You can't buy happiness...

(Credit to Belcastro Agency)

Time to Catch Fire!

It was an interesting weekend at Book ‘Em and I’ll give you a full account on Thursday, including the time I got to spend with the wonderful Elizabeth Spann Craig. But today it’s all about one Ninja Captain and one of the nicest bloggers in the world!

Today is the Catch Fire Blog Party, celebrating the release of CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh! The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and achieve the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. See Alex’s BLOG for details.

CassaFire
by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Available today!
Science fiction - space opera/adventure
Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages
EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:
“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal


You can visit the author’s site HERE and his book is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Amazon Kindle.



Congratulations to Alex! I know he’s been working so hard to make this day a big success. (In fact, he worked so hard he became too sick to attend a book festival this past weekend.)

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (02-27-12 edition)

NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

Mike Draper in Guilford is giving away Oath of Office. Deadline is February 29th. US/Canada only.

Rex Robot Reviews is giving away a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card, and as a second gift two surprise books! Deadline is March 5th. US only.

Fodor's is giving away your choice out of five beach bag reads. Deadline is (I think) March 6th. US only.

Mike Draper in Guilford is giving away Bleed for Me. Deadline is March 12th. US/Canada only.

Berkley-Jove gives away a selection of their previously released books every month!

After Midnight Fantasies has regular monthly romance giveaways!

Bookbitch has regular monthly thriller giveaways!

Elizabeth Lowell has a monthly giveaway!

Bookreporter has monthly giveaways!

Author Carla Neggers has a monthly giveaway!

Author James Patterson has regular giveaways!
 
*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week (when I'm on top of it). Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!

Mailbox Monday (02-27-12 edition)

 Image licensed from bigstockphoto.com

Copyright stands

Mailbox Monday is now hosted monthly by a different blog. Here is the official blog of Mailbox Monday.  Here's what I've gotten over the last few weeks:

The Art of Devotion by Samanth Bruce-Benjamin
Won from Wall-to-Wall Books

In the tradition of bestselling authors Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier, Samantha Bruce-Benjamin’s brilliant and timeless debut unveils the dark side of human nature as four women share the poignant tale of love, obsession, and ultimate betrayal that binds them forever. 

Have we all not wished to keep forever the one person we love the most?
The secluded beaches of a sun-drenched Mediterranean island are the perfect playground for young Sebastian and Adora. Emotionally adrift from their mother, Adora shelters her sensitive older brother from the cruelties of the world. Sophie does not question her children’s intense need for one another until it’s too late. Her beloved son’s affections belong to Adora, and when he drowns in the sea, she has no one else to blame. 

Still heartbroken years later, Adora fills her emptiness with Genevieve, the precocious young daughter of her husband’s business associate and his jealous wife, Miranda. Thrilled to be invited into the beautiful and enigmatic Adora’s world, the child idolizes her during their summers together. Yet, as the years progress, Genevieve begins to suspect their charmed existence is nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. Soon, she too is ensnared in a web of lies. 

Stunningly told in the tragic voices of four women whose lives are fatefully entangled, The Art of Devotion is evocative and haunting, a story of deceit, jealousy, and the heartbreaking reality of love’s true power.  

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen
Won through Goodreads "First Reads"

When a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. These spinster sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.

But back in the summer of 1947, Milly and Twiss knew nothing about trying to mend what had been accidentally broken. Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn't change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn't exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly's eye. And, most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever.

Rebecca Rasmussen's masterfully written debut novel is full of hope and beauty, heartbreak and sacrifice, love and the power of sisterhood, and offers wonderful surprises at every turn.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
Received through TLC Book Tours for review

When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, an abandoned house in a rural hamlet in the south of France. As the beautiful Provence summer turns to autumn, Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt both her lover and the run-down old house, in particular the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful first wife, Rachel. Whilst Eve tries to untangle the secrets surrounding Rachel's last recorded days, Les Genevriers itself seems to come alive. As strange events begin to occur with frightening regularity, Eve's voice becomes intertwined with that of Benedicte Lincel, a girl who lived in the house decades before. As the tangled skeins of the house's history begin to unravel, the tension grows between Dom and Eve. In a page-turning race, Eve must fight to discover the fates of both Benedicte and Rachel, before Les Genevriers' dark history has a chance to repeat itself.

Cover yet to be released

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
ARC received from Random House for review

 It’s odd when I think of the arc of my life, from child to young woman to aging adult. First I was who I was. Then I didn’t know who I was. Then I invented someone, and became her. Then I began to like what I’d invented. And finally I was what I was again.
 
