I received the following email from the family and friends of Michael Behenna who is currently incarcerated at Fort Levinworth for murdering an Al Queda terrorist. I reported the circumstances of his case in an earlier posting. (See Who is more deserving of justice than the men & women who fight to defend our rights?) They appeared before the Army Clemency and Parole Board. The following is a report of that presentation as well as the continuing effort to have the case retried. Unfortunately, the Army panel can only release him from prison. They cannot clear his name.

To the thousands of Michael supporters,

Last week we traveled to Washington DC to present Michael’s case before the Army Clemency and Parole Board.  Michael’s younger brother Brett, two years out of law school and a county prosecutor in Oklahoma, made the main presentation to the Board. 

Brett opened his presentation with a video of the latest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor Dakota Meyer receiving his medal.  He pointed out that Dakota disobeyed four direct orders to stay at his post while his platoon was in a firefight in a nearby Afghan village.  But as Dakota Meyer would later explain, one has to be guided by principle and that more important than following orders is your brotherhood.  Brett told the Board that both Dakota and Michael violated orders, but both men did so to protect their fellow soldiers.  No one knows the outcome of a decision they make, but when Soldiers/Marines are guided by the principle of protecting their troops, the outcome of a decision should not determine if one will be praised as a hero and the other branded a criminal.

Brett told the Board that the four years Michael had already spent in prison was enough given the facts of the case:  1) Ali Mansur was a member of an Al Qaida cell, known to be involved in planting roadside IED’s, 2) that Michael did not kill Mansur out of anger or hatred, but because Mansur lunged for his gun, and 3) that the reason Michael was interrogating Mansur in the first place was he wanted to prevent another IED attack on his men by questioning the very person he believed was responsible for an IED attack that killed two of his soldiers. Brett then walked the Board through the tenants of corrections (Incapacitation, Rehabilitation, Deterrence, and Retribution or Punishment) and stated that Michael had satisfied each of these tenants and that neither society, the Army nor Michael would benefit from further incarceration.  He asked the Board to commute the rest of Michael’s sentence to time served.

The Parole Board, which was comprised of Colonel’s and civilians, was very complimentary of Brett’s presentation.  One Board member even commented that ‘he had done his brother proud.’  He most certainly made his parents proud!  Amazingly the Board also told Brett to thank Michael for his service to his country and how he had conducted himself over these last four difficult years in prison.  That thank you was a first in four years of fighting for Michael’s freedom in the military justice system.

Here is a link to a video interview Brett did after leaving the hearing.  It is worth watching and only takes a minute to load:

http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/2149647165001

Also, here is a copy of a letter from the entire Oklahoma Congressional Delegation in support of Michael:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.newsok.com/documents/behennaf7.pdf

And finally, here is a copy of a news article about the Clemency Hearing:

http://newsok.com/mercy-justice-overdue-in-michael-behenna-case/article/3752205/?page=1

We should get an answer from the Parole Board in the next two weeks so please keep Michael in your thoughts and prayers.  As always, thank you for all your support of a young man we are proud to call our son.

Respectfully,

Scott & Vicki Behenna

Proud parents of 1LT Michael Behenna

http://www.defendmichael.com

FEW CAN WRITE a good story until they've lived one. It's impossible to describe pain and pleasure, success and failure, joy and angst, without having lived them. Thus, it is no surprise after reading The Year The Music Changed, that the author, Diane Thomas, has lived an interesting story of her own. Debilitated by an unexpected infection that nearly cost her life, Diane was forced to abandon her journalistic career and her home in Georgia, and relocate with her family to healthier climes in New Mexico. There, she began to vent her creative forces on fiction. We are the beneficiaries of her journey.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

My debut novel, THE YEAR THE MUSIC CHANGED, published by The Toby Press in 2005.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

Set in 1955, it is told as a year-long correspondence between a shy teenage girl who wants to be a poet and a young country singer on the way up, whose name is Elvis.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

