1,235 Authors Gift over 3 Million Coupons to our Troops - Operation eBook Drop

[plumboz]

Hi Ed,

I finally got a press release written and am starting to distribute it. Here is the link to the PRlog copy. A more localized version is being sent to my local papers and regional magazines.

http://www.prlog.org/10372067-author-alan-hutcheson-joins-operation-ebook-drop.html


Best,
Alan

[Edward C. Patterson]

That's a great Press Release, Alan.

Thanks
Ed Patterson

[Ricky Sides]

Hi there,

I used my ireporter account to post an advertisement for the program and quoted Mr. Patterson's instructions.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-340851

[ldenglish]

That's a great press release, Ed. I'm glad you got it out. I've been blogging, Tweeting and mentions on my Facebook page, but I can't get our local newspaper interested in a mention. I am VERY annoyed, because a certain columnist and I have been chatting for years, but now all I hear from him a deafening silence. 

I will keep trying.

[Edward C. Patterson]

I just started an Amazon thread in the kindle area called:

"Are You an Operation EBook Drop Author: If so, we want to hear about your books.


Operation Ebook Drop is a program that special Indie authors have signed up to provide Free ebooks to the deployed men and women in the coalition Armed Forces for use on their reading devices. At this writing there are 70 participating authors.

EBook Drop Authors, sound off. Tell us about yourself and your books. If you are interested in becoming a participating author, set your book up on Smashwords.com with a 100% Off discount code and then send me an email at edwpat@att.net.

Although I will monitor and bump this thread, I will not be posting my books here.

Thanks to the authors and thanks to the troops!!

Edward C. Patterson"

Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ygk8u5o

ECP

[koland]

ROLL CALL

Veterans of the Armed Services and who are Kindleboards members - step up and blow your proud horn. Tell us your rank and service record. Where were you (or currently) stationed? Share a service memory or two or ten. Keep this thread in the spotlight.

Ed,

Surely we are not the only two on here, but I don't see anyone else jumping in. I'll start off, though, and others can join in. (hmmm ... perhaps others are not wanting to show their age?)

E1, USAF (Inactive Reserves), UTK; two years on scholarship. Although mainly we trained for drinking, it seemed, what with Dining Ins and Dining Outs (you in the AF know of what I speak), I was the first female in the ROTC Air Commandos, and earned my beret (similar to ROTC Ranger requirements, which was male only)

CPL, USMC:

USMCRD, PI, SC - three years; I was one of those that made sure your records were ready as you went thru basic, printed recruit ID cards and the paychecks of those stationed there.

VMF 214, 3MAW, El Toro CA - two years, after retraining in Millington, TN. I repaired electronic weapons systems in A-4's and AV-8B's, some of which you later saw on newsreels in Desert Storm. The Black Sheep lived up to their reputation while I was there, with a pilot making a wrong turn on a runway and kissing two aircraft on a runway (no injuries) just before we were to catch a float to the Philippines. Instead, we were grounded and missed the rotation.

1LT, TNSG:
Here for the last four years, after a major break, I've been part of the TN State Guard (the state version that takes assists with duties the National Guard would do, but cannot due to deployments in the MidEast). One thing we do a lot of is security for Remote Area Medical (RAM). At least once a month our Regiment works participates in a weekend long free medical clinic in east TN; all of the ones I've been to have had hundreds of patients each day (I've heard the one in California saw over 8,000 patients in 8 days).

[Edward C. Patterson]

Well, I'll be brief, because most of my Army training is covered in one of my novels.

I was drafted in 1966 at Ft Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY (lost my student deferment)

Did my Zero week at Ft. Jackson, SC and the first bit of Basic at Ft. Gordon Ga.

I was too flabby and gay for basic training, so I was transferred into the Special Training Unit designed to take off weight (I lost 120 pounds in 6 weeks) and drub me out - read Section 8 (this was before Don't Ask, Dont Tell). I defied them. I survived the Special training Unit and went for Radio training

Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA for Radio jock school and on orders for Vietnam when I was reprieved with a rogue levy for my particular MOS, which took me to Ft. Dix NJ and prepared for transport to USAR Europe.

Service 1967-68 at Grafenwoehr, Germany (Bavaria), and artillery training and proving grounds, as the battery clerk (what happened to the radio training, Ed?) in the 6th battalion 60th Artillery, HAWK Missile base on the border of Czechoslovakia. Was stationed there when the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 and spent a fortnight in the field prepared to defend.

Discharged HONARABLY (so much for the Special Training Gulag's plan) in October 1968 for 2 year active reserve duty to which I went for annual training, including a stint at Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio. Served 2 years inactive reserve and completed my service in the Fall of 1972.

At ease. Fall out. Dismissed!!!

Edward C. Patterson

[Brendan Carroll]

I joined the Navy in 1973.  I served as an Airman and a Petty Officer for over five years in the regular Navy and Naval Reserves.  I went to basic training in Orlando, Florida, training school in Memphis, Tennessee and then had my first assignment to air support for a a training squadron working out of  NAS Glynco, Ga. (an old blimp base).  While I was there, the base was closed and turned into an FBI training facility.  I was then ordered to NAS Pensacola, Florida as a member of the training squadron VT-86.  We trained fighter pilots to land and take off on the USS Lexington, the Gray Lady who has since been retired and turned into a museum at Corpus Christi.  We shared a hangar with the Blue Angels and got a lot of freebie shows when they were in town.  I worked for a short stint in the reserves on the USS R.A. Owens and the Lady Lex.  I was there when the movie, Midway, was filmed and got to see Charlton Heston on the base and all the old period automobiles.  I was offered a commission and the opportunity to go to college at the Navy's expense in Washington state, but foolishly turned down the offer.  Doh!!  I thoroughly enjoyed my time in service and though I did not serve in Vietname, I am considered a Vietnam Era Veteran.  I have a great deal of empathy, sympathy and respect for our servicemen and servicewomen and hope that they might glean some enjoyment from reading my stories.  Sincerely, Brendan

[Edward C. Patterson]

Yep, and I too am a Vietnam Era veteran although I never served in Nam. I sometimes have survivor's guilt over that as I was suppose to go to Nam and with a d*mn radio on my back (target practice), but I guess someone up there had other plans. But when you're twenty, you don't give much thought to all that. When you're 63, however, you think way too much.

Ed Patterson

[Elmore Hammes]

I added a brief post to the Amazon call-out thread. I don't have any service record, but am glad to be able to offer this small measure of support by participating in Operation EBook Drop. Hopefully Logan's efforts will increase exposure to this, I sent him my Smashwords code this morning.
Elmore

[Edward C. Patterson]

So what's new - let me think.

Well, we have a blurb from Podiocast at this site http://www.podioracket.com/main/2009/10/13/operation-ebook-drop-needs-authors/ with al the information about Mark Coker and myself appearing on the Blog Talk Show this Thursday at 6 pm PST (9 PM EST) to talk about Operation EBook Drop. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PodioRacket/2009/10/16/Operation-EBook-Drop-Support-Our-Troops-with-Your-Book#

THEN, we have Logan Walters of SPCPartners, Houston, TX, a former Marine who works with the Marine Special Forces, who has started a campaign at his company to buy Kindles for Special Forces Units to share within the units. The program has bought 4 already and more are on their way. AND guess what books are on those Kindles. The Authors of Operation EBook Drop.

AND, this morning Operation EBook Drop adopted the USS Oklahoma City, a submarine, and its commander is getting the word out to the Navy!!!

It's been a busy morning. Whew!

Edward C. Patterson

[Edward C. Patterson]

Adopted by Operation EBook Drop
 

Thanks Jeff Hepple for getting us the photo

Ed Patterson

[JimC1946]

I just got a nice thank you email from Commander Thieme (USS Oklahoma City).

[Anju No. 469]

AWESOME!

[Edward C. Patterson]

 

If I ever thought that the simple gift of a few books to one needful reader (dare I say, a troop, because a reader is a reader) would end up with the adoption of a submarine and the loading of gift Kindles for Marine Special Forces units, I would have done it earlier. Except, it's the spontaneous act that has the best effect. There are some things that we author, but then there are things that just happen for no other reason than they were meant to be. Authors love when they are read, when we feed the hungry mind, but when those minds stand vigilant over our right to author freely and uncensored - a basic freedom not enjoyed in many places, then I say . . . let the words flood the world with the light of simple gifts from simple hearts.

Edward C. Patterson

[JimC1946]

Authors love when they are read, when we feed the hungry mind, but when those minds stand vigilant over our right to author freely and uncensored - a basic freedom not enjoyed in many places, then I say . . . let the words flood the world with the light of simple gifts from simple hearts.

I don't think you could say it better than that.

[plumboz]

I just got a nice thank you email from Commander Thieme (USS Oklahoma City).

As did I.

As a matter of fact, I received the thanks from Commander Thieme right before the mail brought a rejection from an agent I had sent a query to back in May. Usually getting those SAS envelopes from NYC are a bummer. But today I didn't care. It is great being a part of Operation eBook Drop!

 

Alan

[Edward C. Patterson]

And, Alan, your book is the #1 Bestseller on Smashwords, if you hadn;t niticed (go look).

Ed Patterson

[plumboz]

Ed,

No, I hadn't looked today. Or yesterday, for that matter. How very cool is that? And a few have sold on Amazon's Kindle site today too.

Like I said, agent rejections can't put a damper on a day like today. If the sprinkler system modifications I put in over the past three days (along with a bunch of other "well it didn't kill me, so I guess it made me stronger" backyard projects) hadn't sprung a couple of enormous, totally unexpected leaks when I gave it a second test run this evening, today would have been darned near perfect.

Just God's way of keeping me grounded, I suppose. Tomorrow morning I'll be elbow deep in sprinkler trenches. Again. Sigh.

Thanks for letting me know about the Smashwords thing!

And a big thanks to the cover artist!

Alan

[Edward C. Patterson]

Added 3 more authors today, including Mojocastle Press which is offering their entire catalog to the troops for free using an access code. Whoot!!!!

Up to 74 authors.

Ed Patterson

[Edward C. Patterson]

Tomorrow is the Podcast  on http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com when I will join Mark Coker of Smashwords and Rhonda Carpenter of Podiorocket to discuss and take calls on Operation EBook Drop. It starts at 6 pm PST (9 pm EST).

[Kristen Tsetsi]

Hey, Ed - I've just made a connection with Ron Lester radio, who expressed an interest after I approached him on twitter. Woo!

[Betsy the Quilter]

I love reading this thread, thanks to all of you for taking part in this and to Ed for starting it.  Great work!

Betsy

[Edward C. Patterson]

Thisin from LK Hunsaker's on-line site.

http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com/2009/10/smashwords-supports-operation-ebook.html

Thanks LK

Ed Patterson

[Edward C. Patterson]

This just in - in addition to Mojocastle Press, we have just set  up Noble Romance Publishing and their authors. to Operations EBook Drop, thanks to Jill Noble.

Ed Patterson