It turned out I wasn’t alone in that particular progression.
 
From Anna Quindlen, #1 New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, comes this irresistible memoir about her life and the lives of women today. Candid, funny, moving, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake is filled with the sharp insights and revealing observations that have long confirmed Quindlen’s status as America’s laureate of real life.

As she did in her beloved New York Times columns, and in A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Quindlen says for us here what we may wish we could have said ourselves. Using her past, present, and future to explore what matters most to women at different ages, Quindlen talks about
 
Marriage: “A safety net of small white lies can be the bedrock of a successful marriage. You wouldn’t believe how cheaply I can do a kitchen renovation.”

Girlfriends: “Real friends offer both hard truths and soft landings and realize that it’s sometimes more important to be nice than to be honest.”

Our bodies: “I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is, a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and in the years to come. It’s like a car, and while I like a red convertible or even a Bentley as well as the next person, what I really need are four tires and an engine.”

Parenting: “Being a parent is not transactional. We do not get what we give. It is the ultimate pay-it-forward: We are good parents, not so they will be loving enough to stay with us, but so they will be strong enough to leave us.”

From childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, Quindlen uses the events of her own life to illuminate our own. Along with the downsides of age, she says, can come wisdom, a perspective on life that makes it both satisfying and even joyful. So here’s to lots of candles, plenty of cake.

The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry
Received from author for review

The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda's world but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda's life is her family's Mexican yardman, Jes s. But when the INS deports Jes?'s back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation. Determined to find her friend Jes s, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Boquillas, Mexico. There a peyote-addled bartender convinces her she won't be safe traveling alone into the country's interior. So with the bartender's help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jes s. Thus begins a wild adventure that explores the borders between the United States and Mexico, adolescence and adulthood, male and female, English and Spanish, and adult coming-of-age and Young Adult novels.
(I chose to get The Earthquake Machine in e-book form, since I just purchased my first e-reader, and expect it to be delivered this week! Yay!)

These books were purchased from Barnes and Noble, in anticipation of our upcoming annual reading festival and book signings with the authors:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

Lauren Oliver astonished readers with her stunning debut, "Before I Fall." In a starred review, "Publishers Weekly" called it "raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful. An end as brave as it is heartbreaking." Her much-awaited second novel fulfills her promise as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

 The Space Between Us by Thrifty Urmrigar

Poignant, evocative, and unforgettable, The Space Between Us is an intimate portrait of a distant yet familiar world. Set in modern-day India, it is the story of two compelling and achingly real women: Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife whose opulent surroundings hide the shame and disappointment of her abusive marriage, and Bhima, a stoic illiterate hardened by a life of despair and loss, who has worked in the Dubash household for more than twenty years. A powerful and perceptive literary masterwork, author Thrity Umrigar's extraordinary novel demonstrates how the lives of the rich and poor are intrinsically connected yet vastly removed from each other, and how the strong bonds of womanhood are eternally opposed by the divisions of class and culture.

What an awesome collection of books!

Take the Plunge! New low prices on B&N Nook!

Well, I finally took the plunge and ordered myself a Nook Tablet today after learning yesterday of their new lower prices.

Get an 8 GB Nook Tablet now for $199, or a 16 GB Nook Tablet for $50 more.

Or grab a Nook Color, now at the very affordable price of $169.

If you have a Barnes and Noble membership, you can save an additional $25 when ordering online, with free expedited shipping! You just can't beat it!

Check out the Barnes and Noble website for more information about all of their Nook products.

Weekend Sillies, Skydiving, and Book 'Em NC

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes last week - do you know what I did? My husband surprised me by taking me indoor skydiving!

If you’ve never been, it is just incredible. We were first time flyers, so we got t-shirts and a video. We were only supposed to get three turns each in the tunnel, but our instructor treated us to a fourth (since it was my birthday) and shot us both to the ceiling three times. We dropped five stories in total freefall! I can’t wait to go again.

This weekend I am attending the first ever Book 'Em North Carolina in Lumberton! We have a meet and greet with the other authors Friday night, and I’m looking forward to old friends and meeting a few authors in person for the first time.

I Can Has Cheeseburger recently switched formats, requiring folks to become members in order to access the html coding for the pictures. I didn’t have time to mess with it this week due to Book ‘Em and a seminar to teach, so this weekend you get my own cats being goofy. They do it so well, too.

