Charles Sheehan-MilesCharles Sheehan-MilesBlog and website of author and activist Charles Sheehan-Miles. Podcast of his latest book, ruminations on politics, war, autism, publishing and whatever else comes to mind. Articles
A fair example of why some titles don't work
2007-04-25 00:45:00 So, being self-absorbed, sometimes I google myself (tell me you dont'). Anyway, here's a link I found when I googled my book. Somehow I think it's not what they intended to post here. More About: Work , Fair , Example , Exam , Title
Republic: Chapter Three (part one)
2007-04-25 00:01:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesChapter Three Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Chapter ThreeMay 26Captain Mike Morris pulled the car to a stop in front of the house, where boxes from the move were stacked on the front walk. He had turned off the radio as soon as he got in the car; he didn’t want to hear another word about the Arlington bombing. He suspected he’d soon know more about it than he could ever hope to. Rumor at battalion was they were going to be d... More About: Part , Republic
Children of Hurin -- A Not Quite Review
2007-04-24 04:10:00 At the moment I’m slogging through the new J.R.R. Tolkien (ehem), The Child ren of Hurin. I’m reading out of loyalty, because the Lord of the Rings is pretty close to my all-time favorite book. I’ve probably read it fifty times over the last twenty years, and the characters are so beloved that my wife had to veto me naming our son Tom Bombadil (actually that’s not really true, but it sounded good). Learning there were going to be feature length movies was like getting a small rush of heroin. I LOVE the Lord of the Rings.The Children of Hurin, on the other hand (at least based on the first 100 pages or so) is nearly as exciting as counting the fibers in my carpet, and has about as much character development as recalled dog food. The beginning brings to mind the New Testament, when we get treated with about 100 begats. But if I remember correctly, that business ended after a few paragraphs in the Bible and then it started to get exciting. In Tolkien’s ... More About: Review , View , Quit
Prayer At Rumayla Podcast: Chapter Six, Part One
2007-04-22 16:40:00 The first part of Chapter Six is now online In this episode, Chet arrives in New York City, searching for his high school friend Julie. Listen. Enjoy. If you like it, pass the word to a friend -- word of mouth makes the biggest difference in the world for any project of this kind. About Prayer at Ruma yla:Nineteen year-old Chet Brown arrived home from the Gulf War in the spring of 1991 and found that, for him, the war was only beginning. Betrayed by his friends and lover, ignored by his family, Brown travels across the country in search of meaning behind the horrors of his war.?Bleak and disturbing... dead-on-target ...This first novel is a work of pure psychological conflict.? ? Pulitzer Prize winning reporter John Hanchette, Reno Gazette-Journal?Brutally honest, direct, and meaningful, Prayer At Rumayla is a compelling novel of coming to terms not only with dangers and traumas of the battlefront, but with its aftermath upon the lives of the surviving combatants.? ? Midwest B... More About: Podcast , Cast , Part
Message to Democrats: Spamming Me Will Not Get You My Vote
2007-04-21 19:29:00 I woke up Wednesday morning just like any other day at around 5 am, stumbled downstairs and poured myself a cup of coffee. Then, like any normal morning, I grabbed my MacBook and went outside to read my mail, smoke, and wake the hell up.I was greeted with more than a thousand message in my inbox. Oh, crap. I normally get 20 or 30 spam messages overnight that my filtering doesnít catch, and god only knows how many hundreds more end up in the junkmail, because I don't ever look at that. In this case, however, there they were, right in my inbox. Why? Because I whitelist yahoogroups, since Iím on several of them. All of those lists are well behaved and go right into the folders I set rules for, so I donít ever see them in my inbox itself.These were all new groups however. New groups which someone kindly decided they wanted me to be a member of. Without my consent. Here's the kicker. I'd been added to something like 15 yahoogroups, all for Democr... More About: Democrats , Spamming , Essa , Vote , Message
Republic: Chapter Two (Part Two)
2007-04-20 16:22:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesChapter Two (Part Two) Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Chapter Two (Part Two)May 26 “I’m sorry, sir. According to this, you’ve been provided severance pay for nearly four months. You’ll just have to come back and apply in October.”Murphy swallowed his frustration. It was galling to be in this position, begging help from a government beauracrat. But he had a six year old to take care of, and didn’... More About: Republic
Children of Hurin
2007-04-19 23:15:00 Just got my copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Child ren of Hurin. Will it be as good as Lord of the Rings? We shall see. I don't usually post books here, but this one is ... important.
