Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

May 2020 bring you and your family joy and happiness!

Ronn

Remembering the Battle of the Bulge

This is 75th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge. Check out this great video on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/usabmc/videos/2504406096553639/?t=1

Pearl Harbor, December 7th

Remembering Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941

2,403 deaths

Almost 4 years of war

Veterans Day 2019

Honoring Veterans for their 

service, sacrifice, and dedication. 

Thank you!

Downton Abbey's Highclere Castle, Andover, and the Sgt. Dunn Novels

Life is filled with fun coincidences. Ever travel somewhere far from home only to meet someone who lives in the same city as you do? How could I know 15 years ago that my fictional Camp Barton Stacey would be just a few miles from Downton Abbey's Highclere Castle?

When I started researching the first Sgt. Dunn Novel, Operation Devil's Fire, I wanted to find a location for our U.S. Army Camp Barton Stacey that was not too far from London. Part of the research included finding a small city nearby and I selected Andover after examining several places. I emailed someone who lived there and received some historic background that I was able to sprinkle in the book. Camp Barton Stacey is stated as being about 2 miles northeast of Andover in the books.

Like many Americans, my wife and I are Downton Abbey fans and were excited when we learned a movie was in the making. About a month ago, we bought tickets for the opening day showing on September 20th. To celebrate our 47th anniversary (9/23 - Saunders' and Sadie's wedding date), we went to Red Lobster, had Walt's shrimp, and then went to the afternoon movie. We enjoyed it immensely.

Later that night I looked up where the Downton Abbey home is actually located. Highclere Castle, it turns out, is only about 10 miles northeast of downtown Andover. See map:

Here's the Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

Here's the Star & Garter Hotel from the Sgt. Dunn books (1939)

Here's the Star & Garter Hotel in 2011

Picture taken by my friend and FIRST READER Steve Barltrop

It's now called the Danebury Hotel.

It still has the wrought iron and Doric columns on the entrance!

Not exactly writer's block . . .

I don't really suffer from writers block, although I know a lot of writers have and do at various times. I tend to think of it more as "I'm stumped" at the moment (and yes, I recognize that this may simply be a matter of semantics). This can occur during the plotting stage of the book as well as the writing of it. This is about a plotting problem.

When I'm plotting, the problem usually comes in the basic form of "what's the big idea for the book?" An example of the "big idea" is trying to destroy the Nazis' atomic bomb lab in Operation Devil's Fire. Sometimes the stumped period can be a few minutes or several days.

I use a lot of resources (online and my continually growing library of WWII history books) to come up with the missions that Dunn and Saunders take their men on. Sometimes, I can get a couple of good ideas, but maybe not the "big" one.

Right now, I'm about 50% done plotting book 13. I have the first missions for Dunn and Saunders, and I have one that could be the "big" one. Last night, I began having doubts about it, and researched the idea, which actually seemed to make it worse. Perhaps it wouldn't work after all. 

Bummer, dude.

I mentioned the problem to my wife and we discussed it for a while. She's really good at helping me think things through. Her comments allowed me decide to let it percolate over night.

This morning, the solution presented itself to me out of nowhere while thinking about something else, not an uncommon thing to happen. This doesn't happen only to writers. Anyone who solves problems of any kind can experience this. It often happened to me when I was an IT Systems Analyst.

Now that I'm satisfied I can make the "big" idea work, all I need to do is apply logical thinking to the story and determine what happens, then what happens next, and repeat until we reach the end.

By the way, I never wait until the book is 100% plotted to start. I began writing book 13 last Sunday, the 8th. No title yet. That's almost always one of the last things we come up with.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ronn

Research for writers can be a double-edged sword

I'm working on the next Sgt. Dunn Novel, #13. While researching a river in Germany, I learned it flowed the wrong way for Dunn to use it the way I envisioned.

Boy, those facts'll get ya.

The Moselle River Valley at Trier, Germany

The new Sgt. Dunn Novel, SS Assassins, is available on Amazon!

The latest Sgt. Dunn Novel is available on Amazon!

SS Assassins

Sgt. Dunn Novel #12, SS Assassins - I just clicked the publish button!

