Outskirts Press Presents LtCol Ted Blickwedel, author of “BREAKING PROMISES”

Author LtCol Ted Blickwedel is taking his latest book, BREAKING PROMISES on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home.

Luckily for us, LtCol Ted Blickwedel was kind enough to answer a few questions as the tour was getting started so that we can give you a sneak peek into the mind of the creator of BREAKING PROMISES.

Join LtCol Ted Blickwedel as he discusses BREAKING PROMISES in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about BREAKING PROMISES.  What is it about?

LtCol Ted:  My whistleblower crusade to expose the callous and dispassionate leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) whose unethical clinical performance policies sacrificed and diminished quality mental health care and counselor welfare for the sake of numbers in the VA VET Center Program.  It also describes the toxic, malicious and deceptive whistleblower retaliation tactics inflicted on me by VA officials designed to silence me from ‘speaking truth to power,’ and reveals the horrific impact these retributions had on me, family members, clients and counselors.

It also chronicles how my courageous campaign led to a federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation that substantiated my allegations, which resulted in legislation being passed and signed into law by the U.S. Congress that ensures VA management is accountable for protecting the quality of care for our veterans and their families, as well as safeguarding the well-being and morale of counselors who provide services to them at over 300 VET Centers nationwide.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

LtCol Ted: To raise awareness about the abuse and misconduct perpetuated by VA officials and their detrimental policies which have compromised quality mental health care for veterans and harmed the welfare of the counselors who serve them.    

It was further written to inspire politicians, the news media, VA clinicians, veterans, whistleblowers, and the general public to take corrective action to make sure that the VA complies with the Congressional Legislation which is now law, so that this injustice is rectified and does not continue with impunity.

OP: How did you get your book published? 

LtCol Ted: Through Outskirts Press, Inc. 

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

LtCol Ted: Veterans, Counselors/Therapists, VA employees, Department of Defense Employees, Whistleblowers, Whistleblower Attorneys, News Reporters, Bloggers, Politicians, and anyone who cares about the mental health and welfare of our nation’s veterans and those who care for them.   

OP: What is special about your book?  

LtCol Ted:  It poignantly and passionately expresses the harmful impact of the VA’s unethical policies on veteran quality care and counselor well-being, as well as uncover the toxic and malicious retaliation tactics used by VA management in their attempts to silence me and others for addressing the issues I raised.

It further reveals the overwhelming support and opinions of veterans and counselors that validate the compromised veteran quality care and damaged counselor welfare claims at the VA, and the need for this to be resolved. 

The book also exposes VA officials by name, which is rare, who are specifically accountable for implementing the harmful clinical performance standards and the unwarranted reprisals against me and others who ‘spoke truth to power.’         

‘Broken Promises’ provides very moving reviews from prominent persons that are disturbing, which compels people to want action taken to correct this injustice for our veterans and those who care for them so they receive the proper treatment they deserve.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

LtCol Ted: My character and credibility that is substantiated by local and national news coverage, as well as through pollical action and support in Washington, DC which led to a federal GAO investigation and U.S. Congressional Legislation that became law, which supported my allegations and held VA leadership responsible to restore and maintain veteran quality care and counselor welfare in the VA VET Center program. 

Additionally, ‘Broken Promises’  inspires hope that ‘David can beat Goliath’ when taking on the federal government and winning, while empowering whistleblowers through providing the most effective tactics to enhance success in similar advocacy endeavors which can result in the most favorable outcome possible.   

OP: Have you published any other books, and do you plan to publish more?

LtCol Ted: I have not published any other books, and I have not yet decided if I will publish more. 

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

LtCol Ted: The book description, video trailer, and purchase options are available at www.VAbreakingpromises.com 

More information can also be obtained on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and https://outskirtspress.com/brokenpromisested.

OP: Thanks for your time, LtCol Ted! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted Blickwedel, a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and combat veteran, became a licensed clinical social worker after retiring from the military. He worked as a counselor at the VA VET Center in Warwick, Rhode Island, where, in 2017, he began to “speak truth to power” in an effort to have management revise clinical productivity policies that were harmful to counselors and compromising quality care for veterans. Blickwedel’s crusade has been featured on NBC and NPR, to include the Military Times, other publications, and local news broadcasts.