America and shared sacrifice
2007-04-19 06:20:00 Not too long ago I made a couple of comments here pointing out the dissonance between those who serve in Iraq, who fight and die on our behalf, and those of who stay home...shopping. In light of the mass murder at Virginia Tech, and the ongoing carnage in Iraq, how is that a gap in blackberry service makes the front page of New York Times?Did you even know that bomb blasts killed more than 158 people in Baghdad today? Note that these killings were just as pointless and horrible and random as Virginia Tech -- in one instant, 120 people were killed by a car bomb set of inside a marketplace.I'm no better. I whine when I can't get my email. I complain because of waits on phone calls, and traffic at the shopping center, and book deliveries that don't show up on time. So it brings it all home when I talk to a young 20 year old Marine who has already served 3 tours in Iraq and is now trying to keep from falling apart.Whether or not you support the war, or whatever, it's ... More About: America , Share , Sacrifice
Wednesday Hero: Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt
2007-04-19 01:41:00 This Weeks Soldier Was Submitted By Anna Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt Superintendent of the 22nd Wing Medical Group at McConnell Air Force Base Have you heard of Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt? Maybe you have and maybe you haven't. CMSgt. Hebhardt gain some notoriety recently. Not for an action that he took on the battlefield, but rather for a picture(not shown because it is graphic) that was taken of him. In 2006, CMSgt. John Gebhardt was photographed holding a little Iraqi girl that had been injured. Her family had been attacked by insurgents. Both of her parents were killed, along with many of her siblings, and she had been shot in the head and left for dead. But she was tougher than that. She was brought to Balad Air Base Hospital where she was operated on and ultimately saved. As you can imagine, it was an extremely hard time for this little girl. Her recovery was hellish. But when CMSgt. Gebhardt would hold her, she seemed to be comforted. He sp... More About: Wednesday Hero , Hard
Virginia Tech: What the hell?
2007-04-18 22:45:00 I went to take a look at my traffic this afternoon and discovered something very interesting. A lot of traffic to my site coming from two things: people searching google on the term "What does it feel like to kill" and this old article from Alternet.I've been pretty obsessed with what happened at Virginia Tech , and I'm sure a lot of folks are. But the first query really surprised me, especially since it brought quite a lot of visitors today. I get it that people are googling about the massacre, but that specifically as a search term? What the hell? More About: Hat
Republic: Chapter Two (1)
2007-04-18 02:44:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesChapter Two Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Chapter TwoMay 26 Valerie Murphy hung up the phone and finished typing her notes. Another call from Highview. This was the fifth one this morning, plus the long talk with her father last night. Folks back home were starting to panic. A tall, well-dressed woman with a sharp mind, she knew that other staffers in the office—some of whom she’d been promoted over—privately called h... More About: Republic
Republic: Chapter One (continued)
2007-04-16 15:11:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesChapter One (continued) Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Chapter One (continued) Sally’s Diner in Highview was as busy as Murphy had ever seen it. The usual lunch crowd was there of course, but the place was packed with an extra twenty people or so: folks like him, who would have normally been down at the plant. The old building, with its rundown interior and flaking paint, was a favorite meeting spot in Highview. On the corner... More About: Republic , Conti
Prayer at Rumayla Podcast: Chapter Five Part 3
2007-04-15 17:08:00 Thanks for stopping by, this is the final installment in chapter five. In this episode, Chet Brown wakes up in jail and is confronted with a Vietnam veteran jailer who tries to talk him out of his despondency. In this chapter we also get the first real view of combat during the Gulf War. Listen. Enjoy. If you like it, pass the word to a friend -- word of mouth makes the biggest difference in the world for any project of this kind. About Prayer at Rumayla:Nineteen year-old Chet Brown arrived home from the Gulf War in the spring of 1991 and found that, for him, the war was only beginning. Betrayed by his friends and lover, ignored by his family, Brown travels across the country in search of meaning behind the horrors of his war.?Bleak and disturbing... dead-on-target ...This first novel is a work of pure psychological conflict.? ? Pulitzer Prize winning reporter John Hanchette, Reno Gazette-Journal?Brutally honest, direct, and meaningful, Prayer At Rumayla is a compelling novel... More About: Pod , Podcast , Cast , Part
Republic: Chapter 1, Part 1
2007-04-15 15:23:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesPart One: Three Years Later Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Chapter OneMay 24 Kenny Murphy, Jr. waved goodbye and turned to go into the school building. The faint lines at the corners of Ken Murphy’s eyes crinkled just a little as he watched the little blonde boy walk away. He’d changed so much that Martha wouldn’t have recognized him if she’d still been alive. A very serious boy, he had problems they’d n... More About: Public , Chapter 1 , Republic
Time for a break
2007-04-15 05:09:00 Ok. It's time for a break. When I get completely brain dead, I like to play incredibly violent, bloody video games. My current game is F.E.A.R., which has got to be the creepiest thing I've ever seen in my life. The little creepy girl gives me the willies. Yikes! Then, if I play close to bedtime, I wake up in the night expecting the little blood-soaked person to come creeping around the house ... On second thought, I'm going to play something a little less offensive tonight ... Pac-man. For a couple of years there when I was about my son's age, this was the awesome thing. Now I can finally play it at home. More About: Time , Break , Brea
Republic: Prologue
2007-04-14 16:52:00 Republic Charles Sheehan-MilesPrologue Highview, West VirginiaApril 14 Copyright © 2007 Charles Sheehan-Miles This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 2.5 License. You may copy or distribute the electronic version of this book freely, in unaltered form. You may not create derivative works or use this work for any commercial purpose without the permission of the author. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is unintentional, with the exception of certain named historical characters. Printed in the United States of America OrderBack to Table of Contents Martha Murphy walked her son to his teacher and kissed him goodbye.Kenny shook away, in a hurry to get into the classroom so he could play with the computer before the day officially started. One step away from her he stumbled, arms and legs splayed out. A keening wail rose from the boy."Oh, honey."Lifting her son, she examined him. His hands were scr... More About: Public , Republic , Rolo
Republic: A Novel of America's Future
2007-04-14 16:32:00 Welcome to the America of the future: an intrusive federal government; economy going down the tubes; and terrorism, domestic and foreign, wracking our nation. In 2016 America has become a place of fear and suspicion. Terrorism and government crackdowns have brought on a cycle of spiraling inflation and unemployment. Basic civil liberties are at risk in a country changed, yet frighteningly familiar.Over the next few months, I'll be blogging my new novel Republic , A Novel of America's Future , along with a free podcast of the book. Scheduled for publication in August 2007, Republic is a considerably more ambitious novel than my first, and I hope you stop by, read it, give feedback, and above all, enjoy it!I'll be starting with the prologue, which takes 3 years before the main the body of the book, this afternoon. More About: Public
Wednesday Hero -- Staff Sergeant Keith Maupin
2007-04-14 15:59:00 This Weeks Solider Was Submitted By Lt. SchneiderSSgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin24 years old from Batavia, OhioArmy Reserves 724th Transportation CompanyMIA Since April 9, 2004Strength, perseverance and determination is how you would describe the family of SSgt. Keith Maupin. Because even though their son has been missing now for almost three years, his parents still haven't given up hope that he's still alive. Said his father, Keith Maupin, "I'm saying it ain't over till the fat lady sings and when she sings, I'm going to choke her. That's what I say. They're going to find Matt." His mother, Carolyn, was quoted as saying, "We're to keep our hope up. And praying until they can prove to us 100 percent either way. And that's what I'm going to do. And I realize we only have a 50/50 chance here, but I'm not going the low road. I'm going the high road"SSGt. Maupin, who was PFC. Maupin when he was capture and has sinc... More About: Wednesday Hero , Hero , Wednesday , Staff
Be A Character in My Next Book (or, my Shameless Promotion
2007-04-10 19:23:00 Did you ever want to be the villain in a suspense novel? A tank crewman charging into battle? A Senator or Representative? Now’s your chance. Sort of.In about 30 days I’ll finalizing the copy for my new novel Republic, scheduled for publication in August 2007. Here’s a short blurb:Welcome to the America of the future: an intrusive federal government; economy going down the tubes; and terrorism, domestic and foreign, wracking our nation. In 2016 America has become a place of fear and suspicion. Terrorism and government crackdowns have brought on a cycle of spiraling inflation and unemployment. Basic civil liberties are at risk in a country changed, yet frighteningly familiar.A prominent citizen and commander in the West Virginia National Guard, Ken Murphy, must protect his family and his country, and identify where his loyalties lay in an increasingly dangerous conflict.In short, it’s a big book about an American civil war. Post a review of either the podcas... More About: Promotion , Book , Prom , Next , Character
Chapter Five, Part Two now online
2007-04-08 18:26:00 Thanks for stopping by, this is the second installment in chapter five. In this episode, Chet Brown arrives in a small town in West Virginia. Listen. Enjoy. If you like it, pass the word to a friend -- word of mouth makes the biggest difference in the world for any project of this kind. About Prayer at Rumayla:Nineteen year-old Chet Brown arrived home from the Gulf War in the spring of 1991 and found that, for him, the war was only beginning. Betrayed by his friends and lover, ignored by his family, Brown travels across the country in search of meaning behind the horrors of his war.?Bleak and disturbing... dead-on-target ...This first novel is a work of pure psychological conflict.? ? Pulitzer Prize winning reporter John Hanchette, Reno Gazette-Journal?Brutally honest, direct, and meaningful, Prayer At Rumayla is a compelling novel of coming to terms not only with dangers and traumas of the battlefront, but with its aftermath upon the lives of the surviving combatants.? ? Mid... More About: Online , Part , Line , Five , Chapter
What Does it feel like to kill?