Boing!

Why is everything upside down?

Ah, essence of badminton birdie...

Dear Lord, I'm covered in cats!

Don't shoot! I surrender.

CHALLENGE: 2012 Books Won Challenge

I've been wary of committing to too many challenges this year, as I tend to do so poorly on them. However this is one that I can't pass up! The 2012 Books Won Challenge is hosted by Teddy of So Many Precious Books, So Little Time.

This challenge is intended to motivate us to read some of those books that we've been lucky enough to have won. I know I am in dire need of such motivation!

The Levels are:

Honorable Mention: Read 1-3 book you won.

Bronze: Read 4-6 books you won.

Silver: Read 7-9 Books you won.

Gold: Read 10 or more books you won.

The Rules: 

     1. You must write a review for each book that you read for it to count.  If you do not have a blog you can write your reviews on a place like Amazon, Powell's, Chapters, Goodreads, etc.

     2.Crossovers with other challenges are okay and you can join this challenge anytime throughout the year.

     3. Audiobooks and ebooks count, as long as you won them. 

     4. You can change up levels but cannot go back down a level.  

     5. You don't have to make a list ahead of time for this challenge but you can if you want to.

 

I am going for Bronze. Here are some of the books on my list to read...

1. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
4. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
5. The Passage by Justin Cronin
6. All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann

So let's get to them! 

BOOKS READ:

1. The Passage by Justin Cronin
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth 
3. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh 
4. The Warmest December by Bernice McFadden 
5. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian 
6. The Names of Things by John Colmon Wood

Teaser Tuesdays (02-21-12 edition)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
  
• Open to a random page
  
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

He said nothing, but dug his long thumbnails into the flesh of my bare leg with the kind of gleeful ferocity he usually reserved for killing and skinning small animals.

"You don't ever tell," he hissed. A warm, acrid trail of smoke escaped from the side of his mouth, the nails embedded sharper. "If you don't want this every day."


-- The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, pg. 71

Stephen Tremp - Promoting Beyond the Bookstore

Today I welcome Stephen Tremp to share some promotional tips while I appear on his blog, Breakthrough Blogs, with marketing tips of my own.

I have to admit the closing of Borders Books and Music was a huge blow to me. I had many book signings there at the dozens of locations within driving distance of where I live. I had set up an account and Borders carried my books in their warehouse. I could call or email any Borders store in the country and ask tem to place a copy or three on their shelves. Over half would oblige. They were so easy to work with. For two years Borders was my meat and potatoes.

But things are different now. They’re gone and now Barnes and Noble (who I also had an account with) now refuses to carry my books or allow me book signings. So I had to take stock and look for other ways to promote OPENING other than virtual marketing through my Blog and other social media venues. And what I found, to my surprise, was a resurgence in sales of BREAKTHROUGH. Now that I’m with CreateSpace (I left iUniverse), I can buy breakthrough for under $6.00 a copy and sell them for a larger profit.

Example: I can purchase copies at $5.80 including shipping and sell them on the street for $10.00. As I thought this through, I realized I spent two to three hours at a book signing and made much less per copy sold. I can set up shop and sell where people are out and about and sell more books in the same amount of time. And I can repeat the process every weekend, often in the same spots, with similar results. And with OPENING coming out in paper form February 15th, I will have two books to sell! And having a second book opens up new opportunities.

Foot Work: I’m also doing some old-fashioned advertising. I’m printing flyers and my kids and I place them on people’s windshields. At first, I was hesitant to do this. But I can print of two color flyers per page at a cost of $0.015 per flyer. I cut the pages in half at Kinkos Copiers. And it only takes a few minutes to hit a hundred cars when we go to the mall, grocery store, or wherever. Tip: When printing flyers, use a lot of secondary colors. You’ll get more copies per cartridge rather than burning through one primary color and wasting the rest of your ink cartridge.

Grocery Stores: I’ve contacted most major grocery stores and chains like CVS and Walgreens. Just contact the main office and submit what they can purchase and sell a book for. I’m willing to let sell BREAKTHOUGH to them on consignment at cost. They can sell it at $12.95. That’s over seven dollars profit per book to them. I’ve made it three levels up the corporate ladder with two of these major chains. No decision yet, but they like the money they can make. My goal here is exposure and with OPENING out and ESCALATION due out this fall, I’m hoping people will purchase these at full price through Amazon.

Indie Bookstores: They’re Baaaack! Indie bookstores are becoming popular again and willing to take my book on consignment and do book signings. I love that personal touch! Most in my area will carry my books.

