeff... you are so humble.... you have no idea how totally excellent you are.  You need to start believing us!!  We're telling you the truth.... you're a VERY gifted author who blesses us with your books (and your friendship here on KB)!!


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Yes. She sent me a PM saying that she liked it. That helped me breathe a little better. Now that Geoff's weighed in with a positive, it may be possible to start worrying about the next one.


Oh, quit worrying. You know we love your books. At this point, what are the chances you're going to write a stinker?


----------



## geoffthomas

I guess that many in this thread have started with the "Gone for a Soldier" stories about the van Buskirk family.
If you have not read the two-part "The Treasure of LaMalinche", I would recommend that while you wait for more.
All of Jeff's books are incredible, in my opinion.  He mixes historical fact with high drama and lots of action.

But I have been a big fan for while now.


Just sayin....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I guess that many in this thread have started with the "Gone for a Soldier" stories about the van Buskirk family.
> If you have not read the two-part "The Treasure of LaMalinche", I would recommend that while you wait for more.
> All of Jeff's books are incredible, in my opinion. He mixes historical fact with high drama and lots of action.
> 
> But I have been a big fan for while now.
> 
> Just sayin....


I'll second that. _Treasure_ was fantastic. It's one that I want to read again.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you everyone. It's because of you that I keep writing.


----------



## Anju 

Jeff's books have so much info in them they are definitely re-reads.  After the one I just finished I fully intend to do The Treasure again.  

BUT Gertie's book Catherine and the Captain is now available so will probably read that one next.

Why are all you terrific authors releasing all these books at the same time huh huh huh


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Anju No. 469 said:


> Jeff's books have so much info in them they are definitely re-reads. After the one I just finished I fully intend to do The Treasure again.
> 
> BUT Gertie's book Catherine and the Captain is now available so will probably read that one next.
> 
> Why are all you terrific authors releasing all these books at the same time huh huh huh


We just want to give all our friends lots of good stuff to read.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> We just want to give all our friends lots of good stuff to read.


And... "lots of good stuff to read" they certainly are!!!!! Thanks, authors!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

When I got to the part where Sam Houston yelled "Remember the Alamo," I got pretty choked up (didn't cry).

I'm up to Yank leaving for his last campaign. It'll be a close run between finishing _Home of the Brave_ and the launch of _Lonely is the Soldier_.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'm up to Yank leaving for his last campaign. It'll be a close run between finishing _Home of the Brave_ and the launch of _Lonely is the Soldier_.


No crying.

We should make it to publication in April as promised, but barely.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> No crying.


Bummer.



> We should make it to publication in April as promised, but barely.


Good. I'll be finished by then for sure.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> We should make it to publication in April as promised, but barely.


The pressure's on... 

(Don't worry, it'll be done in time.)


----------



## geoffthomas

I have emailed the file back.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks very much, Geoff. I've got it.


----------



## koland

Jeffry Hepple's new release Lonely is the Soldier is free using the exclusive coupon at Books on the Knob - http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/2010/05/free-book-lonely-is-soldier.html


----------



## Gertie Kindle

YAY!!!


----------



## geoffthomas

More great fiction from one of the very best writers around today.

And for free - jump on it.

Just sayin......


----------



## Susan in VA

Yay!! This is both a very serious and a fun book...

It's very serious because it covers a period in time that for some people here may trigger personal memories and emotions, and goes into a lot of background that most of us missed on the news, as well as details that never made it to the news... and should have.

And it's fun because if someone were to describe some of the more colorful characters, you'd roll your eyes and wonder what drug-fueled nightmare those had come from... but they _work_, it's a page-turner and it all comes together and sets up the next book nicely.

There's some good dry humor in the dialogue, enough to make me laugh a few dozen times, and one very brief scene that made me reach for a hanky.

"Historical fiction" is technically true, but this book covers such a recent period that I'd describe it more as something in a Clancy/Ludlum genre.

Happy reading!


----------



## PraiseGod13

YEAH!!!!  Got my copy!  I've been waiting for this book and look forward to reading it.  Thanks once again, Jeff!!


----------



## koland

Here's a comment I received on my blog about Jeff's work:



> Hello Karen. Just a short note to thank you for having introduced me to Jeffrey Hepple in his Gone for Soldiers Series. I have to say, having bought all three when one was free, I was glad I had done so. I could hardly put them down. While I did not feel the second two were quite as compelling as the first one, I must point out that the revelation (no spoiler here) in the second book literally stopped me cold and I had to put my Kindle down for the night I was so disappointed in Marina. Mr Hepple is clearly a winner and embroils the reader in history pulled along by the readers personal bonding with the fictional characters.
> So, not so brief as intended but I look forward to this new 'prequel' with hopes it pulls me into the rest of the La Malinche Series.


Three cheers to Jeff for letting us have the prequel for free!


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, everyone. I hope you all enjoy the new book.

Trying to discuss both series in this thread has become a bit messy so I started a new thread for the The Legacy of La Malinche series.

If Ann and Betsy agree, I'll start another for the Gone for Soldiers series before the next book in that series is published.

Any suggestions about how this thread should be handled? Would it be best to just let it die or have it locked?


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Trying to discuss both series in this thread


Wait, I'm confused. I thought this was all one big series?? Starting with the American Revolution and continuing to follow the same family (more or less) until modern times? Did I get that wrong?



Jeff said:


> Any suggestions about how this thread should be handled? Would it be best to just let it die or have it locked?


My $ 0.02: Just let it be... There will always be new people discovering each of the books, and maybe they'll add on here.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Wait, I'm confused. I thought this was all one big series?? Starting with the American Revolution and continuing to follow the same family (more or less) until modern times? Did I get that wrong?


You didn't get it wrong, I did.

I originally intended that it would be a single series but for technical reasons I had to make it two: *Gone For Soldiers* and the *Legacy of La Malinche* series.

The last book of the *Gone For Soldiers* series will be _Under The Apple Tree_, the prequel to _Lonely is the Soldier_, which is the first book of the *Legacy of La Malinche* series.


----------



## Susan in VA

Technical reasons?? Now I'm even more confused...

I know that at some point (maybe several pages back in this thread, even?) you listed all the books, written and un-written, with a brief description of each. It_ looked_ like a nice clear timeline...


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Technical reasons?? Now I'm even more confused...


I didn't understand volumes and series when I first started publishing so I didn't set up the first three books properly. Amazon's rules won't permit me to change things now.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I don't care how they are organized.
I know that I will be re-reading all of them.

Thank you again for providing such terrific reads.


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> I know that I will be re-reading all of them.


Me too, when I can read them all in chronological order (which I know will be a while).

Meanwhile, started _Treasure_ last night... only had time for a few pages so far, though.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Well I don't care how they are organized.
> I know that I will be re-reading all of them.
> 
> Thank you again for providing such terrific reads.


Agreed. I'm really, really, really enjoying _Lonely is the Soldier_.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, friends. I'm glad you like it, Gertie.

Over a hundred people have used Karen's free coupon code for _Lonely is the Soldier_ on Smashwords and it's sold a few copies on Amazon.

Unfortunately, one of my anti-fans from here at Kindleboards has found Karen's blog. That takes some of the fun out of a new book.


----------



## Susan in VA

There are always going to be _some_ who don't like a book. Don't let it get you down.


----------



## tlshaw

Jeff,I really enjoy your writing. Just remember, if everyone likes you, something is wrong.


----------



## koland

Jeff said:


> Thanks, friends. I'm glad you like it, Gertie.
> 
> Over a hundred people have used Karen's free coupon code for _Lonely is the Soldier_ on Smashwords and it's sold a few copies on Amazon.
> 
> Unfortunately, one of my anti-fans from here at Kindleboards has found Karen's blog. That takes some of the fun out of a new book.


There is always someone who either hates a book (makes you wonder why they finished it) or just wants to bash on something or something for personal reasons. I think the other reviewer's words outweigh the basher, but I'd also invite those who are enjoying the new book or liked the previous books in the series to post their review (but no bashing of the reviewers) in the comments as well.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

koland said:


> There is always someone who either hates a book (makes you wonder why they finished it) or just wants to bash on something or something for personal reasons. I think the other reviewer's words outweigh the basher, but I'd also invite those who are enjoying the new book or liked the previous books in the series to post their review (but no bashing of the reviewers) in the comments as well.


As soon as I finish reading it. I'm having a hard time holding back.


----------



## Susan in VA

The latest book left two or three questions tantalizingly unanswered, and I can't wait to find out whether those have already been answered in _Treasure._ If not, there's going to have to be another book ....


----------



## Jeff

There's another book but I think I'm going to take a detour and write a whodunit first.


----------



## Susan in VA

Double yay!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> There's another book but I think I'm going to take a detour and write a whodunit first.


Torture!!


----------



## drenee

PraiseGod13 said:


> Okay.... please bear with me here..... Since I want to read the series in chronological order, I would read....
> Gone For a Soldier
> Land of the Free
> Home of the Brave
> To Be Named
> To Be Named
> Lonely is the Soldier
> Treasure of La Malinche I
> Treasure of La Malinche II


My son called last night to ask me if Jeff had any new books. I was happy to find this list so we can read them in order. I'm a bit OCD about reading in order. 
Oh yeah, my son said you are his favorite author, Jeff. He LOVES your books. 
deb


----------



## Susan in VA

If I recall correctly, there are even two _more _missing from that list, right where the "to be named" ones are, so your son will be pleased...

PLUS the two that Jeff promised a couple of posts back!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> PLUS the two that Jeff promised a couple of posts back!


My idea for a whodunit required a ride-along with the local police to get a feel for how they operate. They're not interested so I'll scrap that one.



drenee said:


> I'm a bit OCD about reading in order.
> Oh yeah, my son said you are his favorite author, Jeff. He LOVES your books.


Deb - here's the current list of published books and WIP in chronological order. Thank your son for me please and thank you for passing that along.

1. _Gone for a Soldier_ ~ A novel of the American Revolution
2. _Land of the Free_ ~ A novel of the War of 1812
3. Home of the Brave ~ A novel of the Mexican War and Texas Revolution
4. _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ ~ A novel of the American Civil War - Estimated publication date is mid 2010.
5. _Under the Apple Tree_ ~ A novel of WWII - Estimated publication date is early 2011
6. Lonely is the Soldier ~ A novel of modern war
7. _The Treasure of La Malinche_ (Two Volumes) ~ An alternate future novel
8. _The Revenge of La Malinche_ ~ A post apocalyptic novel.


----------



## Susan in VA

Sorry, guess I'm misremembering...  I thought there was going to be a WWI book too, as well as a Vietnam-era one.

As for ride-alongs....  I would keep trying, maybe with a police department in the next town over or something...  they do HAVE programs like that in many cities for kids (usually around middle school) and so they can't be objecting to having a passenger on general principle...  maybe it just means finding the right person to approve it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

The Revenge of La Malinche ...









I'm with Linc in Somalia right now.


----------



## geoffthomas

Great book, huh Gertie?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Great book, huh Gertie?


You bet!! May be the best one yet, but I'm torn. I loved _Treasure_, especially Vol. 2 and _Gone for a Soldier_ moved me to tears. Can I put them all in the #1 spot?


----------



## geoffthomas

I am with you Gertie.
I LOVED Treasure - what I liked some people didn't - the inter-threaded story lines. And the dependence of the modern story upon the old story.  And I loved the radio reports.

And I am with you about Gone - really liked John and his wife.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I am with you Gertie.
> I LOVED Treasure - what I liked some people didn't - the inter-threaded story lines. And the dependence of the modern story upon the old story. And I loved the radio reports.
> 
> And I am with you about Gone - really liked John and his wife.
> 
> Just sayin.....


I loved the same things about _Treasure _you did. The radio reports brought the outside in and gave a fresh perspective to the events. I thought the whole thing was brilliantly done.

Another thing I like about Jeff's writing is the way he uses dates/locations instead of chapters. That really works.

My neighbor across the street has a Kindle and I recommended he start with _Treasure_.


----------



## Jeff

Somebody here must have some real clout in Central Texas. I just got two very polite emails from the local police chief apologizing for the delay and promising to set up a ride-along.

Susan, there may be a WWI and/or Korean War book in the future but the Cold War and Vietnam are too personal. 
The unpublished books that I've listed are pretty much fully drafted or outlined in great detail. I've done no research for WWI or the Korean War.

Gertie and Geoff, I'm really glad you like _Lonely is the Soldier_. I wish I'd released it before _The Treasure of La Malinche_ - but it's too late now.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Somebody here must have some real clout in Central Texas. I just got two very polite emails from the local police chief apologizing for the delay and promising to set up a ride-along.


Yay!! Is it going to be a mystery or more of a police procedural? I like both.



> Gertie and Geoff, I'm really glad you like _Lonely is the Soldier_. I wish I'd released it before _The Treasure of La Malinche_ - but it's too late now.


The order hasn't spoiled it for me at all. As a matter of fact, it's good to see Linc again and get his backstory. It's like reading _In Her Name_ and then reading the prequels. I'm not sure how I would have felt about the Kreelans if I had read _First Contact_ first.

But I digress. (which I often do  )


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Is it going to be a mystery or more of a police procedural?


A mystery from 1882 McGregor Springs, Texas that's solved by a current-day McGregor, Texas police detective with the help of a local historian/curmudgeon.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> A mystery from 1882 McGregor Springs, Texas that's solved by a current-day McGregor, Texas police detective with the help of a local historian/curmudgeon.


I love Cold Case.


----------



## drenee

First off, I love that *Gone* is 800+ pages. I LOVE a long book. 
I started this one this morning, after much harrassing from my son for the last many months, 
and I do NOT want to put it down. It's been a long time since I've read a book that grabbed 
me this quick. 
deb


----------



## Jeff

drenee said:


> First off, I love that *Gone* is 800+ pages. I LOVE a long book.


In the spirit of full disclosure - a lot of those 800 pages are the full text of historical documents.

I'm completely enamored with the writing of historical figures from the period like Thomas Payne, and George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson and... Well, you get the idea. I just can't resist quoting them and it seems like a sacrilege to cut even a single word.

Hope you like the book as much as your son did.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> A mystery from 1882 McGregor Springs, Texas that's solved by a current-day McGregor, Texas police detective with the help of* a local historian/curmudgeon*.


I'm sure _that_ particular character will be extremely difficult for you to describe.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> I'm sure _that_ particular character will be extremely difficult for you to describe.


I heard his name is going to be _Jefferson_.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Just finished _Lonely is the Soldier_. Well done, Jeff. Very, very well done.

Large surprises at the end tying into _Treasure_.


Spoiler



La Gata? Really? Wow.



I'm glad you


Spoiler



devoted so little space to 9-11. That would have been very hard to read. You handled it very well.



It's official. I'm putting this one at the top of my Hepple list.


----------



## Jeff

Sorry, I don't know how I missed the latest posts.

No comment on the McGregor curmudgeon. You'll have to wait for the book. 

Glad you liked _Lonely is the Soldier_, Gertie. If I ever get around to publishing the sequel to _The Treasure of La Malinche_, you'll see some more surprises.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Sorry, I don't know how I missed the latest posts.
> 
> No comment on the McGregor curmudgeon. You'll have to wait for the book.
> 
> Glad you liked _Lonely is the Soldier_, Gertie. If I ever get around to publishing the sequel to _The Treasure of La Malinche_, you'll see some more surprises.


I'll just say ... neither one of us is getting any younger.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Sorry, I don't know how I missed the latest posts.


I don't think it's you. You know how there are three or four threads that don't open to the newest unread post but open to a few posts past that, so that you have to scroll back to read the newest unread one? Some kind of glitch in the forum software... well there's another kind of glitch too: this thread, and at least one other, don't always show up in the "show new replies to your posts" list, even when there ARE new posts. I've noticed it a few times when I was pretty sure that there would be a reply here in this thread.... but the thread didn't show up... and then I went directly to the Book Bazaar Board, and there it is, with the "new" sign next to it and the new/unread posts several hours old, but it didn't show up in the "new replies" list at all.


----------



## Annalog

Susan in VA said:


> I don't think it's you. You know how there are three or four threads that don't open to the newest unread post but open to a few posts past that, so that you have to scroll back to read the newest unread one? Some kind of glitch in the forum software... well there's another kind of glitch too: this thread, and at least one other, don't always show up in the "show new replies to your posts" list, even when there ARE new posts. I've noticed it a few times when I was pretty sure that there would be a reply here in this thread.... but the thread didn't show up... and then I went directly to the Book Bazaar Board, and there it is, with the "new" sign next to it and the new/unread posts several hours old, but it didn't show up in the "new replies" list at all.


I have seen the same behavior but I thought it was due to reading on my Kindle. Based on your post, I now know it is not my Kindle.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan, Anna, thanks for letting us know that.  I've had the same problem in other threads.  Thought it was just my slow computer.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'll just say ... neither one of us is getting any younger.


I'm resolved to the fact that there's going to be one or more unfinished books when I become an ancestor.


----------



## Susan in VA

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Susan, Anna, thanks for letting us know that. I've had the same problem in other threads. Thought it was just my slow computer.


Nah, it's probably an evil spell. All these fantasy writers on KB, some of that must be rubbing off on other threads. 

(Now why couldn't it happen to the train wreck threads instead? )


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> I'm resolved to the fact that there's going to be one or more unfinished books when I become an ancestor.


What, no typewriters in the afterlife??


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> What, no typewriters in the afterlife??


If there are I'll still need you to edit - so you'll be the first to know.


----------



## geoffthomas

Jeff said:


> I'm resolved to the fact that there's going to be one or more unfinished books when I become an ancestor.


Well if we have to accept this, then please write a lot more now.
So that we will have a lot on the to be read list.

Seriously, I am not sure that you know how much your work is appreciated.
We just need to get you a larger audience to read the books.

Just sayin....


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Seriously, I am not sure that you know how much your work is appreciated.


Seriously, I am not sure that you know how much your support (and that of the other KB members) is appreciated.



geoffthomas said:


> We just need to get you a larger audience to read the books.


Oh no. That might require me to actually do some promoting.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Oh no. That might require me to actually do some promoting.


Ick. The evil P word.


----------



## mamiller

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Ick. The evil P word.


I had an idea on promotion but I didn't want to post it on all the 8000 "how to promote your book" threads 

Since all my books involve storms or water in some capacity, how about an ad on the back of a bathroom stall in Red Lobster??


----------



## Gertie Kindle

mamiller said:


> I had an idea on promotion but I didn't want to post it on all the 8000 "how to promote your book" threads
> 
> Since all my books involve storms or water in some capacity, how about an ad on the back of a bathroom stall in Red Lobster??


Just don't cover up my phone number.


----------



## Jeff

Okay. You ladies made me spit my pipe out.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Okay. You ladies made me spit my pipe out.


Hope you didn't burn yourself.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Hope you didn't burn yourself.


_Lap dance_ has a new meaning.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> _Lap dance_ has a new meaning.


The visual is very entertaining.


----------



## mamiller

Marge in Charge 555-2222.  That was you?!?!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

mamiller said:


> Marge in Charge 555-2222. That was you?!?!


----------



## Jeff

mamiller said:


> Marge in Charge 555-2222. That was you?!?!


Our Gertie is a woman of many names.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Our Gertie is a woman of many names.


Always leave 'em guessing.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> If there are I'll still need you to edit - so you'll be the first to know.


Aye aye, Captain Gregg.


----------



## Jeff

Not too soon though, Mrs. Muir.


----------



## Susan in VA

I certainly hope not!!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Not too soon though, Mrs. Muir.


I was just thinking about that movie this afternoon.


----------



## Jeff

Great movie.

Speaking of ghosts and Rex Harrison, did you ever see _Blithe Spirit_?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Great movie.
> 
> Speaking of ghosts and Rex Harrison, did you ever see _Blithe Spirit_?


No, don't remember that one.


----------



## Susan in VA

I haven't either, but I just looked it up.  Sounds entertaining.


----------



## Jeff

I think it may be the only movie that ever made me laugh out loud.


----------



## Susan in VA

That's saying something.  I'll have to move it near the top of my movies-to-watch list.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> I haven't either, but I just looked it up. Sounds entertaining.


Yes, it does, but at $187.15, I don't think I'll be buying the DVD.

I see Margaret Rutherford is in the movie. Love her. Did you ever see her play Miss Marple? The one and only time I didn't like her. They had her golfing and riding horses and doing all sorts of things Miss Marple would never do.

On the other hand, she was fantastic in The Importance of Being Ernest.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I see Margaret Rutherford is in the movie. Love her. Did you ever see her play Miss Marple?


She rides a bicycle in this.

Kay Hammond has the best lines and she's wonderfully snide.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff, just realized I hadn't posted my review of Lonely is the Soldier. So sorry. Amazon reminded me. 

I sent it in today, but I don't know if it's up yet.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you Gertie/Margaret. I just read your review and I'm very flattered.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you Gertie/Margaret. I just read your review and I'm very flattered.


Good, because I already forgot what I wrote.  So I thought I'd read it again, went to the pb by mistake and saw I hadn't tagged it. Bad Gertie. That's taken care of.


----------



## Jeff

Lonely is the Soldier
A novel of modern asymmetric war

*Still Smashwords number 1 best seller in historical fiction*​











Follow the career of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta officer R.A. Lincoln from Delta selection through the start of the War on Terror.


Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble Paperback, Google Editions​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Lonely is the Soldier
> A novel of modern asymmetric war
> 
> *Still Smashwords number 1 best seller in historical fiction*​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Follow the career of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta officer R.A. Lincoln from Delta selection through the start of the War on Terror.
> 
> 
> Kindle Version, Amazon Trade Paperback, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble Paperback, Google Editions​


Yay, Jeff! Linc ... I mean you, of course, deserves to be #1.


----------



## geoffthomas

This is an incredible read.

Just get it.


----------



## mamiller

Mr. Jeff, I just want to thank you for all your hard work with the 'List'! Or perhaps we can call it the 'Scroll'


----------



## Jeff

Nurse in iconic WWII photograph dies aged 91










Edith Shain, who was grabbed and kissed by an unknown American sailor on V-J Day (14 August 1945) said:

"I went from hospital to Times Square that day because the war was over, and where else does a New Yorker go? ...And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other."


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Did they ever identify the sailor?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Did they ever identify the sailor?


No. He probably had a wife and six kids in Omaha. The _Life_ photographer didn't even know who the girl was until Edith Shain came forward.

I seem to recall that Leslie posted the picture here with some interesting comments on V-J Day last year - but I couldn't find it.


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey Jeff, what are you working on now?
Is there anything nearing completion?

I can't wait for another book that I can get "into".

Just sayin...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I was just wondering myself what you're working on.  The mystery?  Did you ever get your ride-along?

Love the new avatar. I like the book covers flashing on your kindle (how did you do that?) and I love the cowboy hat. It reminds me of Dona's avatar.


----------



## DonnaFaz

geoffthomas said:


> Hey Jeff, what are you working on now?
> Is there anything nearing completion?
> 
> I can't wait for another book that I can get "into".
> 
> Just sayin...


Mr. Wonderful won't admit it, but he's been helping me...for days! And he hasn't complained once. (I never knew I was so needy. LOL) He's a man of few words, but he really does great work.

Jeff made a new cover for my book! I am so excited...I'm ready to head over to Create Space...all because of Jeff!

Thank you, Jeff!!! You are amazing. (Wanted to use another exclamation point there, but was afraid it would be overkill.) You really ARE amazing.

~Donna~


----------



## Gertie Kindle

DonnaFaz said:


> Mr. Wonderful won't admit it, but he's been helping me...for days! And he hasn't complained once. (I never knew I was so needy. LOL) He's a man of few words, but he really does great work.
> 
> Jeff made a new cover for my book! I am so excited...I'm ready to head over to Create Space...all because of Jeff!
> 
> Thank you, Jeff!!! You are amazing. (Wanted to use another exclamation point there, but was afraid it would be overkill.) You really ARE amazing.
> 
> ~Donna~


!!!!!!!!!!

There you go. Jeff has been of incalculable help to me and I'm sure he very quietly helps others, too. One of our unsung heroes, although if I'm the one doing the singing, you'd better be wearing earplugs. 

Can't wait to see the new cover, Donna.


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Hey Jeff, what are you working on now?
> Is there anything nearing completion?


Three books in progress: _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ (The American Civil War), _Under The Apple Tree_ (World War II), _The Revenge of La Malinche_ (Sequel to The Treasure of La Malinche) I haven't gotten much writing done lately. Too many good books to read.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I was just wondering myself what you're working on. The mystery? Did you ever get your ride-along?


I gave up on that project because the police department was uncooperative.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Love the new avatar. I like the book covers flashing on your kindle (how did you do that?) and I love the cowboy hat. It reminds me of Dona's avatar.


It's an animated GIF that I fashioned after Dona's avatar. I didn't have a sombrero so I had to use my straw hat.



DonnaFaz said:


> Thank you, Jeff!


I'm happy to help, Donna.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Three books in progress: _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ (The American Civil War), _Under The Apple Tree_ (World War II), _The Revenge of La Malinche_ (Sequel to The Treasure of La Malinche) I haven't gotten much writing done lately. Too many good books to read.


