Welcome to SixthFleet.Com, the Cyberspace Home of author David E. Meadows. "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there. David Meadows is the real thing," --Stephen Coonts author of numerous bestsellers, including Flight of the Intruder, Saucer, America, and Liberty. "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future place in the world. It's visionary, and scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" -Joe Buff, bestselling author of Straits of Power, Tidal Rip, and Crush Depth. "David E. Meadows is simply the best writer of naval thriller/adventure fiction out there today." --Tom Wilson, acclaimed author of Black Canyon, Desert Fury, Tango Uniform and other best selling military thrillers.

THE SIXTH FLEET NEWSLETTER – JAN-FEB-MAR 2005 Edition
© 2005 David E. Meadows
BY David E. Meadows

Check out the improvements to the website! Thanks to webmaster Bill Parker and graphic designer Steev Levchenko for their work on this new site!

1st – LATEST WORKS. JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA released March 1st. I think of it as my VQ-Naval Security Group Activity Rota novel. I will be at the Books-A-Million in Laurel, Maryland (351 Montrose Ave) between 1:00PM to 3:00PM promoting this latest book. Call 301-953-9663 for details or to reserve books. If you are interested in other books of mine, please call the store and ask them to get copies for you. Give them a few days-even a week-notice. I hope all of you can come to Books-A-Million. This will be my first appearance in Laurel, Maryland. I always notate that in the first book I sign.

As many of you have expressed, my books are hard to find in bookstores after initial release. That’s because they’re paperback. Unless you are one of the top writers in America, what happens is that the book buyers purchase certain numbers of new releases. When they sell out, it may be weeks-sometimes a 2-3 months before they refresh the stock. So, stores sell what they have and somewhere in corporate America, a book buyer analyses sells and determines whether to restock them. You don’t have to wait for the refresh. You can special order from your favorite bookstore. Doesn’t cost you anything. They like the business and they’ll call you when the books come it. Most times, you’re talking a 2-3 days wait. Best way to ensure you get a copy of JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA is call the bookstore today and ask them to reserve a copy for you.

2nd – FUTURE WORKS. I have accepted a 3-book offer from Penguin Group. The first book in this new offer is titled DARK PACIFIC. I finished first draft Chapter 10 the other day and when I finish this newsletter, I will be jumping into Chapter 11. I find by the time I finish the first six chapters I know how the book is going to end, but the characters tend to take over. So, I find myself rushing along wondering how they’re going to get there. I’m at this point in DARK PACIFIC. I suspect DARK PACIFIC will be 12 to 13 Chapters in length.

3rd – GOODBYE NAVY. I have handed in my retirement papers. I had a great retirement ceremony at Fort Meade, Maryland on January 13th surrounded by family and friends. Felicity and I were very honored by those who came out to wish us bon voyage. I can’t say enough about those who took time from their busy schedule to come all the way to the heartland of gridlock to wish Felicity and me a bon voyage. Some traveled long distances such as Bob & George from New York; Bill & Donna from Virginia. My brother Wesley and his wife Delilah drove up from Georgia. (He was recently elected President of the Southeastern Fireman’s Association [I think that’s the right name]). My other brother, Douglas, was unable to break away from work. All three of us are in jobs that as children we wanted to be. I always wanted to be a sailor (though I tell people my real love was to be a Chippendale dancer: there’s something about dollar bills being tucked into your G-string that has a fictional appeal)-Wesley wanted to be a fireman, and Douglas (who we affectionately call Buster) wanted to be a Policeman. All three of us have had successful careers with Wesley being a Fire Chief of a major city in Georgia, and Buster being the Chief of Police of our hometown. If our father were still alive and mother understood, they’d both be very proud of how their sons have turned out.

Every military retirement ceremony I’ve attended has seen the retiree display some level of emotion during his or her retirement. I decided it wasn’t going to happen to me. I wrote my retirement words over a month before the January 13th ceremony. I read it every day at least once, standing in front of the mirror. I was going to talk about how much of my career happened because of the support of my wife and best friend, Felicity; how proud I was of my son and daughter; what great successes my brothers’ careers have been; and, how much I owed to everyone with whom I had the honor, the privilege, and the pleasure of serving with. Wow! Was I impressive in the privacy of my bathroom: just me, the mirror, and a loose towel wrapped around my middle.

Well…as you can guess, it didn’t work. I had no towel and no mirror. What was going to be a 12-minute farewell speech, turned into six, and many of those more emotional things I envisioned saying had to be choked back. I realized afterwards that I should have followed through with my original idea a few months ago to hire a stand-in. I asked my son, who is a senior at Villa Julie College, if one of the young men in the theater group could do this. You know…someone on the sidelines so when I choked up, he could rush onto the podium, take the microphone, and say, “Good afternoon, I’m (name). I’m Captain Meadows’ stand-in.” Then he could look at my words and say something along the lines of, “If Captain Meadows could talk right now, this is what he would say…” I did want the stand-in to wear a 19th Century Sailor outfit. Unfortunately, the young man we had in mind had classes that day.

