Bear with me please: the next few paragraphs will eventually wander into some stuff associated with writing.
Nita and I first rented the house we have lived in since we moved to Lincoln 27 years ago. We especially liked the wonderful set of neighbors and its location – close to the hospital where Nita worked and convenient short distances from grocery store, theater, drug store, restaurants, park, and other amenities. So … when a few years later the residence came on the market, we quickly decided to buy it.
When we first moved in, tucked away in the corner of the basement was a small (9’x 11’) bare, cement-walled, concrete-floored room that had been used for storage and left unattended during the life-span of house. In the middle of the room, floor to ceiling, were several exposed pipes which disappeared among rafters that were also completely desolate and uncovered. It was a space that did not exude a lot of warmth or promise.
For the first couple of years we left it like that, rarely even venturing into it other than to occasionally deposit some item that was not going to be used very often or was earmarked for donation or discarding.
That began to change when I first started to write mostly full-time. Many of the articles that I read in preparation for doing that recommended a “writing space” – a comfortable, secluded spot with materials close at hand – a place conducive to concentration and reflective research. It occurred to me that the perhaps something could be made of that small (really less than 99 sq feet because of those pipes in the middle of the room) space with the cement walls and bare rafters.
It quickly became obvious that my carpentry skills are not world-class. (If ever you see the room, please don’t look too closely at the moldings.) But, it was actually fun to do and to see the room change and progress. The ceiling is covered, western-style wood paneling adorns two of the walls, and pseudo brick graces the wall behind the homemade desk and portions of the wall that adjoins it. Paneling also encases those nasty looking pipes. The was a strangely placed second door in the original space. There is a larger main door into that small room, so the second entrance served no purpose. I removed that door and turned the door frame into a set of shelves. The wood paneling serves as a nice backdrop for some Air Force memorabilia and framed book covers. Over the years, the room has transformed from a place largely avoided into one where I have occasionally spent so much time that Nita believes that if there was a microwave and water closet close by, I’d probably be down there all the time.
Okay, so what does any of that architectural digest stuff have to do with a monthly newsletter? It is this: I have just finished my once a decade deep cleaning of the room, discarding unneeded material – duplicates, drafts, projects for which there was seemingly no hope, etc. – rearranging things for convenience (realizing that I will probably soon forget where I put the stuff I moved). I took several large bags of stuff to recycling and donated various other things. In the midst of all that I rediscovered some fascinating things and recalled again some warm memories.
The really interesting things involved coming across items that have been mostly forgotten over the years. Like, for example, the first-ever monthly newsletter. That very first one was dated July 2011. So, this summer will mark the 14th anniversary. Give or take one or two months that I skipped for holiday or travel reasons, this month’s newsletter will be about the 163st edition. The first versions of the newsletter were indeed published in July and August, 2011. Soon after, at the suggestion of a couple of publishing companies, I began sending advance notices to address groups advising readers each time a new update was available. September was the first newsletter which went to a wider, established audience.
The format of that September newsletter was in most ways similar to that which continues to this day. The writing-specific material talked mainly about work on a project that at that time had a working title of “Forgotten Heroes.” When it was eventually published by Casemate, the title was transformed into “In the Shadows of History: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders 1776-1876.” There was no pun in that first expanded edition. There was, however, the following verse.
Three Years at Sea: Factors Influencing the Outcome of Magellan’s Voyage
The thing that made palatable the voyage of Magellan
Was that the ship had a cabin boy
Whose real name was Helen.
Wow, that’s almost as bad as the puns.
A few months later, the verse of that type that for some reason drew the most comments was
The Division of Labor at the Lone Ranger’s Campsite
With the Lone Ranger’s hemorrhoids aflame and sorely aching
Tonto chased the bad guys
While the Ranger did the baking
Over the years, there have been some things that have touched readers (and me) deeply. One of the most profound was “The Poem Code” (officially, “The Life That I Have”) and the story behind it. During World War II, British agents were assigned specific poems which were then encrypted for their missions behind enemy lines. “The Life That I Have” was assigned to a young woman named Violette Szabo who, after her husband had been killed in the war, joined a clandestine unit whose members worked with the French underground as they fought the Nazi forces that occupied the country. Violette was eventually captured whjle on a mission and later died at the Ravensbruck concentration camp. “The Life That I Have” was the poem assigned to her.
The Life That I Have
The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.
The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause.
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
A second piece that has special significance for me and, for many reasons, brought back many memories, was a small verse that I wrote regarding the events of 9/11. It was published soon after that event and in subsequent years various periodicals have sometimes reprinted it on the anniversary. The poem won the Iliad Press and National Authors Registry Grand Prize and the President’s Award for Literary Excellence. The title comes from the fact that 9/11 occurred on a Tuesday.
