Thursday 29 May 2014

Response to the question of bad writing that was posted on another forum.

"I am very glad you are enjoying it. The answer to the puzzle is that my brain was suffering through decades of neglect. I did not finish school but joined the British Army as a boy soldier at 15 and until 2004 my jobs were all practical and outdoors, with not a great deal of creative writing involved (although defence lawyers/counsel for the defense, argued otherwise on a few occasions). From 2004 - 2011 I was responsible for the planning of operations and the writing of the operations plans*. (*plus having a good time on film sets and TV productions, putting on a few extra pounds with the excellent catering of course. Clint Eastwood really is just playing himself BTW!) I am not aware of any critical remarks from senior officers on grammar and punctuation. This probably evidences why they were not 'Superior Officers', just coppers who were paid more (No offence, just a play on an old joke).

I am only now really aware of how incredibly BAD my writing was, as my brain has been slapped up the side a time or three since publishing Volume 1 in 2013 (written in 2002) and Volume 2 (written in 2003). Since May 2013 this old dog has been learning new tricks I would otherwise have learnt in school if I had not run off to play soldier and street cop for forty years, back in 1972.

I am re-editing Volume 1 and 2 and publishing Map Illustrated Editions which are half the size 2-parters, due to the size of the maps adding to the cost of the eBooks on Kindle.
The paper versions will now become rather small print, once edited again, as CreateSpace, the printer, has lowered page maximums to 480 (From 700 back when I published the 665 page Volume 2 in June '13).

The maps are the usual Farman rough workmanship in comparison to the map makers on here, but this is the battlefield in the first book, the opening battle of World War 3, set 12 miles NW of the Czech Republic on a river called The Wesernitz in 'Stand-To'. "

Andy Farman 

A year on

One year and six days after publishing Volume 1 'Stand-To' I published what was intended to be the final part of the story as a fourth title but hit technical difficulties due to page count and file size. Volumes 4 and 5 were therefore published at the same time. I was very disappointed and annoyed at the reduction in maximum page size since publishing Volume 2, which was 665 pages in length, in June 2013.
However, a fantastic readership, many of whom have given a lot of encouragement over the year, have made both books a success. It really has come as a surprise and the very least I can do now is re-edit volume 1 which is embarrassingly bad....sorry about that.

Thank you one and all, and I think a revisit to Armageddon's Song may be on the cards in the future.


Wednesday 28 May 2014

Next work in Military Fiction


'Shaw . USMC'
A prequel to Armageddon's Song with Henry Shaw as a Lieutenant in the USMC, a while before becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of course. I will follow that with other characters in a prequel during 'The Troubles' in Ulster.


Tuesday 27 May 2014

Trying another genre at the same time.

My rough idea for a cover as the story begins in a similar style.

A stab at another genre whilst still writing alternative history. I have asked a few artists for their thoughts based upon this.


Why did the intended 'Two books in one cover' not happen?

In short, the file size for eBooks was three times higher with the maps everyone asked for, and CreateSpace, the printers of the paperback, have lowered the maximum permitted page count quite considerably from last year. From 700 pages to 480 pages.

The cost of downloading an illustrated book from kindle of 12.3MB, for which they round the numbers upwards to 13MB, added  £2 to the price.

The book was 517 pages and I had to lose 37 pages to meet the new maximum.

eBooks and Paperbacks have to match.

I am not happy and neither are many of those who followed the series who automatically suspect it was a commercial decision.

Damned if I do and damned if I don't.

Monday 26 May 2014

Long overdue editing and map illustrations for the new editions of volumes 1,2,3

'Stand-To' the edited and illustrated edition that is in the works.
When I published Volume 1 and 2 the paperback maximum was 700 pages, but it is now 480 so the new edition cannot even be uploaded. The only solution is to unpublish the 2 originals and republish in a total of four parts.
I will have a short free download period for the benefit of anyone who already paid for the original, but the period is set by Amazon and it is limited and not repeatable for 90 days.

Setting the scene for a battle I wrote in 2002. This is the ground as I saw it in my imagination with the Czech Republic 12 miles to the SE, woods and hills north and south with the valley, its fields, railway embankment, flood plain, River Wesernitz and the highway.1CG's position up on the wooded hillside to the north.I have included the fighting patrol area where the prisoner snatch takes place too, so with differing sizes of symbols I hope to use sections of this map to highlight the various stages.




Sunday 11 May 2014

The final volume.

                           ' THE LONGEST NIGHT '

THE WAR IN EUROPE HAS REACHED CRITICAL MASS AND
IT IS A RACE BETWEEN THE RED ARMY AND THE NEWLY
ARRIVED US AND CANADIAN 4TH CORPS.
JUST ONE LAST PUSH IS REQUIRED TO CLEAR AWAY
SACEUR'S GAMBIT AND THE LAST DIVISION STANDING
BETWEEN THE RED ARMY AND THE CHANNEL PORTS.
IT IS THE LONGEST NIGHT FOR EVERYONE, AND THE LAST
NIGHT FOR MANY.


                      ' CROSSING THE RUBICON '

THE EUROPEAN WAR IS A LONG WAY FROM THE FIGHTING
THAT IS CONSUMING THE PACIFIC. THE ANZACS AND THE
US 5TH MECHANISED DIVISION ARE NOT ENOUGH TO DEFEND
AUSTRALIA'S COASTLINE ALONE, BUT FEAR OF CHINA'S NUCLEAR
ARSENAL HAS LEFT THE ALLIES WITH FEW FRIENDS AND
ALL IS NOT WELL AT HOME IN THE WEST.

A RECKONING IS COMING.