THE Group for Authors! discussion

With the centennial of the Great War just a year away, I've released a book titled, "The Great Promise"that tells an amazing story about a promise made between four friends before the battle of Mons. It is based upon my grandfather's WWI memoirs. I've tried every avenue from this side of the pond and I would appreciate suggestions from those in the UK.

Frederick wrote: "With the centennial of the Great War just a year away, I've released a book titled, "The Great Promise"that tells an amazing story about a promise made between four friends before the battle of Mon..."

Great question I have just released my book 'Observation City' and would also be interested in the suggestions

I only had a few sales in the UK. Sales. But I got a fair amount of free downloads there on my give away days on KDP. So, do I want to get read or do I want to be read in the UK?

I''m not much help but that's how I got attention across the pond.

I'm trying to reach those in the UK because my grandfather served in the Royal Field Artillery during WWI and so his story has more relevance there - especially with the centennial coming up.

Have you looked up the RFA on the web to see if they have an association or a veterans group where you could tell them about your book?

You might also try to donate a freebie to UK military magazines or even newspapers near where they are stationed for a possible review.

Ask around in the Goodreads groups you are in to see if there are any readers or writers from Britain that might have information on how to advertise over there.

Good suggestions! I've joined the Western Front Association and sent them a book for review but so far they haven't posted it. I've inquired several times without receiving a response. On a good note I was invited to tell my story to the members of the London Branch of the WFA - which should help some. I've just sent a book to the "Daily Telegraph" in London - but they said that they receive so many request for book reviews that they selectively select which books they want to review. Working on BBC because they're in a joint project with the Imperial War Museum to gather WWI stories for the upcoming centennial. I sent a book to the Imperial War Museum and my contact like it but nothing further. It is such a hard business to break into. Perhaps I should rent a plane to fly over London with a banner! Hey, its an idea

You could also mention it on your family tree (attached as media to his record) if you're a member of Ancestry.co.uk couldn't you? If not, I think there is a membership option which might allow you to post on both sites? I'm a member of the UK site but pretty sure I can look at mine on the US version....hmm you got me wondering now... Might be worth looking at, anyway. If not that site, maybe there are others relevant to genealogy which might allow it. A great Uncle on my fathers maternal side of the family died in France close to his 18th birthday so I've looked at lots of sites over the years. Hope that helps anyway, and good luck!

Thank you so much for your advice and I'll check out the veterans Web sites. I'm on Google+ but have not taken full advantage,as I can see.

Yes the US did seem to take most of the credit for ending WWI and they didn't deserve that right. I recently discussed this with some others in the History Group. There were several events that coincided to the US entering the war that together brought it to an end. One major factor was the British blockade of German ports. This caused a shortage of food which added to the already unrest within Germany. People were tired of war, its cost in both economic as well as human lives. There was decent within the German Army that put pressure on the German Government to consider ending hostilities. When the US entered the war it was at a pivotal point - the additional million men helped, the US fought more aggressively because they were fresh and they didn't see the value of trench warfare. The French troops were almost to the point of mutiny and the US gave them fresh hope. The British introduced the tank - which helped.

Although my book is about WWI it is about the British army and not the US. My grandfather fought in the Royal Field Artillery and the book contains his memoirs of fighting in the early battles of the war. So I would think it would be of interest to UK readers to understand the war from someone that lived through it. Thank you for your response.

Categorization is somewhat a problem - If I would done a little more title research I wouldn't have titled it "The Great Promise". If you search on Amazon for that title it comes up showing mostly religious books. I should have titled it "I Promise To Tell Them".

I'm fighting to get all the press I can get - just not making much headway.

Frederick wrote: "Yes the US did seem to take most of the credit for ending WWI and they didn't deserve that right. I recently discussed this with some others in the History Group. There were several events that coi..."

An aside, my dad fought under Bradley and was often shoulder to shoulder with British units. Taking it from him, the Brits were doing their share in late '44 and '45. He didn't think the US was doing all the work. He did tell me that they made him mad because come hell or high water, at 4 pm everything came to a stand still to brew tea. He said, everything stopped but German artillary which liked to zero in of the smoke of the fires heating the kettles. Then he would giggle.

