Steven’s Comments (group member since Jan 22, 2008)

Steven’s comments from the The Reasons Why you wrote your book or books group.

A.L.,
you're abslutely 100% right about this. I guess all it really needs is for the right person to read it and make the decision to invest in it.

I wish you look as, in life, anyhting is possible, for all of us.

Best Regards
Steve

Thanks Ilyn: My books are doing okay "Amongst The Marines" has been published in the UK, Australia & New Zealand and the Czech Republic.

The sequel "Always A Marine" is out in the UK, but available on websites across the globe. That sounds good, but to do well, you really do need that film I mentioned earlier.

All the very best

Steve

Hi Ilyn,
direct and to the point. That's just how I prefer to hear people's reasoning.

Good Luck with your book

Steve

Hi Mathew, welcome to the group and the forum too.

Best Wishes

Steve

Christine, yes you're right there. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Robin: Why two autobiographies??

The first book was a warts 'n' all story that, covered the private life that I led during my service in the Royal Marines in the 1980s. After its release the book caused a lot of controversey, but it was all true and based on fact. I walked the walk on various websites amongst those who cast the stones my way. Eventually I got a lot of support from those who served with me and I actually proved the start, the middle and the end of my book. It is, undoubtedly a very strong book, which I actually wrote because a friend of mine literally said to me: "You could write a book Steve, about your experiences." So I did. However, I actually wrote the book when I was 28 years old and put it in the cupboard for 12 years before I finally polished it and looked for a publisher.

After the release of this book in 2004, I found that people who work with me now were quite shocked about my violent past and they were assuming that I may still be the type of person I was all those years ago. However, they couldn't have been more wrong. So, this is the reason why I wrote the second book, which starts exactly where the first book ends and finishes my story some 13 1/2 years later. It explains the journey and many challenges I went through to help me to move on from the beligerant mentality that I'd developed during my military career. The book seemed to calm the storm that my first book caused and really was part of the therapy I needed to help me to put it down on paper and to put it all behind me.

Yes, I am still quite young, fit and active really so I guess it was a fairly good achievement writing two biographies at this stage of my life.



See Link: http://archive.thisisthenortheast.co....

Best Regards

Steve

Guys: After writing two autobiographies I have to be honest with you, in that, I'm finding that writing a novel is far more difficult to acheive because in the autobiographies I knew what happened. With the novel writing I'm finding that I'm having to dig deep into my imagination and even though I'm doing this, I still can't help putting things in there that relate to my actual experiences in life.

Cheers

Steve

Moonspirit: Welcome aboard. You're certainly in the right place if you're writing a book and looking to chat with other authers.

All the very best

Steve

Guys: I think the thing about writing is that, not only does it give you an opportunity to put your past behind you, which it did for me, its also a great release.

From a fiction point of view, we are at times, absolutely amazed at the imagination some people have and are able to put down on paper and into print.

Further on fiction work: I must admit, I'm absolutely loving working on the novel I'm currently putting together. Sometimes I find it just so exciting.

Cheers

Steve

Well come to Goodreads Debra.


Best Wishes

Steve

Selby: I wholeheartedly agree with leaving something behind for family and friends and thinks its great that you are leading by example for your young grand daughter.

All the very best

Steve

Thanks for your thoughtful advice Marsha.

I appreciate it and who knows I may well follow it at some point.

Many thanks once again.

Steve

Guys: Getting poblished really is an achievemnet in its self. Both of my Autobiographies were published in a few countries, but now that I've completed a novel I need to find a new publisher as my current publisher doesn't publish fiction.

Unfortunately, even though I am a published author with a good sales record, this means the long hard search for an interested publisher or agent starts all over again!!

It just isn't as simple as people think. Is it??

Cheers

Steve

Hi Rosemary, that's an interesting post. I guess the contract gives some thing to work towards. It does add a little pressure too but in a nice way.

All the very best

Steve

Alivia, that is in my eyes undoubtedly a very worthy cause. I have a couple of friends who suffered from PTSD and its not easy for them to live with.

Best Regards

Steve

Hi Tamsen, welcome to the group.

I recall some years ago when I served in the Royal Marines. A girl came upto me in "Boots Chemist" shop in Plymouth and said:

"Hello Steven, I thought you said you were going to contact me and arrange a night out together."

