I'm back (finally)!!!

Yes, I can begin blog posts again. Because the manuscript for Rising Sun Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II is DONE!!! Footnotes and all. So now I do not need to spend every waking hour going over torpedo specs, translating Dutch combat reports, discussing damage to the battleship HMS Prince of Wales (a story in itself), and trying to figure out if such-and-such is a picture of the destroyer USS Pope or not, all to make sure that my documentation and evidence is accurate and accurately presented. What many may find scary is that I actually enjoy doing that. A lot.

Writing a history book has been an incredible experience. It was nothing like I expected it to be, especially since I had the book written in my head years ago. Nothing like writing the "A Turn Too Far" article on which the book is partially based (and which is slightly changed in the book). A lot more work and effort than I expected it to be, but also a lot of fun. A dream come true. There is something to be said for translating Dutch combat accounts at a Taco Bell, being surrounded by dozens of open books on my couch as I cite check, or typing up a chapter at 3:00 am while listening to Candy Dulfer (appropriately a Dutch jazz saxophonist and a very good one at that), Gregg Karukas, Joyce Cooling, Marion Meadows, and Herb Alpert. To me, that is fun, but I can understand it's not for everyone.

There is still much work to be done -- more editing, getting the pictures and the maps right. But the big part is complete. Rising Sun Falling Skies is now scheduled fo a March 2014 release, so it should be available again for pre-order on Amazon and other outlets by the end of summer.

Thus I can get back to blogging on a regular basis. If you've been following me on Twitter (@JCCentCom) or Facebook you know that I haven't fully left the world of the non-World War II, even if my participation in it has been sporadic.

And I do have one other exciting announcement to make in a bit. Keep an eye here for it.