Looking forward to all of them, but The Revenge of La Malinche? Wow. I'll really look forward to that one.



> It's an animated GIF that I fashioned after Dona's avatar. I didn't have a sombrero so I had to use my straw hat.


It's a wonderful remembrance for Dona.


----------



## drenee

I agree, wonderful remembrance for Dona.  Brings tears to my eyes.  

Still reading Gone For a Soldier, and enjoying every minute.  
deb


----------



## Jeff

It wasn't supposed to make anyone cry, Deb.


----------



## drenee

I know.  Not tears of sadness.  Tears of fondness.
deb


----------



## Gertie Kindle

drenee said:


> I know. Not tears of sadness. Tears of fondness.
> deb


Exactly. It feels like a little part of Dona is still with us.


----------



## Jeff

Happy Independence Day​
[quote author=Gone For a Soldier - Page 157]

A crowd had gathered in front of the combination post office and firehouse where an argument between the postmistress and townspeople was in progress.
"What's this?" Anna asked a woman at the back of the crowd.
"An express rider brought in a message. But Mrs. Gordon won't let us read it. She says we must wait for the Mayor."
"So why are the bells ringing?" John asked.
The woman shook her head. "No one knows."
John climbed the steps and held out his hand toward the postmistress. "That's a public document, Madam. You have no right to prevent the public from seeing it."
"Too right," a man shouted. "Give it the gentleman. He's a member of Congress, he is."
John decided not to correct the heckler and left his hand out expectantly, waiting to be given the document.
"Well, I 'pose it's a'right." The postmistress gave him the sealed parchment.
John opened the seal, skimmed the first few lines then climbed onto the broad porch and looked out over the anxious faces. "I wish to read to you a document entitled The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, which was signed in Congress on July 4, 1776." He waved the scroll at them. "As you can see it is a very long document which some of you may find boring, but I will read it to you in its entirety simply because I believe that this document shall forever change your lives, the lives of your children and indeed the entire future of the world." He wiped a tear from his eye and cleared his throat. 
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world...
"In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
"Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
There was silence for several seconds, then someone near the back began to clap their hands and soon all were applauding, shouting excitedly and dancing for joy. 
The church bells continued to ring all day as the United States of America celebrated its first 4th of July.


[/quote]

Click for full sized image.


​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Thanks for posting that Jeff. It was one of the most moving parts of _Gone for a Soldier_. I felt like I was standing with that crowd, hearing that Declaration for the first time.


----------



## Jeff

I agree with you, Gertie. They're words worth celebration, even today. Happy 4th of July.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Thanks so much Jeff for the excerpt and the Declaration of Independence..... they made my 4th!!
    I had saved Dona's avatar on my desktop so I look at it every day.... and now I have saved yours right next to it .... they truly touch my heart!


----------



## mamiller

Wow, Mr. Jeff.  That was fantastic.  Thank you for posting.  It truly helps to understand and remember what this holiday represents.


----------



## drenee

I thank you also, Jeff.  I loved that part of your book.  It gave me chill bumps.
deb


----------



## geoffthomas

A real bargain is Lonely is the Soldier by our own Jeffry Hepple.











All books by Jeff are incredible.

This one is not only one of his best it is his latest.

And it is a perfect read for this Fourth of July.

And it is a book that I can relate to.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> A real bargain is Lonely is the Soldier by our own Jeffry Hepple.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All books by Jeff are incredible.
> 
> This one is not only one of his best it is his latest.
> 
> And it is a perfect read for this Fourth of July.
> 
> And it is a book that I can relate to.
> 
> Just sayin......


It ended up being my favorite of Jeff's. Beat out The Treasure of LaMalinche by a mere inch.


----------



## Groovy Writer

Jeff,

This is a very impressive collection. Your trailer videos make me envious! Obviously you put a lot of time and care into your work, and I'm glad I've found it here at KB. All the best to you.


----------



## 911jason

geoffthomas said:


> A real bargain is Lonely is the Soldier by our own Jeffry Hepple.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All books by Jeff are incredible.
> 
> This one is not only one of his best it is his latest.
> 
> And it is a perfect read for this Fourth of July.
> 
> And it is a book that I can relate to.
> 
> Just sayin......


Just started this last night at work and am completely absorbed already! Only about 15% in I think, but have already recommended it several times. Looking forward to the WWII novel you're working on... it's one of my favorite genres.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You couldn't do better than a Hepple read.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

911jason said:


> Just started this last night at work and am completely absorbed already! Only about 15% in I think, but have already recommended it several times. Looking forward to the WWII novel you're working on... it's one of my favorite genres.





Edward C. Patterson said:


> You couldn't do better than a Hepple read.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Thank you, Jason and Ed. Words such as yours make it easier to keep writing.

The WW-II book will probably be the last of three novels in progress to be completed. It's by far the most complex and important story that I've ever tackled. I may have to split it into multiple books as I did with _Land of the Free_ and _Home of the Brave_.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jason, have you read Treasure? It was my favorite of Jeff's until I read Lonely is the Soldier. Then I couldn't decide until the very end which one I liked best.  

I'd like to know what you think.


----------



## 911jason

I could have sworn I had bought it early last fall, but going through my collection on amazon.com I can't find it and when I visit the Amazon page for it, it doesn't give me the "Instant Order Update" at the top like it usually does for previously purchased items. So I must have downloaded a sample. I gave up on samples last year and deleted them all. Looks like I'll be purchasing Treasure and some of his other titles when I'm done with Lonely.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

911jason said:


> I could have sworn I had bought it early last fall, but going through my collection on amazon.com I can't find it and when I visit the Amazon page for it, it doesn't give me the "Instant Order Update" at the top like it usually does for previously purchased items. So I must have downloaded a sample. I gave up on samples last year and deleted them all. Looks like I'll be purchasing Treasure and some of his other titles when I'm done with Lonely.


I gave up on samples, too. I never get around to reading them.

Treasure is great. It isn't just the story, it's the way it's written. I won't spoil it for you. Just enjoy.


----------



## 911jason

Would that be your recommendation as the next book from Jeff I should read after Lonely?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

911jason said:


> Would that be your recommendation as the next book from Jeff I should read after Lonely?


Yes. Even though it's a different story, some of the characters from Lonely are either carried over or featured. I know you'll like it. Vol. 2 is even better than Vol. 1.

The other three books, Gone for a Soldier, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, are revolutionary war and forward. Each one is a continuation of the next.


----------



## 911jason

Great, thanks for the info! =)


----------



## geoffthomas

I agree with Gertie, it is hard to select a "best" of Jeff's work.

And I "bet you can't read just one".

Love his work.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

Thanks to all you nice people, _Lonely is the Soldier_ is ranked better in August than it has been since the publication date.

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,494 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#78 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
#46 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Fiction > Genre Fiction > War


----------



## mamiller

Well deserved, sir!!


----------



## geoffthomas

This is good news.
More people need to discover this series of books.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Fantastic news, Jeff.

I just recommended GFAS, LotF, and HotB to someone looking for historical fiction. Which made me remember


Spoiler



John jumping up on the platform and reading the Declaration of Independence


. sniff, sniff. Very moving.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Which made me remember
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> John jumping up on the platform and reading the Declaration of Independence
> 
> 
> .


I found this some time ago but didn't use it because some of the details have since been disputed. Even if the author took some artistic license, the gist of the piece is accurate enough to make us consider the price that our forefathers paid for our freedom.

[quote author=THE CONNECTICUT SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION]
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. There were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
[/quote]


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I think that is what sets our revolution apart from many others. Our founding fathers had the most to lose. They really were men of means and put it all on the line.


----------



## geoffthomas

Jeff,
Thank you for posting this piece.
This is one of the reasons why I enjoy your books so much.
Because you research thoroughly.
Because you are scrupulous about what you include.
And because you provide the means for us to all remember how honorable and "gritty" our beginnings were.
Again thank you.


----------



## Jeff

Progress update for anyone interested.

_Revenge of La Malinche_ is on the back burner until Mexico stabilizes (which could be never).

The first draft of _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ is close to complete. I'm hoping to get the final draft to Susan in October.

Progress on _Under the Apple Tree_ is languishing for the moment. It's too big already and not even half finished.


----------



## telracs

I just started GFAS and I'm a bit confused about something


Spoiler



why does the 2nd chapter take place before the 1st. or am I mis-reading something?


----------



## Jeff

It must be a mistake. I'll look at it.

Edit: It looks like a mistake but it won't be easy to fix since the timeline is tied to real events. I'll have to give it some thought and look at my original research notes.

Glad you caught it.


----------



## telracs

so, does that get me my signed book and chocolate?


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> so, does that get me my signed book and chocolate?


Hey! Butt out! He's mine! Take your bucket of red ink back over to Mike's books!


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> so, does that get me my signed book and chocolate?


Yeah sure. But you may want to send the chocolate to somebody you hate.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Hey! Butt out! He's mine! Take your bucket of red ink back over to Mike's books!


Um, when I said I was reading a book YOU HADN'T proofed, he said if I found a typo, he'd send me a signed paperback and chocolate. I did not try and take chocolate from your mouth!



Jeff said:


> Yeah sure. But you may want to send the chocolate to somebody you hate.





Spoiler



send it to susan.


----------



## Susan in VA

It's not about the chocolate, scarlet dear  --  and you know I was kidding.

Besides, chocolate mailed in August from Texas to the East Coast would not be pretty.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> ...he said if I found a typo, he'd send me a signed paperback and chocolate.


I hadn't planned on you pointing out the typos to thousands of potential readers.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> It's not about the chocolate, scarlet dear -- and you know I was kidding.
> 
> Besides, chocolate mailed in August from Texas to the East Coast would not be pretty.


I know, and I know.

Besides, Steph and I are STILL waiting for Mike's next book. And I have another proofing job I'm not doing that great at....



Jeff said:


> I hadn't planned on you pointing out the typos to thousands of potential readers.


OOOPS... Okay, if I find any more, I'll PM you.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Progress update for anyone interested.
> 
> _Revenge of La Malinche_ is on the back burner until Mexico stabilizes (which could be never).


Nooooo. I was so looking forward to this one. Okay, that does it. Let's invade Mexico.



> The first draft of _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ is close to complete. I'm hoping to get the final draft to Susan in October.


That's good news, at least.



> Progress on _Under the Apple Tree_ is languishing for the moment. It's too big already and not even half finished.


Have we ever complained that one of your books is too long?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Nooooo. I was so looking forward to this one. Okay, that does it. Let's invade Mexico.


If Mexico legalizes drugs the flow of human traffic from the US will probably be seen as an invasion from the north.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Have we ever complained that one of your books is too long?


In paperback it has to be under 800 pages or broken into multiple books - which is problematic. With _Land of the Free_ and _Home of the Brave_ there was a enough lull between the War of 1812 and the Texas Revolution to split the story into two books, but there's no clear place to split the action of WW-II.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> In paperback it has to be under 800 pages or broken into multiple books


Says who?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> Says who?


The printers.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> The printers.


why?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> The printers.


Piffle.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> why?


Hahaha. They don't offer an explanation. I suppose it might have something to do with the physics of glue holding paper to a cardboard spine. Or it could be that the racks that are used in book stores won't hold a fatter book.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Hahaha. They don't offer an explanation. I suppose it might have something to do with the physics of glue holding paper to a cardboard spine. Or it could be that the racks that are used in book stores won't hold a fatter book.


I own any number of paperbacks over 800 pages, so I'm confused.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> I own any number of paperbacks over 800 pages, so I'm confused.


True. Some of the Potter series, most of the Outlander series, just to name a couple. Must be a Create Space rule.


----------



## telracs

I got it!  They get more money for 2 books than for 1 long one!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> I got it! They get more money for 2 books than for 1 long one!


Of course. Follow the money.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> I own any number of paperbacks over 800 pages, so I'm confused.


I had to split _The Treasure of La Malinche_ into two 700 page volumes because no POD printer would accept it as one. This new book will be bigger than that if I keep going.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I had to split _The Treasure of La Malinche_ into two 700 page volumes because no POD printer would accept it as one. This new book will be bigger than that if I keep going.


Keep going. You'll find a way to split it.

Wait a minute. We're Kindlers. What do we care about POD.


----------



## Jeff

Publishers hate big books because they take up the shelf space of several smaller books but printers charge by the page so I don't think it's about money.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Wait a minute. We're Kindlers. What do we care about POD.


Because the reviews have to match between editions?


----------



## 911jason

Jeff said:


> _Revenge of La Malinche_ is on the back burner until Mexico stabilizes (which could be never).


I thought it was an "alternate history" novel? Who cares what happens in real life, it's alternate history fiction!



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Nooooo. I was so looking forward to this one. Okay, that does it. Let's invade Mexico.


You driving or me? Oh wait, I gotta go get some better flip-flops... 



Jeff said:


> ...there's no clear place to split the action of WW-II.


Pacific and European campaigns?


----------



## geoffthomas

I vote for several books that tell a "complete" story about a point in time and the people who inhabit it.
And that those several books link together and relate to each other is a bonus.
And if we wait for things to settle down in Mexico you will never complete that book.
So let it become "overcome by events".
We just want more Hepple books.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I vote for several books that tell a "complete" story about a point in time and the people who inhabit it.
> And that those several books link together and relate to each other is a bonus.
> And if we wait for things to settle down in Mexico you will never complete that book.
> So let it become "overcome by events".
> We just want more Hepple books.
> 
> Just sayin......


Ditto Ditto Ditto


----------



## telracs

911jason said:


> Pacific and European campaigns?


Nice idea Jason!


----------



## Jeff

Would you folks prefer to see _Under the Apple Tree_ as three volumes or as three books with different titles? The timeline begins in 1936 and ends on VJ-Day.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Would you folks prefer to see _Under the Apple Tree_ as three volumes or as three books with different titles? The timeline begins in 1936 and ends on VJ-Day.


three books with 3 different titles. makes 'em stand out better.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Would you folks prefer to see _Under the Apple Tree_ as three volumes or as three books with different titles? The timeline begins in 1936 and ends on VJ-Day.


If you do it as three volumes, you can put out a Kindle omnibus edition (which would also work for different titles). In print, I think people are more likely to buy all three volumes. They'll know it's a continuing story.

Maybe Under the Apple Tree: (subtitle) Vol. 1, etc.


----------



## Guest

Nice trailers!


----------



## 911jason

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> If you do it as three volumes, you can put out a Kindle omnibus edition (which would also work for different titles). In print, I think people are more likely to buy all three volumes. They'll know it's a continuing story.
> 
> Maybe Under the Apple Tree: (subtitle) Vol. 1, etc.


I think either way would be fine, but Gertie makes a good point regarding the Kindle omnibus!


----------



## geoffthomas

Jeff said:


> Would you folks prefer to see _Under the Apple Tree_ as three volumes or as three books with different titles? The timeline begins in 1936 and ends on VJ-Day.


I agree with Gertie for OUR convenience.
But for marketability, perhaps three separate books would be better.

Just wonderin.....


----------



## Jeff

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone.

As Geoff suggested, I think I'll revamp the sequel to "Treasure" and move it away from current events to an alternate future.

I'm reluctant to publish the WW-II novel with different titles simply because potential readers might accidently start with the wrong volume so Gertie's idea looks like the way to go.

I'll concentrate on the Civil War project and will try to remember to post updates here more frequently. Thanks again.


----------



## telracs

Jeff- thought I caught another typo, but it was a character joke. Good one....


Spoiler



Blinker's hill


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thanks for all the feedback, everyone.
> 
> As Geoff suggested, I think I'll revamp the sequel to "Treasure" and move it away from current events to an alternate future.


YAY!!! Mexico _needs_ an alternate future.



> I'm reluctant to publish the WW-II novel with different titles simply because potential readers might accidently start with the wrong volume so Gertie's idea looks like the way to go.


Yeah, that was my concern, too. Now you just have to think up three subtitles.



> I'll concentrate on the Civil War project and will try to remember to post updates here more frequently. Thanks again.


Looking forward to that one, too.


----------



## Jeff

Sound familiar?

*Drug traffickers, Mexican police battle within yards of U.S. border*​
[quote author=CNN]
A "major gunbattle" between drug traffickers and Mexican federal police broke out Saturday evening in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, just 30 yards from the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, causing U.S. authorities to cordon off a section of the city, according to a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman.
Three police officers were injured and one armed suspect was killed, federal police spokesman Ramon Salinas said.
First reports of gunshots came in from border agents around 7 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero told CNN.
"The gunbattle is still going on right now," Cordero said 30 minutes after the incident began, just south of the University of Texas at El Paso.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries on the U.S. side of the border, Cordero said.
U.S. authorities blocked off a section of Paisano Street, which runs parallel to the Rio Grande.
The incident comes less than two months after shots fired from a gunbattle originating in Juarez crossed into El Paso and hit City Hall, damaging the building.
[/quote]
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/21/mexico.juarez.gun.battle/#fbid=PbzIMu9YKFv&wom=false


----------



## 911jason

Wow... didn't really realize that Juarez and El Paso were so close to each other. That would certainly make me uncomfortable if my child were attending UTEP.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> YAY!!! Mexico _needs_ an alternate future.
> 
> Yeah, that was my concern, too. Now you just have to think up three subtitles.


Umm - Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 won't do it?



911jason said:


> Wow... didn't really realize that Juarez and El Paso were so close to each other. That would certainly make me uncomfortable if my child were attending UTEP.


Juarez and El Paso are only separated by the width of the Rio Grande. One can stand in El Paso and throw a rock into Juarez. This is a view from Ranger's Peak in El Paso. The river bisects the photo horizontally.










El Paso and Juarez are prominent in _The Treasure of La Malinche_ as is the drug war and government instability in Mexico.

In _Home of the Brave_ the birth of Brownsville/Matamoras, Laredo/Nuevo Laredo is a central topic.

I'm not ignoring you, Scarlet. I just haven't thought of a snappy comeback yet.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I'm not ignoring you, Scarlet. I just haven't thought of a snappy comeback yet.


I WAS feeling ignored, Jeff, so good thing you said that.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Umm - Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 won't do it?


Nope. You did that with Treasure and IMHO, even though they are a series, they are two separate stories. It depends on how you're going to break it, I guess.


----------



## Jeff

911jason said:


> Wow... didn't really realize that Juarez and El Paso were so close to each other. That would certainly make me uncomfortable if my child were attending UTEP.


For those who may not know, UTEP is the University of Texas at El Paso.

[quote author=http://mystateline.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=188585](El Paso, TX) -- Police think a stray bullet from Mexico may have hit a building on the University of Texas at El Paso campus.

The bullet struck Bell Hall sometime Saturday night.

At the same time, across the border, a gun battle was raging between Mexican federal police and drug traffickers.

Mexican officials say during the shootout, three police officers were hurt and an armed suspect was killed.

At the peak of the battle, law enforcement in the U.S. shut off part of Paisano Street, which runs along the Rio Grande.

The bullet which struck the building on campus sliced through a glass panel and came to rest in an office door frame.

No injuries were reported.

(Copyright 2010 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)[/quote]


----------



## geoffthomas

See Jeff, you could make a whole book out of that incident, with your creativity.

Just sayin......


----------



## Guest

My dad might be getting a Kindle and when he does I'm getting him all of these.  Gritty looking stuff Jeff.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Definitely, M.R. If you like gritty action/adventure with a lot of history, you'll love Jeff's work.


----------



## Jeff

My apologies to everyone who's waiting for a particular book. The promised delivery dates are out the window now. For over a month I've been struggling with writer's burn-out. For a week or two I stopped writing completely but have been writing a few words in Revenge of La Malinche this week. It's easier to work on since it's more imagination than fact, so unless I get my groove back pretty soon, it will be the next published.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> My apologies to everyone who's waiting for a particular book. The promised delivery dates are out the window now. For over a month I've been struggling with writer's burn-out. For a week or two I stopped writing completely but have been writing a few words in Revenge of La Malinche this week. It's easier to work on since it's more imagination than fact, so unless I get my groove back pretty soon, it will be the next published.


Revenge is what I'm looking forward to ... the book, I mean.


----------



## Jeff

That may have had some influence on my thinking.


----------



## geoffthomas

I am not particular.
I will take them in any order you write them.

Just sayin.....


----------



## 911jason

Me too!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> That may have had some influence on my thinking.


Revenge?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Revenge?


Nah. I forgive you.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Nah. I forgive you.


----------



## DaveCullen

Wow, you are prolific, Jeff. You make me feel lazy.


----------



## Guest

So is this an Indiana Jones type of action adventure, or what? (The Treasure of La Malinche)  I guess I'll get the sample. Above all else, even fantasy, I love a story about treasure.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

M.R. Mathias said:


> So is this an Indiana Jones type of action adventure, or what? (The Treasure of La Malinche) I guess I'll get the sample. Above all else, even fantasy, I love a story about treasure.


Possibly Henrietta (Maggie) Jones. It's an action/adventure junkie's dream come true. Lots of history along with it. The story goes back and forth between modern day Mexico and the diary of LaMalinche (Dona Marina) who was Cortez' mistress and translator.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Gertie. I was about to tell him he'd hate it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Gertie. I was about to tell him he'd hate it.


That's my ... _Revenge _... hint, hint ... wink, wink


----------



## Guest

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Gertie. I was about to tell him he'd hate it.


No actually I think I will like it! ...lol I just look like a bumpkin.


----------



## Jeff

M.R. Mathias said:


> I just look like a bumpkin.


Hahaha. I might think many things of you, my friend, but bumpkin isn't on the list.


----------



## MachineTrooper

Hey Jeff--was just checking out your Lonely is the Soldier trailer. Are those public domain images? Where did you find them?


----------



## Jeff

MachineTrooper said:


> Hey Jeff--was just checking out your Lonely is the Soldier trailer. Are those public domain images? Where did you find them?


Yes, they're all in the public domain. Most are photographs of paintings. I can't remember where I found them. The Library of Congress, perhaps.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> That's my ... _Revenge _... hint, hint ... wink, wink


Got it. Progress is slow but unsteady. I keep finding too many good books to read.


----------



## Guest

Jeff said:


> Hahaha. I might think many things of you, my friend, but bumpkin isn't on the list.


Now I am curios... What _is_ on the list? Maybe I don't want to know. 

Edited to change: poor emoticon choice...lol


----------



## Jeff

M.R. Mathias said:


> Now I am curios... What _is_ on the list?


Fishing for compliments, are you? Forgetaboutit. Maybe I'll throw a few your way when you get your new book published. I've been told that it's excellent.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Got it. Progress is slow but unsteady. I keep finding too many good books to read.


How could that be? I haven't published anything in a month.


----------



## Guest

Jeff said:


> Fishing for compliments, are you? Forgetaboutit. Maybe I'll throw a few your way when you get your new book published. I've been told that it's excellent.


You'll hopefully be the one inserting my grayscale cover, my map, and formatting it. You'll get to read it before everyone else...lol Actually the way I behave sometimes I wasn't sure I could still get a compliment.

Since you are to kind to accept payment I'll just buy myself the whole Hepple collection. Starting with La Malinche, which I just sampled.


----------



## Jeff

M.R. Mathias said:


> You'll hopefully be the one inserting my grayscale cover, my map, and formatting it. You'll get to read it before everyone else...lol


Of course I'll format it for you and *please* don't try to pay me by buying my books. I'm happy to help aspiring authors and don't want anyone to feel obligated.



M.R. Mathias said:


> Actually the way I behave sometimes I wasn't sure I could still get a compliment.


Your behavior seems to have improved - at least I'm not getting PMs complaining about you lately.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah this is a community and being well-behaved generates benefits.
Gertie - I want a new book.

And Jeff, while I know you are having a rest......I just want you to know that I want a new book from you.
let's see, maybe if I get emotional emoticons it will help? (snif snif). 

Just sayin stuff......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Of course I'll format it for you and *please* don't try to pay me by buying my books. I'm happy to help aspiring authors and don't want anyone to feel obligated.


MR will be doing himself a favor by buying your books and reading them. I started reading Treasure because of the subject matter and then I was hooked.

Lately, very little holds my interest so I'm reading mostly short stuff. By the time you finish _Revenge_, I hope to be over my literary funk.


----------



## geoffthomas

So just a gentle "nudge".
And a query - have you resumed writing?
Just a friendly fan inquiry.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

Hi Geoff.

I write a little every day but I have to force myself to do it. For some reason it's not fun any more. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that.  

Thanks for the encouragement.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Hi Geoff.
> 
> I write a little every day but I have to force myself to do it. For some reason it's not fun any more. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
> 
> Thanks for the encouragement.


I think that happens to all of us. Some days it flows like the Mississippi River and other days it so frustrating I'd consider working for Mike Rowe instead.


----------



## geoffthomas

I don't want to sound like a broken record - stuck on a single track.......
but.......
You have talent and a wonderful insight.
I hope you find yourself able to share it with us in more writing.
I will treasure the works that you have already produced - and read them again.