For more information:
www.VAbreakingpromises.com
TED.BLICKWEDEL2@GMAIL.COM


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Outskirts Press Interviews Personne, author of “Traitor Comet”

Author Personne is taking her latest book, Traitor Comet on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Personne and Traitor Comet    as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about Traitor Comet.  What is it about?

Personne:  The first in a 4-book series on the lives and friendship of avant-garde writers Antonin Artaud and Robert Desnos, who both endured the Holocaust. Traitor Comet takes place in 1926. The novel series will follow their lives.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Personne:  I never set out to write this novel—I set out to write a sci-fi novel about a nonhuman creature who acquired human speech and finds how words are limiting. But it went nowhere. Then I discovered the works of Antonin Artaud, who explored the limitations of speech and traced the evolution of his thought from its vague impression toward the creation of a “form” in which to contain thought, and was frustrated by how forms of thought (poetry, essay, biography, etc.) never precisely expressed what he really wanted to say. Artaud’s poetry and his ”crisis of language” spoke to me.

At some point, I realized Artaud’s concerns—and his tragic life—had taken over my novel and invigorated it. And because his life and sad fate was so inextricably entwined with the poetry and heroic actions of Robert Desnos, I weaved the story of Desnos—jocular, hard-drinking, romantic, and brave—into this novel as well.

So, the novel series, of which Traitor Comet is the first novel, is sort of a “hybrid,” like cultivated wheat or corn, or perhaps like an invasive plant such as the dandelion that ultimately because beneficial in its new environment. It’s not really sci-fi, but has those elements; it’s also historical fiction, but infused with surrealism and fantastical elements, echoing the works of both Artaud and Desnos. And there is a murder, or perhaps a murder, since Desnos was obsessed with famous murderers (Jack the Ripper, Joseph Vacher, Fantômas).

Traitor Comet, and the subsequent novels, are Gatsby-like in that the story is told from the point of view of “Geoff,” an Austrian who is part French and British (his name is British), who, like so many young people in the 1920s, are alienated from society. Geoff encounters Artaud and Desnos when they are still part of the Surrealist Movement in Paris but becoming disillusioned by the peer pressure to join the Community Party. Haunted by his past, Geoff is simultaneously drawn to and critical of Surrealism, as Artaud increasingly is, and as Desnos will ultimately be. And through it all, there is the question of a murder—which is mirrored by the great murder that took place during World War II.

OP: How did you get your book published? 

Personne: After trying to go through mainstream publishing channels, the growing international visitors at my website made me decide to finally self-publish. I chose Outskirts Press after researching the best and most reputable options for self-publishing.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Personne: Fans of Antonin Artaud and Robert Desnos, certainly—but also anyone fascinated by the avant-garde scene in 1920s Paris, and anyone who wants to learn about the beginnings of Surrealism before Salvador Dali, who while more famous, came later to the movement. Also anyone searching, alienated from mainstream society, but also wry about ideologies and movements, will find a home (as much as they can find a home) in my tale.

OP: What is special about your book?  

Personne:  Most works about Artaud and Desnos are biographies. The few fiction pieces that exist don’t really, I think, get close to these men, particularly Antonin Artaud. I walk with them both for over two decades, and believe me, it was and is a walk through fire. Robert Desnos nearly destroyed himself with alcohol, opium and pining for a singer who never returned his love. Antonin Artaud, while mostly a mild and kind person, was subject to rages and at times alienated many of his friends and colleagues. He was addicted to opium, as a result of a childhood illness that also left his wracked with pain for most of his life, and he struggled with mental illness, too. Yet he warned his friends against taking drugs, tried to break his addiction, and wrote day-and-night in his effort to transform writing, the theater, and life itself.

Both men, at times, are difficult to like, which is why the fiction that has been written about them seems to me to be distant, intellectualized, or fawning, without criticism. I love these men—which means that, at times, Geoff fights with them, argues with them, and sees them for what they are—much more than Surrealists, or poets, or avant-garde historical figures—they were human beings. The most dangerous fact about Antonin Artaud was that he was a brother, a son, a lover, a friend, and a vulnerable, emphatically honest person, much more than the oracle some of his admirers have cast him as. And Robert Desnos too was a son, a friend, and ultimately, a soldier who served in the French Resistance, who had to make a dangerous decision in order to save his friend, Antonin Artaud, from the Nazi Occupation of Paris.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

Personne: There are no other novels in this category. As I said earlier, there are biographies of Artaud and Desnos—and I think there are one or two in which Robert Desnos appears as a character—but there are no novels or even biographies that focus on the unique, sometimes troubled, but enduring friendship that leads one to save the other’s life.

