Hi, everyone. I’m writing this on April Fool’s Day – so the joke is that you probably thought you were going to get something useful, interesting, or worthwhile. (Well, actually, we do have a pun or two at the end – hopefully that will make it all worth your time.)
There are two pieces of writing news to mention. The first is to respond to questions from readers that asked about the outcome of the session with the University of Colorado Alumni Book Club. (The club had sent word that they were going to be discussing The YouTube Candidate in their monthly meeting in March.) I didn’t know beforehand that the book was their first discussion of a work of fiction – so that made it an especially neat meeting. Up to this point, I guess, the group had always discussed academic/factual works of history, science, psychology, astronomy, current events, etc., often written by faculty members.
Anyway, the outcome was delightful. The Zoom session we had planned on didn’t work, so the moderators collected questions from the audience and sent them to me. I answered them in a single consolidated message which was then sent to all members of the club. A few days later, I did a long telephone interview with staff members who called to gather more information regarding areas of the book that piqued the most interest at the meeting and in the written responses. A very good time was had by all.
Here is a sample of the most interesting or frequently asked questions.
Did you write this as a fairy tale or a call to arms? I’m just finishing the book and feeling the acute lack of a Matt Anderson in our country. Is he perhaps you? Dare we hope?
Answer: Re fairy tale vs call to arms. Perhaps somewhere in between. I didn’t have either of those extremes in mind when I was putting words on paper. The story is more fiction than fairy tale in that the major stepping stones it draws on along the way to inauguration are quite real and embodied in statutes or in the Constitution. Thus, they are possible in a legitimate sense although seldom called upon (only once in our history in the case of no candidate receiving an Electoral College majority). Even the strange quirks such as would allow the selection of a VP from a different party than the president are factual.
Answer: Re call to arms. What I was hoping was to write an entertaining story that would perhaps cause readers to take more interest in the real-life happenings that the story mirrors. Then, depending on the depth of the convictions that result, respond in whatever way suits them best.
Answer: Re Matt Anderson is he you? Matt Anderson is me only to the extent that with varying degrees of intensity, I agree with the policies he talks about and share his concerns with the about the divisive atmosphere in the country and what it might mean for our future. On a personal basis, I have never thought seriously of running for office. Anyway, as the Carl Haglund character in the book says, I am now “too long in the tooth” to aspire to that role. Even if I wanted the job, I would face a critical short coming … I don’t play golf. That clearly disqualifies me from major political office! 😊
Note: What I didn’t include in the answer was that after several years of being in a job that required keeping a telephone within immediate reach, there is no way I would ever again desire a position that would make me go back to that. One of the first rules of thumb that I developed as a commander was that when the phone rings at 3:30 in the morning, the voice at the other end is not calling to let you know that things are going well. Also, the notion of almost always being within range of a camera or a microphone strikes me as being a truly uncomfortable way to spend the days of your life.
Why didn’t you write down the transcript of the Presidential speech (the YouTube speech at the kitchen table)?
Answer: the contents of the speech speak to things that in different ways inspire most Americans – our quest for individual freedom, the value we place on it, our dreams for the nation, our visions for the future, the unique way we view our country, etc. Within those broad headings, though, people view the things that shape those feelings in different ways and assign them different degrees of importance. I did not want to detail a list of specific properties within those categories that might in certain areas not conform with the beliefs held in the minds some readers. Better, I thought, to provide a clothesline that readers could hang their own images on. Also, I very much wanted to set the stage and get into the story quickly. It seemed a good way of doing that was to describe the reaction to the speech rather than go into detail on the speech itself.
Did you base Matt Anderson on someone, or is he a mix of many people?
I did not base Matt on a specific person. I did have certain personality traits in mind for him and most other characters before I started writing – although some of them ‘grew’ and changed as the story developed. I was generally tuned in more to placing Matt and other characters in situations that I thought were necessary to tell the story, and then deciding how the characters might react in those circumstances.
Why did you choose to write a fiction book? Why now?
I’ve written fiction short stories, but I have always hoped to do a work of novel length. Time is not necessarily an ally for me and as I looked in the mirror each morning and saw the wrinkles and grey hair reflected back, it seemed clear that if I was going to get that done, I needed to get on with it. As it turned out, I had an extended break between writing obligations for military history books and used that time to draft The YouTube Candidate. That period coincided with the beginning run up to the recent election. I have long had an interest in this topic, but I had not really determined the subject matter beforehand. Then, as I became increasingly concerned with the divisive climate in the country and the possible implications of that for the nation’s future, it seemed an avenue worth pursuing – and it was a subject that seemed to be of interest to others as well.
Note: There also were questions along the lines of: how long did it take you to write the book? What was the publishing process like? Are you currently working on a new writing project? Etc.
The answer to the latter has been mentioned in previous newsletters. In fact, on March 29, with the assistance of one of my techie daughters, I sent back to the publisher what I devoutly hope will be the final editing of the manuscript page proofs for Taking Command. Fingers are crossed when I write this, but as of the moment, we are on track for the book to be released on June 17. That date has already been published on Amazon, so it appears that the publisher (Stackpole) has indeed locked in on that date.
And now, clearly the most important part of the newsletter: TRULY AWFUL PUNS.
The doctor gave the patient some anti-gloating crème. Now all he wants to do is rub it in.
Alcohol and calculus don’t mix. Don’t drink and derive.
/////
Take care, everyone – and have a great April.
Tom
There are two pieces of writing news to mention. The first is to respond to questions from readers that asked about the outcome of the session with the University of Colorado Alumni Book Club. (The club had sent word that they were going to be discussing The YouTube Candidate in their monthly meeting in March.) I didn’t know beforehand that the book was their first discussion of a work of fiction – so that made it an especially neat meeting. Up to this point, I guess, the group had always discussed academic/factual works of history, science, psychology, astronomy, current events, etc., often written by faculty members.
Anyway, the outcome was delightful. The Zoom session we had planned on didn’t work, so the moderators collected questions from the audience and sent them to me. I answered them in a single consolidated message which was then sent to all members of the club. A few days later, I did a long telephone interview with staff members who called to gather more information regarding areas of the book that piqued the most interest at the meeting and in the written responses. A very good time was had by all.
Here is a sample of the most interesting or frequently asked questions.
Did you write this as a fairy tale or a call to arms? I’m just finishing the book and feeling the acute lack of a Matt Anderson in our country. Is he perhaps you? Dare we hope?
Answer: Re fairy tale vs call to arms. Perhaps somewhere in between. I didn’t have either of those extremes in mind when I was putting words on paper. The story is more fiction than fairy tale in that the major stepping stones it draws on along the way to inauguration are quite real and embodied in statutes or in the Constitution. Thus, they are possible in a legitimate sense although seldom called upon (only once in our history in the case of no candidate receiving an Electoral College majority). Even the strange quirks such as would allow the selection of a VP from a different party than the president are factual.
Answer: Re call to arms. What I was hoping was to write an entertaining story that would perhaps cause readers to take more interest in the real-life happenings that the story mirrors. Then, depending on the depth of the convictions that result, respond in whatever way suits them best.
Answer: Re Matt Anderson is he you? Matt Anderson is me only to the extent that with varying degrees of intensity, I agree with the policies he talks about and share his concerns with the about the divisive atmosphere in the country and what it might mean for our future. On a personal basis, I have never thought seriously of running for office. Anyway, as the Carl Haglund character in the book says, I am now “too long in the tooth” to aspire to that role. Even if I wanted the job, I would face a critical short coming … I don’t play golf. That clearly disqualifies me from major political office! 😊
Note: What I didn’t include in the answer was that after several years of being in a job that required keeping a telephone within immediate reach, there is no way I would ever again desire a position that would make me go back to that. One of the first rules of thumb that I developed as a commander was that when the phone rings at 3:30 in the morning, the voice at the other end is not calling to let you know that things are going well. Also, the notion of almost always being within range of a camera or a microphone strikes me as being a truly uncomfortable way to spend the days of your life.
Why didn’t you write down the transcript of the Presidential speech (the YouTube speech at the kitchen table)?
Answer: the contents of the speech speak to things that in different ways inspire most Americans – our quest for individual freedom, the value we place on it, our dreams for the nation, our visions for the future, the unique way we view our country, etc. Within those broad headings, though, people view the things that shape those feelings in different ways and assign them different degrees of importance. I did not want to detail a list of specific properties within those categories that might in certain areas not conform with the beliefs held in the minds some readers. Better, I thought, to provide a clothesline that readers could hang their own images on. Also, I very much wanted to set the stage and get into the story quickly. It seemed a good way of doing that was to describe the reaction to the speech rather than go into detail on the speech itself.
Did you base Matt Anderson on someone, or is he a mix of many people?
I did not base Matt on a specific person. I did have certain personality traits in mind for him and most other characters before I started writing – although some of them ‘grew’ and changed as the story developed. I was generally tuned in more to placing Matt and other characters in situations that I thought were necessary to tell the story, and then deciding how the characters might react in those circumstances.
Why did you choose to write a fiction book? Why now?
I’ve written fiction short stories, but I have always hoped to do a work of novel length. Time is not necessarily an ally for me and as I looked in the mirror each morning and saw the wrinkles and grey hair reflected back, it seemed clear that if I was going to get that done, I needed to get on with it. As it turned out, I had an extended break between writing obligations for military history books and used that time to draft The YouTube Candidate. That period coincided with the beginning run up to the recent election. I have long had an interest in this topic, but I had not really determined the subject matter beforehand. Then, as I became increasingly concerned with the divisive climate in the country and the possible implications of that for the nation’s future, it seemed an avenue worth pursuing – and it was a subject that seemed to be of interest to others as well.
Note: There also were questions along the lines of: how long did it take you to write the book? What was the publishing process like? Are you currently working on a new writing project? Etc.
The answer to the latter has been mentioned in previous newsletters. In fact, on March 29, with the assistance of one of my techie daughters, I sent back to the publisher what I devoutly hope will be the final editing of the manuscript page proofs for Taking Command. Fingers are crossed when I write this, but as of the moment, we are on track for the book to be released on June 17. That date has already been published on Amazon, so it appears that the publisher (Stackpole) has indeed locked in on that date.
And now, clearly the most important part of the newsletter: TRULY AWFUL PUNS.
The doctor gave the patient some anti-gloating crème. Now all he wants to do is rub it in.
Alcohol and calculus don’t mix. Don’t drink and derive.
/////
Take care, everyone – and have a great April.
Tom
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