The main characters are Achsa McEachern, a 14-year-old Atlanta girl whose mouth is disfigured by a scar from an operation to correct her congenital hare lip, and Elvis, a young Mississippi singer on the way up whose name is Elvis. Yes, that Elvis. I would like them to be played by two unknowns in a small, independent film.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

The year is 1955. Isolated at school by her intelligence and a disfiguring facial scar, troubled at home by disturbing undercurrents in her parents' marriage, 14-year-old Achsa McEachern seeks solace in the tunes and rhythms on her radio. After hearing a record by an unknown 20-year-old country singer named Elvis Presley, she fires off a deceptively self-assured fan letter, probably his first, telling him he is going to be a star. Insecure in the world he is entering and burning with a desire to succeed, Elvis answers her and enlists her to teach him how to "talk good." The ensuing correspondence chronicles their coming of age as artists (she wants to be a poet) and individuals. Able to confide in no one else, they share with each other their most private dreams and fears. Elvis becomes Achsa's sounding board as she watches her beautiful, emotionally distant mother and her sternly religious father lurch toward tragedy, confronts her own scarred mouth and faces a shattering loss. The young singer's responses reveal his fierce, aching innocence in the year before his star burst forth and offer a glimpse into the grassroots history of the early days of rock and roll.

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

The novel was inspired by my parents, although they are mostly not like the parents in the book, except that my mother was heartstoppingly beautiful and my father was deeply religious. Obviously I exaggerated these characteristics in the book, and invented the difficulties in their relationship.

What other books have you written?

My second novel, IN WILDERNESS, involves a doomed relationship in an isolated mountain setting between a 20-year-old boy who was a soldier in Vietnam and is suffering from what would be diagnosed today as PTSD and a 38-year-old professional woman with a mysterious and devastating illness, which would be recognized today as pesticide poisoning, who has fled to the mountains to die. It is currently with an agent. My novel-in-progress, FINGER COVE, takes place in a mountain resort/retirement community that is running out of water.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

Books that inspired THE YEAR THE MUSIC CHANGED included To Kill a Mockingbird, for tone and atmosphere; The Diary of Anne Frank, for depth of character; and Catcher in the Rye, for teenage angst.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

You can find out more about me and my books at www.dianethomas.net

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

I am on Twitter @dianethomaswrit and also on Facebook and LinkedIn

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

My writing is like meditation. I value it for the process of doing it and would continue to do it even if I knew I would never again get published in my lifetime. I am so pleased to have found it.

HISTORY IS FULL of examples of people struggling to solve the same problems that we face today. Some of their efforts were successful, some not. It's unfortunate that history is so poorly taught that most are unaware of valuable insights that might help us better react to the issues that confound us today. Take, for example, the right to bear arms. I cringe whenever I hear someone declare that it's time for a national debate on the Second Amendment. Seriously? We've been debating the Second Amendment ever since the founding of the United States, and there is ample evidence to show us how we can best employ our right to bear arms to promote peace and safety.

One of the great adventures of all times provides some insight, the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Expedition diaries recount an extraordinary trek across the undiscovered expanse of the North American continent from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. In many cases, Lewis and Clark and their men were the first new Americans that native Americans ever met. Although the natives had a long history of xenophobia and tribal warfare to protect their claims to territory and resources, the Expedition journeyed among them without losing one person, an amazing achievement.

Like most Americans, I was exposed as a schoolchild to a rough outline of the expedition and its historical significance; however, I did not learn more of it except through my own efforts. I was greatly assisted in this by reading Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. Unfortunately, the book itself appears to be out of print but still may be found in used bookstores and on library shelves. Studying the expedition diaries is a daunting task. If you are interested, you can obtain a copy free-of-charge from various sources on the Internet. Also, a Summary and Study Guide for Undaunted Courage is available from Amazon.