OP: Have you published any other books, and do you plan to publish more?

Personne: The sequel to Traitor Comet will come out in 2024. I have not published any other novels but I have written them—about the Bigfoot legend, about an aviation museum, and I’m working on a horror/psychological thriller about a “haunted” house, inspired by author Shirley Jacksons’ The Haunting of Hill House.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

Personne: Traitor Comet is available in paperback, eBook or PDF download from Outskirts Press and from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and any other major online outlet.

Click to purchase: Traitor Comet by Personne, published by Outskirts Press

OP: Thanks for your time, Personne! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

he author of this novel series has been working on a way to tell the story of the lives of Antonin Artaud and Robert Desnos for 30 years. Other publications include horror, science fiction, and weird short stories as well as independent journalism. “Personne” has also been an actor, dancer, scholar, librarian, archivist and voice-over artist.

Visit the website: https://artauddesnosthenovel.com/

Watch video promo here.

Coming Soon: L’Etoile de Mer (The Starfish), sequel to Traitor Comet


Have you written a book that you’d like to publish?

Connect with a Publishing Consultant today to learn how Outskirts Press can help YOU publish YOUR masterpiece:

Outskirts Press stands behind our book printing and design services with the best 100% Satisfaction Guarantee in the self-publishing industry. 

Self-Publishing Author David D. Berstein Discusses His Latest Book, “Mirror City”

David D. Berstein is taking his book, Mirror City on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is – with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join David D. Berstein as he appears in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about Mirror City.  What is it about?

David:  My book is about a young boy named James who has been suffering from anger issues. He is always angry not only at his family, but at the world. One day when he is punished and sent to his room, he discovers that his mirror is actually a portal to a different world and going though it begins him on a fantastic adventure he will never forget.  

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

David:  I decided to write this book after I was working with many children and families and saw how bad anger issues destroyed these families. So, I decided to take this problem, combine it with a fantastic journey and world and put a fun book together. I thought it would be a great way to not only help children but adults as well. Hopefully this book will get out there and change many lives.   

OP: How did you get your book published? 

David: I got my book published through a self-publishing book company called Outskirts Press. This will be my 7th book with this company.  

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

David: This book can be for many types of readers. It is not only for children, but adults as well. It also could be enjoyed by people who love great picture books and the fantasy genre.

OP: What is special about your book?  

David: I think my book is special because of the unique way I put it together by turning a picture book into a self-help book with a twist. It also is a fun story that many types of audience can enjoy and learn from. 

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

David: I have to be honest here, I cannot compare my book “Mirror City” to other books in this category. It is just a unique book in general that will fit several categories and is a wonderful book for many people. 

OP: Have you published any other books and do you plan to publish more?

David: I have six other books which include my award-winning middle grade trilogy called “The Cort Chronicles” which include “The Portal”, “Spirral” and “Rebirth”. Two other picture books called “The Enchanted Rope”, and “Peanut” and I also have a collection of poetry called “Voices of the Heart, a collection of poems” which is also an award winner. I am working on a few books right now one is the prequel to my trilogy and also working on a new YA series of 8 books called “8 Hidden Kingdoms” I do not have publishing dates for these books yet.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

David: My book is available on all major online bookstores like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many others. It can also be found on the Outskirts Press website for a discount price.

OP: Thanks for your time, David! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Bernstein is an energy healer and children’s book author who has worked with children for many years. He is the author of an award-winning middle grade trilogy called The CORT Chronicles: The Portal, Spirral, and Rebirth. He wrote two books in a self-help trilogy: The Enchanted Rope and Peanut, and Mirror City is the third book in this collection. The author of an award-winning collection of poetry, Voices of the Heart, he has also published poems in magazines and anthologies. Bernstein is the recipient of five Editor’s Choice awards and a proud uncle of two teenage boys.


Have you written a book that you’d like to publish?

Connect with a Publishing Consultant today to learn how Outskirts Press can help YOU publish YOUR masterpiece:

Outskirts Press stands behind our book printing and design services with the best 100% Satisfaction Guarantee in the self-publishing industry. 