The Day After Tuesday
History crashed into our living room
Irreversible, mountainous, cruel.
Transgressor from a nether world
Where dark, not light, would rule.
Sixteen acres of tears remain
In avenues of shattered dreams.
Reason answers not the cries at night
Or the days of silent screams.
Shards of glass and fire and dust
Bear witness to the pain.
Testimony to the power of hate
And beauty made profane.
But voices answer from the pile
Like beacons on the martyred sky.
They speak the victory of hope and love
And of spirit that will not die.
Resurrected through tears and fire
Indomitable, magnificent, strong.
Certain as tomorrow’s sunrise
Right will triumph over wrong.
So, please pardon the walk down memory lane. It has been quite a journey since the phone rang one morning nearly 14 years ago and a high school classmate I hadn’t talked with or heard from for years said “Hi, Tom. This is Carl Knopf. You need a website.” Carl had come across one of my books somewhere and tracked me down. He was right. I did need a website. He wanted to build one for me. He did that with, at his insistence, a handshake agreement that he would get the first copy of every new book. Carl did that for several years until his health began to fail. For a time, the website occasionally showed the effects of his increasing infirmity, but I felt so beholden to him for his kindness that there was never any thought of making a change. When Carl passed and I began looking for a webmaster to take over the site, another classmate, Louis Lawson, suggested a friend and Chamber of Commerce colleague of his in Vero Beach, Florida. I have come to think Louis’s advice to contact Maureen Nicolace (Nicolace Marketing) was the some of the best advice I have been given regarding anything associated with the writing business. In addition to her wisdom and thoughtfulness, I am especially grateful for the many improvements she has made to the site and for correcting my numerous glitches before they see the light of day. I can provide full assurance that any mistakes that may appear in the website are my doing and not hers.
After going through all of the stuff in that room, I feel like I should award medals to all of those who have persisted through many of those 163 newsletters. Special thanks to all of the readers who have so kindly shared comments regarding the site or its contents and to those who have helped in a variety of ways with many of the writing projects. Each of you deserve an extra cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.
And now, at long last, two small pieces of writing news. The miliary history book Taking Command has entered the production cycle. I should receive initial page proofs at the end of March. The company is aiming for a mid-June release. Second, there is a large book club associated with the University of Colorado that has chosen The YouTube Candidate as their book for discussion in March. If arrangements work out, I will participate from home during the last segment.
Have a great February. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training later this month.
Best always,
Tom
Nita and I first rented the house we have lived in since we moved to Lincoln 27 years ago. We especially liked the wonderful set of neighbors and its location – close to the hospital where Nita worked and convenient short distances from grocery store, theater, drug store, restaurants, park, and other amenities. So … when a few years later the residence came on the market, we quickly decided to buy it.
When we first moved in, tucked away in the corner of the basement was a small (9’x 11’) bare, cement-walled, concrete-floored room that had been used for storage and left unattended during the life-span of house. In the middle of the room, floor to ceiling, were several exposed pipes which disappeared among rafters that were also completely desolate and uncovered. It was a space that did not exude a lot of warmth or promise.
For the first couple of years we left it like that, rarely even venturing into it other than to occasionally deposit some item that was not going to be used very often or was earmarked for donation or discarding.
That began to change when I first started to write mostly full-time. Many of the articles that I read in preparation for doing that recommended a “writing space” – a comfortable, secluded spot with materials close at hand – a place conducive to concentration and reflective research. It occurred to me that the perhaps something could be made of that small (really less than 99 sq feet because of those pipes in the middle of the room) space with the cement walls and bare rafters.
It quickly became obvious that my carpentry skills are not world-class. (If ever you see the room, please don’t look too closely at the moldings.) But, it was actually fun to do and to see the room change and progress. The ceiling is covered, western-style wood paneling adorns two of the walls, and pseudo brick graces the wall behind the homemade desk and portions of the wall that adjoins it. Paneling also encases those nasty looking pipes. The was a strangely placed second door in the original space. There is a larger main door into that small room, so the second entrance served no purpose. I removed that door and turned the door frame into a set of shelves. The wood paneling serves as a nice backdrop for some Air Force memorabilia and framed book covers. Over the years, the room has transformed from a place largely avoided into one where I have occasionally spent so much time that Nita believes that if there was a microwave and water closet close by, I’d probably be down there all the time.
Okay, so what does any of that architectural digest stuff have to do with a monthly newsletter? It is this: I have just finished my once a decade deep cleaning of the room, discarding unneeded material – duplicates, drafts, projects for which there was seemingly no hope, etc. – rearranging things for convenience (realizing that I will probably soon forget where I put the stuff I moved). I took several large bags of stuff to recycling and donated various other things. In the midst of all that I rediscovered some fascinating things and recalled again some warm memories.
