Andrew Heasman's Blog, page 4

A Little Taster of Things to Come...

Today, I have been working on part of my third book in The Memoir Series - "Gone Diving" (working title) - and I reached a section relating to an adventure in Belize.As a "taster" of things to come, here is one of the official reports on the incident that Heather and I were a part of.https://ambergriscaye.com/sanpedrosun/old/07-423.htmlAs you can tell from the photo, it involves a fire aboard a dive boat, a Mayday call, and eventually, a shipwreck...!Read the article, make a note of it for future reference, and if you want to find out more about this incident, as well as a whole lot more, then be sure to read my new book once it is released in the near future.I hope this whets your appetite...Follow me on FACEBOOK or through my website to ensure you stay up to date with all developments.

Sanity Regained...!?

Today is a momentous occasion - For today is the day that normality resumed.Having had 7 weeks of utter madness and chaos, the girls have finally returned to school. Yaaaaaay! "Why so late?" you might ask. Well, 6 weeks would have been long enough, but the school, having scheduled building works over the holiday, resumed to find them over-running (by a mere 6 weeks), and the school was unsafe for students.For me, that meant 7 weeks of trying to occupy every minute of every day with the kids. I am an expert on children's TV having seen the same programs over, and over, and OVER again! I know ALL of the Disney/Pixar film scripts word-for-word.I am brainwashed...My writing has suffered as a result. Pre-Summer-Holidays, I was in the flow, writing effortlessly (almost). And then the holidays hit me, and I ran head-long into that brick wall. On the few occasions that I attempted to fit-in a few minutes of creative work, I found that I had forgotten what I'd written before; requiring a full re-read of the previous chapter. By the time I'd done that, my few moments of peace were at an end, and CHAOS returned!My normal means of stress relief would have been a quick jog to the lake or around the park, but on this occasion, no such luck! Running was not an option. Besides the fact that I had no time to fit it in, I was injured. With scar-tissue and tendonitis in my Achilles tendon, a strained hamstring, oh, and a touch of gout in the joint of my big toe - there was no way I was going running any time soon! Walking was hard enough - running was impossible.I was pulling my hair out - not that I had any spare to actually pull out.And then TODAY arrived. The kids departed for school at 8. I attempted a short jog - "short" being the operative word - a mere mile and a half at 11 minute/mile pace (way slower than my 6 minute miles at my peak) - and despite the constant clicking and pain in my toe joint, I survived. No after-effects of the Achilles problem, no hamstring problem, nothing - I was virtually back to normal (albeit somewhat slower than usual due to the fact that my heart and lungs were still in sedentary mode). But most importantly, my head was starting to feel mine again. It cleared out the cobwebs, ordered my mind, and got me back into my normal frame of mind. SANITY had RETURNED.I got back into the swing of writing again. I was immersed into my former life as a diver, recounting events in the Turks and Caicos Islands many moons ago. And my memoir, Book #3 in the series, progressed by another few pages.How long until it is published? How long is a piece of string? All going well, and sanity remaining, it ought to be good-to-go before the year's end - fingers crossed. But there are obstacles on the horizon - I sense a half-term holiday approaching, and a return to temporary insanity. But, hey ho, these things are sent to try us. Watch this space for future updates, as and when my kids allow... Books 1 and 2 in The Memoir Series are available NOW from ALL Amazon stores worldwide and from my website https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/author "Beyond the Waves: My Royal Navy Adventures" recounts my service in the Royal Navy, and the places I visited around the world."Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer" tells of my time patrolling as a police officer in rural Lincolnshire, and the dangers and stresses that it incorporated.BOTH are available in paperback and Kindle formats.BOTH are FREE to members of Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime.Check them out, preview each book to get a taste of what they are like, but above all, ENJOY my adventures...Book #3. "Gone Diving" (working title) is COMING SOON.WATCH THIS SPACE>

Progress Report...

Well, it is summer holiday time, and my writing has been put on the back-burner after a few weeks of enforced side-lining (also known as the kids' School Holidays...!). As I tend to write on the dining table ,it is virtually impossible to concentrate with the girls running around, screaming at the top of their voices. Instead, I have entered a world of cartoons and soft-play-areas...!As part of this lay-off, I was privileged to spend a couple of weeks in "not-so-sunny" Scotland, exploring the area around Ayr. As a result, I paid a brief visit to Largs, primarily to visit the "Vikingar" museum with the kids, but also as a bit of a run down "Memory-Lane," revisiting the town that I deployed from as part of my role in submarine rescue almost 30 years ago whilst serving in the Royal Navy. It is strange how the memory plays tricks on you - I remember the seaside town as being quiet, drab, with nothing of interest, but it turned out to be a vibrant tourist location, pretty, even in the rain.For those who have not already done so, read about what I got up to in the Largs area all those years ago by reading my book,"Beyond the Waves: My Royal Navy Adventures"available from Amazon Worldwideor https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/author.The Memoir Series currently consists of 2 books (Book #3 is currently about half-way through the first draft, and expected to be published before the end of the year). Both books have been selling surprisingly well, certainly out-selling the forecasted sales predicted by a specialist traditional publisher.Combined sales for the month of August alone broke 140 editions with at least another 80 in "borrows" from the Amazon Prime / Kindle Unlimited scheme. And sales seem to be increasing month on month.A big "THANK YOU" to all of you who have already added to these figures. If you liked what you read, tell your friends and colleagues - spread the word far and wide. Thanks again.Progress on book number three in the series is going well. Currently, the first draft is about half-way through the story. The "working title" is "Gone Diving: My Adventures Above and Below the Waves" but it might all change as things progress.To ensure that you stay up-to-date with progress and anticipated publication dates, sign-up to my website at https://ajheasman.wixste.com/author, or follow my Facebook page and Twitter page.

