Thursday, October 25, 2012

"The Night Eagles Soared" and "Burnt Yellow and Red"


Both of my books are fictional novels about a team of Green Berets jumping into Afghanistan just after 9-11.“The Night Eagles Soared” released on October 5th 2010 and in it, the team is preparing to conduct a Military Free Fall Parachute Operation.  During the flight the Team Sergeant begins to reflect how he came to be in that position, at that incredible moment in history.  He tells the story as it goes back in time revealing the evolution of a Special Forces soldier through the night I compare to the Doolittle Raid of WWII.  That is, “The Night Eagles Soared” just after 9-11.

            In the first book the team is there, although; I never introduced them.   “Burnt Yellow and Red” takes the reader on the complete mission profile through the “Battle for Kabul”.   The team is introduced as the story unfolds from the perspective of the Air Force Tactical Air Controller who is attached.  He must earn the men’s respect as he struggles to find his place and in the end, he becomes a true member of the Special Forces Brotherhood.

            As a writer, it is my goal to capture the heart and soul of our warriors.  I do this by writing from the perspective of a soldier, gained through years of experience.  I do not write from a journalistic perspective, but rather from the heart and that is why my stories ring so powerfully true.  My work has been endorsed by the Green Beret Foundation, Professional Soldiers.com, the Special Forces Book Store.com and the SF Museum on Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  I have been traveling across the country for the last four months visiting the Exchange on each installation as I go.  It is my honor to bring these books to the military audience at the Exchange and I hope you will enjoy reading the stories as much as I did writing them. 

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” 
~ George Orwell

God bless you, our warriors, and their families!




S. B. Newman, Author

Monday, August 27, 2012

Review of "Burnt Yellow and Red."

My friend Richard Avery posted this review of "Burnt Yellow and Red" on my Facebook page.  It is short...still it is revealing.

Richard Avery A powerful book with a startling story. This book has to be chewed up and digested! 

Thank Richard for the review.

To order a copy of "Burnt Yellow and Red" just use the shopping cart drop down menu to the right hand side of this page.  You will find that Shipping is included in the price.

Steve

Monday, August 6, 2012

Coming Home


I am always amazed by the incredible stories I hear and people I meet during my book signings at the military installations I’ve visited recently.  Like the WWII, Korea and Vietnam Vet who was 96 years young and still handing out great advice on life. He had flown in all three wars and was still leading by example.  

The other day, while at Fort Gordon,  I looked up from the book I was signing to see a young, fresh faced 23 year old soldier.  I had no idea the experience I was about to have or the opportunity I was going to be given by God to take my new role as a writer a step further.

In those few minutes there was an exchange of viewpoints and belief systems that showed me just how much I need to share, not only the Steve Newman...the retired Sergeant, proud Special Forces soldier, and author,  but also the humanity that was fostered by my life experiences in the Army. I looked up into the eyes of a man whose desire was to join Special Forces, but instead, he was going back home, to my home state of Oklahoma, to battle the big "C" (cancer): in hospice.  Not just to Oklahoma, but to Lawton, Oklahoma which is near my home town. 

He asked me, “Do you believe there is a Heaven?”  I thought about it and a story came to mind.  I told him about how one late night I couldn't sleep, so I turned on the TV to see Billy Graham answer that very question.  I acknowledged that like Billy Graham, I believe in God and that Heaven is "Most assuredly real," and like in my book, going to Heaven is like, “Coming Home.” 

I expect that over the next several months as the book tour continues, I will meet many young soldiers, and old veterans, not to mention many young people who are interested in talking to an "Ole" Sergeant to see if he will "Tell it like it is;" I will!  Like the fresh faced 23 year old soldier, they will live in my memories, in my heart forever.  That is what we do, we few, we band of brothers. 

These days, many parents are encouraging their sons and daughters not to enlist because they are afraid, or perhaps closed minded about the positive aspects of service to our great nation.  When asked, to the man or women, “Would you choose to serve again?”  Over and over again I hear the same response, “Yes, absolutely yes, and I wouldn’t change a thing!” They always echo my exact sentiment.  

Folks need to realize that enlisting in the military is not a suicidal impulse.  Rather, enlisting to serve our great nations is a calling.  Those who do enlist, do it out of patriotism, out of a desire to serve.  A concept too few Americans have these days.