Like much of history, the real story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is shrouded in the mists of controversy and propaganda. For example, many argue that it blazed the trail for pioneers who stole the land from its rightful heirs. Those on the other side of the ideological divide find arguments to defend the settling of the continent by a new breed of Americans. Although it is highly unlikely (and that's putting it mildly) that the land will revert to the heirs of its original inhabitants, people seem to enjoy investing boundless energies into the continuing debate.

Like most students of history, I was taught that Lewis and Clark successfully completed their mission without losing a single member of their expedition by virtue of the diplomatic skills of the leaders and their native guide, Sacajawea. However, no rational analysis could support any such conclusion. When in all of history has anyone or any group so confounded potential enemies with only their words?

Lewis and Clark had to convince potential enemies that their firepower was sufficient to withstand any attack. Of course, they carried a variety of firearms on their journey. They needed to hunt. The men needed thousands of calories of wild game every day. Such meat is extremely lean, and many pounds are needed to provide the energy equivalent of a much smaller cut of beef. Unfortunately, the weapons they carried were not sufficient to withstand a determined attack. Lacking modern, cartridge-fed, repeating rifles, their small force could be overwhelmed in minutes by a mass attack. Rather than defend themselves in combat, Meriwether Lewis contrived a ruse which seems to have dissuaded the natives from even attempting to attack.

The ruse employed by the Expedition centered on an unusual weapon, a Girandoni air rifle. Yes, an air rifle, such as a BB gun or pellet rifle. It shot a large projectile (.42 inch caliber) with sufficient force to drill through a one inch pine board at 100 yards. A compressed air reservoir in the weapon's stock could power almost 50 rounds without recharging (pumping it up with compressed air). A tubular chamber held twenty-two balls that could be discharged in less than thirty seconds. Reloading took a few seconds more, and another twenty-two rounds could be shot, again, in less than thirty seconds. Thus, if every member of the Expedition of thirty-eight men was armed with a Girandoni air rifle, they could fire almost 1,700 rounds with deadly accuracy in one minute.

Meriwether's strategy was to demonstrate this firepower to induce “shock and awe” in the natives. Upon meeting a native tribe for the first time, the Expedition members dressed in their best uniforms, uncased their flags, and approached the council playing drums and fifes. In addition to presenting the natives with gifts to solicit their friendship, Lewis conducted demonstrations of his air rifle. Inasmuch as the barrel of the weapon was rifled (that is, it had grooves to spin the projectile thus insuring the stability of its flight), he could fire all twenty rounds with deadly accuracy. The natives must have been suitably impressed. Expedition diaries record the wonderment expressed by the natives at every demonstration. The Expedition members never allowed anyone outside their small group to know that they only carried one Girandoni air rifle.

The story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is but one that clearly demonstrates how just the threat of superior firepower can help promote peace and safety in our homes, our community, and our nation. Its lessons have been reaffirmed repeatedly over the decades that followed. For example, the Japanese weren't dissuaded from invading America following their successful attack on Pearl Harbor by our armed forces. Not the Army. We had none. Not the Navy. It was lying on the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Not any militia. No, they feared America's ordinary citizens armed with weapons comparable to those that their soldiers carried. They were turned away by their fear of our armed citizenry or, as they said it, “a gun behind every blade of grass”. 

Potential tyrants balk at the threat of armed citizens. Every socialist leader including Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, and others, delayed their assault on their own citizens until they first disarmed them. Death tolls rose by millions, second only in all of history to death by disease. Arguments that such a thing couldn't happen in America are echoes of the same statement heard in homes and meeting halls of Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, and China as well as every other socialist state that ever hosted a holocaust. Ultimately, these mass murders could have been prevented not only by weapons but also the fear of them.

Similarly, criminals may be dissuaded from victimizing us without ever firing a shot. The threat that victims may be carrying weapons, even though they are not, has been proven to deter crime. Jurisdictions that responsibly issue concealed-carry permits enjoy far lower rates of crimes than those that don't.

Read the story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition for yourself. Read the testimony of Japanese warlords who cowered before the threat of free American citizens bearing arms. Read the stories of holocausts. Read the statistics on crime in America as compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not the inflated propaganda of organizations seeking to ban guns. Then ask yourself, why would anyone want to deny us the right to protect ourselves? 