Summer Getaway

Some good reads to consider for your summer holiday..."Beyond the Waves: My Royal Navy Adventures""Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer"Available in Paperback or Kindle E-Book formats from :-Amazon Worldwide OR https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/authorFREE to read if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime.GET YOUR COPY NOW...……………...

Progress on Book #3

I am pleased to announce that Book #3 in The Memoir Series is currently underway. At the time of writing, 20k words of the first draft have been completed, covering my travels and diver training up to Assistant Instructor level. From here, I go "Global," travelling the world working as a jobbing Instructor.Can't wait to read this new book?Well, it is still being written at the moment, but the GOOD NEWS is that it gives you time to read the first two books in the series before it gets published.Both books are available from Amazon Worldwide, or from https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/author

Spooky Predictions coming true......

For those who have already read "Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer," the following article might seem rather familiar.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44433881In it, the government is talking about recruiting graduates to become detectives within a 3 month period of initial training....!!!! I seem to remember that "The View From My Crystal Ball" chapter in my book covered the pros and cons of just such a situation.The article continues by saying how other forces are considering recruiting civilian investigators in order to cover the nationwide shortage of trained detectives - again, something that I mentioned in my book.Could it be that "the-powers-that-be" have read my book and are using it for their policy handbook????!!!If you haven't read the book, but are considering getting a copy, it is available through Amazon Worldwide in paperback and Kindle E-Book formats at a reasonable (if not cheap) price.If you are a member of Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited you can read it for FREE (don't worry, I still get paid royalties). And if you are not sure it is for you, Amazon have "The Look Inside" facility so you can read a free sample before you buy.Check it out at https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/authororhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CGLS1TX/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Police Under Pressure - BBC Panorama

For those that did not see it, the BBC TV program, "Panorama - Police Under Pressure" - can be viewed on I-player from this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0b3q1rm/panorama-police-under-pressureIt makes for some interesting, and worrying viewing. When Chief Constables start saying that cuts in police numbers are affecting the police's ability to tackle crime, then it's time to start listening...!It goes to prove that the content of my new book "Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer" is extremely topical though. Certain parts of the TV program could have been lifted directly from the text of my book (only in visual form). Remember, my book came first.....See what you think - My book is available from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Heasman/e/B0765WB3K7/?tag=ajheasman-21or from my website at https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/author #ThinBlueLine #Memoirs #NewBook #TrueLifeCrime #UKPolice #Amazon #Kindle #CreateSpace

New GDPR "Opt-In" Requirements....

For those who are unaware, on May 25th 2018, new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) come into effect. You may have noticed that other websites that you are linked to have been asking that you "opt-in" again in order to receive future communications from them.My website is not exempt...In practice, nothing will change as far as you are concerned. You will still be able to receive blog posts, emails, and newsletters from my website as normal. You will also have the option to have your email details removed from my Mailing List at any time - simply ask, and it will be done.HOWEVER -If you want to remain on this Mailing List, by law, you have to OPT-IN again.This is easily done - Simply go to https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/authorand add your email address to the Mailing List box on the home-page (as you will have done already).If you have decided that you no longer want to be on this Mailing List then you need take NO ACTION - your details will be deleted on 25th May.But if you want to remain on the list, you MUST take action.Sorry for the inconvenience, but "The Law is the Law...!"Remember:-Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer is available NOW from Amazon Worldwide.Paperback and Kindle E-Book formats.FREE if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime.Get your copy NOW..........

Fellow Author Highlights my Books...

With the release of my second book, Single-Crewed: My Life as a Police Officer, I have pleasure in announcing that I have been selected to be promoted on a fellow author's website and on social media.The author, Mary Deal, is an author, artist, and photographer based in Hawaii, USA. Her writing credentials include:-Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist (past)Pushcart Prize Nominee Global eBook Awards Nominee2014 National Indie Excellence Book Awards FinalistGlobal eBook Awards BronzeGlobal eBook Awards SilverOn her site, she promotes selected authors and artists, me being one of them.If you would like to check out the article, it can be found here.If you want to check out her website called "Gallery for Books and Art" it can be found here.She also has art galleries and gift pages at:-Art Gallery: http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com Gift Gallery: zazzle.com/IslandImageGallery*Gift Gallery: http://www.redbubble.com/people/localmeFor details of my books, and their sales pages, go direct to your local Amazon outlet, or go to my website https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/authorwhere you can click through.Follow me on FACEBOOK and TWITTER too.

"Single-Crewed" is available NOW...

Book #2 in The Memoir Series is available NOW...Available in Paperback (£7.99) and Kindle E-Book (£1.99) formats from Amazon Worldwide.Click on my website https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/authorto be redirected to your local Amazon outlet.ORGo direct to Amazon.co.ukor Amazon.comor simply search for the title on your local Amazon website.ENJOY the adventure....Remember:-Book #1 in the series is also available "Beyond the Waves: My Royal Navy Adventures" at the same outlets. Click on the above links to get your copy.