God bless our troops, those who have volunteered during a time of war knowing full well the hazards they may face.  

Sunday, July 29, 2012

"Victory Starts Here!"

Hi, this is Brig.  Just got back from Fort Jackson where when you go onto post, you're greeted with a smile and a "Welcome to Fort Jackson!  Victory starts here!!"

While we were there, the ranges were hot 24/7.  I caught Steve on more than one occasion looking wistfully in the direction of the mortar and machine gun fire.  You know what they say, "You can take the man out of the Army, but ...".  You have to hand it to the men and women who were out there training night and day because it was H-O-T!  If you've ever been in the south in the summertime you know how oppressive the humidity can be.  And instead of the rain bringing relief, it only brought more steam!

Me and the boys (our dogs, Kyle and Charlie) hiked Black Squirrel Trail and saw red-headed wood peckers, Kyle's arch nemesis the squirrel, deer tracks and tons of butterflies.  Is it butterfly season?  Is there such a thing?  They were everywhere.  The best part was listening to the wind blowing through the pines and the sound of the cicadas - very relaxing.  (Yes, even with the explosions in the distance.) =)

We ran into some folks at the campground who Steve had met when he was here prior - Ralph and Billie who we call "The Honeybee People".  We traded one of Steve's books for some local honey they recently harvested from their hives.  And oh yah, it's good!

Before jumping off of here, I did want to mention a gentleman Steve met during his last stop at Fort Stewart - "Philly" Phil Parks.  He is a homeless Vietnam veteran who is an incredible artist.  Philly Phil also has some pretty good worldly advice.  Like - 'don't buy a woman a house just because she gives you a little leg' and 'definitely don't let her keep it when you break up!'.  Good advice I would say for those young, naive troops out there.  The AAFES Exchange has made it possible for Phil to sell his artwork - kudos to them!  And if you're at Ft. Stewart, stop by and check out his work - you won't be sorry!

Please continue to think of our troops and keep them all in your prayers.

There are 10 Green Berets in this photo.  Can you find them? 

Only at a military campsite will you see this. =)

Kyle, looking for squirrel.
Okay, next stop - Fort Gordon!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Top Of The Rock!!


Good morning, everyone.  This is Brig, Steve’s wife.  In case you haven’t heard, Steve and I will be traveling across the United States to sell and promote his two books, “The Night Eagles Soared” and “Burnt Yellow and Red”.  The majority of our stops will be at military bases; however, there are a couple of events that are not, and all of them will be posted on his website https://sites.google.com/site/thenighteaglessoared/.  I hope if you're in the area, you will come out and see us.  We are starting out in the Southeast and making our way west.  West coast or bust!  What better way to see these great, beautiful United States than to drive and camp along the way!  Our two dogs, Kyle and Charlie, love car rides!  This will be a good one for them.

Until October, Steve is flying solo and he started off the Nationwide Tour yesterday at Fort Stewart – home to the 3rd Infantry Division and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Brigade Combat teams, just to name a few, along with many tenant units.  Some of our country’s finest!!  On Steve’s last visit to Fort Stewart he told me about the Warrior Transition Unit that is there.  Some of the wounded soldiers came up to his table and he had the privilege of speaking with them.  When a soldier is wounded on the battlefield, he is whisked out of theater and medivaced to the rear, usually Germany and then onto stateside.  Fort Stewart is one of the locations they come to.  Although necessary, they are now ‘alone’ and separated from their tight knit unit, buddies, and commanders.  As Steve said, “They just wanted some old, fat Sergeant to listen to them and tell them it would be okay”.  Don’t get me wrong, Steve is empathetic, but by no means a ‘coddler’.  On many an occasion he has gone into Sergeant mode and not allowed me to slide down that slippery slope of self-pity, but instead made me pull myself up by my socks and ‘buck up’.  I am grateful and I’m sure he did the same for these young troops.  Me, as a Blue Star mother, the soldiers would have reminded me of my own son and I would have just wanted to hold and baby them.  But that would do them no good.  As Steve has pointed out, they are SOLDIERS.  It is good to listen to them, but they are strong and capable and just need to be reminded of that.