Hotels: I also found many of the hundreds of hotels of hotels will carry my books on consignment. I may make a buck or two off each copy sold, but they add up over time. Guests see them displayed on the lobby and are happy to buy a book with a local theme.

Question: What are some of the creative promotions you use or have you seen that work?

You can visit Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs. His books can be purchased or downloaded at Amazon and Smashwords.

Smashwords for $1.99
Kindle
Smashwords

Thanks, Stephen. Be sure to visit Breakthrough Blogs for my suggestions on promoting in the real world.

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (02-18-12 edition)

NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer is celebrating her 1,000,000th page view, and giving away $50 in books! Deadline is March 6th. International!

*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week (when I'm on top of it). Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!

Weekend Sillies - LOL Cats Birthday Bash

Since February 16 was my birthday (just missed being a Valentine’s baby by 26 hours) I wanted a little LOL Cats birthday celebration today!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

And the saddest LOL Cat in the world! I want to find this cat and throw him a big party.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

VOTE! for Zook

My dog Zook is in a pet photo contest, and trying to raise money for spay/neuter while he's at it. We'd love it if anyone who has a spare few dollars to donate would swing by and vote at the same time! The contest runs through 2/29/12. Just click the button located top-right column to go there. Thanks for stopping by!

Origins Blogfest

This blogfest is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, DL Hammons, Matthew McNish, and Katie Mills. We are to post about the origins of our writing. As there are so many participating, I’ll keep it short.

I was always an avid reader and won every reading contest in grade school. As an only child, I often had to amuse myself, so I developed an active imagination.

The writing bug hit when I was 13. I found a newly released paperback book called The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey. The cover captivated me and later led to a love of artist Michael Whelan. I devoured the book within a week and was soon reading all of her books.

Anne McCaffrey always focused on the characters, and I liked that aspect of her books. I began writing my own stories, including short stories, song lyrics, and two never completed novels. I easily wrote 5000 words every week for years.

But it was that day in the bookstore that sparked my urge to write. I envisioned my name on the book cover instead of Anne’s. Right there and then, I set my goal of becoming an author.

With six published books and another in revision, I can say my dream came true. My name is on a book cover!


Visit the hosts for others participating in the blogfest. And let me know what sparked your desire to write.

Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference 2012

It's almost time once again for the Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference (BBOPC). This conference brings together bloggers, publishers, and authors, in order to "help us advance communication" between them.

I attended this conference last year, and I found it highly informative. One of the things that I loved was the fact that the discussions remain posted for about a month, so you can come back and listen to them later.

Attendees can also request some free books provided by the publishers. I see there aren't too many this year to interest me, as the majority of them are paranormal and romance, neither of which hold much interest for me. However I found the conference informative enough last year to justify attending, even if I wind up finding only a couple of books of interest.

Some of the topics that will be covered:

• Where do Books Come From: Review Copy Distribution
• What Authors look for in Reviews
• What PR Departments do
• Building a Relationship with Publishers
• To Review or Not to Review Self-Pub
• Book Blogging as a Business?

The fee to attend is $45, with a $7-10 fee for shipping books (shipping costs to be determined later). Sign up today!

REVIEW: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Lutrell with Patrick Robinson

Synopsis

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive. This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors. A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience for which two of his squadmates were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

• ISBN-13: 9780316067591
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Publication date: 6/12/2007
• Pages: 400

About the Author

Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell joined the United States Navy in March 1999, became a combat-trained Navy SEAL in January 2002, and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He lives in Texas. Patrick Robinson is known for his best-selling US Navy-based novels and his autobiography of Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward, One Hundred Days, was an international bestseller. He lives in England and spends his summers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he and Luttrell wrote Lone Survivor.

My Thoughts

Good-byes tend to be curt among Navy SEALs. A quick backslap, a friendly bear hug, no one uttering what we're all thinking: Here we go again, guys, going to war, to another trouble spot, another half-assed enemy willing to try their luck against us...they must be out of their minds.

This book crosses many countries and cultures, but the heart of it takes place in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan.

Marcus Lutrell is a Texas-boy through and through. Texans are a unique breed. Often arrogant and self-confident, yet warm and generous, Lutrell fits the bill. "Don't mess with Texas!"

