photo by Jim Hammer

This Veterans’ Day, 2020, is special for many reasons. Today we are recognizing and celebrating the contribution of America’s veterans, and we’re also celebrating the release of my book, Ila’s War. Yea!!!

In the Beginning

Twelve years ago I couldn’t even imagine this day. Every time I’d start to think about what one does after finishing writing a book, my brain would just turn off while my stomach churned acid and my heart pounded.

So I quickly decided that thinking about the future was counterproductive. Instead I tried to focus only on the keyboard, the pile of letters before me, and where to start. I spent a year wandering lost in a wilderness of bad writing before I finally found the beginning of the book.

“My dad was a scoundrel. Ask anybody who

knew him and they’ll tell you the same thing:

“That ole Ira Armsbury was a sonofabitch.”

Ila’s War

The other momentous event of that first year was meeting the man who led me to my first editor, his spouse Margaret Knox. After working with me for over a year, she passed the baton back to him . . .

Dan Baum

While today’s blog is a celebration of the launch of Ila’s War, it’s also a tribute to Dan who put me through hell while he edited my book. And taught me more about writing than I learned in all the combined years of high school, college, and online writing and memoir courses.

Dan died of glioblastoma, the deadliest type of brain cancer one can contract, on October 8 of this year. His passing has left a gigantic hole in the universe because . . .

• his pen could be scathing
• his world view was crystal clear
• his use of language was brilliant
• his curiosity about the world and everything in it was boundless
• his enthusiasm for life was unmistakable and contagious
• his love for family and friends was infinite

Throughout the years I worked on Ila’s War I worried that I might croak before I could get it done. But I never stopped to consider that the primary editor would die.

Dan didn’t get to read the finished version, but he did get to see the book before he died. I sent him my only copy – the proof copy – via overnight mail and Margaret showed it to him a few days before his death.

Dan was a one-of-a-kind individual and I was blessed to have known and worked with him for a brief time. To learn more about this extraordinary man, check out these links:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/dan-baum-journalist-who-wrote-of-the-flooded-lives-of-new-orleans-dies-at-64/2020/10/13/399c1c3a-0d7f-11eb-b1e8-16b59b92b36d_story.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/dan-baum-died.html
• https://cindyentriken.com/2020/03/ilas-war-is-done/

So, please join me in raising a glass of your favorite beverage to celebrate the successful launch of Ila’s War, and the life of an incredible man, Dan Baum.

I hope you buy my book, read it, enjoy it, and thank Dan Baum for helping me become a better writer and a published author.

Book Swag

You can purchase my book and book-related items from my new e-shop at: https://cindyentriken.com/shop/

You’ll find really cool coffee mugs, microwave and dishwasher safe, and top quality 100% cotton t-shirts with the Ila’s War book cover on the front. Coming soon are awesome post-in notes and tote bags.

One Last Word

This has been one tough year for all of us, and it’s not over yet. 2021 will be no picnic either, not until there’s a safe and effective vaccine that has been widely and appropriately distributed.

But once that happens, I look forward to traveling wherever I can to do book readings, answer your questions about writing, and meeting some of the folks who have sent me such kind, supportive and encouraging messages. If you would be interested in having me do a book reading for a group, or bringing some of my war memorabilia for a show, complete the contact form attached to this blog. I’d love to meet you and share stories and history with you.