I spoke with Steve on the phone last night and he said that the Special Forces Recruiter had brought his kids to his table.  Apparently, the “recruits” were full of energy, busily touched and inspected everything on the table, and then just as quick, they were gone.  He said they were going to make some fine SF soldiers!  =)

I haven’t gotten to see the campground at Fort Stewart yet, but Steve said that it is quite nice and beautiful.  I can just picture Steve and what he was doing after work last night – a white cotton t-shirt, shorts, a couple of beers in the lawn chair, and relaxing by the lake.  Ahhh, life is good.

I hope you’ll continue to read the posts of our travels and look at the photos of the locations and people we meet along the way.  God bless our troops and our great country!

Brig

Monday, July 9, 2012

eBooks Now Available!

Did you know that both of my books are now available through my little online store as eBooks?  That is right!  We have what are Called Digital Down Load Cards.  Great idea and new product from my publisher. It allows readers with eBooks like Kindle or Nook to order directly from the author.  It doesn't get any better than that!


Friday, June 29, 2012

Interview with Jennifer Paquette of the Green Beret Foundation




1. What is your organizations full name, your full name and your position within the organization? The Green Beret Foundation, Jennifer Paquette, Director of Operations and I also sit on the Board of Advisors.

2. How and why did you get involved? My husband, Roland Paquette III, was an 18d (Special Forces Medic) with 1/3 SFG and was severely injured December 28, 2005 when his vehicle was hit by an IED. He lost both of his legs above the knees. I started working for USSOCOM Care Coalition helping start a pilot program supporting injured, ill and wounded Special Operations warriors and their families. I was a project manager and mentor for this program. I am still a mentor in the program but I am focusing on school; am supporting my husband while he goes to Physician’s Assistant school and focusing on getting the Green Beret Foundation up and running.

3. What is your mission and how do you hope to achieve it? The Green Beret Foundation provides unconventional resources to facilitate the special needs of our wounded, and provide unique support to the Special Forces community in order to strengthen readiness and uphold Green Beret traditions and values.
a. What is your Short term goal- We are currently focusing on creating a solid resource network and legitimate business infrastructure in order to facilitate our long-term goal of alleviating any gaps in care or controllable stressors for wounded Green Berets and their families. We want to instill confidence in our donors in order for them to be confident that their donations are truly making a difference in the Green Beret Community. We are focusing on marketing, holding fundraisers, partnering with corporations and private donors in order to raise the necessary resources.
b. What is your Long term goal- to setup a solid support system that will be able to support wounded Green Berets for many years to come. We support Green Berets wounded in combat operations, training, and peace time operations. Because the Green Berets are called upon to operate with supreme precision in extreme situations their training can result in injured soldiers. And although our nation will eventually end war-time activities, the Green Berets will continue to be tasked with potentially dangerous and life threatening peacetime activities. We want our foundation to be able to continue supporting Green Berets injured during their service to our country for a long time to come.

4. What are some of the activities being supported by your organization? Health and Welfare, Advanced rehabilitation and operational health & performance programs. Equipment related to rehabilitation and operational health & performance treatments and procedures not covered by the DOD, the Veterans Affairs, or TRICARE such as:
  • In-Vitro fertilization for those whose reproductive capacity has been affected by their wounds, injury or illness.
  • Career & educational opportunities and Life reintegration assistance.
  • Travel Transportation and lodging for medical treatments not covered by TRICARE.
  • Transportation and lodging for Veterans seeking medical assistance through VAR or occasions when travel for medical purposes for our wounded on active duty is not covered by the government.
  • Memorial Costs incurred by family members for Gold Star events and certain memorials.
  • Family assistance and resources to aid and assist the spouses and children of the Special Forces community who have been affected by the loss of their loved one.
  • Financial assistance for certain hardships when approved by our Board of Directors
5. What can we all do to help your organization accomplish its goals? As we continue to have fundraisers around the nation, we will need help from volunteers to run these events. We can always use assistance with ideas and opportunities for fundraisers or events and resources surrounding raising awareness about our efforts to support our warriors. We are also looking for opportunities to educate the public however we can by enlisting the help of various publications, all of our social networks, social meetings, & TV and radio public service announcements.
Address:
Green Beret Foundation
PO Box 8250
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Greenberetfoundation.org
My number: 505-264-3284 Email: jen@greenberetfoundation.org
Aaron’s number: 714-975-3154 Email: aaron@greenberetfoundation.org
6. Is there anything else you would like to add? I would also like to make sure that you know that I am not the founder. The founder and president is SSgt (R) Aaron Anderson formally of 7th SFG who was traumatically wounded in 2006. He has pulled together an outstanding Board of Directors and Board of Advisors made up of all former Special Forces Soldiers (and one wife of a SF soldier- me). It has taken this complete team to get it started.
We also work very closely with the USSOCOM Care Coalition to help us identify soldiers with needs. They act as a clearing house for the wounded. Care Coalition tracks all casualties from the combat theater to state side. We cannot operate efficiently and effectively without this organization. This is very important.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Caring for America's Quiet Professionals


