Now shipping in HARDCOVER, not paperback!

After getting a better idea of my publishing options I discovered that it was possible to get hardcover books printed at a reasonable price, so that is exactly what I'm doing.  I want to make sure that I'm giving you, my backers, the highest-quality product possible for your money.  I can't change the perk descriptions, but any purchase of a "paperback novel" during this campaign will get you a hardcover book instead.  I will also be sending out an epub file along with the PDFs to allow for more electronic reading options.  Thanks for your interest!

A gripping debut novel from a serving soldier!

THE MAIDEN'S WAR is an epic war novel informed by my years of service in the United States Army.  Set in an industrializing fantasy world where magic has almost, but not entirely died out, it tells the story of the latest campaign of the Thousand Years' War of the Empire of Masks against the Western Kingdom - a war that, not too long ago, the Kingdom seemed to have won.  Rising like a phoenix after decades of brutal insurgency broke the Royal occupation, the Empire is more powerful than ever and hell-bent on vengeance.

Now the Imperial Army has stormed across the Night River, destroying the Kingdom's mightiest fortress in a matter of hours and opening the door for a massive invasion.  The Royal Army mobilizes for a counteroffensive, but can they possibly succeed?

Our Heroes

Sophia Rose is a young soldier in Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion of the Royal Army's 24th Infantry Regiment, a reserve unit from the idyllic town Jade Falls.  Most women in the Royal Army serve in support roles, or in the case of noble young ladies with a wild streak, in the light cavalry.  It's almost unheard-of to see a girl in the infantry, but in the reserves, when your father's the First Sergeant, well... there's actually nothing in the regulations against it.  She joined the Army to spend time with her father and her friends, and she'll be marching with them into the inferno of war.

Arilin Wehrherz is a princess, second in line to the Kingdom's throne.  After saying goodbye to her beloved older brother as he departed for the front with his regiment she asks her father to let her accompany the Army herself despite her young age.  She'll need to learn about war to properly fulfill her duties as a princess, after all.  Her father agreed on the conditions that she'd find a capable chaperone and stay well out of any danger, and he probably didn't expect her to go out and do exactly that.  War is full of surprises, though, and her little adventure might turn out to be a lot more dangerous - and important - than she bargained for.

Patricia MacMahon is the first female two-star general in the Royal Army's history (and one of the youngest), and her career is dead.  Stuck pushing paper at headquarters after being promoted out of responsibility, she seizes on Princess Arilin's crazy request as a way to maybe, somehow, revitalize her career.  At a minimum it'll be a lot more entertaining than sitting around the half-empty War Ministry.  She doesn't have a ready ticket to the front herself, but she has someone in mind that should fit their needs quite nicely.

Walter Haas has been a general for longer than Patricia has been an officer, and he's been fighting the Empire since before she was born.  Commander of the Royal Army's IX Corps, he was staring mandatory retirement in the face when the Empire attacked and threw him into one last war.  IX Corps will be far to the rear as the Royal Army's counterattack begins, an ideal place for a young princess to learn about war without being exposed to any real danger, and he's not against having a couple of pretty girls around headquarters to improve the atmosphere.  Patricia's far from the worst officer he knows, either, and the Empire doesn't fight by half measures.  He might need all the help he can get.

June Anjanou, the "long-haired dragoon", is the son of the Imperial Western Area Army's supreme commander and the heir to a legacy as a Black Knight that goes back to the days of the Faceless King.  The only thing more dangerous than his sword are the soldiers under his command as he rides out with the Imperial cavalry to meet the Kingdom's counterattack.

Want to read a sample?

Check out the first three chapters here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XTSPlsSLGCLHLDyFliDvnO4vHQq31t3iboD_udgujKc/edit?usp=sharing

My Story

I am a nine-year veteran of the United States Army.  As an officer in the Field Artillery, I have served across the world, from Hawaii to Korea to Texas to Iraq to the Airborne here at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  I led a self-propelled cannon platoon on the front line of democracy in Korea and commanded one of the companies making up the 1st Armored Division's headquarters, the two greatest honors of my life.  I am a veteran of the war against ISIS, a struggle which I firmly believe should be called the War of the False Caliph but which is properly known to the Army as Operation Inherent Resolve.

I dreamed up, outlined and finally wrote this book across all of that.  My test readers couldn't put it down, and one of them, a truly well-read man, made some comparisons with classics of literature that floored me.  Armed with dreams of literary success, I put together my query letter and flooded out requests to agents to represent me and get my work published.  My manuscript was excellent and as a servicemember who wrote it on active duty I thought I had a compelling story that would have literary agents fighting each other to be my voice in the industry.  You would think that a war novel full of dynamic and compelling female protagonists, written by an Army officer who has worked by, with and for women in the military, would be an ideal product to put on shelves in this day and age.

Apparently not.  My project was met with out-of-hand rejection from agents, or the silence of those who don't bother to reply to rejected queries.  Perhaps the story of a dutiful princess admiring her older brother and struggling to shoulder her responsibilities, or of a girl joining the Army to spend time - and fight - alongside her strong and loving father and her male friends, offended their sensibilities somehow and scared them off.

No matter.  I wrote this book to appeal to everyone - liberal and conservative, young and old, from grizzled veterans to complete civilians.  My rule when writing was "Twilight to Tom Clancy".  And after watching the success of other creators crowdfunding their projects I decided to take the chance (the staff officer in me would call it a calculated risk) and dive in myself.

Current Status of the Project

The book is done.  I have the proof copy from the printer in hand and can order new copies at will.  At this point I'm selling a finished book - there is no further work to be done beyond sending you your copy.

One note - The manuscript comes out to 199,542 words, about double the length of a "standard" novel.  For a large 6"x9" printed book size it comes out to 480 pages.  The bottom line is that this is a substantial novel - ideal for a summer read!

Thanks for your interest in THE MAIDEN'S WAR - tell your friends, and let me tell you a story!