AS Most Of You KnowI have been working on my next book — and it is close to DONE! The work has been going well and I am excited to debut it — but what is it?!? Get ready, it’s a mouthful… UPDATE
SAMS Post 1889 — that’s me on the left, #94
While it looks to include some modern-traditional Scottish & Irish recipes, the book will in-part serve as a FUNdraiser for my Scottish American Military Society veterans Post. The main feature of this text is military & patriotic Scottish & American bagpipe tunes & their histories. The News about this — the UPDATE — I finished writing the tune histories Sunday night! This is a major chunk of work on this project and the accomplishment feels GREAT 🙂
I sent these histories to one of my Post-mates yesterday who is formerly a copy editor. He’ll go over my work while I keep my nose to the grindstone retouching the notation, finishing the writing in the beginning of the book, and starting to write the sales paragraphs for the back of the book. Suffice it to say — there is still some work to go, however with this latest development I Am OPTIMISTIC that this book will be completed and that I will have copies-in-hand by or before my target end-of-June release date. 😀 UPDATE
& Updates On A Few Other Things…
While I’m EXCITED to get the Post Piper book released, completing that project paves the way for me to return to re-doing my mini freE-book. My plan is for this project is to first go up on Smashwords with the possibility of following as a book &/or short recipe book on Amazon. A few weeks ago I did a second publication of my e-book on Smashwords — previously only available on Amazon. The cool thing with Smashwords is that they push your e-book to all the other e-book platforms — B&N, Kobo, Overdrive — EVERYONE! Go check it out — my e-book is currently lower-priced on Smashwords right now than it is on Amazon … or at least it was the last I checked 😉 UPDATE
Every year I look forward to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy event in Seattle. I’ve been the ‘Official Piper’ for our state’s version of this Chinese-Scottish cross-cultural dinner-show since it started in this former logging town — it’s a BLAST!
This time a year ago as I was once again preparing for the fun and frivolity of the night, I received an interesting request…. My friend, Bill MacFadden — who’s also the Seattle GHFC host — invited me to present my upcoming recipe book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“. There was just one problem ….
I hadn’t finished it yet!
My book published on Amazon this past fall — 26Oct2018 to be exact! Last year Bill offered for me to include a copy of my book with a plate of my cookies in the pot-luck dessert auction — I couldn’t do it last year so I’m doing it this year 🙂
When I thought about it though, I asked myself “How does my book tie in to this Scottish-Chinese event?!?” The answer to that is simple! In my book I feature how to make traditional Scottish Shortbread along with the history of its importance with Hogmanay (part of Scottish New Years). Also, three of my own bagpipe compositions are featured at the end of the book …
Beag air Bheag (“Little by Little” in Scots Gaelic)
Here’s a video of me playing for a Lion at the 2011 event — while the sound-quality leaves a few things to be desired, this performance is one of my biggest memories of playing the Seattle Gung Haggis Fat Choy!
I received a promotional e-copy of Affliction Z: Patient Zero (Post Apocalyptic Thriller) by L.T. Ryan shortly after it was released. Frankly, it has taken a while for me to get un-busy to where I could dive in and read it. Tonight I will be starting the last chapter and I have to say — I have been ENJOYING it!
The book begins dark, mysterious, and energetic. About a dozen Navy SEALs parachute into Nigeria to rescue a team of Army Rangers who preceded them. While they have their mission details, what they don’t have is intel on what exactly they’re getting into. Shortly after they arrive they find out they’re in the middle of a zombie outbreak!
Beyond that, I will not give spoilers.
Here’s the great thing I found about L.T. Ryan’s writing…
Book 2
Affliction Z: Patient Zero felt like reconnecting with a old friend — familiar and yet exciting discoveries from the unfamiliar interim. I would like to say that I couldn’t put this book down, but that isn’t the case. It has nothing to do with Ryan’s writing, it’s just that I’m a busy guy and binge-reading simply is not an option. To me there were attributes I found similar to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Chiefly, its pace presses forward and that resonates well with me — every time I picked up my e-reader this Affliction Z book would take off again!
Book 3
Elements I Particularly Enjoyed
The military references and other particular details seem spot on. While reading I wondered if Ryan researched these or interviewed experts to get these right.
The chapters are easily read in chunks — this is good for a person who loves to read yet doesn’t have much time.
The situation the military guys are in is palpable! For me it pops off the e-page. I feel that I’m there with them in an unclear and unpredictable situation.
I’m always looking for something new when it comes to zombies. Ryan presents possibilities I had never imagined for the character of the zombies — not just what their capabilities are and how the outbreak has occurred but also why.
The color of her eyes are … uhm …. uh… green.
L.T. Ryan has quite a few books and series of books to his credit — and after the first book out of his Affliction Z series, I want more! There are two other Affliction Z books and Ryan just released book four — titled “The Sickness of Ron Winters“. I’d like to get my hands on Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope (2013) and Affliction Z: Descended in Blood (2014) first.