Lutrell is raised in Texas by a tough father who pushes his boys to be their best-- and I mean pushes! They are pushed to give both their mental and physical best through constant training and drills, and at a young age Lutrell and his twin brother Morgan know that they want to become SEALs when they grow up. And both of them do just that. Lutrell joins the US Navy in 1999, and becomes a Navy SEAL in 2002.

On June 28, 2005, Lutrell and SEAL Team 10 are sent on a mission into Afghanistan to capture or kill whom he refers in the book to as Taliban leader Ben Sharmak, who the military had been tracking. However Wikipedia identifies the target as Mohammad Ismail alias Ahmad Shah, who survived the operation, but was later killed in 2008.

SEAL Team 10 consisted of Lutrell, Matthew Axelson, Michael Murphy (all visible in the image below) and Danny Dietz.

From left to right, STG2 Matthew G. Axelson; ITCS Daniel R. Healy, QM2 James Suh, HM2 Marcus Luttrell, MM2 Eric S. Patton, and Lt. Michael P. Murphy.

This mission was named Operation Redwing, and was carried out with absolute stealth. Hence the reason the SEALs were called in. With Murphy in command and Danny the prime communications guy, Lutrell and Axelson were assigned to be the snipers. Lutrell was also a trained medic.

The SEALs moved through the Hindu Kush mountains, eventually positioning themselves to watch the village where "Sharmack" was supposed to be located. While on surveillance, they are discovered by some goatherders. Everything in their guts tells them that the goatherders are friendly with the Taliban, and though unarmed, as soon as they are released they will run to inform the Taliban of the location of the SEAL team. A debate then follows between the team members as they must decide whether to let the herders leave, or execute them in order to secure their mission. There are issues either way. They hold a vote, and it is decided to let the herders go, almost certain that they will send the Taliban to kill the team.

Within 45 minutes or so, the Taliban has surrounded the team and they are engaged in a firefight. Over the next few hours the team is outnumbered probably 35 to 1, caught in a vicious firefight, wounded and pushed further and further down the mountain. There are great moments of heroism and bravery as one-by-one they are picked off. In the end, only Lutrell is still alive and on the run with the Taliban chasing him through the mountains.

Eventually he is found and taken in by a Pashtun tribe, and carried to their village where his wounds are treated and he is cared for. The tribe has an ancient tradition called lokhay. When they decide to extend their hospitality to a guest, they are bound to protect and care for that guest to the death. This pits them against the Taliban in securing the safety of Lutrell, and in their determination to return him to the Americans. Eventually they do just that.

The writing style was a little too relaxed for me. It was like I was sitting in a bar and listening to him talk over a beer. It was a little scattered and lacked very much structure. Additionally there is so much arrogance in the beginning that it could be a bit of a turnoff. But eventually I got used to the writing style and began to see the arrogance more as "confidence", and by the middle of the book I'd hit my groove.

However the one thing that kept bothering me was the continual derogatory attitude towards "liberals". I know Texans are staunchly conservative, but it would have been nice to see a little less bias and derogatory tone. It is quite evident that the author views liberals an enemy nearly paramount to the Taliban.

The details of the firefight are brutal. Movies portray people being shot and incapacitated quickly. You learn in this book that is not always the case. These guys were shot repeatedly, serious head, neck, back and stomach wounds, sometimes mortally shot, and they kept going. They kept fighting- for themselves, for their buddies, for their mission and their country.

The one thing that I missed in this book was the chance to really get to know these guys that died out on that mountain. However that didn't stop me from crying as I read of their bravery in the face of terror and pain.

There is a fair amount of vulgarity throughout this book. After all, there is a reason we refer to people as "talking like a sailor"!

Overall I would recommend this story-- for the middle. The beginning is a little too arrogant and brash, like a boy boasting of his conquests. The end a little too quiet as he recuperates and tours the US to visit with the family members of those who died in Operation Redwing. The middle, the heart of the story, is heart-wrenching and brutal and will have you in tears as you read what these boys went through and what they did for one another. Their love for one another is evident. Beautiful.

If you are intrigued by the Navy SEALs, if you don't shy away from brutality, if you can take the vulgarity and brashness, pick this one up. It will move you.

 
My Rating: 8 out of 10

I'll Tumble 4 Ya and the Weekend Sillies

The I’ll Tumble 4 Ya blogfest, hosted by Nicki Elson is today.

I had several crushes during the 80’s, including Joe Elliot of Def Leppard, but my biggest crush was singer Richard Marx. He was just adorable and I loved his voice. The first time I heard “Should’ve Known Better,” I was hooked!



And now, a little LOL Cats humor for you:



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!