The Green Beret Foundation provides unconventional resources to facilitate the special needs of our wounded, ill and injured and imparts unique support to the Special Forces community in order to strengthen readiness and uphold Green Beret traditions and values.
The United States Army Special Forces, commonly known as the Green Berets, produces some of our nation’s finest and most elite warriors. They fight across a broad spectrum of missions in the pursuit of freedom for those oppressed and to protect our nation from those who seek to do us harm. They are known as our country's quiet professionals.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Junior's Bullet Pens

I am now selling Junior's Bullet Pens!  Order now!  Just use the drop down menu in the shopping cart!



Monday, April 30, 2012

An Array of Endorsements for "Burnt Yellow and Red."


"Steve Newman's perspective as a Green Beret combat veteran brings truth and realism to his characters in ways that non-fiction simply cannot. As reflected in his writing, serving on a Special Forces team begins as an assignment, but the crucible of combat elevates teammates to brothers."


John L. Plaster, Author – SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam


Burnt Yellow and Red is more than a terrific story of the unsung heroes of the Global War on Terror – the warriors of the United States Special Operations Forces.  It tells the story of the heart of these warriors, something that few people outside the brothers on their team ever get to know. While these truly Special warriors are “larger than life”, they also have a love and caring for their families and each other that only those who have gone into battle can ever achieve.  Steve Newman has captured this love and the heart and spirit of these warriors in Burnt Yellow and Red – it is a MUST read for ALL Americans!

Jeff Falkel Gold Star Father, Author of “The Making of Our Warrior

Congratulations to the author who continues to tell “more than a war story”, by revealing the hearts, lives and dreams of the men and women who serve us. No frills, no fuss, just the “real thing”.

Joyce Godwin Grubbs author, The Greyhound Lady Walking Series

Steve Newman's latest novel, "Burnt Yellow and Red," is a real break through in stories about the U.S. Army Special Forces (SF), The Green Berets. He shows who they are and how they work through the eyes of a Air Force Special Operations Command airman who understands the mission but has to gain an understanding of the SF operational detachment. This distinctive point of view shows a side of SF that is seldom seen – the view of the outsider. Newman crafts a tale, based on his own SF career as a Green Beret. This unique novel shows Special Forces soldiers and Special Operations airmen for who they really are: the guys who grew up next door and went on to become something extraordinary. I recommend this book to the long-time veteran, the guy who is looking to go to Special Forces School, or any American who wants to understand the greatest soldiers who ever walked the face of the earth.

CWO3 Tom Merrill, Special Forces (Retired)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

"Burnt Yellow and Red" Receives Key Endorsement


"Steve Newman's perspective as a Green Beret combat veteran brings truth and realism to his characters in ways that non-fiction simply cannot. As reflected in his writing, serving on a Special Forces team begins as an assignment, but the crucible of combat elevates teammates to brothers."



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Guest Post by Author John R. "Barney" Barnes


                                     All Great Things Are Simple

“All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words; freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” Sir Winston Churchill

In this day of seemingly ever increasing complexities and apparently irresolvable, dangerous issues at all levels of human activity, I propose we consider Sir Winston’s observation. After all he did experience and overcome two world wars and a world wide economic depression. He persevered a time when tens of millions of our human kind were dying from the clashing of armies, wide spread hunger and the savage domestic policies of dictators such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao. So beyond the pale of human experience were these atrocities that the word “genocide” had not yet appeared. You will not find genocide in Webster’s classic 1824 edition nor as late as the 1944 edition.