Self-Publishing Author Kathryn Wagg-Bernier Discusses Her Latest Book, “It’s All About Sally”

Author Kathryn Wagg-Bernier is taking her latest book, It’s All About Sally on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is – with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Kathryn Wagg-Bernier as she appears in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about It’s All About Sally.  What is it about?

Kathryn:  The life story of an adorable little goat named Sally.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Kathryn:  Sally was so lovable, smart, inquisitive and funny the whole family fell in love with her, especially the children, who I wrote the stories for.

OP: How did you get your book published? 

Kathryn: I Googled publishers and sent the manuscript to Outskirts Press for review and they accepted it for publishing.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Kathryn: Parents, grandparents, teachers, children, young readers, daycare owners, shoppers for nieces, nephews, etc.

OP: What is special about your book?  

Kathryn: It is a true story of a clever, funny, mischievous and adorable little goat on a farm in Maine.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

Kathryn: It is similar to a documentary, full of information about a their life, what they eat, how the changing seasons affect them and how to take care of them.

OP: Have you published any other books?

Kathryn: I have published a cookbook.  “The Little Veggie Cookbook. Recipes from a Maine Farmer’s Market”.

OP: Have you published any other books, and do you plan to publish more?

Kathryn: I have published a cookbook.  “The Little Veggie Cookbook Recipes from a Maine Farmer’s Market”.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

Kathryn: There was an article in the Lewiston Sun Journal of Maine on July 29th, this year. It is available at Amazon, Walmart, bookstores, Outskirts Press Bookstore and from me. Click here to purchase.

OP: Thanks for your time, Kathryn! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathryn is one of ten children. She was born and raised on her grandfather’s farm in Maine. It was a wonderful place to grow up with freedom to roam the acres of fields to run in, trees to climb and water to wade in. She is the fifth generation to live on the family land where she raises a vegetable garden, flower gardens, berry bushes, apple trees and various farm animals.


Have you written a book that you’d like to publish?

Connect with a Publishing Consultant today to learn how Outskirts Press can help YOU publish YOUR masterpiece:

Outskirts Press stands behind our book printing and design services with the best 100% Satisfaction Guarantee in the self-publishing industry. 

Former Mississippi State football player’s children’s book has brought a spotlight to the smallest town in Mississippi

Click to watch the 3 minutes newscast.

Outskirts Press author Daniel Brown was recently interviewed in a featured news segment about his fully-illustrated children’s book Eli — Pride of the Yazoo River. See the newscast and accompanying article by clicking the graphic above.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Two Kids and a Living Legend

As far back as anyone can remember, the small Mississippi town of Satartia has had just one claim to fame: Eli, the huge catfish living under the bridge. The town has lost count of how many people have tried—and failed—to catch him. But in the summer of 1987, two local kids come up with a creative approach. With a river raft, some patience, and creativity, they do what nobody has ever been able to do before…but will they really conquer the king of the river? This delightful story about gumption, cooperation, and fairness is sure to become a favorite with readers of all ages.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel E Brown has been a lifelong storyteller, in speaking engagements across the United States, and “on air” as a radio talk show host in Orlando Florida. He lived in Mississippi many years ago and dusted off his memories of the small town of Satartia to write this classic Southern tale.


Have you written a book that you’d like to publish?

Connect with a Publishing Consultant today to learn how Outskirts Press can help YOU publish YOUR masterpiece:

Outskirts Press stands behind our book printing and design services with the best 100% Satisfaction Guarantee in the self-publishing industry. 

Outskirts Press Presents Nouna Kettaneh, author of “A Memoir of Love Science and Adventure- My Life with Svante Wold”

Author Nouna Kettaneh is taking her latest book, A Memoir of Love Science and Adventure–My Life with Svante Wold on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Nouna Kettaneh and A Memoir of Love Science and Adventure, My Life with Svante Wold    as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about A Memoir of Love Science and Adventure, My Life with Svante Wold.  What is it about?

Nouna:  This book is the story of my life with my husband, Svante Wold.

Svante was a brilliant Swedish scientist who started the field of Chemometrics in Data Science, that is “how to extract the desired information from large data sets”.

 We met in 1986 at a conference and fell madly in love. Everything separated us, living in different countries with established careers and relationships. Our published letters from 1986-88 tells our story and are a testimonial to the power of LOVE.

