Featured in the Press Enterprise! Updates, a call for book reviewers, and more...

John Hunneman is a former Navy man and former colleague of mine.... and one of the greatest supporters of the cause for the lost 74. This Sunday I was in the Press Enterprise!

Right now I am wrapping up the book process and sending the manuscript off to the publisher. It's been an amazing, busy journey, and it will not end any time soon. I am now onto marketing American Boys and getting an advance sales Web site up and running. (Visit www.AmericanBoys1969.com in about a month.) My advance-sales books will be sent out the week of the launch and will be autographed. Every sale at this point will go back into the marketing. I mean it when I say we need to get 74 names on thr Vietnam Wall and one way is to spread the word and get people to read this book. I keep reading Internet commentary on other news articles about the USS Frank E. Evans, the ABC News feature, for example, and a recent article on Foreign Policy, where people do not even understand that not every name on the Vietnam Wall is of someone who died in a firefight. (Hollywood made us believe that.) In fact, 25 percent of the men killed in Vietnam died in accidents; as many as a third killed in friendly fire. (Over the weekend I went on a tirade explaining how many men died in accidents on the landing craft during the Sicily invasion in 1943 and in friendly fire during the naval battle at Guadacanal in '42.) I could stand on this soapbox for hours, ladies and gentleman. I hope this book helps open hearts, minds, and doors.

Onto other business, I keep getting asked if I need any help. Right now, I do. I am looking for reviewers. Basically, I am looking for people who frequently read and review books on Amazon.com and BN.com. American Boys is a human interest/military history saga that is likely to attract a broad readership. (Think Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken.) The deal is: free electronic-version advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for (1) the promise that you will not share the book with anyone and (2) a review the week the book is released in August. I want honest reviews that are well thought out and informative. If you are interested or know anyone, please e-mail me at louise.esola@yahoo.com. I would need to see a link of your Amazon reviewer page to see if you would qualify.

Other things are in the works right now and it's too soon to make announcements. I am crossing my fingers and working hard!