Claude Nougat is an excellent writer with a mission. I don't think that she became aware of it until well along its path and recognized that her work had a theme: transitions, especially the transition from middle age to retirement. When she looked around her, she discovered a whole generation accompanying her into it. In fact, this generation, the Baby Boomers, is a significant bubble in the population metric. Now, Claude's transition has taken her into a new role, that of a generational leader. 

Claude writes intelligently of the challenges of surviving a transition and she has gathered a following of authors who now share her vision. I was happy to have this opportunity to have Claude join us and talk about her watershed book, A Hook In The Sky.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

A HOOK IN THE SKY! It’s in a fast rising new genre: Boomer lit. It features a [baby] boomer as a main character but it’s not limited to a mature audience, the book tells an inter-generational story, with young people in there too! Sub-genre: a slice of life, romance, suspense and more! Available on Amazon exclusively (KDP Select), at least for the moment – both as an ebook and paperback.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

A dashing retiree tries to become an artist to the dismay of his much younger wife and that’s only the beginning of his troubles…

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

George Clooney is the dashing retiree (who else?) and Julia Roberts, with her cool smile, his much younger wife.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

Robert, the protagonist, is a top level manager, just retired from the United Nations. He is French, his wife is American. She runs a chic contemporary art gallery in Chelsea and when he turns to painting, she is appalled by his artwork…so conventional and academic! They fight over art but what is at stake is their marriage. Soon they separate, other women appear in Robert’s life, including a sexy young thing, deeply troubled. He paints her passionately but…No spoilers! There are many “buts” in this story: let me just say that Robert’s world collapses around him before he can rebuild it!

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

My own life experience! Yes, I know, I’m not a man and my marriage is fine…but I went through many of the same experiences: I reached a top level in the UN Agency where I was working and when I retired I decided I wanted to paint. Like Robert, my mother was a professional painter, I learned the techniques from her and I wanted to renew with a childhood dream. Believe me, I love to paint, you step into another world! Painting is a little like poetry – I think different parts of the brain are solicited, it’s more deconstructed than writing a novel that requires structure. And just like Robert in the novel, I hit the brick wall of contemporary art: either you go into conceptual art or you’re left on the outside, ignored, a non-entity. Of course, I knew a lot about the contemporary art world because my daughter is one of the managing directors of a major art gallery in London. What I learned about that very difficult, closed world I applied to my novel.

What other books have you written?

My first book was in Italian, a book for children in the Roald Dahl manner, published 20 years ago by a small press in Rome. The next one, still in Italian, was a paranormal/historical romance published in 2007. Then, once I had set aside my painting, I jumped into self-publishing in 2011, starting with a New Adult series called The Phoenix Heritage (3 books so far), plus two collections of short stories (Death on Facebook and Twisted) and a participation in a poetry anthology, Freeze Frame, edited by British poet Oscar Sparrow and published by Gallo Romano in 2012. I’m in there along with five other poets, two British and three Americans. Imagine, I’m the only continental European and not even a native English speaker! I tell you, those poets are awesome, I feel a little like the ugly duckling among them but I was very pleased, I felt honoured that they would have me in their fold and that they liked my poems! FREEZE FRAME is available on Amazon and it comes with a free audio book.

Oscar feels that the digital revolution gives readers a unique opportunity to hear the poets say their poems. That was a little scary for me because I have a slight French accent in English…

Which authors inspired you, your style?

Roald Dahl, I mentioned him already. Then I love the Russians: Tolstoy, Dostoievsky, Bulgakov, Solgenytsin and especially Gogol. Dead Souls is my favourite! I’m also very fond of the French from Voltaire to Proust and I love authors who straddle several languages like Nabokov or Graham Greene – I guess I feel a certain empathy because I also function like them in many languages (French, Italian, English, Spanish…)

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Amazon, the Big Zon hosts my author page

Then I have three blogs, one for my views on current affairs, publishing and art. That’s inching up to 20,000 page views/week…From there you can hop over to the blog I maintain to present my books and to share my tricks in cooking (yes I love to cook, especially Italian and Belgian cuisine!) 