Slightly off subject - there are several "really" good authors here and I don't know how we, the public, turn all you guys into Boyd Morrison.  Or even better John Steinbeck.  Good work needs to be recognized.
I know that sometimes I get into "cheerleader" mode.  But that is because some of you guys are genuinely good.
Some other authors resident here at KB are really nice people and their work is pretty good, but not as good as they promote it as being.  Over time the best work will be recognized.  However we all know that sometimes the worst work is what the general public makes popular - just check out the TV ratings.

Please be encouraged.
You are appreciated.


Just sayin.......


----------



## Jeff

*In this prequel to The Treasure of La Malinche, Colonel R.A. (Link) Lincoln is selected for the U.S. Army's new, elite Special Forces Delta, anti-terrorist unit and completes the rigorous training. Follow Link's career from the disastrous Operation Eagle Claw, in Iran to the Battle of Tora Bora.*

*2 February 2002
Afghanistan or Pakistan*​
The Hindu Kush is the part of the Himalayas that extends from east-central Afghanistan to northwestern India. In ancient Persian, Hindu Kush means Hindu-Killer. In recent times, the mountains were killing, or aiding in the killing, of people from all major religions. 
A tall man with a dark complexion, who was wearing aviator sunglasses, stuffed a worn, stained and faded map into the folds of his Afghan robes, slung his AK-47, adjusted his turban and climbed from the wadi he had been following. When he reached the muddy road, he looked around at the village to get his bearings. Surrounded on all sides by towering peaks, the village had no name and existed only because of the wretched pretext of a road that passed through it from the Khyber Pass. All the buildings in the village, save one concrete Mosque, were built of mud bricks and pockmarked by bullets. A few of the larger houses on the nearby foothills, probably homes of the village council, were large and enclosed within walls that were perhaps twelve feet high.
The only sign of life was smoke emanating from an expansive, fortress-like compound on a plateau above the houses. Like the council members' houses, this too was surrounded by a wall, but the compound wall was taller; the grounds were not courtyards or gardens but were instead an open plain of many acres with outbuildings and fields where thousands of warriors might be housed and trained. 
The main house was enormous with stucco minarets and towers reminiscent of a medieval castle. With walls that were three feet thick, the compound or its predecessor had withstood sieges from the likes of Genghis Khan, the British Empire and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Whether it would be utterly and forever destroyed by an American B-52 strike remained largely a decision of the tall man in dark glasses that was examining it from the village.
He started down toward the crossroad and as he walked, he counted vehicles, horses, and armed guards positioned on the roofs or patrolling the perimeter. He had nearly reached the crossroad when a four-wheel drive Toyota pickup truck overtook him and, digging two deep furrows in the muddy road with its tires, slid to an abrupt stop, blocking his path. The two occupants in the cab and the six in the bed were all wearing the black turbans and robes of the Taliban.
A tribesman with a gray beard climbed out of the Toyota's passenger door and noisily chambered a round in his AK-47. Behind him, in the bed of the pickup, the six Taliban fighters stood up and readied their weapons. "Who are you, and what business do you have here?" the gray-beard demanded in Pashto.
"I do not answer the questions of ill-mannered goatherds," the dark man replied calmly in Arabic.
The gray-bearded Taliban leader glanced toward one of the men in the back of the pickup. "What did he say?"
"He said that you are a rude herder of goats, Imam," the man replied in Pashto. "The stranger speaks Arabic with an Egyptian accent."
"He said what?" Another young man angrily pushed the interpreter out of his way, vaulted from the bed of the truck, slogged through the mud and stopped with his nose inches from the tall stranger's. "We do not accept insolence from ferangi," he bellowed in Pashto. "Who are you?"
The dark man stepped to the side, reached around the boy and spun him into a crushing choke hold. The movements were so fast and fluid that none of the Taliban fighters had time to react. "If it is your wish to send this child to Allah, do not put down your weapon, Imam," the tall man said coolly to the Taliban leader in Arabic. As if to punctuate the threat, the young captive dropped his weapon, stopped struggling and became a limp dead weight.
The leader again looked expectantly toward the interpreter in the back of the truck. "Well? What did he say?"
"He says that he will kill Mohammed if you do not put down your weapon, Imam," the interpreter replied in Pashto. "I believe that he will do it."
"Is he truly Egyptian?" the older man queried calmly, examining the foreigner carefully. "He has the appearance of a light skinned, American *****."
"His accent is from near Cairo, I think," the voice from the truck bed replied. "He sounds educated."
The Imam considered his alternatives for several seconds then shrugged and spoke to the occupants of the truck bed. "Try to spare Mohammed but kill this foreigner."
"Wait." A beggar on crutches who had been lurking in the narrow alley across the road called out in Pashto. "Ask this man by whose permission he is here." He struggled toward them but, after burying a crutch tip in the mud, had to stop helplessly in the middle of the road. 
"I need no assistance," the dark man said to the beggar in sharp-toned Arabic.
"The Imam wishes to know who has invited you here," the beggar replied in Pashto. "What harm is there in telling him that you are the guest and servant of Dr. Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri, emir of Egyptian Islamic Jihad?"
The tall foreigner added a bit of pressure to the young man's carotid artery to stop him from regaining consciousness. "Tell the Imam that this boy has only a short time left before his brain is permanently damaged by lack of blood flow."
"He knows that," the beggar replied in a tone that betrayed some annoyance. "Imam," the beggar continued. "This is my village. I know this man. He is not our enemy."
"He is rude," the old man grumbled.
"He has come very far from his home and family to help us in our struggle against the American invaders, Imam. You have insulted him. Would you expect less than rudeness?"
The imam watched the Egyptian for a moment and then slowly bent to gently set his AK-47 on the muddy road surface. "There. Now release my son." He stood up.
The foreigner let the boy fall like a ragdoll. "You should teach your children better manners, Imam," he said in heavily Arabic-accented Pashto. "You and your family are fortunate that I am in good spirits today."
Several seconds passed until the young man regained consciousness and began to crawl feebly through the mud toward the truck. No one in the truck moved to help him.
"His weapon?" the Imam asked dispassionately without looking at his son.
The dark man picked it up, ejected the thirty-round magazine, put the magazine into a hidden pocket under his robes and let the rifle fall into the mud as he had the boy. "Go with God, Imam."
"Ma'assalama," the Imam replied in Arabic as one of his men leaped from the truck and retrieved the rifle.
Half expecting to be cut down by a hail of bullets, the dark man turned his back on the truck and continued toward the crossroad. After several long seconds, he heard the pickup door slam, the engine race and the tires spin in the mud. 
A moment later, the Toyota fishtailed past him and one of the fighters in the bed of the truck raised his hand in a gesture of friendship. 
The dark man tipped his head slightly in acknowledgement and continued downhill, watching the pickup as it turned left and proceeded up the trail toward the armed compound. 
"A moment please, Excellency," the beggar called out in Arabic, still struggling to extract his crutch from the mud.
The dark man stopped, looked around then walked back to the beggar. "Go away, Azizi," he growled softly in English.
"That's not bloody well going to happen so you may as well forget it, Lincoln," the beggar replied annoyedly in British-accented English. 


​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Wish I was reading this for the first time. Too late for that.


----------



## KBoards Admin

I am pleased to announce that Jeff's Lonely is the Soldier (The Legacy of La Malinche) is our next KB Book of the Day!


----------



## 911jason

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Wish I was reading this for the first time. Too late for that.


Ditto! Best book I've read this year.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Gertie, Harvey and Jason.
> 
> This book was rated as number 66,019 on Amazon before being listed as the KB Book of the day.
> 
> As of 6:01 AM 10/29/2010 the rating is 20,134.
> 
> I'll try to update this post regularly.


That's quite a leap, Jeff. Congrats.


----------



## geoffthomas

I wish I didn't already own a copy and hadn't already read it.

If you don't have this book - get it!
Exciting action, terrific insights, good writing.
What more can anyone ask for.

Tom Clancy move over.

Just sayin....


----------



## Jeff

Thank you everyone.

During today's Kindleboards Book Of The Day, _Lonely is the Soldier_ has moved up nearly 45,000 positions in the Amazon Best Seller ranking.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you everyone.
> 
> During today's Kindleboards Book Of The Day, _Lonely is the Soldier_ has moved up nearly 45,000 positions in the Amazon Best Seller ranking.


HAPPY DANCE!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This is one great read and I'm glad its the KB Book of the Day. Wahoo!

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Oooh, I'm glad I signed on in time to see this stickied today!    

Congrats on the rankings jump.  May it continue...  it deserves it!


----------



## Jeff

Coming for Christmas








​
These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to tax) but to bind us in all cases whatsoever, and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

~ Thomas Paine ~ _The American Crisis_










​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Awww, Jeff, and you said you didn't know what to get us for Christmas. Didn't even know you were working on this one.

Super excited. Is it _in review_ now?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Super excited. Is it _in review_ now?


Not quite ready. But it's only 18,000 words so there should be enough time. I'm planning to publish a week before Christmas, then un-publish on New Year's Eve.


----------



## PraiseGod13

WAHOO!!!!!!! Thanks, Jeff!! I now know what I'm getting myself for Christmas.... doing the happy dance!!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Not quite ready. But it's only 18,000 words so there should be enough time. I'm planning to publish a week before Christmas, then un-publish on New Year's Eve.


Okay, a narrow window of opportunity. I'll be waiting with my finger hovering over the one-click button.


----------



## Barbiedull

The man in the white hat has a way with words...


----------



## geoffthomas

Another reason to celebrate the season.

There is another sure sale here.

Just sayin.......


----------



## PraiseGod13

I've read one paragraph of this novella and the writing is exceptional.... can't wait!  You've sneaked this one in on us, Jeff.... and we're so thankful.  Can't wait for its release in December!


----------



## Jeff

I'm afraid that you've caught me in a mistake, Judy. The paragraph in my post was written by Thomas Paine in 1776. George Washington read it to his troops on Christmas day as they were preparing to cross the Delaware. My apologies for failing to note that. I'll edit the post now.


----------



## Barbiedull

Jeff said:


> The paragraph in my post was written by Thomas Payne in 1776. George Washington read it to his troops on Christmas day as they were preparing to cross the Delaware.


Of course, I KNEW that!


Spoiler



Not really...





Spoiler



The HAT is yours, right?


----------



## Jeff

Barbiedull said:


> The HAT is yours, right?


Well, I originally borrowed it from George Strait but since I really need it to cover my ever-thinning hair, he told me to keep it.










I misspelled Thomas Paine.


----------



## Barbiedull

It's good that you asked George Strait...Lyle Lovett wouldn't give up his hat!


----------



## Jeff

*The Angel of 1776*
A Novella
99¢​
In 1776, between Christmas and New Year's Day, the continually retreating, seemingly defeated Continental Army of the fledgling United States of America went on the attack and changed the course of history. Was the army's sudden reversal of fortune purely a product of General George Washington's brilliance, or did Washington get some divine assistance?

​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I GOT IT ... I GOT IT ... I GOT IT ... I GOT IT ... I GOT IT


----------



## telracs

Got you beat Gertie, I already finished it!


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> Got you beat Gertie, I already finished it!


Doesn't count. Only counts if you read it _after_ it's released.


----------



## Barbiedull

It is one of the 2 books on my new Dx.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Doesn't count. Only counts if you read it _after_ it's released.


picky, picky... my copy's in the mail.


----------



## Jeff

It wouldn't have ever been released without the help of you ladies. Thanks is hardly enough but - well, I'm very grateful.


----------



## Susan in VA

Just keep writing.


----------



## telracs

BTW, never told you, but I love the cover.


----------



## Barbiedull

scarlet said:


> picky, picky... my copy's in the mail.


 You are getting a PAPER copy?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> picky, picky... my copy's in the mail.


Well, not exactly in the mail just yet - but as soon as I get a shipment of paperbacks I'll sign one and mail it to you. That could take a couple of weeks.

Per your instructions, I contributed the price of chocolates to the Salvation Army. (Don't tell Mike.)


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Doesn't count. Only counts if you read it _after_ it's released.


Thank you, Susan.


----------



## Susan in VA

So have you finished reading it, Gertie?  After all, you've had it for nearly five hours....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> So have you finished reading it, Gertie? After all, you've had it for nearly five hours....


Sorry, been a little busy pounding the keyboard myself.

Previewed the first six chapters, but we know that doesn't count. I'm starting again from the beginning.

I thought I'd get in a good half hour snuggled warm in my bed, but visions of sugar plums danced in my head and I fell asleep. Not while reading the book, I assure you.

These days I'm a 15 minute power reader. No such thing as settling in with a good book. 

Back to work.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> Coming for Christmas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to tax) but to bind us in all cases whatsoever, and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.
> 
> ~ Thomas Paine ~ _The American Crisis_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


This one just slid down my chimney and is on my Kindle    

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## PraiseGod13

Edward C. Patterson said:


> This one just slid down my chimney and is on my Kindle
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Mine too... and, another advantage of Whispernet/Wi-Fi.... no soot like a DTB would have. What a great book!!


----------



## tlshaw

Jeff, I finished this last night, and absolutely loved it!!!!!!!!!
What a great Christmas gift. Thanks so much. I enjoyed seeing John Van Buskirk again.


----------



## 911jason

Jeff, do you have a Facebook page? I added you under my Book likes, but it'd be better if you had a page since then people viewing my profile could click the link to see who I'm talking about...


----------



## Jeff

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Jeff, I finished this last night, and absolutely loved it!!!!!!!!!
> What a great Christmas gift. Thanks so much. I enjoyed seeing John Van Buskirk again.


I'm glad you liked it, Teresa. Writing it was a nice change of pace for me.



911jason said:


> Jeff, do you have a Facebook page? I added you under my Book likes, but it'd be better if you had a page since then people viewing my profile could click the link to see who I'm talking about...


No, Jason, I don't. I just have a regular friends and family type account. Thank you for adding me.


----------



## Susan in VA

Any idea how long it will be before the paper version is available?


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Any idea how long it will be before the paper version is available?


I'm having a very hard time with CreateSpace. They keep telling me that the PDF doesn't meet their requirements but they won't tell me what's wrong. I called them yesterday and was told that the technical personnel don't speak on the phone. They open at 8:30 Eastern time - I'll call them again and again and again...

Assuming that the above issue is resolved, I'll order a proof by next-day-air, approve it as soon as it arrives, and it should then become available within a couple of days.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> They keep telling me that the PDF doesn't meet their requirements but they won't tell me what's wrong.


How annoying. And unhelpful. Good luck getting it resolved.



Jeff said:


> Assuming that the above issue is resolved, I'll order a proof by next-day-air, approve it as soon as it arrives, and it should then become available within a couple of days.


Great. I'll take that to mean that the paper version will be up on Amazon in time to order for Christmas.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> I'm having a very hard time with CreateSpace. They keep telling me that the PDF doesn't meet their requirements but they won't tell me what's wrong. I called them yesterday and was told that the technical personnel don't speak on the phone. They open at 8:30 Eastern time - I'll call them again and again and again...
> 
> Assuming that the above issue is resolved, I'll order a proof by next-day-air, approve it as soon as it arrives, and it should then become available within a couple of days.


Jeff:

Are we talking about the interior or the exterior pdf. If it's the interior, it's probably a font translation, that why I use Lulu's on-line facility to create my interior pdf, because they use the required font applications that CreateSpace required. If it's the exterior pdf, the only time I've been reject is if the back cover blurbage doesn't leave enough room for he barcode, or the front cover title and author name come too close to the edge or on the spine (for novellas) they won't print on the spine if it's less than a certain width. Other than than, I've never had a problem. I saw that they have a "we'll call you" button, just like Amazon now. That's new.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Great. I'll take that to mean that the paper version will be up on Amazon in time to order for Christmas.


Not likely, but it might be live on CreateSpace in time.



Edward C. Patterson said:


> Are we talking about the interior or the exterior pdf. If it's the interior, it's probably a font translation, that why I use Lulu's on-line facility to create my interior pdf, because they use the required font applications that CreateSpace required. If it's the exterior pdf, the only time I've been reject is if the back cover blurbage doesn't leave enough room for he barcode, or the front cover title and author name come too close to the edge or on the spine (for novellas) they won't print on the spine if it's less than a certain width. Other than than, I've never had a problem. I saw that they have a "we'll call you" button, just like Amazon now. That's new.


Thanks, Ed. I'm pretty confident that my method of producing PDF files isn't the problem. I've published 6 of my own books and more than 20 for other writers without any issues. The callback feature is probably good if you have questions about your account, but the people in the call center have no connection to the printing process.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

How many pages is it? Maybe it's too short for a print book? Do they have a minumum number of pages?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> How many pages is it? Maybe it's too short for a print book? Do they have a minumum number of pages?


It's 106 pages.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Have you text on the spine? If so at that length you'll get nixed

Ed Patterson


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> It's 106 pages.


That's not it. The minimum is 24 pages. That's good to know for when I put my novelettes together.


----------



## Jeff

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Have you text on the spine? If so at that length you'll get nixed


No text on the spine - but they allow it if the book has at least 100 pages.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> No text on the spine - but they allow it if the book has at least 100 pages.


I hope you get it worked out. Let us know what the problem turns out to be.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> No text on the spine - but they allow it if the book has at least 100 pages.


I've left it off my 3 novellas and the poetry books and Are You Still, because were touchy about it.

Ed P


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I hope you get it worked out. Let us know what the problem turns out to be.


I finally figured out that I made a really stupid mistake. Not CreateSpace's fault - except for their copy and paste "your book does not meet our publishing standards" form reply.

Edited to add: My mistake was to pick the 5 1/4 X 8 book size when I intended to pick 5 1/2 X 8 1/2. (The text in the drop-down list is tiny so I didn't notice the error.) The cover actually fit but the interior was too big.

If I haven't made another mistake and they release the proof today, I still might be able to send a paperback before Christmas to those who are expecting them. Sorry.


----------



## Barbiedull

Jeff said:


> I finally figured out that I made a really stupid mistake. Not CreateSpace's fault - except for their copy and paste "your book does not meet our publishing standards" form reply.





Spoiler



Just when I was going to suggest that you ask your angel!


----------



## Jeff

Barbiedull said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Just when I was going to suggest that you ask your angel!


I didn't need to ask. Ed already answered. 

Edited to clarify: Ed was my angel when I was first trying to figure out how to publish a book on the Kindle.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I was researching Pork Roll (some call it Taylor Ham) and came across this.

"A similar product, packed minced ham, may have been produced at the time of the Battle of Trenton."

Did an earlier version of Pork Roll save the American Revolution? If so, it is my patriotic duty to have it for breakfast every day ... cholesterol be damned.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I was researching Pork Roll (some call it Taylor Ham) and came across this.
> 
> "A similar product, packed minced ham, may have been produced at the time of the Battle of Trenton."
> 
> Did an earlier version of Pork Roll save the American Revolution? If so, it is my patriotic duty to have it for breakfast every day ... cholesterol be damned.


Oh, I hate you. Taylor's Ham on an English muffin was my favorite breakfast when I was a kid. It isn't available in the West. The shipping and handling makes buying it from the East Coast cost prohibitive. It's the only thing from New Jersey that I miss.


----------



## Barbiedull

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I was researching Pork Roll (some call it Taylor Ham) and came across this.


 I have to ask, were you researching it for a book? I didn't know what it was, so I had to look it up when I saw your post!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Oh, I hate you. Taylor's Ham on an English muffin was my favorite breakfast when I was a kid. It isn't available in the West. The shipping and handling makes buying it from the East Coast cost prohibitive. It's the only thing from New Jersey that I miss.


I can get it here in Florida, but I have pork roll sandwiches or pork roll and eggs every day when I'm in Jersey.

You don't miss Tastykakes? Not the crappy ones we can get today. The ones we had <hem-hem> years ago. Creamies, butterscotch krimpets, chocolate cupcakes so rich you had to drink half a glass of icy cold milk with every bite. <sigh>



Barbiedull said:


> I have to ask, were you researching it for a book? I didn't know what it was, so I had to look it up when I saw your post!


Yes. It's set on the Jersey Shore in 1922, so I have to be certain of my facts before I use them. I ended up not mentioning the pork roll, but now I may put it in earlier in the book. What's the Jersey Shore without pork roll? They serve it in restaurants for breakfast and you can get the sandwiches on the boardwalk, too.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Yes. It's set on the Jersey Shore in 1922, so I have to be certain of my facts before I use them. I ended up not mentioning the pork roll, but now I may put it in earlier in the book. What's the Jersey Shore without pork roll? They serve it in restaurants for breakfast and you can get the sandwiches on the boardwalk, too.


For the sake of accuracy, I think Taylor marketed it as Taylor's Ham until the FDA stepped in and said was a pork roll and not ham.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> For the sake of accuracy, I think Taylor marketed it as Taylor's Ham until the FDA stepped in and said was a pork roll and not ham.


Yes, that's correct, but I think it was before 1922. I'll double-check that.

I'm up to Ch 17 in Angel. Lovin' it.


----------



## Jeff

The paperback edition of _The Angel of 1776_ is available on the CreateSpace site. How long it will take for Amazon to pick it up is anyone's guess. I'll be sending the promised signed copies as soon as possible.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Finished reading. as soon as I have a free day (which probably won't be until Christmas break) I'm going read it all in one sitting so I can savor.

Loved it all.


Spoiler



Except I always hate reading about when Mercer gets killed. Silly, I know, because over 200 years later he'd be dead anyway.


----------



## Jeff

Hugh Mercer was a Scotsman who made the mistake of joining Bonnie Prince Charlie as assistant surgeon. He fled Scotland for America to avoid being executed by the Hanoverian British government. American General Mercer was so well liked that his death became a rallying cry for the Revolution. If he had lived we might now be British.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Hugh Mercer was a Scotsman who made the mistake of joining Bonnie Prince Charlie as assistant surgeon. He fled Scotland for America to avoid being executed by the Hanoverian British government. American General Mercer was so well liked that his death became a rallying cry for the Revolution. If he had lived we might now be British.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you, Jeff. I love that you always add to my knowledge.


----------



## Jeff

The good news is that I mailed all the paperbacks of _The Angel of 1776_ yesterday and they should be delivered to family and friends in time for Christmas.

The bad news is that this morning I noticed that "divine" is spelled "devine" on the back cover. How depressing.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> The good news is that I mailed all the paperbacks of _The Angel of 1776_ yesterday and they should be delivered to family and friends in time for Christmas.
> 
> The bad news is that this morning I noticed that "divine" is spelled "devine" on the back cover. How depressing.


I didn't proof the back cover, did I?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> I didn't proof the back cover, did I?


Nobody's fault but mine.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> The good news is that I mailed all the paperbacks of _The Angel of 1776_ yesterday and they should be delivered to family and friends in time for Christmas.
> 
> The bad news is that this morning I noticed that "divine" is spelled "devine" on the back cover. How depressing.


How dee-vine is that?

Here's some divinity fudge to cheer you up.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> How dee-vine is that?
> 
> Here's some divinity fudge to cheer you up.


May I have one?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> May I have one?


Have two. I've got more.


----------



## Barbiedull

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Here's some divinity fudge to cheer you up.


 Is that fudge from Devine, TX?



Spoiler



...helping myself to the pecans while no one is watching...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Barbiedull said:


> Is that fudge from Devine, TX?
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...helping myself to the pecans while no one is watching...


Step away from the nuts


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Step away from the nuts


Gertie, there will be no slapping of the nut-takers here, please.


----------



## Barbiedull

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Step away from the nuts


Owwwww!! I'll put them back!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> Gertie, there will be no slapping of the nut-takers here, please.


Okay, Scarlet, if you say so. But it was your nuts barbiedull took.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Okay, Scarlet, if you say so. But it was your nuts barbiedull took.


I'm already nuts, so that's cool.


----------



## Barbiedull

scarlet said:


> I'm already nuts, so that's cool.


Me too, but not nuts enough to take nuts from Gertie again!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Awww, guys. Now I feel bad. Here, have a nut.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I have also finished this nice novella.
Great job, Jeff.
Love how you novelize history.
And it is great to read about how our country started.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> Nobody's fault but mine.


Jeff:

I know the feeling. We strive for perfection for our readers, but it never fails. I know I'll be reading one of my 600 pagers and find a comma instead of a period or "though" instead of "thought" and I go nutz. But I've learned that it's in the striving we are saved. We can be faulted, but not for a lack of trying, especially since we take on all the mantles of publishing. There will be those who shall crucify us (I have a review that picks up in CAPS that they found the misuse of passed/past - something I never confuse now, perhaps because of the public ignominy suffered); however, nothing is harsher than self-criticism. We live to strive for perfection, while others strive to live on human error. I'd rather adhere to the former's nobility than suffer the latter's parascumbobbity, because there's always room for forgiveness and growth and rarely a margin for self aggrandizement at the expense of others.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> I didn't proof the back cover, did I?


I didn't either, did I?


