"Le Morte d' Arthur 1921- William Russell Flint"
I welcome you to come step into a world of magic and intrigue in an upcoming story called "All is well in war" .
"All is well in war" is a story that follows two 10-year-old boys named Jeremiah and Maurin. Who by getting drafted to fight for their kingdom, quickly learn of the true nature of the adults and world around them.
To understand what will go into this book you have to understand my background a bit.I was born in a military base in Cuba, and My father served in the military for most of my early childhood. He would leave for months at a time and while he would come back home psychically his mind was still back at the boot camp. For years he would have nightmares about a war that had long left. His mind replaying all the lessons drilled into him in basic training. While I could see my father in front of me he wasn't there. He was a ghost who could only tread over the same old ground he knew. He was a stranger in my home and to me for a long time. But eventually, as the years passed he had no choice but to learn the ways of civilian life. Though his ears still rang with the sounds of gunshots and his back ached with the weight of his backpack, he had to keep marching forward. Now contrary to what you just read my father is: still alive, got better, and is now enjoying a cushy civilian life with his family and our dog. (though i will note he still has trouble sleeping sometimes)
I wouldn't be telling you the full story of my inspiration if I didn't tell you the story of my time at the DMZ in Korea. But im getting ahead of myself I will save that story for last as I tell you about my less personal experiences with the idea of war. There is a band I love which im sure most people are familiar with called "System of a Down". Now what im not sure as many of you know was that the lead singer's Serj Tankian wrote a memoir called "Down with the System". Now while you would think this book would mainly talk about the band itself it actually talks about the Armenian War and Serj's family history within the context of this war. This book was honestly eye-opening to just how many atrocities were not only committed but swept under the rug during this war and ethnic cleansing. But for the sake of keeping this section short, I will just urge you to read the book a link to the book here.
Now while there has been a lot a talk about war what my book really will focus on will be child soldiers. That statement brought me into the DMZ. Now for a bit of background context, the DMZ stands for the Demilitarized Zone, and it is a zone in the border of South Korea and North Korea that is guarded by a military presence. I was here to travel with my family as tourists are allowed to come visit the zone through paid tourist groups. Now because you are traveling through a military zone you need to have your passport checked when coming in and out. I had often heard stories of young boys as young as 18 being drafted into the Korean military. But to be honest I had been so far removed from it for most of my life that I never had a true scope of what this actually meant.
As I was getting my passport checked however that's when I saw him or well them. Two boys no older than me decked out in full military uniforms checking my passport. They must have thought I had some staring problems but who could blame me their skin was riddled with acne just like mine. Puberty was etched into their faces their eyes still fresh and with this unexplainable light in them. I was not even 2 years younger than them and I was still sleeping (and still am as I am writing this) with a bed full of plushies. In fact the next day I went out a bought more keychains and plush toys for myself. That day not even a few months ago I had looked into the face of war and it was not the face of an old withered politician I saw. Rather a young boy's face just like my own stared back at me. It was that exact moment I knew that even if one person read my book I had to write it. Because Jeremiah and Maurin while fictional represent real boys who have had their childhood stolen away from them for war.
this book still has a long way before I can even think about publishing it.I orginialy wanted to post the chapters as they were writen. But due to the fact i am considering publishing trough a traditional publisher, i wont be able to post parts of my drafts without risking not being published at all. I really do think this book has lots of potental. I want to make this book accessible and on the shorter side so i can reach a larger audence.Well im starting to ramble a bit so ill leave you all with this.I hope you can all enjoy my work as much as i enjoyed creating it. Even those of you who just vist my site have a special place in my heart.
-love iza