Started edit No 5 of SS Assassins, the No 12 Sgt, Dunn Novel. Hope to publish by the end of August!
Monday, August 19, 2019
Monday, August 5, 2019
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
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.
Thursday, July 4, 2019
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!
Description
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.
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?
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
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?
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
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.
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.
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