I recently retired to open up the world to opportunity. As most members know Restless Hearts’ character names were derived from real heroes that the author knew when growing up and while in the Navy. On November 8th I held a “Thank You” dinner in my hometown in New York for families of the characters to thank them for the use of their names. They were excited about the media attention to bring them back and to the present for recognition and honor of their sacrifices. Significant to the event was that through the book a Vietnam Veteran from 47 years ago saw a niece’s remembrance on the Vietnam Virtual Wall and contacted the family to report that he was there when her uncle was killed in action. He reported to her that her uncle didn’t suffer and how loved he was by his company. Fiction became non-fiction for this time.
On November 9th I was the keynote speaker for the Annual VFW Veterans Day Banquet. I was honored to address over 200 warriors ranging from WWII to the present. The greatest gift of the night was to publicly thank the Gold Star Mother of Sergeant Andrew Brucher, U.S. Army, another fallen hero whose name was in the book. Sergeant Brucher’s brother and sister were appreciative of the recognition that their brother received and that their mother got to see her son through the story of hope and destiny.
On November 14th I traveled to Maclay Elementary as a part of the Military Officers Association (MOAA) Veterans Day program. We spoke about Veterans and their role in the history of the United States and abroad. The 3rd Graders were interested, respectful, and inquisitive of just what a military serviceman did everyday. They presented a bag full of letters to Veterans that were very patriotic. Before dismissing the class I took the opportunity to remind the students about reading and writing. I showed them Restless Hearts and spoke to how a story although fiction had an outcome that made a difference in a family’s life. I told them that their letters would make their way to a Warriors Quiet Waters Banquet that evening to be presented to them.
That evening as the keynote speaker for Warriors Quiet Waters, Southern Chapter we spoke again about service members’ sacrifices and wounds of war can be physically or emotionally. We also spoke about the high incidence of veteran suicides of 22 per day and how we can help those. Then it was time to give the Warriors the letters to show that so many care about who they are and what they did for their country.
This year Restless Hearts was awarded Silver for Military Writers Society of America 2014 for thriller/Fantasy. I will be going to the Navy Memorial Museum in Washington DC for a book signing on 12 December. Then I will be traveling to two major Navy Bases in the Norfolk, VA area. During the winter months I will be making rounds at most of the southern military bases to include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
I will be trying to break into the vendor market for the 12,000 military exchanges throughout the world. If the code is broken on that then perhaps TWA can join in the market.