This is from my grandfather's journal
no less than five times. It was very unhealthy work to find and repair each break.
A little ways to the right of our position was a small farm that had chickens, rabbits, and other provisions in the house. It had been left by the inhabitants, which meant that they were forced to leave in a hurry.
Along with the other animals we found a few goats which we collared. I was content listening to the milk splashing into my pail. I looked up to see how George was progressing. He had a puzzled look on his face, as he attempted to find udders on a billy goat. I had a good laugh about that one! We had our fill then returned to the battery with the remaining goat’s milk and provisions.
Later I prevailed upon Old George to slip over to the farm to make a can of tea and bring it back, while I attended to the firing. No sooner had he left than a German horse artillery battery opened dead range upon us and kept up a hot fire for a period of time.
The shelling was so terrible that nothing could have lived above the ground.We were absolutely tied to our little trench- es, making it impossible for us to return fire.
The shelling went on for two hours.All I could think about was Old George and how he must have been caught by the shell- ing on his way to the farm. I was greatly surprised to see him crawling along the trenches with the can in his hand.
While George made his way along the trenches, three guys and two officers, one of whom was Lt. Marshall, stood up and shouted at George to get under cover.
I was also yelling at George at the same time as Lt. Marshall, when I heard a whining and a bang. Lt. Marshall collapsed with seven shrapnel bullets in him; all this happened in a flash. Old George must have had a charmed life, being able to get to and back from the farm through all of the shelling and live through it.To me it was marvelous.
Even though Lt. Marshall was wounded, George and I drank the tea for it cost near one life and a dozen very narrow escapes. The tea was even better when we added the goat’s milk I had procured earlier.

Great stuff. Invaluable. I could never get my dad to write down much about the war. He'd share a few stories, generally the funny stuff. However, to this day his experiences haunt his dreams.

After reading my grandfather's journal I can see why they don't want to relive it. However, his stories are part of history - a piece of the overall puzzle. If my grandfather wouldn't have written down his experiences, I would never have known the man. If at all possible try to get him to tell you some of his stories - remember, once he is gone, his stories go with him. You could read him "The Great Promise" in hopes that he'll see the importance of documenting his stories. The last chapter in the book details the lesson I learned of the importance of keeping a journal. I have been writing mine down so I'll be more than a date born and date died on the family tree.

I contrast the loss I felt after my father died never knowing his personal stories when he was growing up. Like your dad, a few stories here and there but nothing more. Good luck You could try using s digital recorder while asking him questions and then going back to write the stories down.

The family prodded and bullied. He's having none of it.
One of the last stories from my mom befored she died was that the week before (Xmas 2011) she woke up with my old man kicking her repeatedly. He was 'running' in his sleep. Then he blurted 'Just shoot him'. In his dream he fought the war and one of his platoon was asking what to do with a wounded or caputured German. A few minutes later he quieted and I never asked him again to remember the war.

And to think that they finally came up a name for it "PSD" I feel sad for your father as well as your family. To think that after all the years he is still haunted. God bless you and your family.

Thank you, Frederick.

He was old school. A 'man' bucked up and 'soldiered on'. That's what he did as did all the other veterans he knew.

Both my uncles were the same - bucked it up. Every once and a while they would tell a story after they had a few. From what I ascertained from the journal was that after while they became desensitized to the horror they saw - just another day at the office. Yet it had to affect them. I suppose it was one of the reasons they continue to have nightmares - didn't show emotion but internalized it.

In my grandfather's case, a shell made a direct hit on a dugout a friend was in and he tried to dig him out. He uncovered his boots and when he tried to pull him out, only the lower half of his body came out. Now that would haunt one's dreams for awhile.

Frederick wrote: "Yes the US did seem to take most of the credit for ending WWI and they didn't deserve that right. I recently discussed this with some others in the History Group. There were several events that coi..."
The USA is often unfairly viewed in the UK. The Americans are blamed for coming in late and then taking the credit. It is true though that without American involvement, the WWII could well have dragged on for years into a messy stalemate, with Britain alone unable to mount an invasion of Europe and Germany unable to cross the channel to Britain. The plight of the USSR without the western front would have been much more serious but the sheer size of Russia could well have meant a stalemate ending there too.
But to some extent, the Americans are their own worst enemy in this regard. Britain sold many assets to the USA and borrowed heavily to fund the war, a debt that was only paid off about four years ago. Hollywood in particular has created this myth the the USA alone won the war. Of course they were looking at the American market for their films, and such is the insularity of many Americans to this day that they failed to see the negative impact of this outside the USA.
Perhaps the classic example is U571 in which a German U-Boat was captured in 1940 by a Royal Navy destroyer giving British codebreakers at Bletchley the enigma codes allowing Alan Turing in particular the chance to read German naval messages and save many merchant ships and their crews. But in the film the whole scene was shifted to later in the war and suddenly an American destroyer captured the U-boat. No wonder many in the UK felt completely disrespected by the USA. As a friend said to me, "We know they took our money, but stealing our history is going too far."

There is a little edge to your tone. If you believe this to be true than it is and I'll never convince you otherwise. However I can point out a couple of things to think about. After the revolution, America had to pay England for the land that had belonged to those that supported England and left America prior to the revolution. As you said, Hollywood is Hollywood - their goal is to make a movie that will gross millions at whatever the cost - that being true facts. As they say don't let facts get in the way of making a good movie! So because Hollywood screws up you believe that the American people are to blame?

That being said - I believe each country sees its roll in a different light. Britten and other European countries have taken the brunt of both wars before the US got involved. However, I think that you would agree, especially WWII that it was America's ability to manufacture vast quantities that decided the war. Another point is that America was fighting wars on two fronts - Europe and South Pacific.

In reality, wars are not won by one country alone. Americans are brash and at times cocky but we are made from excellent stock - English. The difference is we didn't inherit the stoic, understated panache. Actually I can't truly say that because I'm half Brit and I've been accused of being stoic. People can't tell if I enjoyed myself or not, or if I really liked what someone gave me. Anyway, Americans are not the same as they used to be - case in point, our dollar sucks! It used to be Americans could travel and the dollar was all powerful. We used to act like we could buy the world and we touted our wealth, but those days are gone. I'm planning on visiting London this fall but I'm not sure I can afford it.

Another thought came to mind - Back in the day when England was a world power on both sea and land, I do believe that they had an elitist attitude - in fact it was that attitude by King George that drove the wedge between colony and mother country.

As far as I'm concerned, I truly respect the UK and my heritage. One must be careful keep individual attitudes separate from countries. Attitudes that Governments and institutions project are not necessarily the attitudes of its citizens.

As far as my book goes, it isn't American! Yes, I'm first generation American, but the story is about my English grandfather and his experiences while serving in the Royal Field Artillery. So it is your English history not mine. The information comes directly from his war journal. By the way, my surname, Coxen, dates back to the 1700s to Twickenham.

I'll add one more thing before closing, this summer I will be returning your English history. I'm donating my grandfather's military documents and his journal to the Imperial War Museum. Even though these items belonged to my grandfather and thus now to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, it was decided that these items were British history and therefore be returned to England. Not all Americans are what they are portrayed to be.

Sorry if you though there was an 'edge' to my posting. I'm not going to go back over 200 years and quibble about things then, I think the last 100 years is enough.
Of course I do not blame the American people for the actions of Hollywood. My fear though is that many will believe the Hollywood version of that and other events to be true when presented as 'history'. Compared with Europeans, Americans as a whole have a much poorer understanding of the world outside the USA. Maybe the internet will change that as time goes on.
I do not doubt either that when Britain was the sole undisputed superpower that there wasn't arrogance and a disregard for the cultures of others. It seems to go with the territory of being top dog in the world.
Let me state quite clearly that I think the USA is on the whole a force for good in the world. It is a country that showed amazing generosity in the past with such as Marshall Aid. American know how and entrepreneurial ingenuity has given the world a great deal, not least the PC on which I am typing this.
My daughter lives in Ohio and is married to a US citizen. I have a grandchild there. I have visited various parts of the USA on several occasions and in Ohio in particular not as an isolated tourist but as part of a family talking to ordinary people. Educated people, mainly working in IT related fields. I hope that has given me a broader view of America than the average Brit who just sees the USA as a cultural agressor! :)

Thank you for response. Yes, most Americans know that Hollywood is not a source of history, it is just their version of history. I believe you're right that the Internet has made the world smaller and has broadened the minds of many cultures to lies in the world beyond their own. However, one must be careful of what site they find for sources of information. I know in the US news stations are not the most reliable, unbiased source of public politics. I grew up in Michigan, which is just north of Ohio. Now my wife and I have retired to Florida.

America has lots to offer and is quite diverse when one considers all the different ethnic groups that live here.

I have to admit that Americans, in general, are ignorant of world politics and the traditions other countries have. Think about it, we're isolated from most of the world. The UK and Europe have many countries within a relative small geographical area so everyone is keeps up with what is going on in neighboring countries. In our case, it would be Michigan knowing what is going on in Ohio.

Since I've spent the better part of four years researching the First World War, I've learned what sacrifices were made and how important the centennial of this war will mean to the UK and Europe. I'm afraid of how it will be received in this country. In the US the First World War is a forgotten war because it was over shadowed by WWII. When I was in school it was a footnote in history. It wasn't until I read my grandfather's journal that I began to understand the magnitude of the devastation and loss of life. One of my main objectives of publishing my book was to help others understand what it was like to be a soldier and experience what they went through. Unfortunately it has been difficult to get it into the hands of those that would be interested.

As I said, I'll be visiting your country this fall and get to know more about my English heritage.

I cannot believe that you said most americans are ignorant of events happening around the world. I know about your horse meat contamination. Stop blaiming Romania for the tainted meat that is supposedly done by a terrorist group. I know Candian money is better than the us dollar. I believe most americans know more than you think but the news stations are filled with bimbos and ignoramuses. So yeah....maybe you are right. I do have a British fiance. Does that make me an honorary brit???

You got my vote!! I crown you Hannah - drum roll - honorary brit. May you prosper and your horses be safe from meat grinders.

The only thing I blame Romania for is that pathetic lettuce they have. Don't even get me started on the Canadian dollar and their plans to pipe us sand oil. What scares me is when the Mexican peso will be worth more than our money. The illegal aliens will return to their own country and the Mexican government will have to keep US citizens out of their country. Drug cartels will go broke since no one in the US can afford their product so they'll turn to forming Kelly Services.

So my suggestion is hang on to your Royal pain - especially if he has pounds - not pounds, pounds like fat but pounds like sterling silver. Cheers dear Hannah!

Awww... He'll love that.

Patrick wrote: "Sorry if you though there was an 'edge' to my posting. I'm not going to go back over 200 years and quibble about things then, I think the last 100 years is enough.
Of course I do not blame the Amer..."

I love the way that proximity makes some Europeans feel a superiority over Americans in terms of historical knowledge. I am sure there are Brits who never leave their home town for anything other than a holiday. I can tell you that is not true of this Ohio-born, US Army veteran who spent two years in Germany as one of the 400,000 NATO-pledged forces in the 70s, nor was it true of my father who jumped as a pathfinder in the invasion of Southern France in 1944, nor was it true of his father who fought in the trenches in France in 1919. I think we are acutely aware of international history, having made a bit of it ourselves. I will only add to this, since this is allegedly a thread about being "read in UK" that the Brits have been more than happy to download my books on the giveaways I have sponsored on KDP, but I don't get a lot of sales from "Over There".

Which makes one think - since their currency is worth more than ours - why wouldn't they purchase our books? I'm with you - enough sour grapes.

I've found this out when researching for my book. I've met and have received help from many sources around the world. When I travel to England this fall I plan on meeting some of them so I can place a face with our communications.