America was the first nation in history where individual freedom began to be experienced to any degree and have those freedoms enumerated and guaranteed by a Constitution and Bill of Rights. In 1776 individual freedom was viewed as such a great thing that many were willing to risk it all…lives, fortunes and sacred honor…for this one simple word. Indeed, individual freedom is a great thing.

We well remember Patrick Henry’s famous speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses in March of 1775, “Give me liberty or give me death”, whose theme so powerfully influenced opinion throughout the 13 colonies. In the months leading up to July 4, 1776, many colonist began to see themselves as “Americans” and began to believe strongly that the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were endowments from God. As Jefferson would later say…“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time”. Many colonists came to openly identify with the phrase live free or die. Since then our history as a people has unfolded in such a manner as to demonstrate how the greatness and strength  that individual freedom, produced within our borders, enabled American power to liberate tens of millions well beyond our borders. 

All great things are simple and without these “great things” it does not really matter how many toys you have collected, achievements you have amassed, or even nations you have conquered. There can be no enduring greatness in a people where justice is rationed, witness the demise of countless tyrants throughout history.

Our Constitution established a republic where every citizen had a representative in the legislature and a court system where there was “equal justice under the law.” To establish these noble precepts as a reality: American soil would become saturated with the blood  of over 625,000 Americans 1861-1865; the 19th Amendment would need to be ratified in 1920 giving women voting rights; and Native Americans would need to be given citizenship in 1924 and voting rights in 1968. Justice for all is more that an artful phrase, it is a great thing, but yet a simple thing not easily attained. 

All great things are simple and you can undoubtedly add some words to Sir Winston’s list. Faith, courage, trust and humility come to my mind as I ponder the subject. The other four he gave us…honor, duty, mercy, and hope, are well worthy of our thoughtful consideration in 2012.

As we have briefly discussed freedom and justice we are reminded that they truly are great precepts that require a great passion in the heart of a great people to become a simple reality. Consider this quote from Thomas Jefferson… “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, have perverted it into tyranny.” Sound familiar?

We the people of this generation of Americans must step up and be the delivery system for these inviolate, simple precepts proffered by Sir Winston for them to be the great realities in our day. Jefferson also observed that…“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty” and that…“Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have…the course of history shows that as government grows, liberty decreases.” Over the past few years we have witnessed the profound accuracy of Mr. Jefferson’s poignant insight into unchecked human behavior.

When I seriously reflect upon Sir Winston’s observation, word by word, I become more aware of the relevance of my own faith in God as well as more focused on my duty as a patriot. I am reminded of General George Washington’s words to his troops on this subject: While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought no to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion. To the distinguished Character of Patriot it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian. General Orders, Head Quarters, Valley Forge, May 2, 1778.

The year 2012 is not the time to be a spectator in American life, much is on the table and much hangs in the balance. During the Revolutionary War roughly one third of the colonists were patriots. I do not know what percentage of Americans will take a stand for liberty in 2012 but I plan to tell my grandchildren of the challenges and adventures I had in doing just that, regardless of the outcome. All great things are indeed simple!

