Friends and followers:

It's a Blasted BOGO! Our publisher is running a promotion, buy-one-get-one, in time for the holidays. If you order Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior before December 11th you'll get another free, including free shipping. So, please consider ordering for your friends and family.

And here's a quick update for you...

• On Veteran's Day, Luke was named "Hometown Hero." He and his fiancé, Stephanie, were both surprised and honored by the award.
• Luke was recently featured on the Grant Cardone, "Power Players" TV segment. (To see the full show, you have to register, but it's FREE – and worth it!).
• Luke has been traveling a good bit for book signings. Check out his "Where's Luke" page if you want to try to catch up with him.

If you'd like to host Luke for a book signing and talk, please let us know.

Thank you, again, for being among our earliest and strongest supporters!

 Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

 Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

Friends and readers:

As our earliest supporters, many of you have been telling us over and over that you think “Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior" deserves wider recognition. Well, we received some shine Saturday night in Orlando, when the book received a gold medal at the Florida Authors & Publishers Association’s President’s Awards banquet.

Competitionfor our category was fierce and there were 31 judges including librarians and publishing professionals from out of state who read the entries, but “Blasted" proved to be a winner. We were both available to receive the medal in person, so it was extra special. Earlier today, Luke talked about the award on WCTV Eyewitness News at Noon, and we are being encouraged to enter the book in national competitions. Julie will be giving a talk at the Tallahassee Writers Association’s monthly meeting about the experience of writing someone else’s first-person story, and we are open to book signing invitations through the fall. 

We’re also grateful that the book is still holding strong with 5 stars on Amazon and GoodReads. If you haven’t already, please consider adding a review or rating! 

 Again, all appreciation goes back to you — our earliest supporters and readers. We wouldn’t be in our second printing if not for the encouragement we received early on. Thank you. 

 Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

 Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

 Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

Friends:

We have great news to share: "Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior" was selected as a “finalist” for the Florida Authors & Publishers Association’s “President’s Award.” We’ll be going to Orlando in August to see if we take away the Gold. This is a huge honor. 

In other good news, our publisher, Inkshares,  has also ordered a second printing of the hardcover books, which means we’ve just about sold 2,500 copies. Again, that is BIG NEWS in this business. We are thrilled. 

 Luke was invited to meet with Florida Governor Rick Scott and hand delivered an autographed copy of the book. He’ll be appearing on WCTV in August and we are looking at other media opportunities. So far, the book has a solid 5 stars on Amazon and GoodReads. If you haven’t yet written a review on either of those sites, please consider adding yours. 

We’re adding invitations for Luke to speak all the time. If you know of a corporate event that needs a professional speaker, please contact him. And feel free to share this message with your social communities! 

 Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

 Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

 Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

(Special message from Luke's co-author)

For this Memorial Day weekend, Luke wrote a very moving opinion piece for CNN. "What Veterans Really Think About on Memorial Day." To many of us, the holiday has lost its true meaning. To service members like Luke, who saw their fellow warriors injured, perhaps watched them die, it's impossible to forget. Please take a moment to ponder that sacrifice, to consider their lives. And remind those around you, especially children, about what the holiday REALLY means. The lives of these service members mattered, their sacrifice is appreciated.

- Julie Strauss Bettinger

Happy “Pub” day to us!

Yes, today is the “official” publishing day for “Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior.”  If you’re receiving this email, then you were a BIG part of getting us here.  We’re also celebrating an “anniversary” of sorts.  It was one year ago this weekend that Julie was introduced to Inkshares’ publisher, Larry Levitsky.  We are especially grateful to Larry and his team for believing in Luke’s story and providing the guidance and encouragement we needed along the way. 

If you’ve received your copy of the book, and you backed us at the Grand Patron level ($100 or more), be sure to look for your name inside the back cover. And if you’ve read the book, please consider giving it a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

The e-book is available and you can order the book through Inkshares or virtually any bookseller.  Stay tuned for book signings in Tallahassee, Stuart, FL (Luke’s hometown), Palm Beach and New York City, plus links to media interviews.

Again, thank you for being a part of the story behind, “Blasted.”

Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

Friends:

Books are arriving! Our formal publishing date for "Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior" isn’t until May 22nd, but we’re getting reports that some people are receiving their books in the mail — even before we’ve gotten our copies! 

