Charles Sheehan-Miles

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

And the winner is....
2007-12-25 14:28:00
John Mayson of Austin, Texas!  I was going to post a video review last night, but we're a little crowded here in Atlanta for Christmas, so I'm just posting a quick blog entry instead.John will win a $150 gift certificant, either from Amazon or iTunes, whichever he chooses. Congratulations!
More About: Winner

Reviving the Bonus March
2007-12-07 20:14:00
About ten years ago, I picked up a long out-of-print copy of Walter W. Water's account of the 1932 Bonus March . Waters was one of the leaders of the original group that travelled from Oregon to Washington, DC. The book had been out of print since before I was born, but is now back.Walter W. Waters was an Army sergeant who had served in Europe during the first World War. Like millions of other Americans during the great depression, he struggled to find a livelihood for his family, with little luck.In 1932, he led 300 veterans in a cross-country odyssey to petition Congress for release of the promised bonus for World War I veterans. Eventually, more ten thousand veterans gathered in DC.They were driven out. From Waters’ account of the tragedy:“The troops stopped at the buildings in the Pennsylvania Avenue area and took them one at a time. Each one housed forty to a hundred men. The men were chased out with drawn bayonets and gas bombs. The men of the B.E.F. had come ...
More About: Vivi

Republic featured title at Borders
2007-12-05 15:44:00
Just wanted to share the news that at Borders ' political fiction category, Republic is now a featured title. 
More About: Featured , Title

Happy Birthday to my big brother
2007-12-05 15:09:00
Happy Birthday to Richie (who I neglected to call on his birthday yesterday, oops). He's 41 today, which means I must about 25 now. I've included a before and after picture. See if you can tell me which one looks better.Before: After:Unfortunate, isn't it?Happy birthday big brother.
More About: Big Brother , Happy , Happy Birthday , Brother

Irritated this morning (or why Chris Hedges pisses me off)
2007-12-05 14:34:00
About 2 days a week, I work from Cup a Joe Hillsborough in Raleigh, rather than driving all the way home after dropping my son off at school. This morning, I sat down at my table to see a copy of the Triangle Free Press, which the previous occupant left behind. The headline: "Top Commanders Oppose Iran Attack."So far, nothing too surprising. But then I read the first paragraph of the article, written by Chris Hedges. Here it is:When military command is the voice of reason in a debate about a new war, you know our democracy is in trouble.Chris, Chris, Chris. Come on. Where have you been the last decade? Here's the point you miss -- the last person who wants to go to war is the people who have to live through it. It's the stay at home couch commandoes who yell for war. The soldiers go where they’re told, and no doubt if they have to go to war, they do it without question and with absolute loyalty. But our recent history demonstrates all too well the fact that t...
More About: Morning

Republic: Chapter Twelve
2007-11-21 15:08:00
CHAPTER TWELVEJUNE 27A drop of sweat crawled down Morris’ back as he stood in front of his assembled company. At 0800 hours, the sun already beat down on them mercilessly. It was going to be a hot day, over a hundred degrees. They stood on the edge of a parking lot, close to where their tents had stood for the last four weeks, next to the ruins of the shopping center. Damaged buildings and debris still scattered the area, but the Army’s job was over.“You’ve done a good job out here. We came into a dangerous situation a month ago, and each of you has seen things we’d have rather not seen. We’ll talk more on that subject, quite a bit, but in the meantime, I want you to remember a couple of key points here. Because of your work, the Department of Homeland Security has been able to collect the evidence they needed to identify the terrorists, and yesterday afternoon they filed charges against those who were responsible for this terrible crime. Because ...
More About: Twelve , Chapter , Republic