“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?” Thomas Jefferson

Developed by:
Cdr USN®
Revised 4-12-2012


Thursday, April 12, 2012

The First Rail to Success


Over the last few weeks I have been stuck on what author Steven Pressfield calls that second rail or track or the business side of being a writer versus the first rail, which is about finding your soul as an artist.  You see there are two sides of being a writer; the entrepreneurial and the artistic. 
They feed on each other but what happens when you get stuck on the second rail? What happens when you get stuck waiting for a response to an inquiry, checking to see if there are any orders to fill, balancing the checking account.  The second rail has a tendency to over ride the first and that is when we come up against resistance, or what is more commonly known as writers block.
Last year I finished the initial draft of the manuscript for my next book, “Burnt Yellow and Red,” and I had it in my publisher’s hands by the end of June.  During that same time I had been traveling a great deal for book signings.  I even attended a screen writer’s work shop in the hopes of learning the basics of that craft while I waited for the production process to start on this book.
For seven months, for most of 2011, I wrote screen play after screen play based on both of my books.  I was like a mad man and everybody I know was telling me to work on something else that would “Have a better chance of success!”  I was betting on myself and felt absolutely compelled to go down that road. 
Anyway…Do you remember the interview I posted with Actor/Author/Director Dale Dye?  Well, it was while I was working on the screen plays that I first ran into him on Facebook of all places.  I reached out and he agreed to take a look at some of my work.  His first critique almost killed me it was so harsh. 
Now, I am a Retired Army Special Forces Non-Commissioned Officer who should have a thick skin.  Apparently, my skin was about to get a lot thicker.  First I, complained to anybody who would listen. “Look what Dale said! How could he do that?”  To be honest, I was devastated; until my wife Brig told me to think of it another way.  She said, “You know Steve, most people never respond when they don’t like something.”  Then she said, “Seems to me, Dale must have seen something in your work if he took the time to give you a critique.”
I thought about it and decided that I was going to show him!  I sat down and wrote a completely new screen play, and he chopped it up.  I wrote another, he chopped me to bits.  I wrote another and he chopped me to bits again and again, and again.  Finally, he wrote me and said, “Just write a Rock and Roll war story and forget about all this other fluffy puffy stuff, oh and keep the ending.”
Ah Ha!  I had won him over, but he was also starting a shoot up in Vancouver on his new SyFi Channel show and needed time to focus on that.  That means he hasn’t seen this last script yet.  Titled; “Burnt Yellow and Red – The Battle for Kabul.” My best work yet!  Dale helped me a great deal and I can’t say thank you enough. 
All that happened before Christmas.  I meditated, okay let me be honest, I prayed; I prayed a lot trying to figure out what to do with the script over the holidays.  I had also been doing some research into Literary Management Agencies.  Companies out in California that specialize in representing screen writers.  I had narrowed my focus onto three or four different companies on the West coast; all of them major players. 
On 5 January, 2012, I sent out one query as a test.  I sent it through the company’s online submission system that was very restrictive.  It did not allow for anything other than a 100 character log line, and 400 character synopsis and bio.  That includes spaces and punctuation folks.  This is what I sent. 
Title: Burnt Yellow and Red - The Battle for Kabul
Genre: Military Fiction, War, Action, Adventure
Logline: Thrust into a destructive, ancient world ruled by warlords a team of Green Berets fights to survive.
Synopsis: A Special Forces team infiltrate deep into Afghanistan and link up with the Northern Alliance just after 9-11.  Soon they become entangled in a style of combat that combines both ancient and modern techniques unlike any other fight in the history of our nation.  Faced with the mission of their lives; the team maneuvers its way to the capital and deals with a variety of combat situations.
Similar Films:
Band of Brothers
Saving Private Ryan
Companies that have read the script: None
Author: S. B. Newman
Email: sbnou@live.com
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/thenighteaglessoared/
Agent: N/A
Agent's Phone: N/A
Resume or Bio: My name is Steve Newman and I retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces in 2003. Since then, I have become a writer and my first book, "The Night Eagles Soared" was released in October 2010 and the sequel, "Burnt Yellow and Red" is now in production. This script, “The Battle for Kabul” is based on both of these books.  I am a graduate of Columbia College and I live in Charleston, SC with my wife Brig where I continue my free lance writing career.   
Now let me be clear folks, over the years I have sent queries to hundreds of agencies all over the country trying to get picked up.  I have never had a response from any of them!  Not one, well let me take that back.  I have received automated responses like, “If you haven’t heard back from us in six to eight weeks then take that as a pass.”   In fact I received that response automatically when I sent this one in.  So I forgot all about it. 
On 15 January, I received an email from the conceptual editor at my publisher that they had completed their three and a half month copy and conceptual editing of my book.  She gave me a two week deadline to have my changes to the manuscript back to her and so I went to work.  One thing that helped was that I had created a great many combat scenes for the screen play that were not in the book.  My editor had critiqued the combat scenes in the book.  She wrote, “I didn’t realize that combat now days is done from such long stand off distances.”
Instantly I realized that I had not written an accurate description of the combat our Special Forces had encountered in Afghanistan shortly after 9-11.  Luckily, I had been working on the script all those months and I had all those scenes ready to go.  There was just one problem.  Movie scripts are merely bare bone outlines of a story that describe the action in present tense and of course you have the dialogue. 
I decided to go for it.  I rewrote all those scenes in the past tense.  All novels are written in past tense, well mostly.  Anyway….I rewrote the scenes filling in all the descriptive detail and dialogue.  It was great, once again I was writing like a mad man on a mission from God.  In the end, I added over 30K words to the book in those two weeks and sent it back to my editor.  I was happy! 
On the 9th of February I received an email expressing interest based on my query from the head of the Literary Management company. “Is it still available?”  I almost fell out of my chair!  Then I thought, “There is something to be said about prayer.”  Then I had to collect my senses and figure out how to respond.  Long story short, it took over a month to iron out the details of an interim agreement so that the script could be considered. 
A little over two weeks ago I scanned the signed copy of the interim agreement and I attached it to an email along with the manuscript and blasted it out to the West coast.  Since then I haven’t been able to do anything other than check my email and wonder around the house aimlessly stuck on that second rail waiting for a response. 
So I posted some things on facebook and failed miserably in every attempt to write something, anything.  I could not get out of this funk; away from this resistance. I just could not break my writers block. 
Then, the other day an author friend, Rose Ann Daniels poked fun at me about the title and said, “Burnt Yellow and Red; isn’t that really just orange?”  Well, at first I was a little perturbed by that statement.  “How dare you?”  I thought to myself, and then I realized what she was trying to do.  She was trying to get me to think about the title and what it really means.  She was trying to get me to find a way to describe it to a potential reader.  Here is what I wrote to her.
When you mix yellow and red together it becomes orange, but when you say it as “Burnt Yellow and Red,” it is a combination of colors; a mixture if you will. 
Imagine the early morning sun casting long shadows over the Afghan Mountains as it rises over the horizon into a cloudless sky. 
Imagine a fire ball rising high into the air, roiling blackness surrounding the yellow and red flames as they invade the buzzards domain.
Imagine the photographic memories of this new generation; memories recorded on color film that over time becomes tarnished yellow and red, yet they still exist unblemished within our hearts and within our soul.    
Imagine the “Light of God” as the opening to a portal through which only warriors may pass, a portal to…”The Gathering Place.”
Then you will understand the true meaning of all things, “Burnt Yellow and Red.”
"The Gathering Place"
Written by an SF Soldier, about being a Speical Forces Soldier! 
Our lives portend a journey
From our birth unto our death
A tangled web of experiences
Creating the map of our bequeath.

The roads we travel are many
Some short and others long,
Twisted and broken, straight and narrow
Some recorded in verse or song.

The tales we weave are epic
When shared within our fold
The deeds achieved… historic
And the memories never grow old.

The Elysian Fields are found by some
Valhalla’s halls others may share
And Haydes gates from the river Styx
As the boatman takes his fare.

No matter what we call it,
Our mythos is our goal
It’s the hall of deeds and legends…
A place where we all go.

Our brothers go before us…
To that place from history past
A place known only to warriors,
A place to rest at last.

The songs become the legends
For our brotherhood to embrace
And when the reaper comes a calling
We meet at the gathering place.
Copyright 2010, Thomas Gluzinski, All Rights Reserved.

Will I finally get picked up by an agency?  Will they make a movie out of my script?  Is this the moment I’ve been hoping and praying for over the last six or seven years?  Who knows?  One thing for sure, I have got to send my friend an email and tell her thanks for asking that question.  I think she just pulled me back onto that first rail. 
Thank you all for taking the time to read this article.  I appreciate you a great deal.  Please feel free to join me on Facebook and God bless you all! 
Sincerely,
Rose Anne Daniels is the author's pen name. She has been a registered nurse for thirty-four years. A survivor of bipolar disorder, she was once labeled "gravely disabled" and committed to psychiatric wards against her will. She now works full time on a rehabilitation unit for brain injuries.
Her first book, "Roses are Red: Survival and Recovery by God's Grace" is her own true story. Her second book, "The Mansion Across the Street" will be released early 2012.
Through her writing she intends to give hope to other sufferers from mental illness, that they too might enjoy a full life through God's amazing grace.