"One of the best
parts of my job is the research. It's what stokes the creative
flames." - Vince Flynn
Vanguard
An
Interactive Action-Adventure Novel
Available
FOR FREE on November 26, 2010
November
25th, 2010
Happy
Thanksgiving!
There's just one pesky bug stopping me from
officially completing Vanguard and just a couple of little details I
need to attend to. Hopefully I can wrap it up today during our
visit to Mom's house for Thanksgiving but definitely by tomorrow.
At 45 rooms with an exotic locale, an exciting
mission and a fulfilling ending Vanguard is an interactive fiction
thriller I just know all our troops will enjoy.
And, yes, that goes for everyone who's ever
purchased one of my interactive fiction novels over the years.
This is my way of showing my thanks and gratitude
for all I have by giving something to all the people who make my
freedom and livelihood possible.
October 20,
2010
Kicking around the promotional possibilities of
Vanguard I was struck with the inspiration of giving and gratitude.
With a scheduled release date of November 26th -- right on time for
Thanksgiving and the kick off of the holiday season -- I've decided
to spread some holiday cheer and show how truly thankful I am for
our solders this Thanksgiving.
What kind of cheer?
Vanguard will be available as a 100% free
interactive fiction book to ALL active and retired members of the US
Military! What inspired me to be so generous? Conducting extensive
research for Vanguard I've learned a lot more about what our
soldiers and sailors live through while deployed. The
sacrifices they make every day go far beyond risking their lives;
the sacrifice precious experiences we civilians can scarcely
imagine...
-
How would you feel if you couldn't be by your
wife's side as she gives birth to your first child because you
were toting your rifle down a dusty road 7,000 miles away?
-
After years of fighting a war in a far off
foreign land, your wife can't take any more and caves in; she
has an affair or, perhaps even worse, files for divorce and
mails you the divorce papers. That wouldn't be a pleasant
mail call, would it?
-
The creature comforts all of us take for
granted every day are in very short supply to the deployed
soldier and sailor. I ship out boxes of books every year
as we support the
Books
for Soldiers program. Basic items like new movies,
video games and TV shows are rare and special treats over there.
-
After the tour of duty is over and the
homecoming is celebrated, the average soldier has a very
difficult time "decompressing" and returning to a normal life.
PTSD is very real and nerve-wracking to a soldier. A trip
to the store or being stuck in traffic triggers fight-or-flight
mechanisms deeply ingrained in the soldier's mind that we can
never fully understand.
This year Malinche is giving our soldiers more
because they give us so much more.
In addition, all Malinche customers who ever
purchased any of my interactive fiction books will receive a copy of
Vanguard automatically and for free.
If you're not an active or retired member of the
military or an existing customer, Vanguard will not be available for
sale at any price.
Happy Early Holidays!
October 10,
2010
Hitting the
Books - Hard
Too often in Hollywood movies and (sadly) in
fiction books the glories of victory in war are celebrated with too
little attention paid to the price paid of winning.
As I write this, the weather outside belongs more
in April than Autumn but I'm foregoing the fall fun this afternoon
as I assimilate the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
as well as the causes.
A soldier on active duty in Afghanistan or Iraq
(or Iran, as told in Vanguard) is an effective killing machine.
But what's the price for that top-notch performance? That's what I'm
focusing on today.
When an M16-toting soldier enters a hostile
situation he's ready for anything with his finger on the trigger.
What happens when that brave warrior is rotated back home for some
much needed R&R getting reacquainted with his family and the life he
left behind? A routine visit to the supermarket for steak and beer
turns into a recon mission with the soldier scanning every aisle conducting
endless threat assessments. He can't help it; his combat senses are
irrevocably switched "on" regardless of whether he's in Kansas or
Kabul.
As a former member of the New York Army National
Guard's 42nd Infantry Division with an MOS of 11 Bravo and
trained on the M203 (that means I was an infantry grunt armed with
an M16 AND a grenade launcher) who never saw combat, I struggle to
understand what level of combat readiness my brother soldiers ascend to while deployed and what depths of hell that mastery may
descend them to when they come home.
On a lighter note I can't help but give myself a
pat on the back for not writing about a Navy SEAL
or a member of the US Army's Green Berets or Delta Force or a
properly motivated member of the US Marine Corp. It seems that
too many of today's military thrillers (in books or on film) are
written by authors or screenwriters who feel compelled to write
about a super soldier who prevails against absurdly-high odds, etc.
etc.