After 37-years of Navy service, I have finally dropped anchor and looks as if we will remain in the ‘Tax-me’ state of Maryland for the time being. While I love writing, it is an occupation that sometimes has long periods of mental boredom.

Felicity has been my biggest supporter during my Navy career. I surprised her by buying a Mini Cooper S from the dealership in Towson. We ordered it and she is expected to take delivery in the next 2-3 weeks. I was even more surprised to discover I could get my 6-foot 7-inch frame into the driver side of the car. I had more driver room in the Mini Cooper than I did in a Landrover Discovery that I test drove a few months ago. She is excited over reliving her childhood with a new Mini. As many of you know, Felicity is British, so the Mini Cooper is a little bit of home for her.

4th – NEW CAREER. I have taken a follow on job with AT&T Government Solutions, working for a former Admiral who I served with over a decade ago. Already, I am discovering the talent our nation has in its engineers and business leaders as I watch and learn with amazement some of the technological advances being made. The group of men and women I am working with are easily some of our brightest and most dedicated to their profession. By the way, I don’t do telephones.

5th - MY TRANSMISSION. My transmission fell out of my ole 1993 Volvo 850-GLT in early February. I picked it up recently from the Volvo dealer where it took them a couple of days to get the parts. Some of you may say, why take it to a dealer? Well, when the transmission went, I took it to AAMCO, but the price they quoted was pretty steep. I was about to tow it to junkyard. I do use Jiffy Lube (of course, I stand at the opening to the garage and watch them). AAMCO told me their price, and then told me what it would cost at a Volvo dealer. When I hung up from talking with the gentleman from AAMCO and gave my heart some time to calm down, I called the Volvo service person who I deal with. I discovered years ago the cost of taking the Volvo to the Volvo dealer for routine and scheduled maintenance was about the same price as finding a local garage to do it. He quoted me a price about a $1000 cheaper than AAMCO and the price included not only a rebuilt transmission, but included replacing the rear differential (whatever that is). It also included towing the car nearly 70-miles to the dealership, and having detailed prior to me picking it up. Bottom cost came out about $500 cheaper than AAMCO. Of course, Volvo has a 12-month 12,000-mile warranty and AAMCO was going to give me a 36-month 36,000-mile warranty. For a $5000 car, Volvo was fine. Of course, now I intend to drive it for at least another couple of years before I think about buying another one.

6th – WHAT’s NEXT? As I close out this career, start a new one, and continue my writing career, I am also making preparations to start back to college. I called one university in the area and asked about their advanced degree program in Creative Writing. I discovered that regardless of how many books you have in print or what your sales rankings are for your books, unless you have the academic background (degree in English, etc) then, you’re kind of out of luck for an upper level degree in writing. I may re-engage at a later date, but right now am looking at the Information Management or Management. Still have some work to do to get there.

7th & Final – WRAP UP. My thanks to all of you who have continued to read my books. I do appreciate it. I further appreciate those of you who looked kindly on my writings and provided reviews in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other on-line booksellers. I am extremely behind in answering some of the emails and requests from readers. I have had over three hundred requests for signed photographs. Unfortunately, I don’t have 300-photographs to mail out and the cost would be extremely prohibited, so I apologize for being unable to provide everyone who asks, a signed photograph. To date, there are less than 5 out there. I have several emails from people asking for advice on writing and how to go about it. I promise to answer as soon as I can. I have discovered that time is very premium when you’re finishing one career; starting a new one; has a deadline to meet with a new book; and, your transmission falls out.

Once again, please come and visit me at Books-A-Million, 351 Montrose Ave, Laurel Maryland on March 26th. Bring beer, dancers, and a song. For directions go to: http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?stores=1

Cheers,
David E. Meadows
http://www.sixthfleet.com

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA is Meadows' newest novel scheduled for release in March 2005.

Read More About JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA A Navy EP-3E is hit by a missile and before the pilot can recover control of the aircraft four aircrew bail out over West Africa, landing in the middle of an African civil war. It is a fast-pace story as Admiral Holman races to rescue the Sailors before they are killed or captured. "Meadows will keep you turning pages and thinking new thoughts." --Newt Gingrich "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there." --Stephen Coonts "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Fast-paced, roller-coaster ride with this exhilarating military thriller. Dynamic writer with a fresh voice in this technical-ridden, yet intriguing genre." --Midwest Book Review "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future. Visionary, scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" --Joe Buff, author Tidal Rip.

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David E. Meadows / SixthFleet.Com David E. Meadows Washington D.C. E-Mail readermail@SixthFleet.Com