After our marriage in 1988, we lived and worked together. This book recounts our rich life, our travels and adventures and our accomplishments.

We were pioneers in the field of Data Science and wanted to changed it from Statistical to Multivariate based. With a lot of work and perseverance we succeeded.

Today Multivariate Analysis is accepted and used to solve challenges in the Natural and Live Sciences. It has led to the blossoming field of Artificial Intelligence, AI.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Nouna:  I decided to write this book, after my husband died, to “bid time return”, and relive my life with Svante Wold. It was my way to survive, my therapy and a tribute to a wonderful and unique man.

OP: How did you get your book published? 

Nouna: I first typed and sorted all our letters, filled in the gaps between the letters and wrote about the rest of our life together and our scientific accomplishments. Tamara Byrne helped me as my editor. We then contacted Outskirts Press and sent them our manuscript.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Nouna: People interested in a true love story that is intertwined with science and fun adventures. People who are curious about Data Science and Multivariate Analysis will find some easy explanations and examples.

OP: What is special about your book?  

Nouna:  My book is special in describing our scientific achievements along with being a moving love story.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

Nouna: The detailed description of our involvement in science and in particular our advances in data analysis are very unique to a memoir which is also a love story.

OP: Have you published any other books, and do you plan to publish more?

Nouna: This is the first book I have written and for the moment I am not planning another one.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

Nouna: You can purchase books at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles online, and other online bookstores. If you have questions and want to know more about my book, you can reach me by email.

OP: Thanks for your time, Nouna! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nouna Kettaneh-Wold is retired and lives close to her family in Hollis, NH in the home where she and Svante lived.


This author purchased the Virtual Book Tour marketing option, which allows self-publishing authors to connect with bloggers and harness the power of the blogosphere by taking their book on the “virtual road.” Learn more about this service by visiting your Publishing Center and reviewing the available marketing options.


Have you written a book that you’d like to publish?

Connect with a Publishing Consultant today to learn how Outskirts Press can help YOU publish YOUR masterpiece:

Outskirts Press stands behind our book printing and design services with the best 100% Satisfaction Guarantee in the self-publishing industry. 

Self-Publishing Author Robert “Bob” Love Discusses “Destiny’s Voyage: SS Atlantic, Titanic of 1873”

Author Robert “Bob” Love is taking his latest book, Destiny’s Voyage: SS Atlantic, Titanic of 1873 on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is – with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Robert “Bob” Love and Destiny’s Voyage: SS Atlantic, Titanic of 1873 as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


OP: Tell us a little bit about Destiny’s Voyage: SS Atlantic, Titanic of 1873.  What is it about?

Bob: This book provides two stories. One involving the circumstances of destiny not in just the souls aboard the first of the White Star Line luxury steamship but the vessel herself. The companion story is one of historical significance, including the record of the Board of Trade hearings in Nova Scotia and Liverpool, England. Taken from ancient transcripts, the reader can apply their own judgment as to the cause of this disaster and provide themselves with the history of the world’s worst non-military sea disaster prior to the RMS Titanic in 1912 and the correlation between the two under “like father, like son”.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Bob: This book started as a family genealogy when my then ten-year-old great grandmother came to America. In 1959, my great grandmother agreed to record her story but passed away before it could be done. My mother had many , so I was going to use them, but I was in law enforcement at the time and could not devote the time. In 1981 I lost my mother, so I shelved the project until in Alaska in the mid-1980s. I looked at the story involving my great-great-grandfather being aboard the SS Atlantic when she went down. I was working with Lloyds of London and making trips to England, so I started new research. Having discovered the original transcripts in the maritime archives in London, I started the new direction of destiny as there are stories of passengers, crew and the ship that made this theme so interesting.

OP: How did you get your book published? 

Bob: The publisher released the book in 2006. Unfortunately, my wife was terminal with cancer. She passed away on Christmas Eve 2007. I had never examined the book until a critic identified some mistakes. I discovered a lot of major mistakes in the editing. It took me two years to convince the publisher of their liability for the errors. They finally made corrections and reprinted in 2009. I still wasn’t satisfied with the book, so did nothing about marketing until I published my last book with Outskirts Press and decided to have Destiny’s Voyage reborn. It is an excellent history and the most complete one published about this tragic event. I am now ninety and want to see a quality book to chronicle this historical event of April 1, 1873.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Bob: Those in the maritime industry and anyone interested in a narrative non-fiction story about destiny and struggles of those souls who aimed to be new pioneers to the United States. The book would also provide a good historical rendition for school students in grades 8-12.