Hi Sgt. Dunn readers!

I just clicked the publish button for SS Assassins. As soon as the book is available on Amazon, I'll post the link. You can check Amazon periodically to find it, too.

Thanks for your support.

Thanks, 

Ronn

Cover by David M. Jones and his wife, Nathalie Beloeil-Jones.

SS Assassins

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agree to meet each other on the Mediterranean Sea’s island of Sardinia. They have no idea the Nazi SS knows all about it.

Meanwhile, the 15th Air Force, based in Italy, discovers that the Germans have installed a new, high range and extremely accurate radar system in the Alps right on the flight path the bombers use on their way deep into Germany. It will provide early warning to the Luftwaffe and there are hundreds of newly installed flak cannons there as well. U.S. Army Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of lethal Rangers are tasked with destroying the radar site, which is located on a mountain peak 7,000 feet high.

Intelligence discovers that the Germans are using two Swedish flagged cargo ships to refuel and rearm their U-Boats, which are still running amok in the North Atlantic. British Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his squad are to travel to the neutral country, board the ships, and sink them. And, of course, escape.

The private conference between Roosevelt and Churchill to detail the rest of the war in Europe, where the Allies are making good progress against the Germans, is underway.

Allied Intelligence learns that a sizable German force has secretly landed on the island with orders to assassinate both the president and prime minister. Because it’s too late to move them from their thought-to-be-secret villa, Dunn and Saunders, having recently returned from their earlier missions, are suddenly cast into the role of a head of state protection detail, joining the U.S. Secret Service and Churchill’s famed bodyguards. Can the two men set up a defense at the villa in time to save the lives of the two most powerful leaders of the free western world?


In SS Assassins, book twelve of the Sgt. Dunn Novel series, Munsterman masterfully blends history with fiction and provides readers with an action-packed can’t-put-it-down paced novel. 

80 years ago today, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and started WWII in Europe . . .

. . . today, the German president apologized to Poland, in Poland.

The right thing to do, but let's not forget this:

or this:

SS Assassins - Sgt. Dunn Novel #12

Getting excited! I started the final edit (#6) today on SS Assassins. Release coming soon.

Making progress on SS Assassins, the 12th Sgt. Dunn Novel!

Started edit No 5 of SS Assassins, the No 12 Sgt, Dunn Novel. Hope to publish by the end of August!

Joys of editing

I'm working on edit #3 of the new Sgt. Dunn Novel, SS Assassins. Found a few things that were the result of the length of time it takes to write a book. You write something early in the book, and kind of "forget" you did. This can result in saying something else about the same thing.

The best one was in reference to a house. In an earlier chapter I said it was built in the 1500s. Later, I specifically state it was built 41 years ago (which of course, would be 1903). Glad I found it myself. Stayed with 1903 and fixed the early reference.

Now back to work, lad. As Saunders would say.

Sgt. Dunn Novel #12 - Title Reveal UPDATED!

Hello, again, Sgt. Dunn fans!

I finished the first edit and the newest Sgt. Dunn Novel (#12) will be on its way to my famous FIRST READERS today!

By the way, something was bothering me about the first title I revealed to you on July 2nd. So . . . my wife and I went back to work on it twenty minutes ago. Here’s the result and new title:

I'm hoping for an mid-August release.

Description

The 15th Air Force, based in Italy, discovers that the Germans have installed a new, high range and extremely accurate radar system in the Alps right on the flight path the bombers use on their way deep into Germany. It will provide early warning to the Luftwaffe and there are hundreds of newly installed flak cannons there as well. U.S. Army Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of lethal Rangers are tasked with destroying the radar site.

Meanwhile, Intelligence learns that the Germans are using two Swedish flagged cargo ships to refuel and rearm their U-Boats, which are still running amok in the North Atlantic. British Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his squad are to travel to the neutral country, board the ships, and sink them. And, of course, escape.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agree to meet for a private conference to detail the rest of the war in Europe, where the Allies are making good progress against the Germans. They select the Mediterranean island Sardinia because it’s in American hands after driving off the Germans the year before, so it should be plenty safe. Or is it?