She was very pretty and intially caught me off guard. I tried hard to wrack my brains to remember where I knew her from. However, I think from the smile on her face she knew I must have had a little too much to drink when I'd met her previously and was unsure.

"Hello." I smiled amiably, trying to look like I remembered our previous encounter.

"You can't remember me, can you?" She smiled.

"Yes, yes of course I can." I responded." "How could I forget a beautiful woman like you."

"Why didn't you call?" She continued.

I smiled again, feeling I had the answer. "I'm very sorry but I'm afraid I mislaid your telehone number."

"I didn't give you my number." She answered confidently!!

I blushed slightly, feeling like I'd just been shot down in flames and also feeling a little embarrased as we parted company with a mutually warm smile!!



Cheers

Steve

Although, I wrote my books for personal reasons, its undoubtedly good to make some sort of financial gain from your writing as it does take an immense amount of time, effort and soul searching to write books. Especially novels!

My current books are autobiographies and apart from reliving the past in my mind when I wrote them, writing them was easy as I knew what happened. However, I have found writing a novel a lot more difficult.

Anyway, the point I'm coming to is that I've exchanged a few messages recently with other authors who are a little dismayed that the rewards for writing their books are a mere pittance. A lot of people sem to have the impression that all books make millions, which is a long way from the truth apart from the limited few exceptions.

In reality, the real winner is the publisher, unless of course, you get a lucky break, film rights or a drama series.

That's life I guess guys.

Cheers

Steve

TK: Good luck with your radio interview. I have a friend who suffered from PTSD. He wrote about it in a book. He said it was his way of dealing with it. I guess there's a few authors here who, also like myself, wrote their books for similar reasons. i.e. to help them deal with their experiences or even to move on from them.

Best Regards

Steve

Rob,
I've spent years working in management and within large corporate organisations. I've met and worked with all kinds of people, the good, the bad and the ugly!!!

Consequently I feel I could relate quite well to this kind of story.

Regards

Steve

Nancy, I always feel that people who write personal stories like yours put their heart and emotions into it. Its good to read this type of material as you tend to find yourself and your emotions moving with theirs.

Best Regards

Steve

Hi TK:
my story is very different from others. I didn't write about the combat side of things as that's what most people do. I had a personal story I wanted to tell. My first book is a no holds barred account of all kinds of antics that went on in my private life as a Royal Marine Commando in the 80's. I didn't have the best of child hoods and I housed an ambition to one day become a Marine when I grew up.

However, I passed out of basic training in the aftermath of the Falklands War and walked into a very violent culture. During the first couple of nights at my first Commando unit I was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and beaten with a big stick. There was at that time a lot of unacceptable behaviour going on amongst the ranks, especially with new young marines. My fate, at that time was because of a misinterpretation of comments from another guy. However, from that day on I decided I would never back down from violence again and I never did. I learned to adopt the violent culture as my own and never tollerated fools easily. At times, I admit, I was undoubtedly out of control and eventually my behaviour led me to be court martialled near the end of my career. It was also around this time that I took my resolve with the marine who had assaulted me six years earlier. It was fate that made our paths cross again that time on.

Over the years I was guilty of many things during my career but I wasn't really guilty of the charges initially brought against me. It was during this court case that my father came to me in a dream and told me that I would be found not guilty. When I awoke the following day I told everybody that I would be found not guilty and they thought that my comments were amusing. However, the verdict was NOT guilty and rightly so. I did mention this earlier, but my father was never really there for me as a child, but that night, in that dream, he was there when I needed him most.

The story in my second book tells how I left the marines but was still mentally a soldier. I think this is true for most soldiers. It took me 13 years to move on from my military frame of mind and a lot of this time to move on from the ways I had adopted during my career. Those years were a long and arduous journey, but thankfully after experiences that took me all over the world and got me into all kinds of situations I got there in the end.

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones. Some times I think I am. I have former colleagues who suffer from various conditions including PTSD and other physical injuries. When I'm training hard in the gym I think of them and I think of how lucky I am, after all I've been through, to still be able to do this at a very high level of fitness.


TK: I think the speed that yourself and Patty completed your books is amazing. But I guess when the writers flow comes and keeps flowing, its a great thing.

Mind, Body & Spirit intrigues me these days. The more I learn about this subject, the more fascinating I believe life is. And beyond..........




Best Regards

Steven