Get Republic by December 25 and win a $150 gift!
2007-11-15 17:25:00
Hello friends,The holidays are approaching, and you can get yourself a nice gift: a $150 gift certificate for iTunes or Amazon.com!On December 24, I’ll post a video drawing right here.  The lucky winner will get a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com or iTunes (your choice which one you prefer).  Each person who buys a copy AND posts a review on Amazon gets one chance to win.  For each copy you buy as a gift for someone else, you get TWO chances to win.How it works:1)    Buy your copy of Republic : A Novel of America’s Future by December 23, and email me the receipt at charles [at] sheehanmiles.net2)    Post your review at Amazon.com (also by December 23) and send me a note with the details.3)    Buy a copy as a gift for someone else, and get double the chances to win.If you bought Republic, send me the receipt and you can still win by entering a review on Amazon.When will the drawing take place?  I’ll ...
More About: Gift , December 25

Remembering Oxford Books
2007-11-15 16:48:00
For about ten years ? from 1984 until ?94, I was a regular at Oxford Books in Atlanta. It?s been on my mind the last few days, because Veronica and I have pretty much made the decision that we want to be closer to family, and we?ll likely move back there once the school year is over. It?s hard, however, for me to imagine an Atlanta without Oxford Books. I realize the population of the city has near tripled since I was in high school, and many of you in Atlanta now never knew Oxford. It was a literary paradise ? a wonderful independent bookstore, originally at Peachtree Battle shopping center, then expanded into the space next door, then they expanded more into a huge old house nearby for the used books, then much later they opened their flagship store on Pharr Road. The rapid expansion in 90-92, combined with the recession, did a lot of harm financially, and the company finally went bankrupt.What I remember ? living just a few blocks away in middle school, Oxford was a regular han...
More About: Remembering , Erin

A Nation of Sheep
2007-11-09 13:59:00
I'm adding this one to my reading list. Judge Andrew Napolitano has written a new book called A Nation of Shee p attacking some of the main issues I've been writing about for the last five years -- the attack on American freedom from our own government. Check out this video from Fox News.

Why interface design is so important
2007-11-06 16:41:00
I’m finally finished doing the layout and design of Cincinnatus Press’ newest book, B.E.F. The Whole Story of the Bonus Army.  The book was originally printed in 1932, and is a must read for anyone who follows veterans issues: written by one of the key organizers of the 1932 bonus march, it chronicles the story of the bonus marchers as they crossed the country on their way to Washington, the summer spent lobbying Congress, and their final expulsion from DC at the hands of the U.S. Army.What does this have to do with interface design?  Well, the authoritative place to go when you are registering new titles in print is Bowkerlink.com, because Bowker is the authorized manager of the US ISBN agency.  If you want to be listed in Books In Print, you have to go there.  And my conclusion, after dealing with their terribly designed and nonfunctional system, is that no system at all is probably better than a badly designed one.The issue I’m struggling wit...
More About: Design , Interface , Interface Design

How Life Sometimes Gets in the Way of Itself
2007-11-05 11:13:00
It's probably not hard to miss the fact that since July I've hardly been blogging at all, nor have I posted many updates to the podcast. Such has been the way of things, and you only know the half of it. I had a pile of other deadlines in my personal and professional life which have fallen by the wayside for the last couple months. This morning I'll be writing my more than 2 months delayed chapter for the American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide (to be published by Veterans for America), covering Gulf War illnesses.I also have a nonfiction book nearing completion, titled "Saving the World on $20 A Day," which I had intended to finish writing, copyedit, layout, print, etc., for an October 2007 publication date. It's now November. Oops. Not to mention the two other titles currently in pre-production by my fledgeling publishing house, neither of which are on schedule. I've also got a major software project in the works (see http://www.ac...
More About: Life , Some

Good news and bad news
2007-10-30 07:09:00
Well the good news is, after a long long delay, I finally got the next episode of the podcast recorded this weekend.  Will try to get it edited by Thursday evening.The bad news is really none of your fucking business. Suffice to say that it has absorbed pretty much everything in the recent past.
More About: News , Good News , Bad News , Good