----------



## Susan in VA

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I know the feeling. We strive for perfection for our readers, but it never fails. I know I'll be reading one of my 600 pagers and find a comma instead of a period or "though" instead of "thought" and I go nutz. But I've learned that it's in the striving we are saved. We can be faulted, but not for a lack of trying, especially since we take on all the mantles of publishing. There will be those who shall crucify us (I have a review that picks up in CAPS that they found the misuse of passed/past - something I never confuse now, perhaps because of the public ignominy suffered); however, nothing is harsher than self-criticism. We live to strive for perfection, while others strive to live on human error. I'd rather adhere to the former's nobility than suffer the latter's parascumbobbity, because there's always room for forgiveness and growth and rarely a margin for self aggrandizement at the expense of others.
> Edward C. Patterson


A classmate of mine named Brianna had this comment in an online discussion board yesterday, and I liked it enough to save it -- and now it fits in here:

"When you love something and are passionate about it, there are no mistakes, only lessons to help you reach your goals."


----------



## Christopher Bunn

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I can get it here in Florida, but I have pork roll sandwiches or pork roll and eggs every day when I'm in Jersey.
> 
> You don't miss Tastykakes? Not the crappy ones we can get today. The ones we had <hem-hem> years ago. Creamies, butterscotch krimpets, chocolate cupcakes so rich you had to drink half a glass of icy cold milk with every bite. <sigh>


What is a butterscotch krimpet?  It sounds like I might want to eat one.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Christopher Bunn said:


> What is a butterscotch krimpet?  It sounds like I might want to eat one.


It's a sponge cake with butterscotch icing. There are also jelly krimpets and now they have PB&J Krimpets and a few other new varieties I didn't know about.

http://www.tastykake.com/products/krimpets


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> I didn't either, did I?


That's the problem with covers. Nobody sees them but me - until it's too late.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> That's the problem with covers. Nobody sees them but me - until it's too late.


Someday it will be in its 23rd printing, and this will be the rare and valuable First Edition With The Error.


----------



## Jeff

Bless you.


----------



## geoffthomas

Susan in VA said:


> Someday it will be in its 23rd printing, and this will be the rare and valuable First Edition With The Error.


I totally agree.
I will be so proud to say that I "know" the author. And he is my friend.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I totally agree.
> I will be so proud to say that I "know" the author. And he is my friend.
> 
> Just sayin......


Ditto that although I hope it doesn't take 23 years. Some of us may not be around.


----------



## telracs

Will an autograph make the "error edition" more valuable?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> Will an autograph make the "error edition" more valuable?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

As the old adage goes - better devine than DAvine or DUHvine.  

Edward C. Patterson

(I have a character that goes through the FLOOR instead of the FLOOD).


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Edward C. Patterson said:


> As the old adage goes - better devine than DAvine or DUHvine.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson
> 
> (I have a character that goes through the FLOOR instead of the FLOOD).


I typed a 60 page scientific paper (not written by me) on a manual typewriter (oh, my aching fingers) that went to thousands of people all over the word. It was proofed by many people and it wasn't until it was published that the engineer noticed I had typed _rangle_ instead of _angle_. That was 40 years ago and obviously I haven't forgotten it.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I typed a 60 page scientific paper (not written by me) on a manual typewriter (oh, my aching fingers) that went to thousands of people all over the word. It was proofed by many people and it wasn't until it was published that the engineer noticed I had typed _rangle_ instead of _angle_. That was 40 years ago and obviously I haven't forgotten it.


And I had (since corrected) a character


Spoiler



pissing


 his paints instead of his pants. (Thank God a beta-reader caught that before it went live).

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Edward C. Patterson said:


> And I had (since corrected) a character
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> pissing
> 
> 
> his paints instead of his pants. (Thank God a beta-reader caught that before it went live).
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


A new art form? Thanks for my first laugh of the day.


----------



## telracs

Hey, in one of my first proofing gigs, we all got the formula for


Spoiler



water


 wrong.


----------



## Jeff

Okay, I understand the _Floor_ and _Flood_, _Rangle_ and _Angle_, _Paints_ and _Pants_, but how do you get H2O wrong?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Okay, I understand the _Floor_ and _Flood_, _Rangle_ and _Angle_, _Paints_ and _Pants_, but how do you get H2O wrong?


It takes a lot of talent.


----------



## telracs

It was being used as a code on a keyboard and instead of typing HOH we had it HOO.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> It was being used as a code on a keyboard and instead of typing HOH we had it HOO.












HOO-HOO HOO-HOO HOO-HOO HOO-HOO HOO-HOO


----------



## telracs

thanks gertie...  join us in chat?


----------



## Jeff

Free until New Year's Day, _The Angel of 1776_. Formats include PRC, ePub, PDF and HTML.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.


----------



## geoffthomas

I want to say again how good _The Angel of 1776_ is.
Even if you have never read Jeff's work before, you will love it.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I want to say again how good _The Angel of 1776_ is.
> Even if you have never read Jeff's work before, you will love it.
> 
> Just sayin......


Didn't you just love the epilogue?


----------



## geoffthomas

Gertie,
If you are speaking about the Postscript, then I think it was a nice touch.
My copy did not have an Epilogue.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

I think Gertie might have been politely pointing out that it should have been more properly labeled an epilogue instead of a postscript.


----------



## telracs

When Gertie used the word epilogue I was confused, too.  Especially since I think it's more of a postscript than an epilogue.  Otherwise, I would have suggested Jeff change it.


----------



## Barbiedull

Code:


...the error edition with a disputed epilogue? Maybe I need an autographed copy... 

 

I re-read the ending last night to make sure I didn't miss anything!


----------



## geoffthomas

Me too.
But then I often re-read a Hepple book.
Can't get enough of John and Anna.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Sorry, guys, that was my faulty memory.


----------



## PraiseGod13

I just wanted to share that I read this book yesterday.... I wanted to read it at the same time period that the book covers... and this is a gem! Don't miss out on this book!! Thanks once again, Jeff!!


----------



## Jeff

I'm happy that so many are enjoying the novella. In the few days since it was released, sales now exceed the novels and the free downloads number over 500. Thank you.

To go back to an earlier discussion: My apologies to those who have been anxiously awaiting _The Revenge of La Malinche_. The first draft is complete but many of the fictional events have already been eclipsed by fact. Some of today's headlines:

*Notre Dame and Miami players banned from crossing border into Mexico
Mexico town 'left without police'
2 Dismembered bodies found outside bar in southern Mexico
Mexico drug cartels increasingly turn to youths to do bloody work*

With your permission I'm going to set this project aside and see if I can finish the Civil War novel by the 150th anniversary in April.

Happy New Year.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I'm happy that so many are enjoying the novella. In the few days since it was released, sales now exceed the novels and the free downloads number over 500. Thank you.


Glad to hear it. This book deserves to be read. Well done.



> To go back to an earlier discussion: My apologies to those who have been anxiously awaiting _The Revenge of La Malinche_. The first draft is complete but many of the fictional events have already been eclipsed by fact. Some of today's headlines:
> 
> *Notre Dame and Miami players banned from crossing border into Mexico
> Mexico town 'left without police'
> 2 Dismembered bodies found outside bar in southern Mexico
> Mexico drug cartels increasingly turn to youths to do bloody work*
> 
> With your permission I'm going to set this project aside and see if I can finish the Civil War novel by the 150th anniversary in April.
> 
> Happy New Year.


As much as I want to read Revenge, I'll gladly read anything you give to us.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Glad to hear it. This book deserves to be read. Well done.
> 
> As much as I want to read Revenge, I'll gladly read anything you give to us.


Absolutely the same from me!! I really like the idea of the Civil War novel coinciding with the 150th anniversary (if possible).


----------



## MariaESchneider

Jeff said:


> Hi Geoff.
> 
> I write a little every day but I have to force myself to do it. For some reason it's not fun any more. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
> 
> Thanks for the encouragement.


That's because it becomes a full-time job/obsession...

I enjoyed reading your

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-1776-Novella-ebook/dp/B004EYT2ZM/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

I reviewed it on amazon--let me know when it hits Nook and I'll transfer it there too!

Happy New Year, Jeff!

Maria


----------



## Jeff

Thank you for the review, Maria.


----------



## Barbiedull

Maria, what a great review. I totally agree on so many points.


----------



## geoffthomas

I agree with Gertie.
I will read anything you care to write.
In any order you care to write them.
(Notice that I said them - multiples. Please)

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

Proposed cover for _Antebellum_ - Book One of the _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ trilogy.










Can you name the famous guy in the picture?


----------



## Susan in VA

If nobody's guessed it in almost 24 hours, you're just going to have to tell us!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> If nobody's guessed it in almost 24 hours, you're just going to have to tell us!


I'll leave that up to the guy in the picture. There's a hint in that sentence.


----------



## Susan in VA

Hmmmm.  Well, it's not going to be me guessing it.  All I know about American history I learned from your books.


----------



## PraiseGod13

Is he a relative of yours?


----------



## Jeff

PraiseGod13 said:


> Is he a relative of yours?


In a way. He's a member of our Kindleboards family.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> In a way. He's a member of our Kindleboards family.


He must be pretty old.


----------



## Susan in VA

It's probably Jeff at one of those old-timey-photo places that they have in tourist towns, where they dress you up in historical garb and take your picture.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> It's probably Jeff at one of those old-timey-photo places that they have in tourist towns, where they dress you up in historical garb and take your picture.


He was insulted by Gertie's "pretty old" remark. He'll probably be incensed by yours. That's too bad. He's usually such a happy guy.


----------



## Susan in VA

I have the feeling that there's another clue hidden in that last remark.  But that still doesn't help me.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Just sayin ...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

So, Mr. _Happy Guy_ deleted his post. Not fast enough on the draw, Mister. I caught you.


----------



## Susan in VA

Darn, I missed it.


----------



## HappyGuy

Well, obviously for some unknown reason you're starting to think the mystery guy is me. To dispel such lunacy I'm going to do something I never do - publish a picture of me in a public forum.

This is me (and no comments are needed, thank you!)










Now, can we get back to the topic of this thread - Mr. Hepple's excellent historical novels? Personally, I'd like to know when we can expect the contents that will go into that fine looking cover.


----------



## Jeff

The beard makes a difference, Brian.


----------



## HappyGuy

I don't have a beard.


----------



## Jeff

The mystery continues.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> The mystery continues.


Does it? Does it really?


----------



## HappyGuy

I think I'm much more intelligent looking than that guy, also. It's the crooking of the big toe on my right foot, I think.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Does it? Does it really?


No, not really. Happy Guy is the handsome guy in the photo. He posted the picture on Face Book, I asked if I could use it, and he graciously agreed. Thanks, Brian.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> No, not really. Happy Guy is the handsome guy in the photo. He posted the picture on Face Book, I asked if I could use it, and he graciously agreed. Thanks, Brian.


Thank you, Brian. That brings us one step closer to reading Antebellum.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah Gertie, but Jeff said it might be April.
I don't want to wait (ok I'll be good and go sit in a corner and wait).

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Yeah Gertie, but Jeff said it might be April.
> I don't want to wait (ok I'll be good and go sit in a corner and wait).
> 
> Just sayin.....


As the nuns used to say ...

Patience is a virtue
Possess it if you can
Seldom in a woman
Never in a man


----------



## geoffthomas

Weren't Patience and Prudence a couple of sisters?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Weren't Patience and Prudence a couple of sisters?


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> Yeah Gertie, but Jeff said it might be April.
> I don't want to wait (ok I'll be good and go sit in a corner and wait).
> 
> Just sayin.....


*goes to sit in the corner with geoff* I brought chocolate for while we wait.

Oh, wait, maybe if I give the chocolate to Jeff, he'll let us preview it!


----------



## Barbiedull

geoffthomas said:


> Weren't Patience and Prudence a couple of sisters?


I am waiting patiently! I don't have a sister...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

How's it going, Jeff? 

(This is Gertie, trying to be subtle.)


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> How's it going, Jeff?
> 
> (This is Gertie, trying to be subtle.)


I'm not going to make it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I'm not going to make it.












(This is Gertie, trying to offer Jeff encouragement while holding back the sobs.)


----------



## telracs

I have chocolate if that'll help.


----------



## Jeff

I'm grateful for the encouragement. I really need it.

I'm working twelve hours a day seven days a week but there just aren't going to be enough hours in the days between now and April.

It takes a lot more time to cut the word count down than it did to write the words originally. Removing a small detail that's important to something that happens later is very easy to do.

When I split _Land of the Free_ and _Home of the Brave_ into two books and reduced the size of each I think that I took out too much of the color. I recently reread _Home of the Brave_ and was disappointed in it. The only way I can fix that now is to make sure that _Antebellum_ fills in what was left out. The middle book of the proposed new trilogy (which I've renamed _The Way of All Soldiers_) has a full chapter for every major battle. I have to somehow summarize many of them while still showing the progress of the war without losing the reader with a fact dump. It's a struggle.

The third book, _The Carpetbaggers_, about reconstruction era of The United States, could probably wait until the first two are published.


----------



## telracs

Jeff, is it perhaps time to take a step back and let a different set of eyes look at it?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

It'll be worth the wait. Don't kill yourself. I'll need something to read on that long train trip to NJ in the summer.

(This is Gertie being stoic and understanding.)


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> Jeff, is it perhaps time to take a step back and let a different set of eyes look at it?


I was thinking about that but I have so few resources that I hate to waste anyone until I have something nearly finished.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I was thinking about that but I have so few resources that I hate to waste anyone until I have something nearly finished.


that *was* an offer....

if you want to send me some.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> that *was* an offer....
> 
> if you want to send me some.


Thank you, Scarlet. The manuscript is currently filled with notes to myself. Give me a week or two to clean it up and I'll accept your very gracious offer.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Scarlet. The manuscript is currently filled with notes to myself. Give me a week or two to clean it up and I'll accept your very gracious offer.


works. just remember, you don't have to go it alone.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah Jeff.
You NEVER have to go it alone, friend.
We are always here for you.

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, everyone. You're what make it worth the effort.


----------



## Susan in VA

I wouldn't worry about cutting too much.  If it's all relevant to the story, you know your fans will happily read it  --  it just means more enjoyable reading time.  

I look forward to seeing it when it's my turn!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> I wouldn't worry about cutting too much. If it's all relevant to the story, you know your fans will happily read it -- it just means more enjoyable reading time.
> 
> I look forward to seeing it when it's my turn!


Thank you, Susan. As soon as I can get books one and two cleaned up a little I'll send them to Scarlet for a first look. I'd like you to have the last look.


----------



## Barbiedull

Raising hand! I could proofread the cover! 

...goes back to waiting patiently.


----------



## Jeff

Barbiedull said:


> Raising hand! I could proofread the cover!


Thanks. Every little bit helps. I've been known, quite recently, to misspell a word on the cover.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Susan. As soon as I can get books one and two cleaned up a little I'll send them to Scarlet for a first look. I'd like you to have the last look.


Thank you. The only downside to that is that I wait the longest to see them....


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Thank you. The only downside to that is that I wait the longest to see them....


yeah, but you get to catch what i missed so you can feel superior.


----------



## Barbiedull

Girls! No fighting over Jeff...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff's going to have to throw in some extra errors to keep both Steph and Scarlet happy.


----------



## geoffthomas

Just so long as 3 books get to retail soon so that I can get them.
Operative word here is soon.

Just sayin......


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> yeah, but you get to catch what i missed so you can feel superior.


I thought we had a deal? You catch the missing characters, I catch the missing commas?



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Jeff's going to have to throw in some extra errors to keep both Steph and Scarlet happy.


 but... but... <sniffle>... what about me? I want some too!


----------



## Jeff

There are plenty of errors for all.


----------



## Barbiedull

Jeff said:


> There are plenty of errors for all.


 So you won't be adding extra ones on purpose? That might cut into your productive writing time, and it will upset Gertie if it takes too long.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> There are plenty of errors for all.


----------



## Jeff

I finished the re-write of book 2 in what's now the Civil War Tetralogy. Once I'd added the maps I just couldn't cut out enough pages to get the battles into a single volume. These are the latest working titles and current status:

Book One - _Antebellum_ [1847-June, 1861] (Scarlet is beta reading; cover art is complete.)
Book Two - _The Way of All Soldiers_ [July, 1861 - September, 1862] (Final draft is complete with maps.)
Book Three - _Freedom_ [September, 1862 - June 1865] (First draft complete but it has too much dry history and not enough drama.)
Book Four - _The Carpetbaggers_ [1865-1880] (Incomplete)

The goal is still to publish each book at about 300 pages in paperback and eBook plus a bundled eBook to be entitled _Johnny Comes Marching Home_, containing all four volumes.


----------



## Gertie Kindle




----------



## geoffthomas

Yay! - what Gertie "said".


----------



## telracs

so, do i get book 2 when i finish book 1?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Get crackin' folks.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Barbiedull




----------



## Bob Mayer

Just found this thread-- four Civil War books?  Very cool.  Pub date?  I'm shooting to bring my three books about West Pointers and the Civil War out on 12 April to coincide with the anniversary-- if you're looking at the same, maybe we could cross-promote-- drop me a line.  Looks like you start at the end of the Mexican War and move forward. My first book starts in 1840 at West Point and goes to the start of the Mexican War.  Then I do that war.  Then from end of Mexican to the battle of Shiloh.  That will wrap up my first trilogy, then I'll pick up from there with the next.
I was always fascinated about something we had to memorize as plebes at West Point:  of the 60 major battles in the Civil War, West Pointers commanded on both sides in 55 and on one side in the other five.  I always thought that's why the war lasted so d*mn long.  Interestingly, probably the most brilliant and ruthless commander wasn't a West Pointer-- good old Nathan Bedford Forrest-- a self-made millionaire.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> so, do i get book 2 when i finish book 1?


...and book 3 and book 4 until you get tired of my writing.


----------



## Jeff

Bob_Mayer said:


> ...maybe we could cross-promote-- drop me a line.


Other than posting here occasionally, I don't do any promotion. Good luck with your books.


----------



## geoffthomas

Jeff said:


> ...and book 3 and book 4 until you get tired of my writing.


Like that is ever going to happen.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Like that is ever going to happen.


What Geoff said.


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> Like that is ever going to happen.


hmm, i could hold book 1 hostage until 3 is written and then do the same for 2 and 4.....


----------



## Bob Mayer

Got it-- all the best and I look forward to Scarlett finishing the edits.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> hmm, i could hold book 1 hostage until 3 is written and then do the same for 2 and 4.....


There's no way that we can get all four books polished and published by April 12th. However, if you haven't suggested a lot of changes, we could publish _Antebellum_ as soon as Susan's finished with the final edits. Then we could just publish the others as they're finished. With a little bit of luck we might get both _Antebellum_ and _The Way of All Soldiers_ out the door in April and _Freedom_ published by the end of May.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Loving those new covers, Jeff.


----------



## telracs

I definitely think April is doable for antebellum.  If you send me The Way of All Soldiers, I can start that next week.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> I definitely think April is doable for antebellum. If you send me The Way of All Soldiers, I can start that next week.


I need to let _The Way of All Soldiers_ cool off for a couple of days and then read it again. If nothing goes wrong I can probably get it to you next weekend.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I need to let _The Way of All Soldiers_ cool off for a couple of days and then read it again. If nothing goes wrong I can probably get it to you next weekend.


fair enough.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I need to let _The Way of All Soldiers_ cool off for a couple of days and then read it again. If nothing goes wrong I can probably get it to you next weekend.


Need something to read while you're letting it cool?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Need something to read while you're letting it cool?


How many words?

I'd planned to keep working on _Freedom_ full time, I've promised Ed that I'd read _The Road to Grafenwöhr_ ASAP and I've got several eBooks to format for KB authors this weekend.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> How many words?
> 
> I'd planned to keep working on _Freedom_ full time, I've promised Ed that I'd read _The Road to Grafenwöhr_ ASAP and I've got several eBooks to format for KB authors this weekend.


15K. No rush. I have to decide what I'm going to do with it. I'll be in touch.


----------



## Susan in VA

_Four _books now? Woohoo!

scarlet, how's it going with #1? <tap, tap, tap....>


----------



## Bob Mayer

Your covers are very good


----------



## Jeff

Scarlet found a serious flaw in the time-line of _Antebellum _last night that's going to require a re-write.


----------



## geoffthomas

Oh snookers!
Good for her, bad for us who are waiting.

But all good things take time.
Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Scarlet found a serious flaw in the time-line of _Antebellum _last night that's going to require a re-write.












Okay, all done. I feel better now.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> Scarlet found a serious flaw in the time-line of _Antebellum _last night that's going to require a re-write.


Well get on it. We're all waitin'

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

I'm working on it. 

By the way, thank you Scarlet. I would have been in a pickle without you.


----------



## telracs

sorry everybody....

and I have to admit, it had escaped me during my first read of the book, it was only when I was e-mailing stuff to Jeff and had to reference the "chapter" headings that it became clear to me.  

I'm going to keep proofing for typos and stuff, so hopefully we'll be ahead of the curve when the timeline gets straightened out.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> sorry everybody....
> 
> and I have to admit, it had escaped me during my first read of the book, it was only when I was e-mailing stuff to Jeff and had to reference the "chapter" headings that it became clear to me.
> 
> I'm going to keep proofing for typos and stuff, so hopefully we'll be ahead of the curve when the timeline gets straightened out.


We're all grateful to you, Scarlet. When you write the kind of epics that Jeff writes, it's easy to get sidetracked.


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> Oh snookers!


I love this expression! Did you make it up?


----------



## Jeff

It may not be as _snookers_ as it first looked.

The only serious conflict turns out to be that I had the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 happening in 1855. By re-dating those chapters to 1853 and moving the chapters that were correctly dated 1854 and 1855 after them in the story, there are only a few holes. I think that five or six new chapters will smooth it all out. I may need another beta reader after the changes are made, unless Scarlet's up to reading the whole book again.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> It may not be as _snookers_ as it first looked.
> 
> The only serious conflict turns out to be that I had the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 happening in 1855. By re-dating those chapters to 1853 and moving the chapters that were correctly dated 1854 and 1855 after them in the story, there are only a few holes. I think that five or six new chapters will smooth it all out. I may need another beta reader after the changes are made, unless Scarlet's up to reading the whole book again.


Five or six new chapters? <thud>


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> It may not be as _snookers_ as it first looked.
> 
> The only serious conflict turns out to be that I had the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 happening in 1855. By re-dating those chapters to 1853 and moving the chapters that were correctly dated 1854 and 1855 after them in the story, there are only a few holes. I think that five or six new chapters will smooth it all out. I may need another beta reader after the changes are made, unless Scarlet's up to reading the whole book again.


I'm gonna stop proofing now (I'm at 1856) and wait for the new version and start again.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> It may not be as _snookers_ as it first looked.
> 
> The only serious conflict turns out to be that I had the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 happening in 1855. By re-dating those chapters to 1853 and moving the chapters that were correctly dated 1854 and 1855 after them in the story, there are only a few holes. I think that five or six new chapters will smooth it all out. I may need another beta reader after the changes are made, unless Scarlet's up to reading the whole book again.


Jeff, you can always _Hang a Lantern _ on it - we do it all the time.  I once ran a contest in the Read with Author's KLub if the gang could find the logical slip (on purpose) in one of the


Spoiler



Jade Owl


 books, where I had 2 interlocking scenes moving along in sub-chapters, where the actions of one set of characters effected immediately the results of another set of characters. The scenes were brief, intense, set at night, but no one was able to catch the logic slip or the many lanterns I hung to cover it, until I directed their attention to it. That these concurrent scenes were set in San Francisco and Tuscany - both a night.  The night was crucial to the scene in both cases (one being a mugging and the other a gothic scene in a spooky field). So _hanging lanterns _ are an acceptable part of the craft. It stumped one of the KB moderators, who finds all my klunkers (and I am much appreciative of that). 

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> I'm gonna stop proofing now (I'm at 1856) and wait for the new version and start again.


Thank you, Scarlet.

New avatar? What happened to your green lady and her red dress?


----------



## easyreader

I've been scrolling back-- but what is The Way of All Soldiers about?  Love the title.  Reminds me of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a fantastic book.


----------



## Jeff

easyreader said:


> I've been scrolling back-- but what is The Way of All Soldiers about? Love the title. Reminds me of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a fantastic book.


_The Way of All Soldiers_ is a Civil War novel that begins as Washington, D.C. is dealing with the Union defeat during the first Battle of Bull Run and ends with the Battle of Gettysburg. It's the second book in a trilogy; the first: _Antebellum_, which is a continuation of _Home of the Brave_, begins as the Mexican War is winding down and ends at 1st Bull Run. The last book in the trilogy, _Freedom_, covers the last of the Civil War from Gettysburg through Appomattox.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

easyreader said:


> I've been scrolling back-- but what is The Way of All Soldiers about? Love the title. Reminds me of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a fantastic book.


Jeff also wrote a trilogy that starts with the American Revolution. Highly recommended.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Gert.

The re-write of _Antebellum_ was posted for Scarlet a short time ago. I'll get back on _The Way of All Soldiers_ this afternoon.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Gert.
> 
> The re-write of _Antebellum_ was posted for Scarlet a short time ago. I'll get back on _The Way of All Soldiers_ this afternoon.