It’s great timing, as Luke is the featured commencement speaker at the Tallahassee Community College graduation Saturday night. 

When you receive your book(s), we’d love to know what you think about it. And if you love it (like we think you will), please consider giving it a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Every little bit helps!

Remember:  YOU made this book possible...we appreciate you.

Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

 Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

 Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

Hello, everyone –

We have lots of good news to report. We produced a book trailer last week, which has already created some buzz on Facebook. We wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it:

               Book trailer for Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior

We also wanted to share this “hot off the press” review we received last week from Brian Mockenhaupt. Brian is a widely published freelance writer (Esquire, New York Times, The Atlantic) and also the editor of the Journal of Military Experience. He served two tours in Iraq as an infantryman with the 10th Mountain Division, so if anyone understands our book, Brian does.

Here’s how he describes “Blasted”…

With humility that belies doggedness, Luke Murphy leads readers from the stress-fueled rhythms of a soldier at war, to the blast that took his leg and the long road home from the battlefield – and the unexpected places that journey has taken him. As America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fade from public view, Blasted by Adversity reminds us that wars don't end when the shooting stops. —Brian Mockenhaupt, former Army infantryman and author of The Living and the Dead: War, Friendship, and the Battles that Never End.

We appreciate all of you – our faithful fans and backers for the book – and we look forward to sharing more success stories in the future.

Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com 

Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com 

Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

Hello, everyone -

"In Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior, we learn first-hand how a fiercely independent 'country boy' joins 'the tip of the spear' during the U.S. invasion. We experience a horrific attack that changes Murphy’s life and the lives of his comrades forever. We’re also inspired by Murphy’s courage to defy the odds and test himself during his recovery. The words, 'get ready to fall,' become a life lesson. When a nurse tells him, 'you never know until you try,' Murphy begins the journey of a lifetime." 

 

Hello, backers and friends -

We’ve been in a whirlwind of activity, racing toward the book finishing line. Our latest milestone was passing the publisher copyedit phase. It just goes to show that the more eyes on a manuscript, the better. Still counting on the May delivery date.

We’re also reviewing book cover designs and really love what the artists at Inkshares have proposed. We'll update you when we receive a final.

As we committed early on, here’s another excerpt (copyeditor approved).

Book excerpt #3 from chapter titled Mission to the Future (National Guard training exercise)

Around midnight, I heard something that sounded like a big-ass mosquito. I looked around and thought, What in the world? I saw this black object in the air coming toward us—maybe the size of a kid’s model airplane. It hung in the air momentarily, then turned around.  About an hour later, I heard the Apache Longbow. I was getting ready, getting into position, and then got a call saying we were dead. What?  “Yeah, they killed you from four thousand meters out.”  I thought, Are you kidding me? That’s not even fair. That was a couple of miles away, you know? But the mission was over… We were going to repeat the exercise the next evening, and I got a great idea…

If you like what you’re reading, please pass it along through your social networks!

 Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com

Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com

Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

Hi, again -

We just crossed a new milestone: passing the publisher edit stage of the book. That means we’re still on schedule to have it “in hand” around mid May. In other good news, quantity orders are coming in. AIG just ordered 575 books for their leadership! 

 In keeping with our commitment to you, our “backers," here’s another excerpt (freshly edited). 

Book excerpt #2: My Heisman Moment

My platoon wasn’t back from the range, so I went to chow hall alone. I passed a drill sergeant marching a mixed bag of Army artillery guys and Marine artillery guys. “Left, left, left…” and then, “Halt!” I could feel him sizing me up, this little punk, alone, no patch on my arm. Just a dumb fish out there flopping, about to get eaten. He came right up to my face, "Where are you supposed to be?" I answered in one breath, "Drill Sergeant, I-shot-40-out-of-40-on-the-range-yesterday-and-they-gave-me the-day-off." He looked at me and laughed. "Well, hot damn, hawkeye. Carry on." I did an about face and decided, I am going back to my freaking room and I’m gonna wait. I’m not risking getting eaten again. At least I had answered the question right for a change. 

 Feel free to share with your social networks!

 Luke Murphy – www.LukeMurphy101.com

Julie Strauss Bettinger - www.JulieBettinger.com

Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior