Dog Dirt Doris: The Release Day Came - and Went!

The eager guests gathered and were served wine poured from bottles in brown paper bags and labeled paraffin or cider; their nectar, sipped from plastic beakers to wash down an assortment of crisps and sausage rolls in a manner far from the vagabond life style Doris experienced.

The room buzzed with excited chatter as I listened to a dear aunt explain how she cried while reading about Dorothy on the Anzio battlefield before informing me that it was there that her husband had fought his war.

After the supportive throng had dispersed I signed books at a table in the library reception where I encountered a real Anzio hero; a spritely yet elderly man, keen to make my acquaintance. He was eager to read my book and avidly confirmed the horrific content that its pages quite simply contain. I felt honored as I listened and respectful of the soldier standing before me as he spoke of things he had not previously mentioned to anyone else.

Although I wrote Dog Dirt Doris and have read it a hundred times; despite all the research to uncover its historical content I did not anticipate and was not prepared for the emotional response presented to me by those who have experience of or a relationship with the content of the story. I guess I have things to learn in my quest to becoming an author but I hope my story has done justice to the memory and experience of those who hold a deeper affinity with the book’s content and I appreciate their comments very much.

So, with the launch day behind me, I am proud to say my book is now available on the World Wide Web, through dogdirtdoris.com, books-2B-loved on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. It is available at book stores throughout America and will be released early next year, 2009 in book stores throughout the UK.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

A Post for November - Better Late Than Never!

Well, if ever I thought during my writing of Dog Dirt Doris that it was tough going, and believe me sitting down to write after a ten hour work day was occasionally hard to do, then I was mistaken. By comparison to the effort of marketing the finished book, the writing now looks to have been the easy part.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m isolated in the middle of the desert of the Middle East which is not the best location from which to communicate with publisher, bookstore outlets or advertising media is proving to be hard going. The time difference between country to country could also be playing its part in drawing out communication of planning and arranging events. But the main factor seems to be the three day weekend that makes coordinating all the activities difficult.

‘A three day weekend!’ I hear you gasp.

Well, not by choice and certainly not spent on the beach, I can assure you. Friday is the Middle East’s rest day, so I use this, my one day off per week, to answer any outstanding issues before the western world countries take their recognized weekend of Saturday and Sunday, when I lose all communication towards progress.

However, during the remaining four day weeks I managed to plan a book launch at my local Grimsby Library on Thursday, 11 November, for which I thank the Grimsby Leisure Department and library staff for their overwhelming support, a supporting article in the Cleethorpes Chronicle, a local weekly newspaper, a copy of which I hope to place on this web-site. Additionally I had a book signing at a British Red Cross Association’s charity shop in Kettering, the Red Cross being renowned for its support of military personnel during and following war time activities I also had a short promotional article in the Lincolnshire Life magazine for the December publication along with an advert letting people know where the book was available.

At this present time, I still haven’t managed to get the book into Waterstones but therein lies another story!