Glad you're keeping busy and out of trouble. 

Whenever ... and I do mean whenever ... Antebellum comes out, I'm taking a break from my own work and reading it.


----------



## telracs

Had a bad day at work today, so didn't get around to downloading Antebellum v. 2.  I should be able to look at some of it tomorrow and Wednesday.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> Had a bad day at work today, so didn't get around to downloading Antebellum v. 2. I should be able to look at some of it tomorrow and Wednesday.


Sorry to hear that, Scarlet.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> Had a bad day at work today, so didn't get around to downloading Antebellum v. 2. I should be able to look at some of it tomorrow and Wednesday.


Sorry about your bad day, Scarlet. Whenever you get to it will be soon enough.


----------



## Jeff

Scarlet has passed _Antebellum_ to Susan.

Thanks, Scarlet. Good job.

Let's hear it for, Susan. Yay!

Anybody want to beta read _The Way of all Soldiers_?


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Scarlet has passed _Antebellum_ to Susan.
> 
> Thanks, Scarlet. Good job.
> 
> Let's hear it for, Susan. Yay!
> 
> Anybody want to beta read _The Way of all Soldiers_?


You don't want me to read it?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> You don't want me to read it?


I thought you might be getting tired of the Civil War.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I thought you might be getting tired of the Civil War.


No, I want to know what happens! And I want to be the first to know!

Send me the file, please, when it's ready....


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> No, I want to know what happens! And I want to be the first to know!
> 
> Send me the file, please, when it's ready....


You'll be the first. I think it's ready right now but I'd like to look through it again before I send it to you so that I understand your comments. As of this morning, my family's sick with some kind of stomach crud so I'll be a nurse for a day or two. You'll get the book ASAP. Thanks.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Thank you, Scarlet. Everyone should take back every mean thing they've said about you.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Thank you, Scarlet. Everyone should take back every mean thing they've said about you.


No! She's worked too hard for her mean reputation.

Update: Susan has _Antebellum_. Scarlet has _The Way of All Soldiers_. I'm not finished with _Freedom_. What a team!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> No! She's worked too hard for her mean reputation.


I know. I didn't mean to insult Scarlet by implying that she's not mean.



> Update: Susan has _Antebellum_. Scarlet has _The Way of All Soldiers_. I'm not finished with _Freedom_. What a team!


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> No! She's worked too hard for her mean reputation.
> 
> Update: Susan has _Antebellum_. Scarlet has _The Way of All Soldiers_. I'm not finished with _Freedom_. What a team!


I'm going to be off this Wednesday, so I plan on starting _The Way of All Soldiers_ then. Sorry about not starting tonight, but the new kindle arrived and I need to hold it for a while....


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> I'm going to be off this Wednesday, so I plan on starting _The Way of All Soldiers_ then. Sorry about not starting tonight, but the new kindle arrived and I need to hold it for a while....


I can send you a Kindle version.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Update: Susan has _Antebellum_. Scarlet has _The Way of All Soldiers_. I'm not finished with _Freedom_. What a team!


Working on it tonight -- and every night this week until it's done!


Spoiler



Perfect excuse to put off unexciting term papers until next week.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Thank you, Susan!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Mush, team. Mush.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

Indeed, thank you, Susan.

Happy birthday, Ed.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah - No pressure Susan.
But.....I am dying to purchase this one.

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

At last report, Susan was 80% finished with _Antebellum_; Scarlet was 30% finished with _The Way of All Soldiers_ and I'm still a couple of months away from finishing _Freedom_.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> At last report, Susan was 80% finished with _Antebellum_; Scarlet was 30% finished with _The Way of All Soldiers_ and I'm still a couple of months away from finishing _Freedom_.


Great news!!! YAY, Susan.


----------



## HappyGuy

Oh, man!!  I didn't know this thread was still active! Jeff, anything I can do to help out?


----------



## PraiseGod13

We're all still here.... waiting on the edge of our seats.... almost as exciting as our original "Kindle watch".


----------



## Jeff

HappyGuy said:


> Oh, man!! I didn't know this thread was still active! Jeff, anything I can do to help out?


Yes. When the paperback edition of _Antebellum_ becomes available on Amazon, you can tell all your friends to buy the book with your picture on the cover.


----------



## HappyGuy

Jeff said:


> Yes. When the paperback edition of _Antebellum_ becomes available on Amazon, you can tell all your friends to buy the book with your picture on the cover.


Oh, well that goes without saying!


----------



## Jeff

PraiseGod13 said:


> We're all still here.... waiting on the edge of our seats.... almost as exciting as our original "Kindle watch".


Yes, nail biting for me as well.

If you, or anyone else, would like an advance copy (that hasn't been edited by Susan), please send me a PM. *Beware of typos.*


----------



## geoffthomas

Thank you for the offer Jeff.
But I want to make sure that you get paid for this.
And I also want my copy to add to your sold copies count.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Thank you for the offer Jeff.
> But I want to make sure that you get paid for this.
> And I also want my copy to add to your sold copies count.
> 
> Just sayin.....


Ditto. Besides, I'll feel more like I have the real deal.


----------



## drenee

Waiting.....waiting...patiently.


----------



## Jeff

drenee said:


> Waiting.....waiting...patiently.


 

Susan only has another twenty-odd pages to go in _Antebellum_.

Scarlet's about a third finished with _The Way of All Soldiers_.

_Freedom_ should be ready for editing June.


----------



## drenee

Thank you.


----------



## PraiseGod13

geoffthomas said:


> Thank you for the offer Jeff.
> But I want to make sure that you get paid for this.
> And I also want my copy to add to your sold copies count.
> 
> Just sayin.....


As usual... with Geoff.... I couldn't have said it better and couldn't agree more. This is so fun.... I love being on watch for the latest from Jeff Hepple because you know you're going to get a wonderful "present" soon..... Ranks right up there with Christmas and my birthday.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Susan only has another twenty-odd pages to go in _Antebellum_.
> 
> Scarlet's about a third finished with _The Way of All Soldiers_.
> 
> _Freedom_ should be ready for editing June.


Wow, Susan went through it fast. Sounds good.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Wow, Susan went through it fast. Sounds good.


Yeah, 'cause I did all the heavy lifting...


Spoiler



kidding, I'm kidding



I'm hoping to do the rest of 1862 today....


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Wow, Susan went through it fast. Sounds good.


I'd like to have a decent blurb for once but I'm just awful at writing them. I asked Scarlet and Susan, they both declined, so you're next on my list to beg. Here's what I wrote. (Susan said it's not terrible, just dull - but she's a very kind person.):

*The American Army officers that served together in the Mexican War must now take sides in the growing issue of secession. Beginning immediately after Home of the Brave, Antebellum follows the lives of the Van Buskirk family as they interweave with those of Abraham Lincoln, Winfield Scott, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman and John Buford.

This is a continuation of the Gone For Soldiers series and the first book in a Civil War trilogy called Johnny Comes Marching Home.*


----------



## telracs

I'm a better editor than writer....  I'd drop the first line of the blurb and focus on the family....

I'd also suggest giving the date range or the fact that this book is leading up to the war.


----------



## 911jason

Love your new signature with the library properly shelved. Are those books shown in proper chronological reading order?


----------



## Jeff

911jason said:


> Love your new signature with the library properly shelved. Are those books shown in proper chronological reading order?


Thank you, Jason. Yes, they are in chronological order. Note that the images include the books that Susan, Scarlet and I are in the process of publishing.


----------



## telracs

I finished June and July 1862.  Had hoped to finish all of 1862, but it's a loooooooooooooong year!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Jason. Yes, they are in chronological order. Note that the images include the books that Susan, Scarlet and I are in the process of publishing.


Looks like the only one you have left to start is _When Johnny Comes Marching Home_.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Looks like the only one you have left to start is _When Johnny Comes Marching Home_.


_Johnny Comes Marching Home_ was too big for paperback so I split it into the trilogy of _Antebellum_, _The Way of All Soldiers_ and _Freedom_. I still plan to publish _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ in one 1,200 page eBook that contains the entire trilogy, similar to Mike's In Her Name Omnibus Edition.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ was too big for paperback so I split it into the trilogy of _Antebellum_, _The Way of All Soldiers_ and _Freedom_. I still plan to publish _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ in one 1,200 page eBook that contains the entire trilogy, similar to Mike's In Her Name Omnibus Edition.


So, it's coming to an end?  No more after _Freedom_? 

BTW, Mike is getting rid of the Blue Chick on the cover. 

Sad news all around.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> So, it's coming to an end?  No more after _Freedom_?


_Under The Apple Tree_, then I retire.

By the way, Susan finished _Antebellum_ on Monday and I uploaded it a few minutes ago.


----------



## Susan in VA

Well, Tuesday at 2 AM.  

What's this nonsense about retiring?!?  That's not allowed.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> _Under The Apple Tree_, then I retire.
> 
> By the way, Susan finished _Antebellum_ on Monday and I uploaded it a few minutes ago.


I'm up to September, 1862


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> _Under The Apple Tree_, then I retire.
> 
> By the way, Susan finished _Antebellum_ on Monday and I uploaded it a few minutes ago.


I hope you don't mean that.

I ran over to Amazon to get my copy and then I realized uploading doesn't mean it's published yet. I shall keep watch.


----------



## geoffthomas

I just looked at Amazon.
Not there yet.
And I refuse to accept this retire thing.
I will just keep on waiting for more from one of my favorite authors (and a real nice friend).

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> I just looked at Amazon.
> Not there yet.
> And I refuse to accept this retire thing.
> I will just keep on waiting for more from one of my favorite authors (and a real nice friend).
> 
> Just sayin......


Sorry, I should have been clearer. It takes Amazon about 24 hours to make a title live and I'm number 2,024 in the Smashwords queue.



scarlet said:


> I'm up to September, 1862


Susan says she ready for _The Way of All Soldiers_.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Sorry, I should have been clearer. It takes Amazon about 24 hours to make a title live and I'm number 2,024 in the Smashwords queue.


That's okay. I know better. I just got excited.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Susan says she ready for _The Way of All Soldiers_.


I'm halfway done. She's gonna have to wait.


----------



## Susan in VA

Fine with me, I still have to finish a term paper...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> I'm halfway done. She's gonna have to wait.


Nice new Avatar, Scarlet.


----------



## Susan in VA

Hey, I see that it's "live" now!  Yay!


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Hey, I see that it's "live" now! Yay!


We did it. Thanks team Susan and Scarlet.






Amazon​
Smashwords​


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Hey, I see that it's "live" now! Yay!


Yippee! Wait, oh darn that means the crazy readers will be on my case to finish betaing book 2!


----------



## Barbiedull

Jeff, I haven't read any of your books yet. Should I start with "Gone For A Soldier"?


----------



## Jeff

Barbiedull said:


> Jeff, I haven't read any of your books yet. Should I start with "Gone For A Soldier"?


I've tried to make every book stand alone, but I don't know if I've succeeded. The chronology is:

_Gone For a Soldier_ - American Revolution
_Land of the Free_ - War of 1812
_Home of the Brave_ - US-Mexican War
_Antebellum_ - After the Mexican War until the first battle of the Civil War
Three works in progress (_The Way of All Soldiers, Freedom, Under The Apple Tree_)
_Lonely is the Soldier_ - From Viet Nam to Fallujah
_The Treasure of La Malinche_ - Current Mexican/US politics and border struggles.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I've tried to make every book stand alone, but I don't know if I've succeeded. The chronology is:
> 
> _Gone For a Soldier_ - American Revolution
> _Land of the Free_ - War of 1812
> _Home of the Brave_ - US-Mexican War
> _Antebellum_ - After the Mexican War until the first battle of the Civil War
> Three works in progress (_The Way of All Soldiers, Freedom, Under The Apple Tree_)
> _Lonely is the Soldier_ - From Viet Nam to Fallujah
> _The Treasure of La Malinche_ - Current Mexican/US politics and border struggles.


ahem, did we forget a novella?


----------



## Barbiedull

I am buying "Gone For a Soldier".  I need to start from the beginning.


----------



## Barbiedull

scarlet said:


> ahem, did we forget a novella?


 I DID read the novella!


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> ahem, did we forget a novella?


 

_The Angel of 1776_ is a novella about the first American Christmas.



Barbiedull said:


> I am buying "Gone For a Soldier". I need to start from the beginning.
> 
> I DID read the novella!


Thanks, Barbie - on many levels.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Antebellum! GOT MY COPY. Yes!

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

I tried several times earlier.
But I now have succeeded - got my copy.

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, Ed, Geoff and everyone else. The book still shows to be publishing in the Amazon Kindle Direct dashboard, however the page looks complete.


----------



## tlshaw

Jeff,
I just one-clicked and bought Antebellum. I know what I will be reading this weekend!


----------



## Jeff

tlshaw *Padded Cell 511* said:


> Jeff,
> I just one-clicked and bought Antebellum. I know what I will be reading this weekend!


Where have you been, Teresa? Thanks. Hope you enjoy it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

It's mine, all mine ...


----------



## PraiseGod13

We have snow in our forecast for tonight into tomorrow. So... this will be me this week-end because I just bought my copy of Antebellum. Wahoo!!


----------



## 911jason

Barbiedull said:


> I am buying "Gone For a Soldier". I need to start from the beginning.


I started with Lonely is the Soldier, it was the best book I read last year. You won't regret your purchase Barbie!


----------



## Jeff

Thank you Gertie, Judy and kinbr.

Jason, in _Antebellum_ you'll find out how Link got his name. Thanks for the kind words.

I wish it would go live on Amazon so we could see how _Antebellum's_ being rated.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff, I couldn't sleep thinking about Antebellum just waiting for me on my Kindle. So here I am at 1:15am, still not sleeping. Goodness, you started right out with a bang!

One request. Can we get a family tree? I've lost track of who's who. 

Back to reading.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Jeff, I couldn't sleep thinking about Antebellum just waiting for me on my Kindle. So here I am at 1:15am, still not sleeping. Goodness, you started right out with a bang!
> 
> One request. Can we get a family tree? I've lost track of who's who.
> 
> Back to reading.


Six generations:

1 Thomas Van Buskirk married Rachael Van Cortlandt 
2 Thomas Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Nannette Balletti


 No children
2 Robert Van Buskirk
2 William Van Buskirk
2 John Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Anna Livingston


 3 John "Yank" Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Marina Cortes


 4 Jack Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Caroline





Spoiler



then Clementine after Caroline died


 No children
4 Thomas Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Jane Hamilton


 5 Paul Van Buskirk
5 Johnny Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Urilla Murray





Spoiler



6 Jefferson Davis Van Buskirk


 4 Anna Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Charlie Lagrange


 5 Quincy Van Buskirk
4 William Van Buskirk
4 Robert Van Buskirk


Spoiler



married Nancy Vreeland



Edited to add Scarlet's observation of the 6th generation.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Thanks, Jeff. I needed my mature brain cells refreshed.


----------



## HappyGuy

Woohoo! Got my copy. Gonna have to put Clan of the Cave Bear aside for a bit. Notified all the family and friends.

Retire? Retire!!?? There's no retiring in writing!! At least not until you tie it all together and bring us up to La Malinche. Then MAYBE we'll consider letting you retire.

I'd write more, but I have a book to read!!!


----------



## Susan in VA

I had to draw myself a little family tree too.  When families keep re-using names it gets confusing.

eta: Jeff, your author pages both here at KB and at Amazon don't have this book yet... and since the signature doesn't link to books anymore, there's no easy (one-step) way to get to _Antebellum_. (Unless I'm missing something, which is entirely possible before my second cup of tea.)


----------



## Pearson Moore

Why have I never seen these books?  I read the blurb for "Gone For a Soldier" and immediately put this book on my to-purchase list.  I have a profound interest in the American Revolution, as will become clear in the next few months.  When the blurb said "Is this a perfect book? Of course not- the long direct quotations from historical documents included for accuracy may not be to all reader's tastes and the detailed battle descriptions may not interest every reader" I found yet another reason to want to read--being used to researching primary sources for my own work, I love the nitty-gritty of getting into original documents and figuring out their place in the times and in the people's lives.  This is the most interesting part of bringing history to life in its full intricate richness.  I look forward to reading it!


----------



## Jeff

Brain, thank you. I'll have the paperback proof by Tuesday.

Susan, the book isn't live in my KDP control panel so apparently some things still need to be completed. Here's a link to my Kindle books.

Pearson, the best part of self-publishing is that you can bore the reader with facts that no NY publisher would ever permit. 

Edited to add: The book is now live. It may take a few days for it to be merged with the existing bibliography.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Pearson, the best part of self-publishing is that you can bore the reader with facts that no NY publisher would ever permit.


Only in textbooks, and those aren't nearly as interestingly written. I have to admit that I've learned a hundred times more about American history from Jeff's books than I ever learned in school, at least in part because school textbooks tend to be such tedious recitations of facts and events without any background about customs and trends and motivations, i.e. the stuff that actually _led_ to those events. Jeff makes it all come alive.


----------



## telracs

For all you obsessives out there, I have sent Jeff my comments on all of 1862.  Reading-wise, I'm up to June of 1863, approximately 90% done.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> For all you obsessives out there, I have sent Jeff my comments on all of 1862. Reading-wise, I'm up to June of 1863, approximately 90% done.


Scarlet's referring to _The Way of All Soldiers_.

Susan still has at least one term paper to complete so we'll wait to hear from her before deciding if mid May still seems realistic.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> For all you obsessives out there, I have sent Jeff my comments on all of 1862. Reading-wise, I'm up to June of 1863, approximately 90% done.


Obsessive? Us?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Jeff said:


> Scarlet's referring to _The Way of All Soldiers_.
> 
> Susan still has at least one term paper to complete so we'll wait to hear from her before deciding if mid May still seems realistic.


You woulnd't _*hoodwink * _ me now (see Author's Support thread). 

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Susan still has at least one term paper to complete so we'll wait to hear from her before deciding if mid May still seems realistic.


Paper's due on Tuesday, so that won't be a problem. And work is slow this week. So bring it on!


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Paper's due on Tuesday, so that won't be a problem. And work is slow this week. So bring it on!


sorry, i've got plans for most of this week, so Jeff should get the rest of WOAS next weekend.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Paper's due on Tuesday, so that won't be a problem. And work is slow this week. So bring it on!


If you like, I can send you the completed first half of the MS on Wednesday. Scarlet should be finished by the time you're ready for the second half.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> If you like, I can send you the completed first half of the MS on Wednesday. Scarlet should be finished by the time you're ready for the second half.


But what if scarlet finds something that makes you go back and revise the timeline? I think I'd better wait....


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> But what if scarlet finds something that makes you go back and revise the timeline? I think I'd better wait....


You're the boss.


----------



## Brenda Carroll

I'm posting just because the number showing up on the replies is 666!  Egad!!


----------



## Jeff

Brendan Carroll said:


> I'm posting just because the number showing up on the replies is 666! Egad!!


That's true friendship, Brendan.


----------



## telracs

what about those of us who like the number
[size=24pt]666?


----------



## Susan in VA

Scarlet, hush and get back to work.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Scarlet, hush and get back to work.


*nyah, nyah, i'm done reading book 2.*

of course I haven't sent my edits to Jeff, but too bad for you.


----------



## Susan in VA

Yay Scarlet!


----------



## geoffthomas

yeah yeah - good for you guys.
hurray hurray.
Now just get the mark-ups to Jeff so that the "reading public" can purchase the goods.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Really, really enjoying Antebellum, Jeff. But a question popped into my mind as I was reading tonight. Which of the Van Buskirk's we've met are you descended from?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Really, really enjoying Antebellum, Jeff. But a question popped into my mind as I was reading tonight. Which of the Van Buskirk's we've met are you descended from?


1 Laurens Andriessen Van Buskirk b: Unknown in Holstein, Denmark d: July 13, 1694 in Bergen Co., NJ
2 Thomas Van Buskirk b: 1668 in Bergen Co., NJ d: Bef. October 20, 1748 in Reading Township, Hunterdon Co., NJ
3 Andries Van Buskirk b: 1707 in Hackensack, Bergen Co., NJ d: October 14, 1770 in NJ
4 Abraham Van Buskirk b: October 09, 1747 d: Unknown
5 David Van Buskirk b: November 07, 1775 d: Unknown 
6 Aaron Van Buskirk b: 23 Apr 1840 d: 26 Nov 1906 
7 William Albert Van Buskirk b: 21 Jan 1860 d: June 1904
8 Edward Kenneth Van Buskirk b: 11 Nov 1882 Patterson, NJ d: 18 Oct 1949 Clifton, NJ
9 Doris Jill Van Buskirk Hepple
10 Jeffry Stephen Hepple

Edited to add: I got so caught up in the task of copying branches from the Van Buskirk tree that I forgot to thank you, Margaret. I'm delighted that you're enjoying it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

So these aren't the Van Buskirk's we're reading about now, right? Interesting.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> So these aren't the Van Buskirk's we're reading about now, right? Interesting.


Sorry to disappoint you. Most of the Van Buskirk characters in _Antebellum_ are fictional. The real Van Buskirks didn't do anything exciting and only David, because he was so tall, is even mentioned in any Civil War history books.

Abraham Van Buskirk (in my mother's family tree) was a Colonel in the British militia who was to be hanged after the Revolution. Washington pardoned and exiled him to Nova Scotia. My mother was embarrassed to be descended from such an infamous Tory, so I wrote _Gone For a Soldier_ to show her that there were some patriots in her family. Abraham's nephew, Thomas, was a major in the British Army who resigned his commission to join the Colonial Army.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Sorry to disappoint you. Most of the Van Buskirk characters in _Antebellum_ are fictional. The real Van Buskirks didn't do anything exciting and only David, because he was so tall, is even mentioned in any Civil War history books.
> 
> Abraham Van Buskirk (in my mother's family tree) was a Colonel in the British militia who was to be hanged after the Revolution. Washington pardoned and exiled him to Nova Scotia. My mother was embarrassed to be descended from such an infamous Tory, so I wrote _Gone For a Soldier_ to show her that there were some patriots in her family. Abraham's nephew, Thomas, was a major in the British Army who resigned his commission to join the Colonial Army.


Not disappointed at all. I figured the non-historical events were fictional but I thought some of the "family" were real.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Not disappointed at all. I figured the non-historical events were fictional but I thought some of the "family" were real.


The Civil War was no that long ago. Using real names with fictitious events seemed irreverent.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I see what you mean.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I want you to know that it didn't take but 2 pages to get totalling engrossed in this.


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> Well I want you to know that it didn't take but 2 pages to get totalling engrossed in this.


"totalling"? totally even....


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> "totalling"? totally even....


Hard habit to break, isn't it?


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah, that.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> "totalling"? totally even....


That just shows how engrossed Geoff really is.


----------



## Susan in VA

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> That just shows how engrossed Geoff really is.


But he managed to put the book down long enough to post!


----------



## geoffthomas

No I am multitaking.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Hard habit to break, isn't it?





Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> That just shows how engrossed Geoff really is.





Susan in VA said:


> But he managed to put the book down long enough to post!


No comment, no comment and no comment.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> No comment, no comment and no comment.


Scarlet is speechless? I'm worried.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Scarlet is speechless? I'm worried.


She's _singing_ in chat.


----------



## HappyGuy

Jeff, great book (stop) Thoroughly enjoyed it (stop) Amazon review has been submitted, impatiently awaiting next installment; send soonest (stop) 


Can telegrams still be sent?


----------



## Jeff

HappyGuy said:


> Jeff, great book (stop) Thoroughly enjoyed it (stop) Amazon review has been submitted, impatiently awaiting next installment; send soonest (stop)
> 
> Can telegrams still be sent?


Thank you for the terrific review, Brian.

No more ticker-tape parades, I fear. Except as a means of sending money, telegrams have pretty much been eclipsed by email, text messages and the like.


----------



## HappyGuy

Just have to say, you get better with each book. I REALLY enjoyed the pace and style of writing in this book.


----------



## Jeff

I'm really glad you liked it, Brian. That's why I write.

The US trade paperback version of _Antebellum_ was approved yesterday. It's 5 1/2 X 8 1/2, 436 pages in 10pt type. I ordered copies for those of you that I've promised.



For anyone who wants to buy a copy the price is $15.50 from Amazon.​


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok so now I have my normal problem.
Bought it, couldn't put it down.
Finished it.
........

I need more.
So when will the next installment be ready?

Just askin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Ok so now I have my normal problem.
> Bought it, couldn't put it down.
> Finished it.
> ........
> 
> I need more.
> So when will the next installment be ready?
> 
> Just askin......


That's why I'm grateful I have limited reading time, especially since I'm a fast reader. I know I won't be able to spread it out all the way until the next book, but I'm trying.


----------



## telracs

sorry, i had company this week, so 1863 didn't get sent to Jeff.  Should be sending him some tonight and finishing by Wednesday.  Then off to Susan.


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey I am not complaining about you guys.
I KNOW how hard it is to edit or even to Beta-read.
And I imagine that is real hard to actually write.
I just get selfish and want to "read-on".
And Jeff's work is sooooo good.