The really interesting things involved coming across items that have been mostly forgotten over the years. Like, for example, the first-ever monthly newsletter. That very first one was dated July 2011. So, this summer will mark the 14th anniversary. Give or take one or two months that I skipped for holiday or travel reasons, this month’s newsletter will be about the 163st edition. The first versions of the newsletter were indeed published in July and August, 2011. Soon after, at the suggestion of a couple of publishing companies, I began sending advance notices to address groups advising readers each time a new update was available. September was the first newsletter which went to a wider, established audience.
The format of that September newsletter was in most ways similar to that which continues to this day. The writing-specific material talked mainly about work on a project that at that time had a working title of “Forgotten Heroes.” When it was eventually published by Casemate, the title was transformed into “In the Shadows of History: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders 1776-1876.” There was no pun in that first expanded edition. There was, however, the following verse.
Three Years at Sea: Factors Influencing the Outcome of Magellan’s Voyage
The thing that made palatable the voyage of Magellan
Was that the ship had a cabin boy
Whose real name was Helen.
Wow, that’s almost as bad as the puns.
A few months later, the verse of that type that for some reason drew the most comments was
The Division of Labor at the Lone Ranger’s Campsite
With the Lone Ranger’s hemorrhoids aflame and sorely aching
Tonto chased the bad guys
While the Ranger did the baking
Over the years, there have been some things that have touched readers (and me) deeply. One of the most profound was “The Poem Code” (officially, “The Life That I Have”) and the story behind it. During World War II, British agents were assigned specific poems which were then encrypted for their missions behind enemy lines. “The Life That I Have” was assigned to a young woman named Violette Szabo who, after her husband had been killed in the war, joined a clandestine unit whose members worked with the French underground as they fought the Nazi forces that occupied the country. Violette was eventually captured whjle on a mission and later died at the Ravensbruck concentration camp. “The Life That I Have” was the poem assigned to her.
The Life That I Have
The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.
The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause.
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
A second piece that has special significance for me and, for many reasons, brought back many memories, was a small verse that I wrote regarding the events of 9/11. It was published soon after that event and in subsequent years various periodicals have sometimes reprinted it on the anniversary. The poem won the Iliad Press and National Authors Registry Grand Prize and the President’s Award for Literary Excellence. The title comes from the fact that 9/11 occurred on a Tuesday.
The Day After Tuesday
History crashed into our living room
Irreversible, mountainous, cruel.
Transgressor from a nether world
Where dark, not light, would rule.
Sixteen acres of tears remain
In avenues of shattered dreams.
Reason answers not the cries at night
Or the days of silent screams.
Shards of glass and fire and dust
Bear witness to the pain.
Testimony to the power of hate
And beauty made profane.
But voices answer from the pile
Like beacons on the martyred sky.
They speak the victory of hope and love
And of spirit that will not die.
Resurrected through tears and fire
Indomitable, magnificent, strong.
Certain as tomorrow’s sunrise
Right will triumph over wrong.
So, please pardon the walk down memory lane. It has been quite a journey since the phone rang one morning nearly 14 years ago and a high school classmate I hadn’t talked with or heard from for years said “Hi, Tom. This is Carl Knopf. You need a website.” Carl had come across one of my books somewhere and tracked me down. He was right. I did need a website. He wanted to build one for me. He did that with, at his insistence, a handshake agreement that he would get the first copy of every new book. Carl did that for several years until his health began to fail. For a time, the website occasionally showed the effects of his increasing infirmity, but I felt so beholden to him for his kindness that there was never any thought of making a change. When Carl passed and I began looking for a webmaster to take over the site, another classmate, Louis Lawson, suggested a friend and Chamber of Commerce colleague of his in Vero Beach, Florida. I have come to think Louis’s advice to contact Maureen Nicolace (Nicolace Marketing) was the some of the best advice I have been given regarding anything associated with the writing business. In addition to her wisdom and thoughtfulness, I am especially grateful for the many improvements she has made to the site and for correcting my numerous glitches before they see the light of day. I can provide full assurance that any mistakes that may appear in the website are my doing and not hers.
After going through all of the stuff in that room, I feel like I should award medals to all of those who have persisted through many of those 163 newsletters. Special thanks to all of the readers who have so kindly shared comments regarding the site or its contents and to those who have helped in a variety of ways with many of the writing projects. Each of you deserve an extra cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.
And now, at long last, two small pieces of writing news. The miliary history book Taking Command has entered the production cycle. I should receive initial page proofs at the end of March. The company is aiming for a mid-June release. Second, there is a large book club associated with the University of Colorado that has chosen The YouTube Candidate as their book for discussion in March. If arrangements work out, I will participate from home during the last segment.
Have a great February. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training later this month.
Best always,
Tom
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