Also check out my book trailer, it was done by a talented Polish film maker Magda Olchawska and it contains some of my paintings:  It’s got a very catchy tune, I love it (I picked it – yes, that’s my kind of music!)

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

Twitter @claudenougat 

Facebook

Google+

Pinterest

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Yes! I’m knee-deep into Boomer lit and it’s not just all about my boomer novel, far from it! There’s a super-active Goodreads Group discussing this hot new genre (I’m the moderator) and we got over 200 members, really nice people, many very talented authors, in less than 3 months. We’ve just started a Facebook fan page that’s meant to be an information page – I hope it becomes the go-to page for those curious about Boomer lit – and of course we’re on Twitter (@BoomerLit), who isn’t? Our Group is busy reading one boomer book/month, exploring the confines of boomer lit – we’re finding that it’s extremely varied, it ranges from comedy to dark, noir stuff. Interested? Here’s the link to the Group. Do come over and tell us what you think of Boomer lit! I’m saying that to your readers, Jack, because I know you already came over! Oh, by the way, the Group read A Hook in the Sky last month and it was hotly debated. Not everyone liked my protagonist but I don’t mind, it means he’s very real! And that makes me very happy! 

And since I’m still talking, I’d like to take this opportunity Jack to thank you for having me on your fun Blog Hop!

The entertainment industry has been mining the works of Tolkien, Anderson, Swift, Shelly, and countless other great writers of fantasy for inspiration to produce films and games in recent years. In the process, they have inspired a new generation of writers to turn their hands to this popular genre. Steven Vincent joins their ranks with Dawn of the Knight I. Join me as we meet this young author and learn what he has in store for us.

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). 

"I'd love for you to check out Dawn of the Knight I - Xeltian Invitation. It's a 560 page fantasy novel available on the Kindle, and hopefully it will be in print soon!"

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

"As a heart-twisting plague washes across the three regions, Egon Skysong becomes the only one willing to oppose the immortal Xeltian Knight."

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

"The main characters are Egon, Aewulf, and Adela. To describe them briefly, Egon is a boy who leaves the remote fishing nation of Catalene in search of the knight's title; the only way he can fulfil the final promise he made to his father. He struggles to fit in, and this forms the core of his sometimes comical struggles. Aewulf may seem like a foolish Elf, and that's because he is; but deep inside he struggles with a past he cannot recall. Finally, Adela is the princess of Hemford, but she is forced to abandon this life early on and learn to relax her stubborn, quick-tempered personality.

As far as who they would be portrayed by, I really wouldn't know! I would prefer new talent so the viewers would see the character for who they are, rather than actors pretending to be them. Of course, I'm a big fan of Scarlett Johansson, so if she was willing to play Adela I wouldn't complain!"

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

"You learn early on that the Xeltian Knight has been attacking humankind for generations, but now he's spreading a heart-twisting plague that corrupts the ideals and nations of even the purest kings. Egon is the only one willing to stand against this ancient war master and his mysterious goals, but he must first learn to walk his own path and draw strength from those he vows to protect. So as you see, the story is a lot about change, for better or for worse, in oneself or in others."

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

"I just wanted to write a story about knights! The first draft was finished in a month, but I didn't like it and set it aside for a year. I finally came back to it with all new ideas, and took another year to edit and revise it. The book turned out so much better, and had so many hidden lessons that I hadn't even planned on."

What other books have you written? 

"I actually have two other high fantasy series, plus a science fiction novel I want to self-publish later this year." 

Which authors inspired you, your style? 

"I really wasn't ever inspired by books, but movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (I read the book after the movie), and video games like Legend of Zelda helped shape the way I tell stories." 

Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

"You can check out my writing blog, where I post updates about my work and also interview other great authors. Or, you can head over to Amazon and check out Dawn of the Knight for yourself. 

True Knights Blog 

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. 

I'm always on Twitter, I try to keep up with Facebook, and I'm on Goodreads, too! I'm always up for a conversation. 

Steven Vincent's Twitter

Steven Vincent's Facebook:  

Steven Vincent on Goodreads:  

Is there anything else you would like us to know? 

"Well, it's my hope that Dawn of the Knight will be available in print in the coming months, but that all hinges on the success of a Kickstarter project for it. I'm hoping with so many great people out there, I'll have the help I need to meet my goal. That's still a while away though."

I'M ON SHAKY GROUND this year. My hometown team isn't playing in the Super Bowl. The truth is that my hometown doesn't have a team in the National Football League despite being the second largest television market in the United States. Yes, I'm talking about L.A. Los Angeles. The town that the NFL forgot. So, technically, I don't have any vested interest in the game's outcome. Or so you would think.

I believe that most Southern Californians (excluding San Diego – they don't have a team either – well, at least not one with a coach) have adopted teams to cheer for. Since most of us come from somewhere else, it's easy to cheer for a team from somewhere else where we used to live.

I'm from Baltimore originally. (Excuse me – “Balmur”.) Unfortunately, my team left Baltimore too. They moved to Indianapolis. So, I have a choice: Cheer for Baltimore or cheer for the Colts. One's in the Super Bowl. The other isn't.

I don't like the Colts. Our respective departures were vastly different. I left Baltimore to fight for my nation. They stole away in the night, taking Baltimore's football trophies with them, much like the Clintons tried to exit the White House with the silverware and china. Neither the Clintons nor the Colts are a class act, at least not as evinced on those occasions.

I like the Ravens, but I'm afraid to root for them. I'm a jinx. Seriously. A genuine jinx. Let me explain.

I left Baltimore in 1966 to join the Army. The Colts had won a few championships while I lived there by virtue of the fact that I never attended any of their games. Football wasn't the great sport then that it is today. Baseball was America's pastime and I rooted for the Orioles. They never won a game, at least, not while I was watching. No, not one. They also never rose from the cellar – the bottom of the league standings.

I see you. You're Googling it, aren't you? Yes, Baltimore won the World Series in 1966. Why? I wasn't there to jinx them. I was an Officer Candidate at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, at the time. I asked one of my classmates if he had heard who was playing in the World Series. We didn't have much time to follow sports while attending Infantry School. He told me Baltimore won it. I laughed. He didn't. He was serious. That's when I began to suspect that I was a jinx. Not only did the Orioles win the World Series, but also they won it in four consecutive games against the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers.

During the intervening years, after serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, I lived in Hawaii and then Colorado. There weren't any professional sports teams in Hawaii for me to hobble, and when the Broncos arrived in Denver, I was encouraged to leave the state. (They must have heard something.) I moved to Los Angeles.

I never saw the Dodgers or the Rams win a game. Oh, they won quite a few, but not while I was watching. Not from the stands or on television or radio. I had the same effect on the Lakers. They lost the one game that I was allowed to attend. My nephew and I arrived late. The Lakers were ahead. My nephew found our seats while I picked up some hot dogs and drinks. He watched me as I approached our seats. The Laker's lead evaporated with every step I took towards him. His eyes never left me.

My nephew played sports. He even played some college basketball. His mother was under strict orders. I was not even supposed to know when he was playing. Attend one of his games? Out of the question.

So, that brings me to Super Bowl XLVII. Do you want to know who I'm going to cheer for? Better yet, do you want to know who I'm betting on?

It'll cost you.

A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE has placed an American soldier behind bars at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Military Justice System has failed him. Now, only you can bring justice to this young man. You need to write and call your Representative in Congress and your Senators, as well as the President of the United States. You have to encourage your friends and family to join you in this desperate fight. Lastly, you should write to this young man. Like the bugle call of cavalry riding to the rescue, your letter will give him the will to remain strong in the hope that his salvation is on its way. 