American Intelligence confirmed that a sizable, elite German SS unit has secretly landed on the island with orders to assassinate the president and prime minister. Because it’s too late to move them from their thought-to-be-secret villa, Dunn and Saunders, having recently returned from their earlier missions, are suddenly cast into the role of a head of state protection detail, joining the U.S. Secret Service and Churchill’s famed bodyguards. Can the two men set up a defense at the villa in time to save the lives of the two most powerful leaders of the free western world?

In SS Assassins, book twelve of the Sgt. Dunn Novel series, Munsterman masterfully blends history with fiction and provides readers with an action-packed can’t-put-it-down paced novel. 

Finished the new book! Sgt. Dunn Novel #12

Happy day!

Finished the 1st draft today on America's birthday.

I wrote over 10,000 words in 4 days to get there.

Now the fun begins: editing!

Attacking 

FDR & Churchill

Description

The 15th Air Force, based in Italy, discovers that the Germans have installed a new, high range and extremely accurate radar system in the Alps right on the flight path the bombers use on their way deep into Germany. It will provide early warning to the Luftwaffe and there are hundreds of newly installed flak cannons there as well. U.S. Army Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of lethal Rangers are tasked with destroying the radar site.

Meanwhile, Intelligence learns that the Germans are using two Swedish flagged cargo ships to refuel and rearm their U-Boats, which are still running amok in the North Atlantic. British Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his squad are to travel to the neutral country, board the ships, and sink them. And, of course, escape.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agree to meet for a private conference to detail the rest of the war in Europe, where the Allies are making good progress against the Germans. They select the Mediterranean island Sardinia because it’s in American hands after driving off the Germans the year before, so it should be plenty safe. Or is it?

Intelligence confirmed that a sizable German force has secretly landed on the island with orders to kill both the president and prime minister. Because it’s too late to move them from their thought-to-be-secret villa, Dunn and Saunders, having recently returned from their earlier missions, are suddenly cast into the role of a head of state protection detail, joining the U.S. Secret Service and Churchill’s famed bodyguards. Can the two men set up a defense at the villa in time to save the lives of the two most powerful leaders of the free western world?

In Attacking FDR & Churchill, book twelve of the Sgt. Dunn Novel series, Munsterman masterfully blends history with fiction and provides readers with an action-packed can’t-put-it-down paced novel. 

Happy Fourth of July!

July 4, 1776 - July 4, 2019

Happy Birthday, America!

Sgt. Dunn Novel #12 - Title Reveal!

Hello, Sgt. Dunn fans!

I'm pleased to reveal the title and description for the new Sgt. Dunn Novel:

Attacking 

FDR & Churchill

I'm 97% done with the first draft and hope to finish it in a couple of days (July 4th!). I'll get it into the hands of our infamous FIRST READERS soon after that. 

I'm hoping for an early August release.

Description

The 15th Air Force, based in Italy, discovers that the Germans have installed a new, high range and extremely accurate radar system in the Alps right on the flight path the bombers use on their way deep into Germany. It will provide early warning to the Luftwaffe and there are hundreds of newly installed flak cannons there as well. U.S. Army Master Sergeant Tom Dunn and his squad of lethal Rangers are tasked with destroying the radar site.

Meanwhile, Intelligence learns that the Germans are using two Swedish flagged cargo ships to refuel and rearm their U-Boats, which are still running amok in the North Atlantic. British Commando Sergeant Major Malcolm Saunders and his squad are to travel to the neutral country, board the ships, and sink them. And, of course, escape.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agree to meet for a private conference to detail the rest of the war in Europe, where the Allies are making good progress against the Germans. They select the Mediterranean island Sardinia because it’s in American hands after driving off the Germans the year before, so it should be plenty safe. Or is it?

Intelligence confirmed that a sizable German force has secretly landed on the island with orders to kill both the president and prime minister. Because it’s too late to move them from their thought-to-be-secret villa, Dunn and Saunders, having recently returned from their earlier missions, are suddenly cast into the role of a head of state protection detail, joining the U.S. Secret Service and Churchill’s famed bodyguards. Can the two men set up a defense at the villa in time to save the lives of the two most powerful leaders of the free western world?

