Tag Archives: HISTORY

Patriotic Piper V.01 @ The Piper’s Hut!

Pah-SKETTIE!!!

As everyone knows, the Corona pandemic has thrown everything out of wack.  Being an author, it has made for an odd time to release a book — or, as Billy Bob Shakespeare said, “To publish during a pandemic, or not to publish: that is the question.”  The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 has been in  print for just over a year, and as of today November and December 2021 have been the most exciting yet!

Normal Circumstances & One Year Ago

PSST — In addition to 50+ food and beverage recipes, this book also features 3 of my personal compositions.

Before I jump in, it helps if you understand a few things about the book-world from the business end…

I am a self-published author; to date I have three titles to my name and three new books I aim to publish Spring 2022.  As a self-published author all the work to bring a book to reality has to be done, over-seen, and/or paid-for by me.  A self-published author can work their tail-feathers off to promote a book in advance of and once published (or not).  Usually a book sees its best sales when it publishes, and over time the sales decline.

BTW — this e-book is FREE!

Due to this, I had the personal “To publish or not to publish” debate prior to releasing The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01.  Would it be better to complete and hold the publication until things ‘normalized’ … or would it be better to release it and re-work to promote it after the pandemic?  I decided that it was better to publish, have it out in the world and see what happens … and even though it hasn’t done much, I don’t regret that decision.

The Patriotic Piper, Vol. 01

Patriotic Piper Vol. I COVER FRONT
One of the first copies ordered, delivered to a piper friend.

My book could be called “unusual” — I rather the term “eclectic”.  It is the official music collection for The Scottish American Military Society (SAMS) Post 1889 Pipes & Drums — which I head up.  The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 includes 20 traditional Scottish, American, and Irish military and parotic tunes for Highland bagpipes — and tune history.  It also includes 15 Scottish and Irish recipes — and food trivia.  It’s also a fundraiser item for Post 1889.

Like I said … “eclectic”.  While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I like to think that it still offers a little something for everyone.  I can agree that this is an “unusual” book, and take that as a compliment.

The Piper’s Hut

Many bagpipe supply shops are website based.  One of these is The Piper’s Hut, located in Pickerington, Ohio.  As I see it, The Piper’s Hut has everything — great product selection, competitive prices, and outstanding service.  Obviously, they are one of my favourite bagpipe suppliers!

This past July the preeminent weekly Celtic-music video broadcast, Tartan Tunes, interviewed me about The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 on one of their weekly broadcasts.  Outside of that, it’s been hard to get any traction for my book.  During November, Jon Maffett — owner of The Piper’s Hut — expressed interest in carrying my book.  You can only imagine how thrilled I was!  Getting a bagpipe supplier — not to mention one of my favourites — to carry my book meant that it would not only get additional sales but also receive better attention by the members of the piping community.

So, of course, I ordered copies to The Piper’s Hut as fast as I could!

Last Night, This Morning, and Noon Today

Last NightGOOD NEWS — I received a photo text from a piping friend.  It showed that my book had been listed on The Piper’s Hut website.  My book had been publicized through their most recent email, advertising new products — right at the top of the email!

This MorningGOOD NEWS — I received an email from The Piper’s Hut reading that …. THEY SOLD OUT IN 18 HOURS!!!!  Yes, Jon and his wife, Michelle, can legitimately claim that they are able to sell books faster than Amazon.

Noon Today GOOD NEWS — I spoke with Jon and he requested an order of additional copies of The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01.  While these books will of course be on back-order for a short period, folks can keep ordering copies from The Piper’s Hut. And to think I was thrilled to have this book as part of Piper’s Hut inventory before …. today I am OVER THE MOON!😃

The Big Picture

Is this THAT big of a deal?  Well … maybe not.  However, in the weird pandemic-time this is among the first ‘thing’ to happen for The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01.  I’ve not personally seen copies of my book sell this fast, and if nothing else … it feels good!  My hope is that this is the first of things to come.  Heck … it’d be a kick if The Piper’s Hut sold out of today’s order before the shipment arrived — and Jon and Michelle had to order more.  So like I said before the book is out in the world … let’s see what happens!

PS …

Work on The Patriotic Piper Vol. 02 is already underway.  I have a solid concept for Vol. 03, and concepts for books 04 and 05 are still getting finalized.  Remember … you read it here FIRST!

ALSO… the e-book version of The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 is also available at SmashWords and most other major e-book retailers.

The Patriotic Piper – PUBLISHED!

The Patriotic Piper, Vol. 01 EBOOK COVERThe Patriotic Piper, Vol. I” — my first Highland bagpipe sheet music book — has PUBLISHED!!!  Since it’s launch last Sunday things have been non-stop.  I’ve spent nearly 10 hours each day promoting the book online — mostly talking with people about its contents and my approach to the work.  Positive reviews are coming in on Amazon and people are saying great things on Facebook.  The book and e-book even hit Amazon’s “#1 New Release in Military Marches“.

Here’s the short list of what’s in the first installment of
The Patriotic Piper …

  • 20 traditional Scottish American military and patriotic bagpipe compositions, arranged into 8 performance numbers
  • 15 delicious Scottish and Irish recipes
  • Numerous history and trivia writings accompanying the tunes and recipes

(Click here for a Longer Description)

Patriotic Piper Vol. I COVER FRONT
An early arrival! (Front Cover)

Various people have messaged saying that their copies are already showing up in the mail.  They tell me the book looks great, and it is even more interesting and fun than they expected.  As an author … well … that tells me I did my job!

Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 COVER BACK
(Back Cover)

Several proud new book owners claim to like my concept of accompanying the compositions with the tune histories.  Some even said that this was a deciding factor in their book purchase.  Numerous people have indicated their excitement about my inclusion of traditional Scottish and Irish recipes as the second half of the book.  Certainly, there’s something for everyone in The Patriotic Piper, Vol. 01.

The Patriotic Piper is a fundraiser item for the Scottish American Military Society Post #1889.  Not only am I a member, I also serve as an officer leading our small but stout Pipe & Drum corps.  This is the official music collection of the Post.  The monies raised by this book will assist Post 1889 with their projects.  S.A.M.S. is a national organization and is a Congressionally Chartered Veterans Service Organization, which is dedicated to the preservation of the contributions of the Scots to the American Military and Society.

The Patriotic Piper is Available Now on Amazon
Print Edition — Published 22Nov2020
E-Book — Published 05Nov2020

Find The Patriotic Piper
At GoodReads and
At Whidbey Island Baking Company

BACK TO WORK – BILL MILLIN AND D-DAY

(Re-posted from WhidbeyIslandBaking.com)
Bill Millin plays bagpipes for soldiers, 1944
Bill Millin plays his pipes for fellow soldiers in 1944.

This past summer got BUSY … and interesting!  As many of you know I had a few adventures as a professional SCUBA diver, working at various locations around western Washington.  While it was great to get back in the water and blow bubbles, it also required me to shift my priorities.  Big among those priorities was the completion of my second bookAs many of you ALSO know this project is a Highland bagpipe sheet music & tune history book I am writing as a fundraiser for a veteran’s organization I am a member of.  There are a few chunky tasks remaining before publication.  The most challenging of these is writing about Bill Millin, a bagpiper who played on D-Day.

The legend of Bill Millin is well-known in the Highland bagpipe community.  The short story that everyone knows is that “Piper Bill” went ashore on Sword Beach* — he carried no firearm, wore a kilt, played bagpipes, and never got shot by German forces because they thought he had gone insane.  While all of this is true and I already knew from lore, I have been formally researching the whole story and it is far more detailed.
(*Queen Red, the furthest east section of the invasion)

Bill Millin, Highland bagpipes, landing, Queen Red, Sword Beach.
Bill Millin with his bagpipes landing on the Queen Red section of Sword Beach.

