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Thursday, April 17, 2008
What do soldiers read? Pretty much anything they can get their hands on, I've been told, as they don't have many options. Usually that means magazines, as English-language books in Iraq and Afghanistan are fairly scarce.
But a few writers and publishers are doing their part to increase the supply of good reading material among our troops abroad. It all started with a certain Col. George Reynolds, an avid reader who was one of the first people to send an email via my Web site (which you too can do by clicking here). Col. Reynolds also sent an email to a buddy of mine, Paul Malmont, whose action-packed first novel, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, tells the tale of 1930s pulp fiction writers who get caught in a wild pulp tale of their own (it's a Book About Writers for people who don't read Books About Writers). After corresponding with the Colonel, Paul had a great idea: Why not send a box of his novels to troops in Iraq? And why not talk other writers into doing the same thing? By coordinating with the good Colonel, this is what happened. As a result, a dozen or so writers (at my last counting, but I could be way off) have sent off boxes of their books, and a number of publishers have ante-ed up as well.
So, if you're a writer, consider contributing by sending an email to Paul -- he's the contact for this awesome endeavor, which the Army anointed with the official and totally cool name of Operation Warrior Library. And if you're a reader, email a writer you like and ask him or her to contribute. (Other contributors include such personal favorites of mine as Glen David Gold and Alice Sebold.) It's a great, nonpolitical way to support our men and women who are out there risking their lives. Whether you're an Obamamaniac who wants the troops brought home today or a McCainiac who wants to leave them there another 100 years, sending them some quality reading material will, hopefully, provide them with some amount of respite from their challenging days and nights.
And you might even get a cool thank you gift: After receiving a couple boxes of my novel, Col. Reynolds sent me a crisp Iraqi dinar, complete with smiling image of Saddam Hussein.
link to this | File:
But a few writers and publishers are doing their part to increase the supply of good reading material among our troops abroad. It all started with a certain Col. George Reynolds, an avid reader who was one of the first people to send an email via my Web site (which you too can do by clicking here). Col. Reynolds also sent an email to a buddy of mine, Paul Malmont, whose action-packed first novel, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, tells the tale of 1930s pulp fiction writers who get caught in a wild pulp tale of their own (it's a Book About Writers for people who don't read Books About Writers). After corresponding with the Colonel, Paul had a great idea: Why not send a box of his novels to troops in Iraq? And why not talk other writers into doing the same thing? By coordinating with the good Colonel, this is what happened. As a result, a dozen or so writers (at my last counting, but I could be way off) have sent off boxes of their books, and a number of publishers have ante-ed up as well.
So, if you're a writer, consider contributing by sending an email to Paul -- he's the contact for this awesome endeavor, which the Army anointed with the official and totally cool name of Operation Warrior Library. And if you're a reader, email a writer you like and ask him or her to contribute. (Other contributors include such personal favorites of mine as Glen David Gold and Alice Sebold.) It's a great, nonpolitical way to support our men and women who are out there risking their lives. Whether you're an Obamamaniac who wants the troops brought home today or a McCainiac who wants to leave them there another 100 years, sending them some quality reading material will, hopefully, provide them with some amount of respite from their challenging days and nights.
And you might even get a cool thank you gift: After receiving a couple boxes of my novel, Col. Reynolds sent me a crisp Iraqi dinar, complete with smiling image of Saddam Hussein.
link to this | File: