Author: jspeet

Today I found out that the 5.7x28mm (you remember, the cartridge used in the PDW-1) how now been designated as the 5.7x28mm NATO. This means it will become a standard issue caliber for NATO forces in their FN FiveseveN pistols and FN P-90. Unfortunately, the PDW-1 is still fiction, so it won’t be used any time soon.

So, what does it mean when a caliber is designated NATO? From FN Herstal (the manufacturer) – As a NATO standardized caliber, the 5.7x28mm caliber provides armies with the guarantee of interchangeability between ammunition from different manufacturers and operational efficiency in weapons of this caliber.

So, like the venerable 7.62 x 51mm NATO, the 5.56x45mm NATO, the 9x19mm NATO, and the 12x99mm NATO (aka .50 caliber), the 5.7x28mm gets the same NATO designation. Apparently it’s offered in five different bullets: ball (usually called full metal jacket), tracer, subsonic, frangible, and blank.

Do I now need to change the name of the caliber from 5.7x28mm to 5.7x28mm NATO? Naw, I’ll keep it as is.

The other day I happened to be in the Brick and Mortar Books store in Redmond, WA and saw a book that attracted my attention, Robert E. Lee and Me by Ty Seidule. What really caught my attention was the subtitle, A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause. Naturally, after having just released Explorer, I thought this would be worth reading. It is!

The book is basically Seidule’s journey from a youth and adulthood of adoration of that supposed Southern Gentleman Robert E. Lee to recognizing exactly what type of person Lee really was, and why the veneration of Lee is misplaced by those in the South (and in the military).

If you are one of those that believes in the Lost Cause and felt that the War Between the States (which I now refer to as the War of Rebellion, based on a further understanding from Seidule’s research) was about State’s rights, please read this book with an open and inquiring mind. It didn’t change my mind (I already agreed with the author), but it did educate me more on the matter.

Hmm. Maybe I’m missing out on a marketing trend, but here goes. If you want a signed copy of any of my books, let me know. I’m charging $25 (plus shipping, which is about $3). We can arrange payments through PayPal. Just shoot me a message. I currently have 1 copy of Surveyor, 9 copies of Trekker, and 19 copies of Explorer (actually on the way – should be here next week).

I also have a couple of copies of my little cookbook Camino Eats for the Solo Vegan available for $10 (plus shipping). It’s for anyone walking the Camino de Santiago (see my posts from Summer of 2019). Not just for vegans, but that’s mostly what I am (although I do eat cold-water variety fish and some cheeses) – health reasons, not for some vague idealistic reason, so don’t expect me to push my diet on you 🙂 (even my cookbook doesn’t).

Every now and then I read a good novel, and WASP Sting by Lee Sweetapple is one of those. The story basically centers on a young lady in WW2 who is a ferry pilot for the Women Airforce Service Pilots (some interesting history there). Of course, it wouldn’t be as exciting if it was just about ferrying airplanes, so Sweetapple throws in some espionage and drama to go with it. My only complaint about the book is that it’s a standalone (it really should be turned into a series).

You can find Wasp Sting on Amazon Kindle for only $2.99 (but I bought the paperback – maybe one day I’ll get Lee to sign it).

Writing on Openings continues, now slightly over 60K words, which is a bit more than half-way through. I suspect I’ll be wrapping it up before the end of March (maybe April, depending on how hectic life gets). Lots of known characters in this one, but a lot younger than you’re used to.

For those that enjoy the Pleistocene scenes, plenty of that. The plot line is probably more like Surveyor than Trekker or Explorer, in that it’s not a fast and furious race, rather a day-to-day adventure (which, if you recall your reading, means somebody else in trouble far away). I think this journey is more like a marathon (which will take at least two books – the second book title is likely going to be Reset – but we’ll see).

No, not the title of a new book. Sadly, it’s what just transpired in Washington, DC. Like many, I was shocked by the events that transpired. Unlike many, I was not surprised. I have seen this building up for years. There is a great divide in our country right now, and unless cooler heads prevail, it will get worse.

I know, as a novelist, I should stay out of politics. I write for your entertainment, not to espouse my viewpoints. But, this is one time I will say something, which I hope all will take to heart.

If you’re carrying the battle flag of the Confederacy, I see you as a racist traitor to the United States and democracy. It’s quite simple. That flag has no place here. It’s the flag of violent treason.

If you think the Southern States seceded for states rights, then I suggest you read the actual articles of secession. Most state they were doing so because of slavery. Don’t take my word for it, find the documents and read them yourself.

If you’re carrying a Nazi flag, I see you as a racist hater of the United States and democracy.

If you’re wearing a shirt that says 6MWE (6 Million Wasn’t Enough) or Camp Auschwitz, I see you as an anti-Semitic racist hater. I have been to Dachau. I saw the evidence of the horror perpetrated by Nazis. Anyone that supports this is one sick puppy.

If you’re wearing a shirt with Che Gueverra, I see you as a racist homophobe who finds mass murder acceptable.

If you’re carrying a flag with the hammer and sickle on it, I see you as one who supports authoritarianism and mass murder.

I saw enough death caused by communist dictators when I volunteered to help at a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border shortly after Vietnam invaded Cambodia. As a 17 year old, one of my tasks was moving people who had died from starvation from the make-shift hospital to the “stiff tent” (the tent where those that just died were placed prior to burial).

If you’re marching with people carrying these flags or wearing these shirts, how can I tell that you don’t support these ideals?

If you’re marching with these people, and you don’t believe their sick ideologies, but don’t force them out, then you’re part of the problem, not the solution.

Become part of the solution.

For those that prefer the heft and feel of dead trees stained in indelible ink, Explorer is now available on Amazon in paperback format and will be available through Ingram-Spark for distribution to bookstores (such as The Sequel in Enumclaw and A Good Book and Cafe in Sumner, WA). Order (and read) away.

BTW, I’m about 54k words into Openings. Things are moving along.

Finally, after almost two years, I published Explorer today! I’m still working on getting the paperback versions up and running, for those that like to purchase from brick-and-mortar stores (like A Good Book and Cafe in Sumner, WA, or my local store, The Sequel in Enumclaw), so give me a couple of days.

But, if you can’t wait, the electronic version is available on Amazon.

Please spread the word (and purchase the book – it’s good!)

Stay safe out there.

So, here I sit, waiting on some artwork. Specifically, the cover art. Looking forward to getting a final draft (la esposa liked the rough draft). As I wait (and wait, and wait, just like you’ve done so patiently for the past year), I’m working on the Openings – over 35K words right now. Hoping to turn that into a trilogy (but, we’ll see).

So, here’s the blurb for Explorer (still waiting on feedback from a reader and the cover art – the latter of which I should get the first draft on Tuesday):

A country ripped apart with a secret that’s about to change the universe.

For Corps of Discovery Explorer Bill Clark, exploring parallel worlds in the multiverse is all in a day’s work, so entering the Confederate States of America was easy.  Leaving is a different matter.

Being hunted by some of the most dangerous people on this alternate timeline, the small team of Explorers must use their wits, skills, and experiences to outsmart their deadly foes and get home. Even if that means leaving the secret of a new technology behind, one that will shift the balance of power. But Bill isn’t about to do that. The stakes are too high.

The Explorers have been in dangerous situations before, but this one is different. This time, getting out alive may well prove impossible.