It is an honor to be writing about this man’s role in the June 6, 1944, Normandy invasion and it is important to me that I get it right.  I have reached out for every information source I can locate.  Presently I have a considerable stack of library books on D-Day, audiobooks and e-books, media on order, one film, along with articles and interviews I’ve found online.  Something I am particularly excited about is that I have made contact with Bill Millin’s son and grandson online and they have agreed to review my work once complete.  Also, it seems that each time I stop by the library to pick up another piece of media I’ve ordered, I find and buy a D-Day or WWII book from their used book rack.  Apparently I’m building my own D-Day/WWII library $3 at a time!

The bronze life-size statue of Piper Bill Millin unveiled on 8 June 2013 at Colleville-Montgomery, near Sword, in France.

As I review these history sources I have found some problems in the information.  Generally speaking I have books written by historians and articles written by journalists.  Some of the errors I have identified due to my Highland bagpipe playing career.  Some of the errors seem to be words and concepts the previous writers did not fully understand.  The biggest problem I have been finding is historical inconsistencies.  Generally the greater collection of errors come from the journalists — these individuals tend to work at a faster pace with less study than historians.  Usually I can sift through the historical inconsistencies by applying information from military documents along with identifying the details that are consistent in history books and interviews from Bill Millin himself.

As said it is an honor to be writing about this man.  It is an honor as a bagpiper and as the grandson of WWII veterans.  My aim is to help clean up some of the history mistakes that have developed and promote the greater story of Bill Millin’s role in D-Day among my piping peers along with my non-piping readers.  I am sure that you too will be impressed by this one aspect of The Greatest Generation and the greatest invasion in the history of the world.

Books and Other Media

  • The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day by Cornelius Ryan – This is the seminal D-Day history book behind the film.  I am presently about half way through it and it is nothing short of AMAZING!  The cast-of-thousands film by Darryl F. Zanuck is really only a brief representation of the book although still well worth viewing.
  • D-Day / June 6, 1944: The Climatic Battle of WWII by Stephen E. Ambrose – To his great credit Mr. Ambrose seems to be making a good portion of his career on D-Day/WWII books, and to our benefit!  I have listened to his Pegasus Bridge book, largely built using interviews, and found it invaluable.  I am looking forward to one of his Eisenhower books along with others.
  • D-Day / The Air and Sea Invasion of Normandy in Photos by Nicholas A. Veronico – This bran-new 2019 publication may well be the best recent work on the subject.  In addition to concise writing it is packed with photos and data — not to mention a bibliography that can’t be beat.
  • D-Day by Peter Benoit, D-Day / The Invasion of Normandy 1944 by Rick Atkinson, and D-Day by Charlie Samuels – D-Day books for various age youths.  Straightforward photos and facts to introduce the next generation to the history and significance of this important day to remember.
  • D-Day / The WWII Invasion That Changed History by Deborah Hopkinson – I’m frankly disappointed by this book.  Picking it up it appears to be on-par with the work of Cornelius Ryan and Stephen Ambrose (ETC) — the book is large and thick — but that is a first impression only.  Upon closer inspection, as an author I can tell you there are a few tricks that have been used to make the book appear more impressive.  The two main tricks is that the book is not single-spaced and it is loaded with pictures; take out the photos, make it single spaced, and it is half the length at best.  This 2018 publication does not appear to present anything new on the topic and is possibly written in such a manner as to not ‘offend’ the Politically Correct (ETC) crowd &/or to spoon-feed D-Day to the delicate middle-grade blue-ribbon crowd.  The good thing I can say about the book is that it is worth it for accessing the D-Day related pictures … other than that, other books are in my opinion better information sources whereas this one is comparatively watered-down.  And for my uses … no apparent mention of Bill Millin on Sword Beach or at Pegasus Bridge.

If you would like to support my writing endeavours today, please find my book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” on Amazon, Smashwords and their affiliates4 Free Recipes are available if you would like to try before you buy.

UPDATE – My 1st Bagpipe Music Book

AS Most Of You Know I 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
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…

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies

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

ENJOY ~ Don UPDATE

Click here for my debut recipe book & e-book on Amazon or use the Smashwords widget to buy the e-book in your preferred format Right Here! 😀