Two new reviews of Republic
2007-09-19 17:34:00
Good news here. Two solid reviews came back on Republic , from Midwest Book Review and Out in Jersey Magazine.From Midwest Book Review:"Republic is a very interesting, thought provoking story about the loss of jobs due to corporate greed, abuse of power by government agencies and a civil war. Charles Sheehan-Miles is an exceptional writer..."   From Out in Jersey Magazine:"This book's strength is that anyone who prizes the traditional rights and freedoms of our nation will be both frightened and alerted by the near-future possibilities it presents....a fast, well plotted action story of the sort one can now put down." 
More About: Reviews

Wednesday Hero: LT Forrest Ewens
2007-09-19 17:29:00
1st Lt. Forrest P. Ewens 26 years old from Tonasket, Washington 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) June 16, 2006 The love of Megan Ewens's life arrived at Arlington National Cemetery on July 7, 2006. His ashes inside a small wooden box, the box inside a coffin, the coffin draped with an American flag and carried on a caisson pulled by six black horses. Lt. Forrest P. Ewens had shipped out for Afghanistan in March of that same year. His wife, being the same rank in the Army, understood the risks, telling a colonel at Fort Drum, N.Y., that if anything happened to her husband, she didn't want to hear about it from a stranger. On June 6, 2006 Lt. Ewens and Sgt. Ian T. Sanchez were killed when ATV struck an IED while on combat operation in Pech River Valley, Afghanistan. A few weeks before his death, Lt. Ewens called his wife from an Afghan mountain to inform her that his unit had been subsisting on melte...
More About: Wednesday Hero , Hero , Wednesday

Wednesday Hero: Ken Leonard
2007-08-30 00:16:00
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Randy Thorsvig  Ken Leon ard (On The Right) From High Point, North Carolina   Every once in a while you run across one of those "feel good stories". Those stories that show us just what a person can do when they really want it bad enough. And Ken Leonard has one of those stories. In 2005, Ken Leonard left his job as a police officer in High Point, North Carolina to go to Iraq to work with a private security firm. In December of that year, Ken, along with five other men in his vehicle and six others in the vehicle behind him, was hit by a roadside bomb outside of Baghdad. "After the bomb went off, I knew exactly what had happened," Leonard recalled. "My feet got jarred, so I knew they were hit." While others in his vehicle were injured, he had received the worst of it. He had lost both his feet. The vehicle behind them pushed Leonard's to a safer area. But flames were coming out of the air conditionin...
More About: Wednesday Hero , Hero , Wednesday

Republic Podcast: Episode 10
2007-07-30 15:37:00
Another terrorist strike in America, this time at the Byrd Federal Building in Charleston, West Virginia, hurtles the country toward civil war. Listen here:http://www.sheehanmiles.com/files/mi les/PB-Republic -10.mp3 Subscribe here:http://www.sheehanmiles.com/moduleid /36or on Podiobooks.com 
More About: Episode , Podcast

p@tri0t
2007-07-19 13:22:00
Some time ago I wrote here that I was thinking, as I make progress on the new book, I might start posting chapters here, primarily for feedback and to get people's thoughts. So here's the first, very rough, chapter of what I'm working on now. The book is tentatively called p@tri0t. Odd title, but the reason why will become clear later in the story.If you are incredibly observant, and you've read Republic, you'll recognize Bobby Wright as the then teenage nephew of Ken Murphy. p@tri0t takes place in same word as Republic, a good seven or eight years after the events described in that book. p@tri0t Chapter OneThe girl wore chic-secondhand: a flowery cotton skirt that fell below the knees, hugging her hips; an open collared black cotton blouse with just a hint of bared shoulder; her face had a frustrated, almost pained expression, tempered by a smile that seemed to take some effort to maintain.“You obviously recognize me from the scan—can’t you j...

