Discussion: A book: NIGHT RIVER

I've written a book of fiction, NIGHT RIVER, which has a chapter dealing with orienteering. Since it's winter and actual orienteering is limited, I thought you might enjoy an account of one person's introduction to our sport. Here's a link to the chapter:
http://macmullan.org/book/preview
If any of you are interested in the rest of the book, it's entered in Amazon's Kindle Scout contest and information about it may be found here:http://macmullan.org/book Feel free to "nominate" it, as that would be helpful. Thanks.

Nice! Is it too late to provide some tiny edits? On page 211 the times are listed to milliseconds... we don't time to milliseconds...

Jeff: thanks, and oops, my staff of editors missed that. Probably too late to edit. The contest is ON. On the other hand, I can attest to the accuracy of everything bad that happened to Ryan, as I've experienced all of it (not mentioned is falling - at NAOC14 for me - breaking and losing my compass magnifier). And on the other, other hand the Trimtex pants I purchased from the Teutsch conglomerate are terrific.

YAY! So glad this book is getting out there. I loved it. (And not just because I'm in it.)

Since it's winter and actual orienteering is limited

But... but that's when all of our orienteering happens!

Very cool. I enjoyed the preview.
Good luck!

Thanks Peggy. I'd hoped to get some anecdotes from other orienteers matching or topping Ryan's difficulties, but I guess everyone but me is usually perfect. Historically I've always had huge troubles with the first control at A-meets; and have many recollections of such disasters. Now I've been limiting my errors to one per day - but it's usually a big one. On day one of Quantico's Long Distance events this fall I had a very good run, beating every man on my course, including M-65 and M-70 - BUT, I failed (for the first time ever) to punch at the water control and was DQ'ed. Day two - I was doing OK, but wanted to stop "following" folks and ran off the map, got lost and literally do not know where I was for 45 minutes (did finish, however). Sandy - yup, that's you.

I did wonder (and maybe the rest of the book explains) why, if Ryan & Clemmie are dating and in love, why this was the first time she'd gotten him to go orienteering. ;-)

We've all had our big mistakes, and most of us love to share them.

All I wondered was when Clemmie became a female, but I guess that must be covered in the earlier chapters, too.

Peggy: recently in love - expedited by events; or: Ryan's a former Jarhead & you know what they/we are like; or: Clemmie's in college, doesn't have a lot of time; or: DVOA had no meets she could get to w/o a car; or: she's not as convincing as you are. Mitch: huh?

I can only assume this is because Clemmie's presumed attackpoint name is j-woman.

Oh dear, this is getting awkwardly personal.

Oh my - I'm as clueless here as I was on day 1 at the U.S. Championships in 1977 at Pocahontas State Park, when I ran hard for 40 minutes (first control) and found myself back at the event parking lot. But maybe clueless here is a good thing.

j-man is Clem McGrath's Attackpoint name, if that clears up anything.

I enjoyed the chapter as well. :-)

I assume Clemmie is a nickname for something like Clementine?

Clemmie is the title of the only bad book ever written by John D. McDonald. Our/my Clemmie is nothing like her; and her name seems to just be "Clemmie". There's no one more qualified to connect the dots of Jeff & Janet's comments than Clem - but he's usually in Geneva, or Hong Kong or has flown his Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to check out the tides. I'm still clueless.

It is all very confusing, that is for sure. Luckily, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

But, connect the dots I shall.

At least he didn't fly all the way to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun.

I assumed that was the intended reference

That was a GOOD song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13oJajXx0M

No, no, the alternative would be to fly us both to the Bay of Fundy just to watch the randy tide reverse.

Just learned: Good - if NIGHT RIVER (trending "hot") is selected for publication, those folks who nominated it will receive a free copy; Bad - I suppose Amazon will keep track of you somehow and you'll be in their gigantic Cloud. JJ: I know I've heard those exact words "randy tides reverse" somewhere, but can't remember where. Google just confirms that "Randy" is a popular country music name. Yes, that is my sailboat on the book's cover.

"The Grizzly Bear", by the late Bill Morrissey.

Thanks JJ. That must be where I heard it. "Handsome Molly" got a lot of play down here, too. Best lines from "Grizzly Bear": "Well I'd never seen a girl with so many names on her clothes - I'd never seen a girl so pretty with a dollar up her nose." Small world factoid: "Beulah Land" (MJH version by Bill) sung a capella by a kid's choir in a later chapter of NIGHT RIVER.

I always liked, "We just like to get drunk and slam bodies around". And from "Handsome Molly", the line comparing the girls in the first heels to colts. He wrote some mighty fine music. Too bad he drank himself to death.

Yup. Not like he didn't own up to his problem (drinking was mentioned in about half his songs) - wasn't there a some song where a woman wanted him in bed, but he wanted a drink instead, because "that's what he did best." I think he smoked too. Great voice & nice guitar. The Youtube of his wake/sendoff/party looked great.

The book is still in the Hot and Trending category! Let's keep it there!

Only 9 days left...have you nominated hughmac3's book? Please! Do it, it's fallen out of the Hot and Trending category. Help! I want my Dad's book to get published before he's M80...

Here's a followup to what seemed to me to take forever. I suppose it's easier to write a book than get it published. NIGHT RIVER is just now - today - available on Amazon in e-book and paperback format. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Night-River-Hugh-MacMullan-I...
The folks on Attackpoint who nominated the book should have received access to a free e-book. If that has not happened, I'll tilt at the bureaucratic Amazon windmill for you. FYI, Amazon Kindle eventually made the nomination stats available to me, and the three or four days after I mentioned this on Attackpoint, the nominations spiked. Thanks. I owe you all. Next, I need reviews on line . . . . I am happy with the book, especially the paperback version.

WOO HOO!!!!