Just sayin.......


----------



## Jeff

Slow down, Geoff. I'm not anywhere near finished with _Freedom_.


----------



## geoffthomas

For anyone that "follows" Jeff's threads:

I have finished reading Antebellum - great!
Here is a link,

follow the link, and get the book.

Just sayin......


----------



## telracs

update--- I have e-mailed Jeff through June 1863....


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> update--- I have e-mailed Jeff through June 1863....


Thank you. All your edits have been addressed and the updated file is on Susan's web site.


----------



## telracs

final comment-  i have now sent jeff all my comments.  awaiting freedom.


----------



## Barbiedull

scarlet said:


> final comment- i have now sent jeff all my comments. awaiting freedom.


 Awaiting freedom from reading Jeff's books?


----------



## PraiseGod13

Barbiedull said:


> Awaiting freedom from reading Jeff's books?


This made me chuckle too, Barbiedull......... but we know better!


----------



## telracs

Sorry, should have said awaiting _Freedom_. Typical lazy scarlet formatting, no caps, no italics....


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Thank you. All your edits have been addressed and the updated file is on Susan's web site.


Got it! Will post updates when I have a feel for how long it will take me.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I just posted my review on Amazon. Sometimes they put it up right away. Hope you like it.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you for the great review, Margaret.


----------



## geoffthomas

I posted mine too.
When I read "our" reviews, I sometimes wonder if we read the same book - lol.
But I guess you are right Ms. Lake, Anna is certainly a major thread through the book.
Now I have to go back to being patient and wait for the next installment.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I posted mine too.
> When I read "our" reviews, I sometimes wonder if we read the same book - lol.
> But I guess you are right Ms. Lake, Anna is certainly a major thread through the book.
> Now I have to go back to being patient and wait for the next installment.
> 
> Just sayin......


Just shows the book will have a broad appeal.


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> I posted mine too.
> When I read "our" reviews, I sometimes wonder if we read the same book - lol.
> But I guess you are right Ms. Lake, Anna is certainly a major thread through the book.
> Now I have to go back to being patient and wait for the next installment.
> 
> Just sayin......


Hmm, ain't it interesting how different people focus on different things? I felt the brothers overshadowed Anna and while her stuff was important, it wasn't the big story for me.


----------



## geoffthomas

And it should appeal to many readers.
I guess I also find it fun that Marina plays such a major part still - continuing the connection from Treasure of La Malinche.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> And it should appeal to many readers.
> I guess I also find it fun that Marina plays such a major part still - continuing the connection from Treasure of La Malinche.
> 
> Just sayin.....


Yes, I enjoyed Marina this time around.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> Hmm, ain't it interesting how different people focus on different things? I felt the brothers overshadowed Anna and while her stuff was important, it wasn't the big story for me.


Since there were four brothers, their stories were more scattered and that's why Anna stood out for me. But that also made the book more interesting and kept it moving.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you for the review, Geoff. 

Two more books to kill-off this generation and abandon Van Buskirk Point forever.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Thank you for the review, Geoff.
> 
> Two more books to kill-off this generation and abandon Van Buskirk Point forever.


two? _Freedom_ and what?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> two? _Freedom_ and what?


Two for everyone but you.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Two for everyone but you.


darn, that's what i was afraid of....


----------



## Arclight

Can you give a short synopsis about your 2012 WW2 book?

Thx
Steve


----------



## Jeff

Arclight said:


> Can you give a short synopsis about your 2012 WW2 book?
> 
> Thx
> Steve


Perhaps when it's closer to the publication date. Thank you for your interest.


----------



## Susan in VA

My copy of_ Antebellum_ arrived today! Thank you, Jeff 

Busy week here, but I hope to have volume two finished sometime this weekend.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> My copy of Antebellum arrived today! Thank you, Jeff


You're more than welcome. I wonder why it takes so long for you to get mail.



Susan in VA said:


> Busy week here, but I hope to have volume two finished sometime this weekend.


If you do I'll have it uploaded by Monday evening.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> You're more than welcome. I wonder why it takes so long for you to get mail.


At least they didn't send it back marked "unknown" this time!


----------



## Susan in VA

Update: I was counting on having two weekend afternoons to finish this, but ended up being out all day on both days. So I'm still where I was on Friday in the MS, and need another day or two, depending on the timing of other commitments. But I know you all are waiting patiently, right? More-or-less patiently? _Somewhat_ patiently? Can you at least scrounge up a _teensy_ bit of patience, if I promise I'll hurry?


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Update: I was counting on having two weekend afternoons to finish this, but ended up being out all day on both days. So I'm still where I was on Friday in the MS, and need another day or two, depending on the timing of other commitments. But I know you all are waiting patiently, right? More-or-less patiently? _Somewhat_ patiently? Can you at least scrounge up a _teensy_ bit of patience, if I promise I'll hurry?


stop posting and go read!

i mean, you kicked me out of chat so I'd get finished...


----------



## Susan in VA

Would love to be reading right now!  DD has a horrid cold and can't sleep.  So anything requiring concentration is out this evening...


----------



## Jeff

Nobody really cares if it takes another week or two, Susan. Our readers and I are grateful to get a polished book. Please take care of your daughter and yourself. Everyone can wait. Thanks.

Edited to add: When this stops being fun we quit.


----------



## Susan in VA

Well, thanks.  But when Geoff and Gertie and the others see my post they might not be so understanding.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Well, thanks. But when Geoff and Gertie and the others see my post they might not be so understanding.


I'll buy them off with signed paperbacks.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Well, thanks. But when Geoff and Gertie and the others see my post they might not be so understanding.


Susan, I'm sorry DD has a cold but in a way, I'm grateful the next book isn't ready yet. I know the minute it's ready, I'll drop everything else and start reading it. Now I can finish the three books I'm currently reading.

But, fair warning, I'll be ready by Sunday and I know where you live.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA


----------



## geoffthomas

I will wait for Susan to finish.
Even though I am chewing my knuckles to type "nice" things.
Just for you Susan.
and yes, Jeff we will always be grateful for a new Hepple book, no matter how long we have to wait.
Ok Gertie.  I guess you and I have to learn to knit or whittle or hunt wild boar to use our time while we wait.
Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

See that, Susan? ^^ It wasn't so bad - was it?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I will wait for Susan to finish.
> Even though I am chewing my knuckles to type "nice" things.
> Just for you Susan.
> and yes, Jeff we will always be grateful for a new Hepple book, no matter how long we have to wait.
> Ok Gertie. I guess you and I have to learn to knit or whittle or hunt wild boar to use our time while we wait.
> Just sayin......


Or watch that reality show on hunting wild boar. I'm not so worried about the invasion of the cane frogs because the wild boar will trample them to death ... I think.


----------



## telracs

can i be irritating and say "nyah, nyah" i read it already....


----------



## geoffthomas

If you say '"nyah, nyah" I read it already' you will indeed be irritating, yes.

just sayin.....


----------



## telracs

okay, then maybe i won't say it.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well now you must say it if holding it back is going to cause you distress.
Never meant to make you fell bad.
Just confirming the irritation factor.

And yes the parrot is dead.


----------



## telracs

i'm using the "flat" version of kb and can't quote, so i will simply say that "no, he's just sleeping."


----------



## Susan in VA

If anybody bags a wild boar (wait, is there such a thing as_ tame _boar?), I want pictures.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> If anybody bags a wild boar (wait, is there such a thing as_ tame _boar?), I want pictures.


I'm knitting a boar snare as we speak.


----------



## geoffthomas

well I have heard that most bores are pretty much not tame.
And we could whittle a boar snare and knit a cover for it to camouflage it.


----------



## Susan in VA

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'm knitting a boar snare as we speak.


That should keep you busy until Sunday....


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> If anybody bags a wild boar (wait, is there such a thing as_ tame _boar?), I want pictures.


There was a time when I was young and wild - now I'm old and boring. Does that work?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> There was a time when I was young and wild - now I'm old and boring. Does that work?


In that case, I'll knit you a tea cozy.


----------



## Susan in VA

I want to hear more about Jeff's wild youth.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> I want to hear more about Jeff's wild youth.


No you don't. Trust me on this.

In case anyone's forgotten what Susan's working on:


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Fantastic cover!!


----------



## PraiseGod13

I totally agree...  I absolutely love that picture on the new cover!!  Gets me all excited... thinking about the book it will open into.....  Perfect cover choice, Jeff!


----------



## geoffthomas

The excitement is rising.
And I, for one, am very happy that this volume is near.

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

PraiseGod13 said:


> I totally agree... I absolutely love that picture on the new cover!! Gets me all excited... thinking about the book it will open into..... Perfect cover choice, Jeff!


Isn't that photo a great piece of history?

Lincoln's first inauguration (on the cover of _Antebellum_) shows the Capitol Dome nearly complete:









Then, four years later:


----------



## PraiseGod13

Jeff said:


> Isn't that photo a great piece of history?
> 
> Lincoln's first inauguration (on the cover of _Antebellum_) shows the Capitol Dome nearly complete:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then, four years later:


I absolutely love both of these! And.. one thing we can honestly say is that the only thing better than the covers is the content inside their respective books.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Still sitting and knitting. But then so did Madame DeFarge.


----------



## Jeff

Happy Friday the 13th birthday, Judy (aka pg13).


----------



## Barbiedull

Susan in VA said:


> I want to hear more about Jeff's wild youth.


^ Me too!


----------



## Susan in VA

Friday 2.30 PM, and my commitments for the week are all done (until Sunday, anyway), so now it's back to Volume Two!  Thanks for your patience, folks. 

Great covers, Jeff.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Still sitting and knitting. But then so did Madame DeFarge.


make me a scarf? that guillotine left a nasty mark.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah and I get real scared of people who sit and cackle.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

Arthritis pain is keeping me from being able to sit at a keyboard for any length of time. That's going to cause a delay in the publication of _The Way of All Soldiers_. I apologize to everyone who was anticipating it being published today.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Arthritis pain is keeping me from being able to sit at a keyboard for any length of time. That's going to cause a delay in the publication of _The Way of All Soldiers_. I apologize to everyone who was anticipating it being published today.


And _Freedom_?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> And _Freedom_?


May not happen.


----------



## Barbiedull

Jeff said:


> Arthritis pain is keeping me from being able to sit at a keyboard for any length of time.


 I hope you feel better soon Jeff.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Arthritis pain is keeping me from being able to sit at a keyboard for any length of time. That's going to cause a delay in the publication of _The Way of All Soldiers_. I apologize to everyone who was anticipating it being published today.


I know how you hate going to the doctor, but there are some really good meds out there for arthritis. The books can wait. Take care of yourself.


----------



## geoffthomas

What Gertie said.......
'cause you ARE the books.

Just sayin.....


----------



## PraiseGod13

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes, Jeff!!  You do whatever you need to get the arthritis pain under control!  You're in my thoughts and prayers!  We value your books.... but we value you and your well-being MUCH more!!


----------



## Susan in VA

Arthritis is a nasty thing.  Hope the good days far outnumber the not-so-good.  

If you're delaying a bit, that will allow me to polish up the last 40 pages, which only had one run-through.  A silver lining.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok.
Now we all know that I am not a patient person.
So what is the latest?
Susan - have you finished?

Folks you know I NEED a good book to read.

(love you all)
Just sayin.......


----------



## Jeff

_The Way Of All Soldiers_ for Kindle has been released on Amazon. Because it's a holiday weekend, it will probably be the middle of next week before the book goes live. The paperback should be available by the middle of June.


----------



## geoffthomas

Thank you, Jeff.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> _The Way Of All Soldiers_ for Kindle has been released on Amazon. Because it's a holiday weekend, it will probably be the middle of next week before the book goes live. The paperback should be available by the 4th of July. No Smashwords version.


Just a simple, heartfelt, Thank You.


----------



## Jeff




----------



## geoffthomas

Snagged my copy - thank you very much.


----------



## amiblackwelder

Your very prolific. My parents would love this stuff! I'll let them know!


----------



## Jeff

The Blue And The Gray
Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907)​
By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray
These in the robings of glory,
Those in the gloom of defeat,
All with the battle-blood gory,
In the dusk of eternity meet:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgement-day
Under the laurel, the Blue,
Under the willow, the Gray.

From the silence of sorrowful hours
The desolate mourners go,
Lovingly laden with flowers
Alike for the friend and the foe;
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgement-day;
Under the roses, the Blue,
Under the lilies, the Gray.

So with an equal splendor,
The morning sun-rays fall,
With a touch impartially tender,
On the blossoms blooming for all:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Broidered with gold, the Blue,
Mellowed with gold, the Gray.

So, when the summer calleth,
On forest and field of grain,
With an equal murmur falleth
The cooling drip of the rain:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment -day,
Wet with the rain, the Blue
Wet with the rain, the Gray.

Sadly, but not with upbraiding,
The generous deed was done,
In the storm of the years that are fading
No braver battle was won:
Under the sod adn the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the blossoms, the Blue,
Under the garlands, the Gray

No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red;
They banish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves of our dead!
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day,
Love and tears for the Blue,
Tears and love for the Gray.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Got it!!! and big thanks to Scarlet and Susan.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> ...and big thanks to Scarlet and Susan.


Yes. I should have said that myself. It wouldn't have happened without them.

Thanks to all.


----------



## PraiseGod13

The first couple of times that I checked, it wasn't listed on Amazon yet.  But, last night I was able to buy my copy.  Thanks so much, Jeff!  Can't wait to read it!!


----------



## geoffthomas

I have finished my copy of The Way of All Soldiers.
It continues to mix the Van Buskirk family story with U.S. history.
While I am very eclectic in my reading choices, my favorite genre is historical novels.
So I have been enjoying Mr. Hepple's books immensely.
If you haven't started yet, go to the beginning and read them all.
Or just pick up this one for a good read.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> I have finished my copy of The Way of All Soldiers.
> It continues to mix the Van Buskirk family story with U.S. history.
> While I am very eclectic in my reading choices, my favorite genre is historical novels.
> So I have been enjoying Mr. Hepple's books immensely.
> If you haven't started yet, go to the beginning and read them all.
> Or just pick up this one for a good read.
> 
> Just sayin.....


I'm still reading it and enjoying every minute.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I got me a fistful of Hepple Books. UuhRah!!!!!

Edward C. Youknowwho


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, everyone. _Freedom_ is behind schedule. I'll give you an estimated publication date when I can.


----------



## geoffthomas

I think KB needs to reorg the folders somehow.
This thread was like on page 20 something....
And the current day's threads were past page 8.
Not at all convenient to continue a thought.
Of course here in the Book Bazaar I could go to Jeff's terrific index and find the thread.

Sorry for the rant/hijack.

This book was wonderful, Jeff.
With the two books together one can get a "feeling" for the entire Civil War that is hard to obtain elsewhere.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> I think KB needs to reorg the folders somehow.
> This thread was like on page 20 something....
> And the current day's threads were past page 8.
> Not at all convenient to continue a thought.
> Of course here in the Book Bazaar I could go to Jeff's terrific index and find the thread.
> 
> Sorry for the rant/hijack.


You're not hijacking, Geoff. This is as good a place as any to complain.

I wish I had a solution, but given the huge number of threads in the Book Bazaar I can't think of any practical way of reorganizing. For example, if the Bazaar was organized by genre, navigation would certainly be easier, but the moderators would be buried in work. Frankly I don't know how they keep up now. I spend several hours a day just adding new authors/books and editing existing records in the master lists. That's nothing compared to the tasks of reading all the new posts, then editing, moving and merging those that need moderation.


----------



## geoffthomas

With all of the new authors, it is a big job.
And making sure that they put their posts in the right place, while being nice to the new guys is a tough job.
So you have a big job to keep the "index" up-to-date.
And the mods have a big job to do just to read everything.
I wish I had an answer to recommend.
I just have the observation.

And I REALLY like your work, in case you didn't know it.

Just sayin......


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> I think KB needs to reorg the folders somehow.
> This thread was like on page 20 something....
> And the current day's threads were past page 8.
> Not at all convenient to continue a thought.


Wouldn't it be nice if the forum software allowed us to sort threads by other criteria than the posting date?

Kind of like in email, where you can sort by date or by sender or whatever (at least in mine that's possible).

Then we could sort to show the threads with the most replies on top, and within the Bazaar this one would certainly be on the front page....

Maybe some coding genius will read this and add it to a to-do list 

EDIT: Silly me for posting without double-checking -- turns out you CAN do just that! Who knew.... Okay, Geoff, there's your answer. Click on the "replies" column, and if it shows posts with zeroes at the top, click again to reverse it. Note that since the stickied threads will always be at the top, you have to look at the first non-stickied thread to see whether you have them in the right order. And by number of responses, this thread is number three


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Wouldn't it be nice if the forum software allowed us to sort threads by other criteria than the posting date?
> 
> Kind of like in email, where you can sort by date or by sender or whatever (at least in mine that's possible).
> 
> Then we could sort to show the threads with the most replies on top, and within the Bazaar this one would certainly be on the front page....
> 
> Maybe some coding genius will read this and add it to a to-do list
> 
> EDIT: Silly me for posting without double-checking -- turns out you CAN do just that! Who knew.... Okay, Geoff, there's your answer. Click on the "replies" column, and if it shows posts with zeroes at the top, click again to reverse it. Note that since the stickied threads will always be at the top, you have to look at the first non-stickied thread to see whether you have them in the right order. And by number of responses, this thread is number three


That's certainly interesting, Susan. Sorting that way put two of mine on the first page. I guess you can sort by any of the headings.

Don't bother trying to sort by name of the thread starter. Dr. D has an asterisk in front of his name and takes up the whole first page. When you get to the A's, Ann in Arlington has moved a lot of threads so she's the thread starter for several pages. I was on page 35 and had just gotten to the B's.

Sorting by views still puts this thread on the first page. That's good news.


----------



## geoffthomas

That is great for an established author with a thread that has been around for a while.
But if Jeff should decide to start a new thread for a new book, that thread will disappear into the double-digit page count within minutes.
My point is that there are a lot of authors and they are posting ---- a lot.
That is a good thing.
If nothing else it is driving the page-reads up so that advertisers will be attracted and pay more.
All of this is a good thing - business-wise.
KB need better organization, that is all.
And I am sure that the Pookah has been thinking about it.

Meanwhile the blog has not been updated for a long time.
And nobody reads the admin section where discussions of new board features are sometimes recorded.

Just sayin......

Oh yeah and I can't wait for the mods to decide that this set of posts is off-topic and delete them.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> That is great for an established author with a thread that has been around for a while.
> But if Jeff should decide to start a new thread for a new book, that thread will disappear into the double-digit page count within minutes.
> My point is that there are a lot of authors and they are posting ---- a lot.
> That is a good thing.
> If nothing else it is driving the page-reads up so that advertisers will be attracted and pay more.
> All of this is a good thing - business-wise.
> KB need better organization, that is all.
> And I am sure that the Pookah has been thinking about it.
> 
> Meanwhile the blog has not been updated for a long time.
> And nobody reads the admin section where discussions of new board features are sometimes recorded.
> 
> Just sayin......
> 
> Oh yeah and I can't wait for the mods to decide that this set of posts is off-topic and delete them.


Harvey did ask for the authors' input. I'm guessing the things we suggested weren't very practical or he would have done them by now.

I've bookmarked my own threads so I don't have to search for them, but I've got too many bookmarks as it is to add anybody else's thread to my list. Even the non-author threads are sometimes hard to find. E.G. our sytycd thread. If I want to post something in between shows, I have to do a search for it. Maybe we need a child board in NQK just for TV shows.


----------



## geoffthomas

Continuing the hijack (sorry Jeff) that is exactly the sort of easy change we need.
I had suggested such a thing for the Bazaar/Corner - genre folders where all kinds of things could be discussed.
Mod DID NOT want that, at this time.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Continuing the hijack (sorry Jeff) that is exactly the sort of easy change we need.
> I had suggested such a thing for the Bazaar/Corner - genre folders where all kinds of things could be discussed.
> Mod DID NOT want that, at this time.


I can understand why. It's not very practical especially with so many crossover genres, not to mention all the subgenres. They'd have to keep it to no more than five or six. Look how many genres Jeff ended up with in his master list.

How many active authors would you estimate we have now on KB? By active, I mean those that bump their threads every week. That would count me out since I don't bother.


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Oh yeah and I can't wait for the mods to decide that this set of posts is off-topic and delete them.


If that should happen I'd complain vociferously.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> It's not very practical especially with so many crossover genres, not to mention all the subgenres. They'd have to keep it to no more than five or six. Look how many genres Jeff ended up with in his master list.


It would be a nightmare.

Most new authors would never take the time to figure it all out and the moderators would be constantly moving threads. I know this for a fact because the Operation eBook Drop forum is divided into genres and the authors rarely post in the right place. I spend most of my admin time moving threads. Also, a large percentage of the authors that PM me about adding or editing their book listings submit the wrong information and then get upset when I don't post it. I still get people complaining (and even threatening) that their genre isn't listed.

Maybe Harvey should consider charging a membership fee for all of us that have something to sell.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Maybe Harvey should consider charging a membership fee for all of us that have something to sell.


A fee might eliminate the hit and run authors, at least. Most of the rest of us would probably pay the fee and we'd still be in the same situation. The botd and banner ads are helpful, but they are sold out into the next century.

How about a separate section for sales and giveaways? That would be helpful to the readers on the boards and we would get more than five minutes notice.


----------



## geoffthomas

Oh don't get me wrong, I love what goes on in the Cafe....I think if I was a new author I would be in heaven.
But I like to go to the Bazaar to find out what is happening to my favorite authors.
Like you two.
And it is hard to sort things out there.
Maybe it is just because I am lazy/stupid.
But it seems to me that KB is trying to sell a couple of products.
one is to the authors...but KB needs the readers to sell to the authors.
And another is to advertisers.....but KB needs both the authors and the readers to have the traffic to attract the advertisers.
and another is to readers....but KB needs authors and info to sell to the readers.
And if the readers are lazy/stupid, KB needs to make it easy for the readers anyway.

IMHO.
Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Well, unfortunately, I finished_ The Way of All Soldiers_. I really, really, really didn't want this book to end. I read as slowly as I could, but those pages just kept turning themselves.

Jeff, I just loved it; absolutely loved it.



Spoiler



Only one complaint. Marina and Clementine. Something more needed to be done to make their deaths more real. I didn't want to believe that those two women weren't savvy enough to know what was going on and get out.



When I got to the end and


Spoiler



Johnny and Paul meet at Gettysburg to report that their father and Uncle Jack were missing, the very matter-of-factness of that scene made it even more heart-rending. They've been on opposite sides of the war for three years and this is all these two brothers can say to each other.



I'll be posting a review later today.


----------



## Jeff

I'm so glad you liked it, Margaret. You're probably right about the incident at Mesilla. I should have made it clearer that Jack, who had no idea that Colonel John Baylor was such a cold-hearted, unpredictable SOB, told Marina and Clementine to stay put until he returned.










Just so you know that I didn't make it up, this is the general order that Baylor wrote concerning the indigenous people:

[quote author=Thompson, Jerry Don, Colonel John Robert Baylor: Texas Indian Fighter and Confederate Soldier. Hill Junior College Press, 1971.]Use all means to persuade the Apaches or any tribe to come in for the purpose of making peace, and when you get them together kill all the grown Indians and take the children prisoners and sell them to defray the expense of killing the adult Indians. Buy whiskey and such other goods as may be necessary for the Indians and I will order vouchers given to cover the amount expended. Leave nothing undone to insure success, and have a sufficient number of men around to allow no Indian to escape.[/quote]

The third book, _Freedom_, overlaps _The Way Of All Soldiers_ at The Battle of Gettysburg, so (if I ever get it finished) you'll get a closer look at the battles within the battle.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I'm so glad you liked it, Margaret. You're probably right about the incident at Mesilla. I should have made it clearer that Jack, who had no idea that Colonel John Baylor was such a cold-hearted, unpredictable SOB, told Marina and Clementine to stay put until he returned.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just so you know that I didn't make it up, this is the general order that Baylor wrote concerning the indigenous people:
> 
> The third book, _Freedom_, overlaps _The Way Of All Soldiers_ at The Battle of Gettysburg, so (if I ever get it finished) you'll get a closer look at the battles within the battle.


See, these are the kinds of things that you put in your books that absolutely mesmerize me. And, of course, I'm fully invested in the Van Buskirk family.

You'll get _Freedom _finished, Jeff. I'll be patiently impatient. I can't promise that Geoff won't bug you, however.


----------



## geoffthomas

Who me?

(consider this a poorly disguised "bug")


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> I'm so glad you liked it, Margaret. You're probably right about the incident at Mesilla. I should have made it clearer that Jack, who had no idea that Colonel John Baylor was such a cold-hearted, unpredictable SOB, told Marina and Clementine to stay put until he returned.


Ah, but to me the very "unrealness" of what happened to them fit perfectly. Marina is such a larger-than-life personality that one is left wondering whether maybe, just _maybe_...


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah.....I felt that this was a very authentic-feeling event.
But I have become so enamored of Marina that I just kinda expect her to go on forever.

And hey, I am not the writer ..... just a happy reader.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Ah, but to me the very "unrealness" of what happened to them fit perfectly. Marina is such a larger-than-life personality that one is left wondering whether maybe, just _maybe_...


I held on to that thought until Abe got to Mesilla. Then I had to accept it.

And what Geoff said.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff, I posted my review. Five stars. Considering how little time I have for reading any more, I can't believe how quickly I finished it.

http://www.amazon.com/Way-All-Soldiers-Gone-ebook/product-reviews/B00533W0NY/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending


----------



## Jeff

Thank you for the wonderful review, Margaret.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you for the wonderful review, Margaret.


Well-deserved. I wish I could express myself better in reviews. I really did feel as if I was right on the battlefields.


----------



## Jeff

My deepest apologies to all those who have been waiting for _Freedom_ to be published this month. My health is improving more slowly than anticipated, but I still hope to start on the final rewrite in the next couple of weeks.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> My deepest apologies to all those who have been waiting for _Freedom_ to be published this month. My health is improving more slowly than anticipated, but I still hope to start on the final rewrite in the next couple of weeks.


Some things are worth waiting for.


----------



## geoffthomas

a Jeff Hepple book is always worth waiting for.
Jeff, take whatever time you need to.

Just sayin....


----------



## Jeff

Thanks G & G. A reader complained as an Amazon review, and I've gotten a lot of emails so I felt like I should say something publicly. I'm hoping to start the rewrite on Monday.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes, we'll wait, but don;t take a George R R Martin sabatical.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Yes, we'll wait, but don't take a George R R Martin sabbatical.


Thanks, Ed. Making some progress with the final. You'll probably finish two more books before this one's complete.


----------



## Gertie Kindle




----------



## geoffthomas

Thanks for reminding all of us, Gertie.
Really looking forward to this book, Jeff.


Just sayin...................................


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Really looking forward to this book, Jeff.


Not as much as I'm looking forward to finishing it. 



geoffthomas said:


> When I turn around, this is what I see:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That would be Lake Erie, one of the smaller and more shallow of the Great Lakes.


Oddly enough, I'm currently re-writing a chapter about the Union prison on Johnson's Island, Danbury, Ohio where many of the Confederate officers captured at Gettysburg were interred. A few prisoners escaped by walking across Lake Erie when it was frozen.


----------



## Jeff

I'm almost afraid of jinxing myself - but - I think I'm finally on the mend. It seems that I've had some kind of mysterious infection that a regime of Cipro is beginning to cure. Thank you all for your patience. I'll do my very best to finish _Freedom_ as soon as possible.


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey Jeff, as much as want the next book from you (and we do, we do).......
we  want you to get well.
Your health is more important to us than anything else, my friend.


----------



## Susan in VA

Yay!!  And here I've been wondering for days how to politely and tactfully nag you.    

Glad you're feeling better!


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, Geoff and Susan.

When I go back to the clinic in a couple of weeks I'm going to give the doctor paperback copies of _Antebellum_ and _The Way of All Soldiers_. Then I'll tell him that the last of the trilogy is in his hands.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I'm almost afraid of jinxing myself - but - I think I'm finally on the mend. It seems that I've had some kind of mysterious infection that a regime of Cipro is beginning to cure. Thank you all for your patience. I'll do my very best to finish _Freedom_ as soon as possible.


Wonderful news! Although I'm sorry you've been suffering from an infection. Glad you are on the mend.

Get to the book when you can. Don't even think about people like me who have run out of things to read and are suffering greatly for lack of quality reading material. Don't give us a second thought.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Get to the book when you can. Don't even think about people like me who have run out of things to read and are suffering greatly for lack of quality reading material. Don't give us a second thought.


Who is Regan O'Reilly and when do we meet her?


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I will leave it to Margaret to provide the details, but.......
some of us have already met Regan.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Who is Regan O'Reilly and when do we meet her?


Am I allowed to introduce you to her here?

Just follow this yellow brick road.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,93091.msg1448416.html#msg1448416


----------



## Jeff

*A Christmas Gift to Kindleboards*


*The Angel of 1776*
A Novella​
In 1776, between Christmas and New Year's Day, the continually retreating, seemingly defeated Continental Army of the fledgling United States of America went on the attack and changed the course of history. Was the army's sudden reversal of fortune purely a product of General George Washington's brilliance, or did Washington get some angelic assistance?

Free Kindle Version Free ePub Version Free PDF Version​
Please note that downloading to a computer requires the appropriate reader software. Examples: Kindle for PC (PRC), the Barnes and Noble Desktop Reader (ePub) or Adobe Digital Editions (PDF). If you don't have a reader installed your browser will throw an error. Please send me a private message if you have any problems with your download. Merry Christmas.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Thanks for the reminder about this one, Jeff. It will make a nice reread for Christmas.


----------



## Jeff

Thought I'd bump this in case anyone interested missed the _Angel of 1776_ Christmas offer.

Please send me a Private Message if you have any problems retrieving your free book.


----------



## Susan in VA

As Gertie said, thanks for the reminder! 



Spoiler



But we know you're really just trying to distract us from noticing the glaring absence of Volume Three.....


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> But we know you're really just trying to distract us from noticing the glaring absence of Volume Three.....


Uh, well - that is... Umm. Oh look. Shiny.


----------



## Susan in VA




----------



## geoffthomas

The freebie is a very nice "shiny" thing.
And we all like it.

And we want volume 3........

Seriously......

Just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> The freebie is a very nice "shiny" thing.
> And we all like it.
> 
> And we want volume 3........
> 
> Seriously......
> 
> Just sayin.....


Okay, Geoff, here's the thing.

I'm having a hard time staying motivated so I thought I'd post my progress to shame myself into working more.

The draft of Freedom is a bit over 800 pages. I need to shrink it to less than 500 pages. The current polished work is 139 pages. Now, make me tell you the page count next week.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, I will come here and Nag you mercilessly.
Because I care.
And I want to read the novel.
so just remember that you asked for it.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Okay, Geoff, here's the thing.
> 
> I'm having a hard time staying motivated so I thought I'd post my progress to shame myself into working more.
> 
> The draft of Freedom is a bit over 800 pages. I need to shrink it to less than 500 pages. The current polished work is 139 pages. Now, make me tell you the page count next week.


I just have the crazy feeling that this is going to be the best one yet.


----------



## telracs

jeff.....



Spoiler



i have chocolate....



but you don't get any until i get a draft...


----------



## Jeff

I hope so, Margaret. I think it's going to be my last, anyway.

About 300 more pages and it'll all be up to you, Scarlet.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I hope so, Margaret. I think it's going to be my last, anyway.


Think? That's encouraging. At least give yourself a break after this one, after which, I'll bet you won't be able to resist the temptation to continue writing.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well I sure am glad you didn't stop with The Treasure of La Malinche.
Terrific books, I might add.

But now you have written so much more.
Thank you for all of them.


----------



## Susan in VA

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'll bet you won't be able to resist the temptation to continue writing.


You'd better be right, Gertie!


----------



## Jeff

Happy birthday, Geoff.

Coincidentally today is the day that I promised you an update of the progress for the completion of _Freedom_. The page count is currently 173 which is about 1/3 of the book. That actually represents more progress than it appears because I deleted the entire Battle of Chickamauga and rewrote it from scratch.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I should be able to send the finished manuscript to Scarlet before the end of next month. I haven't discussed this with Scarlet or Susan and have no idea how busy they are.


----------



## telracs

for you, i will make time.


----------



## Jeff

You're sweeter than chocolate.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> You're sweeter than chocolate.


i'm even sweeter if you give me chocolate....


----------



## Jeff

How did I know that you'd say that?


----------



## geoffthomas

I love it when people respond _before_ I nag.

I am really looking forward to another great book.
And thank you for the B'day wishes.

Life is so much easier when you share it with friends.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Happy Birthday, Geoff!










Psst: you should share some of the cake with Scarlet.


----------



## telracs

ooh, cake....


Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Happy Birthday, Geoff!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Psst: you should share some of the cake with Scarlet.


and no, geoff doesn't need to share, it's his birthday. but i wouldn't mind some of the stuff on the top...


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Waiting patiently ...


----------



## geoffthomas

You guys are terrific.
And Scarlet can have some chocolate off the top.
But we need to encourage Jeff to finish more of the book.


----------



## Jeff

Geoff, when you asked for an update in chat, I think I said 160 pages, but I misread the document. It's actually 182 pages. I was editing page 160.


----------



## geoffthomas

Woo Hoo ... progress.


----------



## Jeff

Almost half way, 249 pages.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Almost half way, 249 pages.


YAY!!!!!


----------



## geoffthomas

Terrific, Jeff.
We know that you are a talented writer and look forward to this book and more.


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> for you, i will make time.


Me too. I'm not taking on any other proofing projects (beyond the one I'm currently working on) until I get this one... Glad to hear you're making good progress!


----------



## geoffthomas

Woo Hoo - the editors are ready.
And so are us readers.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Me too. I'm not taking on any other proofing projects (beyond the one I'm currently working on) until I get this one... Glad to hear you're making good progress!


Yikes. Putting your faith in a leaky vessel like me could be a mistake, Susan. Since I posted yesterday, I rewrote the Cold Harbor chapters and the page count has gone down by one. Please don't turn down any jobs.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Yikes. Putting your faith in a leaky vessel like me could be a mistake, Susan. Since I posted yesterday, I rewrote the Cold Harbor chapters and the page count has gone down by one. Please don't turn down any jobs.



Advanced Elements Boat Repair Kit


----------



## GM Barlean

Congratulations on your book.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you. But it's really only half of one book and 1/6th of a trilogy that I'd promised to deliver last summer.


----------



## Jeff

_Freedom_ has reached 300 pages.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I'm keeping a reading spot open the end of February, she says optimistically.


----------



## Jeff

Typed *The End* last night. One more pass from top to bottom and the MS will be ready for Scarlet to rip apart.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Typed *The End* last night. One more pass from top to bottom and the MS will be ready for Scarlet to rip apart.


i don't rip....

i make constructive suggestions...


----------



## geoffthomas

And the final result is always wonderful.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> i don't rip....
> 
> i make constructive suggestions...


Ripingly constructive suggestions ... for which we are all grateful.



Jeff said:


> Typed *The End* last night. One more pass from top to bottom and the MS will be ready for Scarlet to rip apart.


What a happy surprise!!!


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> What a happy surprise!!!


The last several chapters of the draft didn't need much pruning so I was surprised myself when I came to the end.

On another subject, I have to jump through hoops to post in this thread. I mentioned it to Harvey and Betsy but they're as mystified as I am. I get this error when I try:










Anyone have an idea?


----------



## Picaquill

My kind of author.  Glad I found you.  Congratulations and thanks.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I sometimes get a similar message but mostly for KDP. It says that another site may be trying to impersonate the site I'm trying to reach. Weird.

I think my message is from Firefox.


----------



## Jeff

If anyone else would like a beta copy of _Freedom_ (Scarlet has hers), please send me a PM. I'll happily send it to you in any electronic format.

Geoff, please don't nag Scarlet.  She has a cold and won't start reading until she's feeling better.


----------



## telracs

okay, it is on my kindle.  and i am as anxious as everyone else for it, but since i want to do a good job for Jeff, i am probably not going to start reading it until the cold is all gone, hopefully by Friday.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> okay, it is on my kindle. and i am as anxious as everyone else for it, but since i want to do a good job for Jeff, i am probably not going to start reading it until the cold is all gone, hopefully by Friday.


Feel better, Scarlet! Hot apple juice for a sore throat.


----------



## geoffthomas

Granma's Chicken Soup.


----------



## Susan in VA

Good news!! Congratulations on typing The End (and all the words that went before).

Pasta or rice with sage butter, scarlet... works for me every time.

I'll try to be patient... <tap, tap>


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Congratulations on typing The End (and all the words that went before).


Thank you. It turned out to be more words than I intended (110,000 words and 538 paperback pages) but it's a lot better than the first draft. With the maps, the file's going to be too big for Smashwords so I guess it'll be an Amazon exclusive, whether opted in to their Select program or not.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you. It turned out to be more words than I intended (110,000 words and 538 paperback pages) but it's a lot better than the first draft. With the maps, the file's going to be too big for Smashwords so I guess it'll be an Amazon exclusive, whether opted in to their Select program or not.


538 pages of historical goodness. Yum.


----------



## Susan in VA

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> 538 pages of historical goodness. Yum.


Gertie, are you my twin? I had typed almost exactly those words (except with the "yum" in all caps) last night and then thought it was too frivolous to post.


----------



## Jeff

It's the frivolous posts that make life bearable.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Gertie, are you my twin? I had typed almost exactly those words (except with the "yum" in all caps) last night and then thought it was too frivolous to post.


YUM ... YUM ... YUM


----------



## telracs

we do not put YUM in captions of baby pictures.


----------



## geoffthomas




----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> we do not put YUM in captions of baby pictures.





geoffthomas said:


>


Apparently you missed mine and Susan's earlier posts.



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> 538 pages of historical goodness. Yum.





Susan in VA said:


> Gertie, are you my twin? I had typed almost exactly those words (except with the "yum" in all caps) last night and then thought it was too frivolous to post.


On the other hand, as you can see by the picture, I often suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Apparently you missed mine and Susan's earlier posts.
> 
> On the other hand, as you can see by the picture, I often suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.


No, I saw the earlier posts. but we don't put yum in pictures of babies...


----------



## geoffthomas

Ah but a caption would have been under the picture.
This was a "lead-in".


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> we do not put YUM in captions of baby pictures.


Unless we're inclined to say things such as, "Nibble, nibble, like a mouse. Who's that nibbling on my house?"


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Unless we're inclined to say things such as, "Nibble, nibble, like a mouse. Who's that nibbling on my house?"


*insert evil laugh here*


----------



## telracs

4% in...


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> 4% in...


Yay, Scarlet!

...and yay I was able to reply without the error message.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Unless we're inclined to say things such as, "Nibble, nibble, like a mouse. Who's that nibbling on my house?"


Don't worry, scarlet, that's just something grandparents say.  I'm sure all toes are still intact.


----------



## telracs

obviously you people have forgotten that at one point i was told to "step away from the baby"?


----------



## Susan in VA

I hadn't forgotten... I just thought if I brought it up you'd get mad.


----------



## Susan in VA

http://www.amazon.com/Intellectual-History-Cannibalism-Catalin-Avramescu/dp/0691133271

Just thought I'd better post this to tie the current topic in with the "historical fiction" theme of the thread. You know, just so we don't get dinged for going off topic.


----------



## telracs

4.5% in....

how's that for back on topic?



Susan in VA said:


> I hadn't forgotten... I just thought if I brought it up you'd get mad.


i was actually annoyed that no-one seemed to remember! i take my reputation seriously...


----------



## telracs

10% in...


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> 10% in...


Uh, oh, Susan. Scarlet's flying. Are you ready?


----------



## Susan in VA

Ready whenever you are!


----------



## geoffthomas

And I am ready to purchase and read when they are done.
I could try to help out again, but I am too slow.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> 10% in...


Must be another page turner!


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Must be another page turner!


nah.... i'm just a really fast reader.

and i had to take the local train in today.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> nah.... i'm just a really fast reader.
> 
> and i had to take the local train in today.


You don't always have to be the queen of mean, you know.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> You don't always have to be the queen of mean, you know.


yeah, i do actually.....

or else why would you give me chocolate....

and you guys know i'm kidding. the book is the usual wonderful Jeff book.



Spoiler



and while i LOVE being the first one to read it, i HATE that i can't mention things without spoiling it for other people.


----------



## Jeff

Keep that up and you'll need a fork lift to carry all the chocolate.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Keep that up and you'll need a fork lift to carry all the chocolate.


actually, i'm holding out for an amazon gift card....

hmm... interesting thought. can i hold the book hostage until someone pays me?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> actually, i'm holding out for an amazon gift card....
> 
> hmm... interesting thought. can i hold the book hostage until someone pays me?


This is the place where a smart guy would shut up and wait for a fan to offer, but, I've never been that smart.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> This is the place where a smart guy would shut up and wait for a fan to offer, but, I've never been that smart.


what does this mean?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> what does this mean?


It means I'll pay the ransom, silly.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> It means I'll pay the ransom, silly.


oh, okay.... small denomination non-traceable gift cards. you will be contacted with the info where to drop them. do not contact the authorities or you will never see the MS again....


----------



## geoffthomas

Where do I send the gift card and in what denomination?


----------



## Jeff

Haha. I knew I should have shut up.


----------



## telracs

i'm sitting waiting......


----------



## telracs

31%


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> oh, okay.... small denomination non-traceable gift cards. you will be contacted with the info where to drop them. do not contact the authorities or you will never see the MS again....


scarlet, I'm shocked. A mercenary in our midst.  

(I think what you should do is ask for the weight of the paperback in chocolate... gotta be at least a pound. )


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> scarlet, I'm shocked. A mercenary in our midst.
> 
> (I think what you should do is ask for the weight of the paperback in chocolate... gotta be at least a pound. )


okay, okay, just to clear the air....

the hostage taking of the MS is a JOKE. as soon as i'm done, Jeff will be getting the edits and what he does then is up to him...

so, Jeff, GT, put away your credit cards...

unless of course you REALLY wanna help me pay for my new kindle case...


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> unless of course you REALLY wanna help me pay for my new kindle case...


Of course I REALLY wanna!


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Of course I REALLY wanna!


well then, be my guest. i never turn down donations... you know where to send it...


----------



## telracs

46%


----------



## geoffthomas

wow, Scarlet you are fast.


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> wow, Scarlet you are fast.


smile when you say that....

and yes, i'm a natural speed reader. have been since the age of 7.


----------



## geoffthomas

How do you find the time to read when you are speed posting in at least two threads?


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> How do you find the time to read when you are speed posting in at least two threads?


because i'm not reading right now. i'm posting and attempting to write a broadway review.


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> and yes, i'm a natural speed reader. have been since the age of 7.


hey wait. You're not supposed to be speed-reading this MS, you're supposed to be doing the first proofreading pass.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> hey wait. You're not supposed to be speed-reading this MS, you're supposed to be doing the first proofreading pass.


believe me (and ask Jeff if you don't believe me), I am! I just naturally read fast. I don't skim, I read....


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> believe me (and ask Jeff if you don't believe me), I am! I just naturally read fast. I don't skim, I read....


So you're saying you leave two or three typos for me to find just so I feel useful?


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> So you're saying you leave two or three typos for me to find just so I feel useful?


remember, I don't do commas...
and you have to catch the stuff post my suggested changes...


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> 46%


Yay team! This one just might be in print before spring.



Susan in VA said:


> So you're saying you leave two or three typos for me to find just so I feel useful?


We're a team. I write copious amount of unpublishable text, Scarlet reads it for continuity issues, plot holes and she curbs my natural tendency to talk over everyone's heads, and then you cleanup the typos, the etymology blunders and the factual errors that Scarlet and I missed.



scarlet said:


> and you have to catch the stuff post my suggested changes...


Hey! I send you every change.


----------



## telracs

63%


----------



## telracs

86%


----------



## Jeff

Whee!


----------



## telracs

92%


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> 92%


You're killing me, Scarlet.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> You're killing me, Scarlet.


I may have to revise my estimate of the publication date.


----------



## geoffthomas

See Scarlet and Susan are fast at the editing.
It takes me a lot longer (even though I read faster than most leisure readers).
But, yeah, I am waiting.....
At least I have a couple of jems from Gertie to read.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> See Scarlet and Susan are fast at the editing.
> It takes me a lot longer (even though I read faster than most leisure readers).
> But, yeah, I am waiting.....
> At least I have a couple of jems from Gertie to read.


Always happy to be of service!


----------



## telracs

what's a "jem"?


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> what's a "jem"?


Jem Finch, Scout's brother.


----------



## telracs

i said what, not who.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well maybe I was referring to some treasure that Jem had.
Or maybe I meant Gem as in Gemstone.
we
may
never
know.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> i said what, not who.


Don't be so mean. You know how sensitive me and my duck are.


----------



## telracs

Spoiler



done.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Spoiler



than you


----------



## Susan in VA

okay Jeff, ready whenever you are.....


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> okay Jeff, ready whenever you are.....


sorry, he's still waiting on me. i haven't sent him my comments yet.


----------



## Susan in VA

Spoiler



For. 



Sorry, couldn't resist.


----------



## telracs

depends on what part of the country you're in...


----------



## Susan in VA

Yes, I suppose if you're in one of the counties with 99% non-native English speakers...


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Yes, I suppose if you're in one of the counties with 99% non-native English speakers...


i don't like you right now.


----------



## Susan in VA

There, there.

<hugs scarlet>

Have some chocolate. Lots of it.


----------



## Jeff

Haha. You girls be nice.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> There, there.
> 
> <hugs scarlet>
> 
> Have some chocolate. Lots of it.


don't want any.

Jeff, I'll e-mail you tomorrow night.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> Jeff, I'll e-mail you tomorrow night.


That's great, Scarlet.

Susan, unless I have a lot of questions for Scarlet, you should have the updated MS before next weekend.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> Haha. You girls be nice.


But it's my job to pick on scarlet!


Spoiler



Everyone else is too afraid of her.





scarlet said:


> don't want any.


Uh-oh... no _chocolate_?? are you feeling okay? <insert concerned furrowed-brow smiley here>


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> But it's my job to pick on scarlet!
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Everyone else is too afraid of her.


Me too. She's already threatened to hold my MS hostage, once.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Me too. She's already threatened to hold my MS hostage, once.


got a match?


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> got a match?


Save your campaigning for the QoM thread....


----------



## geoffthomas

Ooooooohhhhhhhh Nooooooooo!!!!!!
Please Scarlet, not the MS.
Thank Heavens we know Jeff has a copy on his computer.


Just sayin.....


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> Ooooooohhhhhhhh Nooooooooo!!!!!!
> Please Scarlet, not the MS.
> Thank Heavens we know Jeff has a copy on his computer.
> 
> Just sayin.....


hand over the chocolate and nothing gets torched.


----------



## Gertie Kindle




----------



## telracs

that pond's really gonna need to be sterilized....


----------



## Susan in VA

You don't believe in the five-second rule?


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> You don't believe in the five-second rule?


not with something that big.


----------



## Jeff

Susan, Scarlet's suggestions shouldn't take me more than a few days to incorporate. 

Thank you, Scarlet.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Susan, Scarlet's suggestions shouldn't take me more than a few days to incorporate.
> 
> Thank you, Scarlet.


i'm not done. you'll get the stuff tomorrow. promise.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> i'm not done. you'll get the stuff tomorrow. promise.


Hmm. Well, Susan - maybe not.


----------



## telracs

e-mail sent.... now the re-writes commence.  or continue...


----------



## Jeff

I'll send the edited MS to Susan - sometime before dawn.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> I'll send the edited MS to Susan - sometime before dawn.


We appreciate your dedication to duty.


----------



## Jeff

The MS is in the mail.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> The MS is in the mail.


along with the check?


----------



## Susan in VA

Got it!  

I'll be starting on it later today.  And I'll keep you posted as to my progress.


----------



## Susan in VA

Halfway.


----------



## Jeff

Hurrah! Hurrah!


----------



## Susan in VA

The good news: I'm 3/4 done.

The bad news: I've been 3/4 done since _Tuesday_, and haven't had time to sit down at the computer since.  Lots of early mornings this week, so no late nights for me, alas.

A bit more tomorrow night, and then with a little luck I can finish it on Saturday.


----------



## telracs

i was wondering what was going on....


----------



## Jeff

Don't worry about it please, Susan. This is supposed to be fun.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Don't worry about it please, Susan. This is supposed to be fun.


it is fun....

fun harassing her....


----------



## herocious

Cool bookshelf. It's so available. I appreciate the effort. Can't wait to give your stuff a try.


----------



## Susan in VA

Scarlet, if you stopped harassing me I'd think you weren't feeling well. 

Jeff, it_ is_ fun. I'm enjoying this book.

Forty pages from the end. Not sure if I can finish it tonight, though. Getting too sleepy to catch the tpyos.


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey y'all.
Today is the birthday of Francis Marion - the swamp fox.
A major player in one of Jeff's books.

Just posting trivia to let you know that I am still here....................waiting...............

Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Just posting trivia to let you know that I am still here....................waiting...............


We would never forget you, Geoff.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> We would never forget you, Geoff.


no matter how hard we try....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

scarlet said:


> no matter how hard we try....


Oh, that was really, really mean. You've got my vote.


----------



## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> Hey y'all.
> 
> Just posting trivia to let you know that I am still here....................waiting...............
> 
> Just sayin......


Thank you for your patience. 

 

...and a very special thank you to Scarlet and Susan. You should have your paperback copies of _Freedom_ by the middle of the month. _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ is too big to print.


----------



## telracs

wait, does this mean it's PUBLISHED?  how did that happen without susan announcing she was done?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> wait, does this mean it's PUBLISHED? how did that happen without susan announcing she was done?


