Authors

Residing in New Hampshire, Bill received his BLA in History and Creative Writing from Umass Lowell (UML); several pieces he wrote are published in “The Offering,” a UML annual student collection book.

Bill’s a motivated entrepreneur, an account executive in software sales, a husband, a father, and a novelist.

After volunteering for the draft in late 1969, I served in the United States Navy from 1970-74, serving aboard USS Mullinnix DD-944 from boot camp and A-school short of four years. Mullinnix, a Norfolk-based destroyer, was ordered to Vietnam in April 1972.

I returned from Vietnam with a physiological injury. The manifestation of which took five decades to appear. Five decades to finally realize that I had been severely wounded. My memories had an urgency I could not ignore. Like specters beckoning from the edge of a shadowy world. I’d killed people. Lots of them. Easy not to give it a second thought when you are young, foolish, full of piss and vinegar, thinking you’re bullet proof. Then time marches on. An old sailor replaces the young sailor. The old sailor starts to remember.

I remember what I did. And the damnable sky-lark attitude I had about doing it. It began to ravage me. In 2019 I reached out to the VA. Diagnosis? 30% PTSD service-connected disability. In 2021-2 my symptoms exploded. I was being eaten up from the inside. I was so stinking guilty I spiraled into a PTSD-induced depression. Without my wife Kim’s and the VA’s support this book may never have been written. I was damn scared. I knew I couldn’t continue on this trajectory. I reached out to the VA again. Diagnosis? 70% PTSD service-connected. I completed PTSD/Depression therapy, insomnia therapy, and cognitive process therapy/testing in addition to starting PTSD meds. Yet I took another psychological dive into the abyss. Diagnosis? 100% PTSD total and permanent service-connected.

Writing “Last Gunship USS Mullinnix DD-944 1972 Memories of a FTGSN” has helped me remove the lingering spiders in my head. You don’t get over PTSD. You learn to live with it.

I’m currently working on a second historical novel. A prequel as they say. Same ship, ten years earlier, set during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and Quarantine. I live in Northwest Arkansas with my wife Kim and Ely. Since early 2023 I’ve been writing full-time.

If you were in Vietnam, no words are necessary. If you were NOT in Vietnam, no words can explain. My book does. Available B&N, Amazon, Google Books, IndieBound, Books-a-Million, Indigo, Kobo, and Hudson.

I wonder sometimes, is history like the falling tree in the forest? If nobody remembers, did it still happen?

M. A. Robinson brings her experience as a physician to her writing. Seeking Sarah, her debut novel, was recently awarded Silver for Mainstream Fiction in the Royal Palms Literary Awards. Her essay, Breathing Lessons, was featured in Just Breathe: COVID Stories From The Heart of Minnesota In The Words of Caregivers. When she is not glued to her keyboard, Robinson enjoys hiking with her dogs, kayaking, yoga, gardening, and sharing good dinners with great friends.

Retired Mechanical Engineer who met his wife of 40+ years on an elevator while doing business in Taipei.

Sheri Smith considers herself fortunate to have discovered lifelong passions: catering, events, and creative writing. Her work journey began at age seven, starring on Broadway and appearing in the longest-running M&M commercial in the 60s. In the 70s, Sheri enlisted in the Navy, aspiring to become an EMT, but societal limitations shifted her back to the entertainment industry. In ‘90, she bought a catering company (GourmetCatering.com), serving prestigious clients across Southern California. After 9/11, she moved to the Big Island of Hawaii, where she built a castle-themed vacation rental that gained media attention. She traveled back and forth to the mainland for events. Today, Sheri focuses on ChocolateFountainSoCal.com because it never gets old and (food and beverage) catering ranging from intimate weddings to large corporate events while continuing to explore new creative endeavors. She stays active with daily swimming, gym workouts, and pupsitting. When not catering, Sheri continues to write and explore new creative endeavors.