2007-04-05 04:07:00 What does it feel like to kill?For some reason, that question’s been on my mind a lot lately. With Chris going off into the Marine Corps later this year, it came up at my brother’s party last weekend. We were talking, and I said to him, “The one thing you have to be prepared for, is you may be put into a position where you have to kill someone.” But what does that mean?I’ve been asked the question, many times, starting just a couple of days after I got home from Iraq. It was three a.m., and I was sitting in a Waffle House in Macon, Georgia, with a girl I liked, and I had the misfortune to be wearing my uniform. Somebody had to ask: did I just get home from the war? Yeah. That led to the question, the big question, the one I didn't want to answer, even to myself."So what did it feel like to kill somebody?"None of your god damn business, and who the hell do you think you are to ask something like that anyway?I didn't actually respond ... More About: What , Hat , Kill , Like , Feel
Welcome home
2007-04-05 03:11:00 Ok, so I'm a sucker. I've got two kids who get all bent out of shape when I take a day or two trip out of town once or twice a month. Hardly a sacrifice when I consider that for something like a million families have been separated from their loved ones for a year or more in his war, sometimes multiple times. When I think about what the military families in this country sacrifice -- especially knowing my nephew will soon be in the Marines -- it breaks my heart glumbert.com - Welcome Home More About: Come
Wednesday Hero - Major William D. Chesarek, Jr.
2007-04-05 03:10:00 Maj. Will iam D. Chesarek, Jr. Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force Maj. William D. Chesarek, Jr. has done something no other U.S. service member has done since WWII. On March 21 of this year, Maj. Chesarek was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross, by Queen Elizabeth, for saving lives and in recognition for his bravery during combat operations in Iraq. Maj. Chesark was assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force in 2005 and was the pilot of the RAF?s Lynx Mk7 helicopter. On the evening of June 10, 2006, Chesarek was providing radio communication relay for British ground troops conducting a company-sized search operation near Amarah, Iraq. Listening to radio transmissions, he overheard that a vehicle involved in the operation had became disabled and a crowd of insurgents was firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the company. According to his award citation... More About: Wednesday Hero , Hero , Wednesday , Liam
Chapter Five of Prayer at Rumayla Podcast now online
2007-04-03 02:05:00 Thanks for stopping by to check out chapter five. This is a long chapter and is split into three parts, with the first arriving this week. At the beginning of chapter five, we find Chet Brown fleeing Atlanta after his disastrous meeting with his ex-fiance Amy and her new boyfriend Paul. We also begin to learn more about Chet's experience during the war. Listen. Enjoy. If you like it, pass the word to a friend -- word of mouth makes the biggest difference in the world for any project of this kind. About Prayer at Rumayla:Nineteen year-old Chet Brown arrived home from the Gulf War in the spring of 1991 and found that, for him, the war was only beginning. Betrayed by his friends and lover, ignored by his family, Brown travels across the country in search of meaning behind the horrors of his war.?Bleak and disturbing... dead-on-target ...This first novel is a work of pure psychological conflict.? ? Pulitzer Prize winning reporter John Hanchette, Reno Gazette-Journal?Brutally hon... More About: Pod , Podcast , Online , Cast
Prayer at Rumayla eBook Now Available for Free Download
2007-04-02 21:58:00 Hello friends. I've mentioned here before that one of my projects for this year is a complete re-write and edit of my first novel, Prayer at Rumayla: A Novel of the Gulf War. As I work through it, it's become a very different work -- very different. Because of that, I'm essentially saying goodbye to the original novel. It was important for me, but the hopelessness that the original story reflected really doesn't match how I look at things any more. The new book, completely re-written, is going to get a new cover and a new title, since it really is a different story. So, along with the podcast, I've decided to make the original available on the web for free.So, the book is now online, licensed under a Creative Common Non-Attribution, No Derivatives 2.5 license. What that means is that you are free to download and share it, but you can't change it, sell it or make derivative works. Will the original be in print ever again? I haven't decided. I may decide to make it avail... More About: Download , Free , Ebook , Book
Another interesting bit from SWJ