Yes, it's published on Kindle but not in paperback yet. You'll have to ask Susan why she didn't post. I suspect she was being thoughtful and keeping the pressure off me, since my plate's a bit full right now.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Yes, it's published on Kindle but not in paperback yet. You'll have to ask Susan why she didn't post. I suspect she was being thoughtful and keeping the pressure off me, since my plate's a bit full right now.


oh, i'd never pressure YOU, I just need to harrass her!


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Ooh, you sneaky thing, you, Jeff. Got it!


----------



## geoffthomas

Got my copy.
Thanks for writing it Jeff.
And thanks to Scarlet and Susan for their hard work.


----------



## telracs

geoffthomas said:


> Got my copy.
> Thanks for writing it Jeff.
> And thanks to Scarlet and Susan for their hard work.


welcome....


----------



## Jeff

In response to a request from a gentleman who shares his surname with the protagonists of the Gone For Soldiers series, I was able to fit _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ into a 824-page paperback:



$19.95
9.2 x 7.5 x 1.9 inches, 3.8 pounds.


----------



## telracs

3.8 pounds?


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> 3.8 pounds?


What can I say? It's three very big books in one.

The gentleman who asked about it, wanted it for his great aunt. I hope she's strong.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> What can I say? It's three very big books in one.
> 
> The gentleman who asked about it, wanted it for his great aunt. I hope she's strong.


i think he should buy her a kindle.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> i think he should buy her a kindle.


How do I sign the Kindle version for him/her?


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> How do I sign the Kindle version for him/her?


picky, picky, picky.


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> picky, picky, picky.


Some people like "real" books that are signed by the author.

Oh, by the way, your signed copy of _Freedom_ should be in the mail next week.  I'll PM you when I get back from the Post Office.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> How do I sign the Kindle version for him/her?


There's a site called kindlegraph, I think, that allows you to sign the kindle version.

Just finished _Freedom_, Jeff. Great ending. Great book overall. I love the descriptions of the battles. I love the ego-clashes between the generals. I love those extra historical tidbits you put in there.

Thanks for another great read.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> There's a site called kindlegraph, I think, that allows you to sign the kindle version.


I was just jabbing at Scarlet. 



Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Just finished _Freedom_, Jeff. Great ending. Great book overall. I love the descriptions of the battles. I love the ego-clashes between the generals. I love those extra historical tidbits you put in there.
> 
> Thanks for another great read.


Thank you. I'm very happy that you liked it.


----------



## telracs

i'm getting jabbed here, poked on another thread....

that's it, i'm taking my chocolate and crawling away.


----------



## Jeff

Affectionate jabbing here.


----------



## Susan in VA

Have to say I agree with Gertie -- the ego clashes were some of the best scenes! 

Scarlet, I didn't post because I finished late at night, and then wanted to double-check some stuff in the morning -- and then when I had done _that_ I just sent it to Jeff and couldn't take time to post here because I was on my way out. Jeff gave me too much credit for being considerate, but that wasn't it at all. 

I should have at least come back here to warn people about the last scene, though. I needed several Kleenex.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Have to say I agree with Gertie -- the ego clashes were some of the best scenes!
> 
> Scarlet, I didn't post because I finished late at night, and then wanted to double-check some stuff in the morning -- and then when I had done _that_ I just sent it to Jeff and couldn't take time to post here because I was on my way out. Jeff gave me too much credit for being considerate, but that wasn't it at all.
> 
> I should have at least come back here to warn people about the last scene, though. I needed several Kleenex.


Definitely a feel good ending.

Did I miss


Spoiler



what happened to Ginger?


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Definitely a feel good ending.
> 
> Did I miss
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> what happened to Ginger?


Hmm. If she wasn't on the barge crossing the Brazos, Scarlet, Susan and I all missed it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Hmm. If she wasn't on the barge crossing the Brazos, Scarlet, Susan and I all missed it.


I remember wondering about that because I don't think you mentioned her specifically.


Spoiler



I think you said three white women which would have been Urilla, Betty and _possibly _Ginger.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Oh, and we need another book about


Spoiler



Quincy going after the Quantrill gang.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Oh, and we need another book about
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Quincy going after the Quantrill gang.


It's called _The Carpetbaggers_. It resolves Lucky Billy Van, Wyatt Earp's father's debt to Yank, Phil Sheridan's role in reconstruction, Custer's rivalry with Quincy and Paul, Grant's presidency and several other dangling threads. I haven't decided if I'll publish it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> It's called _The Carpetbaggers_. It resolves Lucky Billy Van, Wyatt Earp's father's debt to Yank, Phil Sheridan's role in reconstruction, Custer's rivalry with Quincy and Paul, Grant's presidency and several other dangling threads. I haven't decided if I'll publish it.


Don't you dare hold out on us!!!!


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> It's called _The Carpetbaggers_. It resolves Lucky Billy Van, Wyatt Earp's father's debt to Yank, Phil Sheridan's role in reconstruction, Custer's rivalry with Quincy and Paul, Grant's presidency and several other dangling threads. I haven't decided if I'll publish it.


there's chocolate if you do.....


----------



## Jeff

scarlet said:


> there's chocolate if you do.....


Okay, I'll think about it.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Pretty Please!!!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Got me my copy of FREEDOM. Sorry it took so long.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Got me my copy of FREEDOM. Sorry it took so long.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Hello, my friend. Thank you. I'm happy to see that you're still around.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Still here - working on book 20 (The last Jade Owl book) due out May-June, and on those epic WWII Pacific poetry in memory of the greatest generation (out in June-July). Just got off the Swmashwords whirlwind FREEBIE week (whipped out 500 or so). But you know, readers rock, and ours is but to assure their appetites are sated from now until the end of time (which I hope won't be this year).  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Jeff

Ed, please send me a PM when your next book's published. I get lost here, anymore, and seem to miss all the news.


----------



## Susan in VA

Ed, help us out here, don't send him your new book until he's published _The Carpetbaggers_...


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Ed, help us out here, don't send him your new book until he's published _The Carpetbaggers_...


you have learned well, grasshopper...


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> you have learned well, grasshopper...


Don't even_ think_ of signing me up for next year's QoM.


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Don't even_ think_ of signing me up for next year's QoM.


2015....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

scarlet said:


> you have learned well, grasshopper...


hat's easy, 'cause I've only finished 85,000 words of 220,000 words of it. 

The True Queen of Mean


----------



## herocious

Clear details. I could see everything happening around me, in a world that wasn't like the one around me.


----------



## Susan in VA

herocious said:


> Clear details. I could see everything happening around me


That's what struck me about this one too. More than once I could see it in my mind like a movie -- not the way you'd usually see it from what your own imagination creates, but exactly like sitting back and watching it unfold on a screen.

Parts I and II didn't have that same effect. What was different, Jeff?


Spoiler



Writing with an eye on movie rights now?


----------



## Jeff

Thank you for the comment, herocious. It sometimes gets lonely here in The Book Bazaar and a new avatar popping up is very nice to see. Please drop in again.



Susan in VA said:


> That's what struck me about this one too. More than once I could see it in my mind like a movie -- not the way you'd usually see it from what your own imagination creates, but exactly like sitting back and watching it unfold on a screen.
> 
> Parts I and II didn't have that same effect. What was different, Jeff?


In my mind's eye the events of the previous books were just as clear as they were in _Freedom_. I suspect that the difference is more about your familiarity with the subject matter than it is my writing style. Or maybe I just accidentally got it right this time.


----------



## Susan in VA

Jeff said:


> In my mind's eye the events of the previous books were just as clear as they were in _Freedom_.


Oh, they were perfectly clear, but they didn't create the sensation of _watching_ it unfold as some of the scenes in this one did.

I'm looking forward to the next one, which (I think) will bridge the gap between this trilogy and _Lonely_... right?


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> Oh, they were perfectly clear, but they didn't create the sensation of _watching_ it unfold as some of the scenes in this one did.
> 
> I'm looking forward to the next one, which (I think) will bridge the gap between this trilogy and _Lonely_... right?


_If_ I finish it, yes. 



Spoiler



I guess you picked up on the fact that Samuel's child is Link's great-grandfather.


----------



## Susan in VA

Spoiler



I was thinking grandfather... I guess I didn't count the years quite right.



People here are going to nag you until you finish it.

See, these authors who write 20 books in a series can just quit at some point and claim it's the end of the story. But since you've been jumping around in the timeline and leaving gaps of entire generations, we KNOW there's more. _You_ don't get to quit.


----------



## Jeff

Maybe after the children's books.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Maybe after the children's books.












Did that help?


----------



## geoffthomas

Oh I do hope that it doesn't take nagging to get another great book from Jeff Hepple.
You do NOT want me to start nagging.
Trust me, you don't.


Is that enough incentive......
(really want more good books, Jeff)


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


>


i second this....


----------



## Susan in VA

Now, now. Tantrums are no way to get anywhere.  <said with practiced stern-mom look>


----------



## telracs

Susan in VA said:


> Now, now. Tantrums are no way to get anywhere.  <said with practiced stern-mom look>


we don't want to get anywhere. we want to make him write the book to shut us up....


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I missed the Samuel/Linc ... link. That's why I have to have the book detailing all of that. See, Jeff, I'm not getting any younger and reading _The Carpetbaggers_ is now on my bucket list.










Is that better, Susan?


----------



## Susan in VA

Whining is only minimally better than tantrums.    

(But at least it attracts less attention in the grocery store.)


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Whining is only minimally better than tantrums.
> 
> (But at least it attracts less attention in the grocery store.)


How's begging?


----------



## geoffthomas

Now begging works, I think.
I would beg for more books (you notice I used the plural).


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> I would beg


Pretty sure that both Anna and Nancy would approve of that.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Susan in VA said:


> Pretty sure that both Anna and Nancy would approve of that.


 


Spoiler



Especially Anna. She was so like her namesake.


----------



## Susan in VA

You know what else Jeff has to write?  A concordance.    It takes me forever to remember the names of characters from earlier generations.


----------



## Jeff

A concordance? I don't think so. Maybe a family tree...


----------



## Susan in VA

That would be almost as good...


----------



## Jeff

I'll put it on my list of things to do. 

Edited to add: Margaret asked for a Gone For Soldiers family tree some time ago and I did one for her. Let me see if I can find that. If I can I'll post it here or on the web site.


----------



## telracs

guess what came in the mail today?



Spoiler



and why does susan get an "especially"?


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, I finished the book.
Actually a couple of days ago, but I wanted to collect my thoughts.
Incredible - as usual.
The maps nicely complement the narrative, especially on the Fire (used both the Fire and the K2 when reading this book).
I always appreciate the notes about what things are taken from recorded material and what things are "novel".
And Jeff's writing is so easy to read - what some people refer to as a page-turner (at least for me).
So now we all go into wait-mode - there are at least 3-4 unfinished books started here.

Just sayin......


----------



## Gertie Kindle

geoffthomas said:


> Ok, I finished the book.
> Actually a couple of days ago, but I wanted to collect my thoughts.
> Incredible - as usual.
> The maps nicely complement the narrative, especially on the Fire (used both the Fire and the K2 when reading this book).
> I always appreciate the notes about what things are taken from recorded material and what things are "novel".
> And Jeff's writing is so easy to read - what some people refer to as a page-turner (at least for me).
> So now we all go into wait-mode - there are at least 3-4 unfinished books started here.
> 
> Just sayin......


Ditto!

Jeff doesn't write short books, and it amazes me every time how quickly I read through them.

For those of you who haven't picked up _Lonely is the Soldier_, the prequel to The Treasure of LaMalinche, it is *free *today and tomorrow.



Jeff would tell you himself, but he's been pretty sick the last few days.


----------



## Susan in VA

scarlet said:


> guess what came in the mail today?


I got mine on Thursday also. (I wasn't online until today, though.) Thanks!


----------



## Jeff

Sorry to have been absent so long. I have some, as yet, unidentified virus that first caused pleurisy and then a measles-like rash and finally pericarditis that knocked my heart out of sinus rhythm. The bottom line being that I've been in and out of the hospital several times and feeling too bad to post.

I promise to consider completing _The Carpetbaggers_ as soon as I recover from all this.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Sorry to have been absent so long. I have some, as yet, unidentified virus that first caused pleurisy and then a measles-like rash and finally pericarditis that knocked my heart out of sinus rhythm. The bottom line being that I've been in and out of the hospital several times and feeling too bad to post.
> 
> I promise to consider completing _The Carpetbaggers_ as soon as I recover from all this.


We'll wait, Jeff. Nothing is more important than your health.


----------



## geoffthomas

Absolutely.
We want you to healthy and enjoying your family.
If you feel good enough to add writing books again, then so much the better.
But we (well ME) just want you to be healthy and feeling good.




Just sayin......


----------



## Jeff

Greetings, we few, we happy few we band of old-timers... A thread in the writer's ghetto about the value of the Book Bazaar has prompted me to bump this.

Nothing exciting to announce, I fear. The WIP _Carpetbaggers_ and _Under The Apple Tree_ have both grown by a few thousand words. Both are outlined to be 800 page tomes so it'll be at least a year before either might be finished. A friend, who doubts my longevity, has been urging me to chop them into a series of smaller books similar to Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series. Although Cornwell has successfully published those books in a non-chronological order, I'm not sure about it. Thoughts anyone?

There's another thread here in the Bazaar for my illustrated children's books. I don't think I'll bump that. In fact, I'm thinking about un-publishing the Kindle versions. Although the illustrations look pretty good on the Fire, the reading experience with a child is much better with paper books. Comments?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

It may depend on how used to devices vs paper books the child is.


Betsy


----------



## Jeff

In my (admittedly) limited experience, keeping little fingers off the screen is a big distraction. "Can we play <fill in the name of the game> now, Da?"


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

There is that.

Betsy


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Doubts your longevity? This is a _friend_?

In my experience, recovering from a near death experience gives you a new lease on life. Therefore, this friend predicts another ten years at least and even more books, linking up to Col. Link. Give yourself a break to get back on track and take the pressure off for now.

What would be the purpose of unpublishing anything? If you have the kindle book available, it's another way to find the paperback.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Friend. Your advice is always welcome.


----------



## Susan in VA

Another vote against chopping up the books.  Just write faster.    

As for the children's books, I saw them first on Kindle for PC, and it seems to me that that's ideal for reading with a kid on your lap.  No Fire to hold on to means you have your hands free for the kid, and the bigger screen shows off the detail of the artwork.  (Although I'd agree that screens of any kind shouldn't replace books for kids, but just be one of several alternatives.  But that's a whole 'nother discussion.)


----------



## Jeff

You have to help with the WW-II book, Susan. 

To me, there's something comforting about sharing a paper book with a child. Maybe that's because of my age.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> You have to help with the WW-II book, Susan.
> 
> To me, there's something comforting about sharing a paper book with a child. Maybe that's because of my age.


My GD loves reading on the phone or the kindle.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> My GD loves reading on the phone or the kindle.


Okay, okay; you win, Margaret. I won't un-publish the kid's books. But, as you well know, I've only sold a few dozen copies. One copy of _The Three Little Pigs_ was returned for a refund after a couple of days. Unless the reader was upset that the pigs didn't cook and eat the wolf, the return has to be related to an e-reader issue. To borrow from Geoff - just sayin...


----------



## telracs

1. do not unpublish the children's stuff.
2. write as fast as you can.
3.  save stuff in multiple places and let someone you trust know where the WIP is stored so it can be published in case of emergency.
4. live  a LONG time!


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey pal,
Just keep on being our friend.
period.
Thank you.
period.
Whenever you produce more books, I want to read them.
period.
On your time schedule.
Sure I want more - lots more than even two really big books.
But only if you want to write them and when you get around to it.
'cause I care more about you than my own desire to read more.
However.............
If you do manage to write stuff I will be one of the first to cheer about it.



Just sayin........


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Scarlet. All my manuscripts are on Microsoft's Sky Drive and several people have access.

Thank you, Geoff. You're a good friend.


----------



## Jeff

_Antebellum_ is free today and tomorrow.



Here's the book pitch:

The American Army officers that served together in the Mexican War must now take sides in the growing issue of secession. Beginning immediately after "Home of the Brave", "Antebellum" follows the lives of the Van Buskirk family as they interweave with those of Abraham Lincoln, Winfield Scott, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman and John Buford.

This is a continuation of the Gone For Soldiers series and the first book in a Civil War trilogy called Johnny Comes Marching Home.


----------



## telracs

am i allowed to post here?


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> am i allowed to post here?


Of course. Why not?


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Of course. Why not?


please?


----------



## Jeff

Hahaha.

I'm running just as fast as I can.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Hahaha.
> 
> I'm running just as fast as I can.


stop running and start typing!


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> stop running and start typing!


I am, I am. In between kid's books illustrations, while the images are being rendered, I write fiction. The fact is that the children's books are completed quickly, but the novels progress very slowly.


----------



## Jeff

Free September 27th and 28th
​ Divided by loyalty to the King of England and the idea of democracy, the Van Buskirk family struggles from the Boston Tea Party to the Battle of Yorktown to preserve a way of life or forge a new nation.
This novel includes descriptions of major battles, transcriptions of letters from George Washington, John Adams, Benedict Arnold and many other prominent figures of the American Revolution as well as important documents such as the Declaration of Independence and articles by Thomas Paine.


----------



## telracs

*pout*  and here i was hoping it was gonna be an announcement of a new book.


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> *pout* and here i was hoping it was gonna be an announcement of a new book.


You'll have to settle for a new picture book for kids. I'm retired from writing historicals. They take too much time and energy.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> You'll have to settle for a new picture book for kids. I'm retired from writing historicals. They take too much time and energy.


i refuse to settle.


----------



## Jeff

*Free today, October 18, and tomorrow October 19.*

​
The ordinary life of college professor Margaret de Vega is forever changed when she discovers the six hundred year old memoirs of La Malinche containing the secret to finding the lost treasure of Montezuma. With the aid of retired Special Forces Colonel R.A. Lincoln, Doctor de Vega undertakes her treasure hunt along a rapidly deteriorating United States - Mexican border.


----------



## Jeff

Free today and tomorrow (November 24-25).

The Angel of 1776

A Christmas Novella​
​
In 1776, between Christmas and New Year's Day, the continually retreating, seemingly defeated Continental Army of the fledgling United States of America went on the attack and changed the course of history.

Was the army's sudden reversal of fortune purely a product of General George Washington's brilliance, or did Washington get some divine assistance?


----------



## Jeff

​
_Guinevere and Arthur_ is the first book in an illustrated trilogy that's based upon the legend of King Arthur. The King Arthur project is a bridge between my historical fiction and children's picture books. Each King Arthur book is a full length novel with pictures of most major scenes. The subject matter of all three books is adult and not intended for a juvenile audience.

The story of _Guinevere and Arthur_ begins with the rape by deception of the Duchess Igraine by King Uther and ends with Arthur's discovery of Guinevere and Lancelot's adulterous affair.

65,000 words with 380 illustrations.

The next book is planned for a mid-summer release and the third by Christmas.

Forgot - _Gone for a Soldier_ is free today and tomorrow.

​


----------



## Gertie Kindle

I bought Guinevere and Arthur this morning, Jeff. The illustrations are gorgeous on the Fire.


----------



## Jeff

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I bought Guinevere and Arthur this morning, Jeff. The illustrations are gorgeous on the Fire.


Thanks, Gertie. Sales are very slow. I'm actually not sure that there's ever going to be a market for full-length illustrated novels, but I wanted to try. A few years ago a 400 page book with full-color illustrations on nearly every page would have been cost prohibitive. Now, a penny a page. After 4 years I'm still enamored with the Kindle technology.


----------



## telracs

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I bought Guinevere and Arthur this morning, Jeff. The illustrations are gorgeous on the Fire.


they're pretty nice on my DX also...


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> they're pretty nice on my DX also...


Oh, that's good to know. Thanks. I don't have a DX and forgot that you do.


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> Oh, that's good to know. Thanks. I don't have a DX and forgot that you do.


haven't looked at it on the PW yet....

oh, and i like the detail of having the names of ales for sale in the tavern...


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> haven't looked at it on the PW yet....
> 
> oh, and i like the detail of having the names of ales for sale in the tavern...


I previewed it on the PW emulator, but I'd be glad to know how it looks on the real thing.

Are you up to the tavern already?


----------



## telracs

Jeff said:


> I previewed it on the PW emulator, but I'd be glad to know how it looks on the real thing.
> 
> Are you up to the tavern already?


i'm past the tavern.


Spoiler



uther's dead


----------



## Jeff

telracs said:


> i'm past the tavern.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> uther's dead


I'm only on the 26th illustration and the 10,000th word of the next book. Clearly I'm going to have to work faster.


----------



## geoffthomas

Nice book, Jeff.
I am reading it on my Fire.
But I also downloaded it on my K2.
The pics are nice even on that resolution.

just sayin.....


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Geoff. Hope you enjoy it.


----------



## Jeff

Free today and tomorrow







​


----------



## 911jason

Lonely is the Soldier is an EXCELLENT book! Highly recommended to anyone who hasn't read it yet...


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, Jason. I've missed seeing you here and on FB.

_Lonely is the Soldier_ was my best seller for a long time, but it's been my worst lately. I'm hoping that giving it away will raise the visibility. It's currently #6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War and #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical. I don't know how long that will last after it costs $4.00 again.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

911jason said:


> Lonely is the Soldier is an EXCELLENT book! Highly recommended to anyone who hasn't read it yet...


+1

It's my fave of Jeff's with the two Treasure books coming in a very close second.


----------



## Jeff

Thanks, Gertie. It's my favorite too. I'm glad it has some new readers.


----------



## 911jason

I tried to get back into KB last year and for some reason I just can't get into it. No clue as to why, though... I still check periodically for activity on threads I have posted on. I'm still on FB a ton though! 

I hope your Lonely offer helps with the sales!


----------



## Jeff

911jason said:


> I'm still on FB a ton though!


Yeah, I just looked and you're as busy as ever, but only if I click on your name. Otherwise I only see an occasional post from you. I thought the baby must have you distracted, but I must have something set wrong. Bah.


----------



## Susan in VA

911jason said:


> Lonely is the Soldier is an EXCELLENT book! Highly recommended to anyone who hasn't read it yet...


Agreed! I think it's the best one too.


Spoiler



Still waiting for the sequel, though.


----------



## Jeff

Susan in VA said:


> ...Still waiting for the sequel, though.


It's great to see you here, Susan. I miss your regular contributions to KBoards.

_The Treasure of La Malinche_, in two volumes is actually a sequel to _Lonely is the Soldier_, but I may write a sequel to those two books some day. I promised Scarlet that I'd finish _Carpetbaggers_, the sequel to the _Johnny Comes Marching Home_ trilogy, after the King Arthur trilogy.


----------



## geoffthomas

Well all that is good news, Jeff.
I will be waiting for all of those volumes.
I am excited. 

just sayin................


----------



## Jeff

​
*The 5th Century revisited through 21st Century eyes. - The legend of King Arthur comes alive in two illustrated books. The first book, King Arthur: Guinevere and Arthur begins with the rape by deception of Igraine, Arthur's mother, and carries us on a rough and tumble adventure to the deception of Arthur himself by his adulterous wife, Guinevere. The second book, King Arthur: Camelot, begins with Arthur's conquest of Rome, and carries us on Lancelot's quest to overcome his obsession with Guinevere.

These illustrated novels are written for grownups, not for children. The content deals with murder, incest, rape and war.*

Both King Arthur books are currently in the Kindle top 100 for their genre (28 and 7). I'm not sure if I'll write the third book. I may have to resort to self-flagellation to make me finish _Carpetbaggers_.


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Awesome, Jeff! Congratulations. Picking up my copy now.


----------



## Jeff

Thank you, Gertie.


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## Gertie Kindle

It's so nice to have a Fire so I can see the color illustrations.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Got me both - a fistful of Camelot for my Kindle Fire HD, Spectacular.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Jeff

Thank you, Ed. I hope you can find time to read them.


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## Gertie Kindle

Jeff said:


> Thank you, Ed. I hope you can find time to read them.


I read the first one as soon as I got it. I think I'll begin the sequel for my pre-nap reading this afternoon. My Fire should be charged up by then.


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## Jeff

Number 4 and 5 right now.


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## Gertie Kindle

Huge Congrats!


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## geoffthomas

Well deserved!
I liked both of them.


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## Jeff

I've written and/or illustrated about 50 books of various length since joining KB when the Kindle was new. If anyone's interested, the historical novels are at the top of this thread and the children's books are here.


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## Jeff

*Gone For a Soldier*

A story of the birth of the United States.

804 Pages

Free today.​
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > United States


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## geoffthomas

I hope lots of new readers took advantage of this.
A great read.


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## Jeff

geoffthomas said:


> I hope lots of new readers took advantage of this.
> A great read.


Thanks, Geoff.

The last time I offered _Gone For a Soldier_ free there were over 5,000 downloads. This time it looks it'll be half that many. Lots more choices, I guess.


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