Republic Episode 9 now online
2007-07-18 14:29:00
Skipped a week because I was on the road, but Republic Episode 9 is now online. With Episode 9, we have now completed Book One, and next week the podcast will take a new -- and much more dangerous -- direction. To subscribe in iTunes or another podcast player, click here or drop by Podiobooks.com.
More About: Online

Republic: Chapter Twelve
2007-07-18 13:17:00
Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesChapter Twelve    Order from Amazon.com    Back to Table of Contents | Listen to the Podcast CHAPTER TWELVEJUNE 27A drop of sweat crawled down Morris’ back as he stood in front of his assembled company. At 0800 hours, the sun already beat down on them mercilessly. It was going to be a hot day, over a hundred degrees. They stood on the edge of a parking lot, close to where their tents had stood for the last four weeks, next to the ruins of the shopping center. Damaged buildings and debris still scattered the area, but the Army’s job was over.“You’ve done a good job out here. We came into a dangerous situation a month ago, and each of you has seen things we’d have rather not seen. We’ll talk more on that subject, quite a bit, but in the meantime, I want you to remember a couple of key points here. Because of your work, the Department of Homeland Security has been able to collect the evidence they n...
More About: Republic

Wednesday Hero: Corporal Clinton Warrick
2007-07-18 13:12:00
Cpl. Clinton Warrick (Soldier On The Left) Medic with the 2nd Platoon, 300th Military Police Company Even after having been thrown several meters, knocked unconscious, set aflame and buried under rubble all as a result of a suicide-vehicle-borne IED, a Fort Riley medic braved small-arms fire to save the lives of fellow Soldiers and Iraqi policemen last year. Cpl. Clinton Warrick received the Army's third highest award for valor during a June 18, 2007 ceremony at Riverside Park for his actions during a Sept. 18, 2006, insurgent attack at the Al Huryia Iraqi Police Station. Maj. Gen. Carter Ham (soldier on the right), commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, present Cpl. Warrick the Silver Star and other awards before his family and friends, and his former 300th MP Co. platoon leader, company commander and first sergeant. "This is one of Fort Riley's great Soldiers - one of our real, no-kidding heroes," Maj. Gen. Ham said at the ceremony. &quo...
More About: Wednesday Hero , Hero , Wednesday , Oral

Crystal Reviews on Republic: A Novel of America's Future
2007-07-15 07:53:00
I meant to get this posted earlier this week, but 18 hour days while out of town intervened. A new review of Republic was posted this week over at Crystal Reviews . Viviane Crystal wrote, "Republic is a taught, page-turning read that will leave any half-thoughtful person asking many questions about law, terrorism, dissent, and constitutional rights for everyone involved in such a plausible scenario. And if it's not that real to you, the unexpected, devastating, breath-catching, haunting end will leave you reeling and wondering for sure! Unreal but oh so very real and therefore potent and credible fiction to be read by all!"Check out the full review here, and, to Viviane Crystal, thank you!
More About: Future

One Among the Sleepless
2007-07-15 07:18:00
So, on Tuesday night I drove 5 hours to DC, and Friday night drove the 7 hours back.  Why different?  Leaving DC during rush hour.  Anyway, I passed the time listening to a podcast novel, One Among the Sleepless by Mike Bennett. If you are offended by drugs, sex, murder, deviant sex, urine, dominatrixes or tramps, you should avoid this one. Otherwise, what the hell are youw waiting for?  This one was absolutely awesome.I sent an email to the author asking where I could buy a copy of the book last night, because I only made it through the first 22 episodes during the drive. Fortunately, I did find a used copy on Amazon.co.uk this morning and ordered it.  In the meantime, I'm stuck staying up late after the kids got to bed so I can listen to the rest.Bottom line: this is an excellent, excellent podcast novel.  Bennett's delivery is droll, perfect narration. The story itself centers around the new residents of the neighborhood -- loud, partygoers w...
More About: Eple

Out of sight, out of mind
2007-07-10 15:19:00
Later this afternoon I'll be driving up to DC for several days of technical work distributing new laptops at VFA, rolling everyone over to a new mail server, etc. In other words, it's highly unlikely I'll be doing much blogging here until the weekend. In the meantime, I'm going to post the next chapter of Republic, so you'll have something exciting to read while you wait. 
More About: Mind , Sigh , Sight , Out Of Sight