First Lieutenant Michael Behenna was convicted by a court martial after he killed a suspected terror operative. He is now serving 15 years at Ft. Leavenworth for a crime that many believe was an act of self defense. In a video aired on PJTV, Behenna's parents joined Colonel Allen B. West to discuss their son's trial, and the existence of exculpatory evidence that should acquit their son. 

The interview of Lieutenant Behenna's parents goes well beyond an impassioned plea for justice. Both parents have strong criminal justice backgrounds. His mother is a Federal Prosecutor who worked on the Timothy McVey case in the bombing of the Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City, and his father is an intelligence analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Click here to Watch the Interview )

You should also visit the website created by Lieutenant Behenna's family and friends to help publicize this case at Defend Michael. In addition to the evidence of Lieutenant Behenna's innocence, this website offers a petition that you may sign to further help his case.

One of the more disturbing revelations that came to me in a brief email exchange with Lieutenant Behenna's family is that terrorists incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have access to computers and the Internet that is denied to this American soldier. I had made the offer of sending free copies of my books to help him pass the time in prison while others work to secure his freedom. I suggested that he might appreciate my journals of my own experiences in the military as well as my novel featuring an Airborne Ranger like himself. Unfortunately, my books are only available on e-readers and computers and he is denied access to those while the terrorists are given access to computers and Skype.

One of the principal flaws in Lieutenant Behenna's case was the fact that prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence provided by their own witnesses. It is hard to blame such behavior on misfeasance or the incompetence of the prosecutors. It is too basic an error. However, it is dangerous to charge the prosecutors with malfeasance at a time when Lieutenant Behenna's best chance of exoneration lies in the hands of their superiors.

Generally, prosecutorial misconduct arises from political pressures. Either the prosecutors themselves or their superiors are seeking some political advantage that may arise from a conviction in a highly visible case involving a heinous crime that has shocked a community or when the defendant can be used as a scapegoat for some political action that has proven unpopular. Certainly, the war on terrorism has become the focus of public discontent and politicians are beginning to look for cover from the fallout that is certain to ensue when Afghanistan returns to Taliban rule. Unfortunately for the current Administration, they now own that war and blaming it on their predecessor, George Bush, has been overused. The Army and its sister services may soon find themselves in the crosshairs.

Again, this is a debate better left for another time. We don't want to deny justice to Lieutenant Behenna by focusing on the political aspects of the case until after he is exonerated.

Click here to Find Your Representative 

Click here to Find Your Senator 

Click here to Contact the President 

Send books, money orders and your letters of support to:

Michael Behenna #87503
1300 N. Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2304

I HAD A FRIEND who had a helluva good singing voice. He simply sang whenever and wherever the spirit moved him. We didn't have karaoke bars in those days, so we only got to hear him if we stood outside his bathroom window or plied him with a drink or two at a party. I have often wondered if he might have become a professional singer if we had karaoke bars in those days where more people could have heard him

Websites that publish flash fiction and serialized stories are the modern author's equivalent of karaoke bars for storytellers. No agents or publishers are required. Just upload a document file and see what happens.

I've had some success on a couple of these. Thousands have “Liked” my short stories at Venture Galleries and the now defunct The Writers Collection, as well as my own website/weblog. I recently received an invitation to publish my short stories on a new one, ReadWave.

These websites are there to help you discover new writers, ones who tell stories you like to read. It's a lot easier wading through a lot of badly written prose looking for the gems when the stories are short.

Many famous authors began their writing careers penning short stories and serialized novels. Ray Bradbury. Louis L'Amour. Jack London. Mark Twain. Charles Dickens. In times past, they were published in newspapers and the pulps, cheaply produced magazines, as well as glossies, magazines printed on polished paper. These media have largely disappeared, replaced by websites. They provide an opportunity for readers to get to know writers and their style before they commit time and money to read their full length novels.

Please look me up on these sites and tell your friends. You'll be doing them and me a favor.

