BRATs Revisited

As BRATs approaches its first anniversary of publication, I've had time to reflect. While it didn't make the New York Times bestseller list, that was never the goal. I set out to challenge myself as a writer, and in that, I succeeded.

There were a number of spin offs from writing the book.

Readers often ask if the story is autobiographical. The answer is a definitive no. The main character, Nate, and I share only one detail: we both attended three different high schools as military brats.

I have been to all of the locations and the descriptions are accurate. My experiences as a military brat and my professional career allowed me to paint authentic portraits of these places, enriching Nate's journey with genuine details.

Perhaps the most meaningful outcome has been setting up a BRATs scholarship with James Madison University. Using the $127 in Amazon royalties plus other personal funds, there will be a scholarship for military brats to help with their college education. I graduated from JMU, and it's located in a state with many military bases. I hope this will give some brats a kick start into life.

Finally, it was fun hearing reactions from friends and others who read the book. Thanks for taking the time to read it and get in touch.