Think your homeowners association is bad? Think again.
2007-07-09 00:49:00
I dislike homeowners associations and the like.  Under the guise of protecting home values, my HOA penalizes people for parking their cars in front of their house, not properly caring for their lawns, and lately has taken to complaining when the plumber down the street dares to park his truck in his own driveway. But what happens when the government gets into the game?  In Orem, Utah, a 70-year old woman found out when police came to arrest her for not watering her lawn.  The altercation turned physical and the old lady was injured.In short, over there in Utah, they've gone insane.  Under what misguided, idiotic, oppressive tyranny does the state have a right to demand that 70 year old women have to water their lawn?  Let the whole thing dry up and blow away, or, even better, send out somebody to help the lady out. Don't send the police to rough her up.Crazy.  Check out the full story here. 
More About: Association , Meow , Owners , Homeowners , Homeowner

Republic reviewed at Veterans for Common Sense
2007-07-06 06:30:00
Paul Sullivan, the executive director at Veterans for Comm on Sense just posted a review of Republic on his blog.  "Republic is the best contemporary fiction I’ve ever read." Wow. Thank you, Paul.Read the full review here. 
More About: Common Sense

Republic Podcast: Episode 8
2007-07-06 02:36:00
Episode 8 is now online. Mike Morris and the 1st of the 15th Infantry withdraw from Arlington, Virginia. Demonstrators call for Dale Whitt to be released, and violence breaks out in Harpers Ferry. Scroll down to the bottom of the list below to listen to the latest episode, or click to subscribe with iTunes. Don't use iTunes? Subscribe with some other audio device with feedburner: Feedburner Get this widget!
More About: Episode , Podcast , Republic

How podcasting and free content is changing the publishing landscape
2007-07-04 17:08:00
There's a great piece in this morning's Broward-Palm Beach New Times about J.C. Hutchins, who has been podcasting his 7th Son series over at Podiobooks.com. The most important quote: sleep is for pussies.J.C. is way ahead of me in terms his podcast -- 20,000 listeners, compared to my measly few hundred to date.  but the basic point is there -- more and more, authors are getting out there and doing it themselves, in some cases podcasting their work, or simply giving it away for free, as sci-fi author Cory Doctorow is doing.Great stuff, because its slowly changing the publishing landscape and opening doors, thanks to new technology including the internet, the ability to print a single copy of a book on the same day it is ordered, and lots of other good news for folks like me. Scott Sigler, an awesome writer who podcasted Earthcore, among others, just inked a $500,000 movie/book deal with Crown Books.  Nice. Which takes me to the last couple weeks with Republic. ...
More About: Podcasting , Landscape , Free , Publishing , Content

Georgia Attorney General comfortable with executing innocent
2007-07-04 15:36:00
Georgia is moving forward on July 17 with the execution of a man convicted of killing a police officer on the basis on nine eye-witness statements. Since his conviction, six of the nine have recanted their testimony, and one of the nine has confessed to the crime. Problem is, the 1996 law passed to prevent Timothy McVeigh from dragging out his appeals is preventing the introduction of this evidence to prevent the execution. Scary statement of the week: the state Attorney General is "comfortable" with moving forward with the execution.I went digging around on the net after reading the article in The Hill, and here's some of what I ran across:From the New York Daily News: Six of the nine witnesses have since recanted their testimony, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A witness named Antoine Williams, who originally testified that he saw Davis pull the trigger, signed a sworn statement in 2002 that he had "no idea what the person who shot the officer ...
More About: Innocent , Georgia , Attorney General

Wednesday Hero
2007-07-04 13:50:00
 On this Fourth Of July, a day in which we celebrate the birth of this great nation, we must also remember the brave men and women who made this day possible. To everyone who has and are currently serving in the United States Military I say Thank You. What you do day in and day out are what make this country great and me proud to live here. The sacrifices you've made for people whom you will never meet face to face will never be forgotten.  These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero . We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

A Public Affair, WORT Radio (Madison) this Wednesday
2007-07-03 04:28:00
Just a heads up, this Wednesday at 1 pm Eastern I'll be interviewing with Esty Dinur on A Public Affair on Madison 's WORT Radio . If I get a tape I'll be sure to post it here.