The first installment of Star Wars to be released, Episode IV, was hugely popular. Arguably, it is one of the best science fiction films ever made, and better than the other five episodes. Fortunately for George Lucas, word of mouth drove audiences to theaters. I don't think that the trailer they released in advance of the film helped very much. Audiences laughed at it.

I think that the problem with it was that it didn't tell a story. Obviously, a film trailer can't tell the same story as the film it promotes, but it has to at least tell a story about the story. Book trailers should do the same.

Have you ever seen a book trailer? Probably not, unless you're one of the many authors and publishers who are trying to figure out how to sell books in this market. We spend a lot of time looking at each other's work.

Theater goers are used to seeing trailers on the screen before the feature they've paid to see. Film trailers also get plenty of air time on television and the Internet. There are websites devoted to them, such as Trailer Addict. Unfortunately, there is no practical way of attaching book trailers to books and publishers don't have advertising budgets to pay for them on television.

You would think that someone at Amazon might think of attaching links to them on their website. Maybe they have. I haven't seen them. Surely someone could create a website for book trailers as Trailer Addict did for movie trailers. Then again, why doesn't Trailer Addict include a category for them. (I'm just thinking out loud here.)

I started to make a trailer for Rebels on the Mountain, but got distracted. I decided instead to recreate the experience that readers enjoy when authors visit bookstores and read from their own novels. Don't get excited if you're an author. My idea didn't sell my book any better than your trailer sold yours.

I'm not sure if a book trailer would have worked better than a book reading. The reason is that I didn't do any better than other authors and publishers at cracking the real problem. Distribution. Sure, I embedded it in my website and it's available on YouTube, but those media don't attract nearly enough viewers to have an impact. 

You can search for “book trailers” on YouTube. Their website will return more than a half-million results! Not very helpful, is it? They're divided into categories which may help readers, but it doesn't help authors and publishers sell a specific product.

That leaves us with the ultimate question. Assuming that book trailers or videos of book readings will help sell novels, how can authors and publishers put theirs in front of the right audiences?

SOME OF MY REGULAR blog followers have complained privately. Why didn't I finish the story of Fidel Castro's revolution? Why did I stop telling the story in my blog leaving Fidel and his small band of poorly armed, poorly supplied, and poorly led rebels surrounded on a mountaintop in Eastern Cuba? How did he defeat a modern, well-equipped, and well-trained army of 40,000 with fewer than 300 Fidelistas? How did he accomplish this amazing feat in just two years? It sounds eerily similar to the story of 300 Spartans almost defeating the Persian hordes at Thermopylae, doesn't it? What is the rest of the story?

The truth is that I've already told the rest of the story in my novel Rebels on the Mountain. I've used this blog to provide readers with the background story of Cuba, from pre-Columbian Times until the year when Castro and his men arrived from Mexico on the motor yacht Granma. It's all here. I will soon collect these postings into a single volume. I'll let you know when it's available.

Rebels on the Mountain is as historically accurate as I could possibly make it. Still, it is a work of fiction. Too much of the history is lost in hyperbole and propaganda. Also, I used fictional characters to provide readers with a point of view and help explain the events that occurred during Castro's revolution.

I have not yet decided whether or not to write a sequel to Rebels on the Mountain to help people understand what happened to Castro after the revolution. How did he transform from a spirited rebel leader into a tyrannical dictator? How did he become an enemy of America? Why did President Eisenhower refuse to meet with him? Why did President Kennedy authorize and then repudiate the Bay of Pigs invasion? I would love to understand how Ernesto Che Guevara became a popular icon when, in fact, he was Castro's murderous executioner until even Fidel could no longer stomach him. That will remain a mystery. However, it is no mystery as to why Castro continued to promote Che as a hero of the revolution. Would you like to know why? That story will be easy to tell if I decide to tell it.

What will inspire me? Demand. Your demand. Read Rebels on the Mountain. Then I will know that you really want to hear the rest of the story.