2007-04-02 06:22:00 This is another interesting bit from Small Wars Journal: Beyond a doubt our current administration has lost credibility with the American people (in both red and blue states) based on its inept management of the war. First there were no WMD, then the premature claim to victory, then denial that there was an insurgency, then there was no civil war, not to mention not having a plan for phase IV, and the list goes on. The point is that even if we are now making progress, America's will is eroded, not so much by the enemy, but by our own executive branch. If there is a lesson in this that we obviously failed to learn in Vietnam, it is that we must be completely honest with the American people. They haven't lost patience, they lost faith. I think the President needs to replace several key leaders (the SECDEF was a good start, but not enough), and the new leaders in the administration must be allowed to maintain their credibility so the American people will give them the manueve... More About: Interesting , Inter , Other , Interest , Another
Marines in Ramadi
2007-04-01 16:58:00 First, a brief bit of news. My nephew Christopher has been accepted in the United States Mari ne Corps, and swears in Monday. He's not sure when he'll leave for bootcamp, probably in June after he graduates high school. Sometimes it's hard to get my mind around that -- he was a toddler when I got home from Iraq. With that in mind, I wanted to post a link to this interesting post on Small Wars Journal, an interview with a young Marine lieutenant on his experiences in Ramadi.This one should required reading for folks going over to Iraq today. There's a lot of discussion over there at SWJ that cuts through the political stuff (anti-war/pro-war) and focuses in directly on what many of us need to be directing our thinking to -- how to help Iraq become a stable country that doesn't pose a threat to its neighbors. Walking away and leaving a failed state isn't going to do that. I'll be posting more about this later, but I've been giving a lot of thought t... More About: Marines
Wednesday Hero
2007-04-01 16:48:00 My Wednesday Hero posting this week is obviously late -- I've been travelling since early Wednesday morning, first to DC, then Atlanta, so hadn't had time to post anything. This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi Billy Hodges, in the blue shirt, with a wounded soldier on a fishing tournament in Palacios, Texas Billy Hodges, who served in the U.S. Army and Texas National Guard between 1971-1979, is not only being profiled for his service, but also for what he's done since then. Mr. Hodges runs an organization based in El Campo, Tx called Hunts For Heroes. They also have chapter in South Carolina , Arkansas , Mississippi , and California and what they do is take soldiers who've been wounded in battle on hunting and fishing trips and other outdoor related activities. All free of charge. 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 Sh...
Family blogging
2007-03-27 21:37:00 So, I've been writing and posting stuff here occasionally, but not consistently for a few years. Only recently did I start consistent "blogging," but it was today that it hit home just how many folks I know who are. My cousin Charlie (we went to high school together, he now plays in an orchestra in Sweden, writes Where's America. Down in Georgia, my brother and aunt keep blogs on different topics.What's a little odd about all this is that I don't see them very often. While we living in DC, I'd generally see my family once a year (or even every other year). It's a little more frequent now, since it's down to a 7 hour drive, but still not often enough. And the visits, when they happen, are fraught with stress and driving all over the place and trying to fit things in and keeping the kids from going complete bonkers, so there is little time to really connect anyway.Back when I was in the Army, I used to write dozens of letters every week, to a... More About: Family , Blogging , Blog , Blogg
Prayer at Rumayla: Chapter Four now online
More articles from this author:2007-03-24 18:34:00 Thanks for stopping by to check out chapter four. This chapter is 32 minutes, and follows Chet Brown as he struggles with his new platoon sergeant, then goes on leave and encounters his ex-fiance. That encounter is a major turning point in the book, but I won't get into how it turns out. Listen. Enjoy. If you like it, pass the word to a friend -- word of mouth makes the biggest difference in the world for any project of this kind. About Prayer at Ruma yla:Nineteen year-old Chet Brown arrived home from the Gulf War in the spring of 1991 and found that, for him, the war was only beginning. Betrayed by his friends and lover, ignored by his family, Brown travels across the country in search of meaning behind the horrors of his war.?Bleak and disturbing... dead-on-target ...This first novel is a work of pure psychological conflict.? ? Pulitzer Prize winning reporter John Hanchette, Reno Gazette-Journal?Brutally honest, direct, and meaningful, Prayer At Rumayla is a compelling novel... More About: Online , Four , Line 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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