But what about the average grunt? Can't he be a
hero? Shouldn't he be given the opportunity to prove he's got the
guts and the gumption to be a superior squared away soldier?
Damn right he should. And that's what
Vanguard is all about.
September
24, 2010
R & D
There is so much material out there (fiction and
non-fiction) on the war on terror, the war in Iraq, the war in
Afghanistan and skirmish operations in Pakistan it's tricky to
filter out relevant information from superfluous facts. I've got the
plot formed and there's just one main character and a stream of
extremely minor non-player characters in this interactive fiction
novel.
It should be easy, right? But it isn't. The
logistics are looming. I'm having a great time doing the
research (see the quote from Vince Flynn above) but a more difficult
time transmogrifying combat facts into great combat fiction.
I will, though. Never doubt that.
TGIF!
September 7,
2010
Business Not
as Usual
First the usual - new ideas, puzzles and plot
twists are coming at me fast and furious. My research into
modern-day military practices was supposed to be practical, not
poetic. I was gunning for a realistic read and will end up
with a bonus of unexpected inspiration.
You see, every time I read about a M252 Mortar
system or a pair of NVGs (that's Night Vision Goggles for you
civilians) I'm not just absorbing some tech specs; I'm thinking of
HOW I can make a pair of NVGs integral to the story. WHERE can
the C-130 cargo plane fit in the scheme of things and which version
of the M16 rifle should you, the main character, be carrying around?
Now for the unusual.
I've always been big on causes and every year
Malinche makes donations to worthy causes like
Books for
Soldiers and Housing
Works. This year I want to try something different.
Since Vanguard is thriller fiction with a
military setting (let's call it a technothriller what with all the
gizmos you'll find in the story) I'm considering a donation
arrangement with the USO.
Back in my days in the New York Army National
Guard my first experience with the USO (and with the US Army at the
Fort Hamilton induction center) stuck with me as a very pleasant
one. I enjoyed fruit punch and cookies while waiting around
from department to department before shipping out for basic training
at Fort Benning, Georgia.
August 10,
2010
Side
Skirmishes and Fire Fights
What with the mother-in-law in town for an
extended (FOUR MONTHS!) visit, extensive summer travel and an
intricate and time-sensitive special project, I have been diverted
from fully developing Vanguard.
Not delayed, mind you. Distracted.
While I haven't sat down to do much actual
writing in my first action-adventure novel (maybe we'll reclassify
Vanguard as a technothriller - I'll get back to you on that)
recently I have not been slow on the research and back story
development.
I thought it best to change gears instead of
attempt a frontal assault.
I reached this decision on the flight down to
Miami Beach a little over a week ago.
I'd booted up my Acer Aspire 5100, fired up Boxer
and got right to work. After a quick glance over my coding
notes, I scrolled down the screens and resumed Implementing
Karacha's HQ. So far, so good. I got one room done and
formed the idea of a wicked puzzle involving a sniper when three
simultaneous distractions (wife, daughter and stewardess) forced a
hasty retreat.
I read instead. Then I watched some TV.
Now I'm back in the saddle writing at the only
time of day I know writing will actually get done -- at the crack of
dawn. 0700 in military speak. That's 7:00 am for you
civilians.
So here I am getting down to business when every
programmer's nightmare reared its ugly head -- version mismatch.
The version of Vanguard on my laptop was slightly
newer than the version on my desktop.
Except I'd done writing in both versions! DOH!
I quickly relaxed when I realized I'd written
just one line of code yesterday thanks to, once again, a hundred
different distractions that really started to piss me off.
Interestingly, here is the single line of
writing that differs between both versions:
From desktop (newer version, trying to
write while distracted):
"The steel building has three large satellite
dishes sitting on the roof." Boring, right? You can tell I was
uninspired.
From laptop (older version, writing well
JUST BEFORE interrupted and distracted):
"The steel building has three
impressive-looking satellite dishes jutting out from the triangle
roof." Much better, isn't it?
The versions are back in sync. I've started
an all-out assault on interruptions.
I am now engaging the enemy of distraction head
on. I am on a mission to see Vanguard released on November
26th.
I'll borrow the motto from the United States Army
Infantry School -- "FOLLOW ME!"
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