In Attacking FDR & Churchill, book twelve of the Sgt. Dunn Novel series, Munsterman masterfully blends history with fiction and provides readers with an action-packed can’t-put-it-down paced novel. 

Writing a book with complex action . . . keeping it all straight for the reader

Years ago, in the 70s, my wife and I began reading Robert Ludlum books, starting with the Bourne Identity (Matt Damon plays him in 4 great movies). His books are so complex, I always believed he used a giant chalkboard (remember this is long before personal computers!) to keep track of things. I never found out how he did it, but that idea stuck with me as I began writing.

I've been writing Sgt. Dunn novels for a while now. The first one, Operation Devil's Fire, was published in July, 2011. The second one, Behind German Lines, was published in October, 2013. All of the books have multiple complex battles. For many of the battles, I had to draw a map (on paper, not a chalkboard) showing who was where.

Since I don't want to act as a spoiler, I can't show you the maps, but believe me, they were a challenge. I use graph paper and draw them as close to scale as my limited art skills permit. I label objects like rivers, vehicles, buildings, etc., as well as identifying each soldier or group of soldiers. I show the direction they're aiming their weapons and or of travel.

Once I have the map, I set about writing the battle, which sometimes stretches across several chapters. I refer to the map as I write, to make sure that if I have soldier #1 here, I don't suddenly have him there.

The book I'm currently writing (Sgt. Dunn #12) needed a map. Man, did it need a map. By the way, I use Google Earth for those locations that are real. That way I can describe exactly how it looks. I did that for this book. I also had to use it it to find out what the actual elevation of the terrain is, which I was able to put on the map a little bit like a topographic map.

When I started writing the first chapter of this particular battle, I made it a few paragraphs and stopped. I suddenly realized that this one required extra work. For the first time ever, I bullet point plotted every move in the chapters, in a sense, choreographing the action in words. That took quite some time to complete (5 pages).

I restarted writing and it's gone very well. I pleased to report I finished the battle sequence spanning several chapters today. Whew!

Of course, later, I'll have to edit it to make sure it's as clear and precise as it can possibly be for my readers.

I hope to finish the first draft of sd12 in about a week. Be sure to check back and see my progress bar in the upper left of the blog page.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Sgt. Dunn Novel #7, Castle Breach, on sale for only 99 cents!

See the nice ad on Manybooks.net

Sgt. Dunn Novel #7, Castle Breach, on sale for only 99 cents!

Sgt. Dunn Novel #7, Castle Breach,

on sale for only 99 cents!

D-Day Commandos & a French horse called "George"

While reading BBC.News today I found this great story about the British Commandos on their way to assault the now-named Pegasus Bridge. They met a farmer with a horse named George, who was pulling a cart . . . 

D-Day Commandos & a French horse called "George"

Remembering D-Day - 6 June 1944

A turning point in the war against the Nazis: 6 June 1944. Many of the men who died were around 18 years old. May we never forget the sacrifice of so many on that day. 

Landing craft headed to the beach

Men wading ashore

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France

Watch a Remote Control model of the Horten XVIII - the German jet bomber from Operation Devil's Fire

In Sgt. Dunn Novel #1, Operation Devil's Fire, part of the story is about the Germans building a jet bomber that can reach the United States.

Someone made a flying model using the Horten brothers' plans!

Take a look and enjoy.

Remote Control Horten XVIII in flight

Memorial Day - giving thanks

I'm so thankful to those who've given their all. Their sacrifice enables us individually and as a nation to survive and thrive. Please take a moment to remember them.

Arlington National Cemetery

Memorial Day 2019

A great article about a WWII veteran who passed away, Charlie Nease.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/opinions/world-war-two-veteran-said-he-didnt-do-anything-kirby/index.html

Please take a moment to reflect on the lives of those who died for us.

Uncle Amos - Silver Star Recipient WWII

My mom, Olga, grew up on a 240 acre farm near Stover, Missouri. She had 3 sisters and 5 brothers. She was the next to the youngest, born in 1920. I felt closest to my two uncles Amos and Norman. Because my mom was not married, these two men were my father role models. Both were kind and loving. Norman was born in 1922 and passed away on November 17, 2010 at 88. Amos was born October 15, 1918 and passed away on July 27, 2011, at 92, the last of his brothers and sisters.