OP: What is special about your book?  

Bob: A labor of love? From inception in 1959 until the current and best release of Destiny’s Voyage by Outskirts Press, it has been 64 years.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

Bob: To my knowledge, it is the only complete treatment of this disaster. There have been other good books published about specific events or underwater photographs, but Destiny’s Voyage is a chronicle of history covering the manufacturing of the vessel to her horrific demise and to stories of documented affairs of her passengers and crew.

OP: Have you published any other books, and do you plan to publish more?

Bob: Outskirts Press published my last book, Peg Leg Annie. With my age in consideration, I’m not certain if I am able to finish a few other projects I have started. I must wrap up Treaties on Government and finish writing a fiction novel called “The Bridge”. I will crank out as many stories as possible. I informed my children that I would be running late for my funeral because I needed to finish the last chapter.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

Bob: By going on-line to your favorite bookstore or direct to www.outskirtspress.com/destinysvoyage  or to me at www.rwboblove.wordpress.com  You can e-mail me or contact through social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

OP: Thanks for your time, Bob! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bob Love started out life in the small Idaho desert town of Mountain Home, Idaho USA. The nation was trying to recover from the “Great Depression”. Bob’s father became a deputy sheriff in 1938. In 1943, the Army Air Corps created Mountain Home Air Force Base as the line of defense in the anticipated Japanese attack through Alaska and Canada. It was then the Deputy became the Sheriff. Rather than shielding his young son Sheriff Love took Bob on many of the traumatic events including military air crashes and serious vehicle accidents, ingraining the underlying respect for human trauma and the need of public service. Bob acquired his thirst for journalism when he became editor of his high school newspaper. He went on to pursue the vocation, but the Korean War draft interrupted his goals. After his service in the Air Force Bob fell back on the foundations of his youth, becoming his family’s fourth generation police officer rising to a Chief of Police position. He transitioned into a career as an independent insurance adjuster which spanned over 45 years serving Alaska. It was near this career change that he realized the relative chain of events that led to many of the cases he investigated. Bob wrote “E=A Syndrome” (Emotion Equals Attitude) about the positive and negative emotions that affect our attitudes setting up disastrous results. As an adjuster and marine surveyor in the Last Frontier he investigated hundreds of aircraft, vessels, vehicles, and industrial accidents. Prior to commuter air improvements, as a pilot, he flew alone to many of the Alaskan bush losses. In 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil spill presented he and his wife Bev’s firm with the responsibility to administer the claims arising from the spill cleanup activities. Exxon also commissioned them to handle the off-hiring surveys of the 2500-chartered vessels. A studious interest in Situational Awareness concepts gave Bob further insight into his beliefs and when he applied it to the history of the SS Atlantic, pre-destiny was clearly inscribed on her hull. Retired, Bob and Bev, along with their Bishon, Baby Boy, lived in Anchorage, Alaska when this book was first printed in 2006. As a licensed adjuster, Bev worked alongside Bob managing and owning their own firms for over 43 years… On Christmas Eve 2007, Bev lost her long and arduous battle with metastatic internal melanoma cancer. Bob and Baby Boy traveled in the west with their fifth wheel and now live with his childhood friend and Air Force widow, Patricia and their Bishon, Murphy in Boise, Idaho.


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Happy National Reading Group Month!

Happy National Reading Group Month! Connecting with reading groups or book clubs is a great way to earn lots of readers at once. These are captivated audiences who are invested in enjoying and understanding your book. And swept up in the excitement of a stimulating discussion, they may be likely to text, email, or post about your book before they’ve even gotten back in their car to return home!

So, become a best friend to book clubs. Here are 3 practical ideas to consider:

  • Write a reading club guide. Include questions—about your characters, theme, voice, message, etc.—in the back of your book and/or on your website for free download.
  • Set up a reading group book tour. Thanks to video calling, you can tour book clubs worldwide from the comfort of your own home. Just as you would in a bookstore tour, you might read a selection from your book or answer reader questions.
  • Offer bulk order discounts to book clubs. Consider other incentives for readers who come together in small and large groups to discuss your book.

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