Hey Neal, well my names Ryan, like it says above, I found out about your book searching for something to read when I was in Baghdad this past Christmas...I ran across the cover when I wads home on leave at Barnes n noble, needless to say I picked up a copy along with some college graduation gifts for my college peers back home. I began reading your story front to back; I took it along with me everywhere. It went to the beach with me and collected sand from a vacation to Sarasota, it hung around in the car after a few nights of drinking and driving (of course being a responsible half-way sober drunk), and I even carried it back with me after my two week leave had ended to Iraq. By then my unit wad in southern Iraq doing supply convoys for our base. I finally stopped caring it with me because I finished it. Your story was humorous and amazingly enjoyable. With me being a young father myself (22), I found your stories of Elijah comparable to my daughter Brook. My humvee was hit by this new type of roadside bomb called an EFP on June 26th, I didn’t think I was going to make it, after the truck caught fire and my soldiers pulled me from the gunner's platform it, I thought I was going to die. Amazingly I am still here to tell my story, and to let you know that there are those of us who do enjoy your style of parenting, we as fathers can only hope that we are doing what is right for our children, my daughter starts preschool this august! I plan on publishing a book of my own about my war in Iraq, and titling it, "I Came Home: Stories of an American Soldier Kid," with Soldier in strikeout font style. I was wondering if you could offer a young aspiring author some advice on Editors and Publishers, if you had any incexpensive but good ones in mind, i would appreciate the assistance.

Good luck, Ryan! We'll keep an eye out for your book. My husband joined the Navy this month and starts basic soon. Wish I had an idea of how my family's lives will change.

Ryan:

Man, am I glad you're still kicking! The war is a nightmare, and I'm even more glad you have a sense of humor intact. Email me at the above address, and we'll talk.