When my son, Nate, was in college, we drove down to Kansas City to watch a couple of weekend Royals games. We visited Uncle Amos the afternoon before the Saturday night game (Red sox, I believe).

As we got caught up with each other's lives, Uncle Amos suddenly started telling us some stories about his time in WWII. Caught by surprise, we managed to both listen intently. First he mentioned boot camp and training (in tank destroyers) in the south. He and his company were to board a ship in New Orleans in 1944 and travel to Europe. For some unknown reason they weren't able to board the ship and it sailed with out them. They later learned that the transport they were supposed to be on was sunk by a German submarine!

Arriving in Europe, his company ended up near Bastogne in December. They were assigned a hill location overlooking Bastogne and the area around it. He remarked on the bitter cold and how his feet always felt cold in the winter in later years.

He then told the following story:

He and his men were gathered around the vehicles for breakfast early one morning. He wasn't clear, but I thought this took place after the Battle of the Bulge. They were on a hill and he, being a fidgety sort, was up and walking around. Suddenly he spotted explosions and plumes of smoke out in the valley below them. The explosions were "walking" across the valley right toward them!

Reacting fast, he yelled for the men to get to cover and pushed and pulled a couple of men to safety just as a German round exploded right where they had all been sitting. One man was killed, but the others, including Amos, survived. Amos suffered a minor wound to the elbow from shrapnel as he was diving behind the vehicle. This story is related in book 5, Capture, in Chapter 7 with Clarence Waters portraying the hero.

We were, of course, amazed by the story. Fast forward a few years.

When Uncle Norman passed away, we drove to Stover for his funeral. Afterwards, Nate and I were talking to Norman's 3 grandsons, my second cousins. They had a box of Norman's army stuff (post WWII, and also Amos's). They showed us the citation for Uncle Amos's Silver Star. It was for the story he'd told us! Of course, when he told us the story, he left out the fact that he'd earned the Silver Star. This, I believe, is a common occurrence by men who have performed bravely; the need to remain humble and not "brag" about their wartime experiences.

I tried to get the citation online, but it's not available, so I'll have to contact my cousin.

Here's the link to the site showing some information about the award:

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/131116

Here's a screen grab:

Here's a couple of M-10 Tank Destroyers

Thanks for stopping by today.

Looking for a good WWII movie?

We recently watched Castles in the Sky on Amazon Prime. 5-stars for us. Story of Robert Watson-Watt and his team in the mid to late 1930s who developed RADAR for Britain's air defense. Funny, maddening, brilliant.

IMDB info

Leaving your dog alone with a new dog pillow . . .

Last summer, we bought our dog, Lila, 



a new doggy pillow. 

Lila loved the pillow.

We went outside to do yard work.

Lila played with her new pillow.

We came back in the house. 

Lila's dog pillow gave birth to a million Tribbles (Star Trek).



Lila lays on the couch now.



We love you, Lila.

Note: Lila is the namesake of little Marie's dog in Brutal Enemy.

New Sgt. Dunn Photo Gallery finished

The new Sgt. Dunn Photo Gallery for books 7 - 11 is complete. Have some fun and check out the photos of people, places, and things, as well as a few maps from the books. You can find a gallery for books 1 - 6 on Pinterest.

The Sgt. Dunn Photo Gallery

You may have visited my Sgt. Dunn Pinterest photo gallery, which for the moment is still there for books 1 - 6. I have been adding photos to a new Gallery on my website. Books 7 - 9 are on the website. I will eventually move all photos there so they're all is in one spot.

You'll find pictures of people, places, and things that appear in the books.

Gardens and flowers - Part 2

Here are a few more pictures taken at the beautiful Quad Cities Botanical Gardens located in Rock Island, Illinois. Today's group of pictures is of some gorgeous "glass art" and a few living creatures we found on the Gardens' grounds.

Click a picture to enlarge it.

Bumblebee

Fish

Little Bunny Foo-foo

Possibly a Monarch Butterfly - got lucky on a true "snap-shot"

"What are we doing sitting here, dude?"

---

Glass art