Peter’s Comments (group member since Jul 25, 2017)

Peter’s comments from the SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group group.

Feliks wrote: "And by the by --if any of you are wondering how to start down the road of self-publishing at all --I can cite this experience from a comrade of mine:..."

I totally agree with Amazon KDP. I do my manuscript in MS Word with Grammarly sidebar, with Amazon's free template format. I find Grammarly's dynamic as-you-type assistance invaluable. I have some really critical and honest Beta readers that collectively provide high quality editorial results. After the editing process has been exhausted, I use Amazon's free "Kindle Create" desktop app to convert to Kindle format. I save the ready-to-print Word file as a PDF. That provides the two formats KDP needs for Kindle and print versions. I spent a little time to learn Photoshop and do my own cover. Amazon provides a free template for the cover parameters based on page count, finished size, paper type, and color/black-white. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Hi! Peter J. "Pete" Azzole, now in New Bern, NC, born and raised in the Atlantic City area, mainly Absecon, NJ.

Retired Navy Officer, keeping busy writing historical fiction. Published my eighth title "BLOWN COVER; A Cuban Missile Crisis Novel" on 11/1/22. A Navy linguist intel specialist is inserted into Cuba in the early stage of the Soviet buildup. The CIA/Navy covert op was going well... until reality crept in.


Happy holidays and New Year to everyone!
Pete

Feliks wrote: "Research query here...Anyway here's my specific question: are military personnel allowed offensive tattoos? Such as: swastikas, Nazi symbols, or SS motifs?"

The U.S. Navy updated its tattoo regulations in 2021. In summary:
-Neck tattoos need to be small, under one inch in diameter.
-Face, head, or scalp tattoos are not allowed.
-There is a zero tolerance when it comes to body ink that is considered offensive, racist, sexist, extremist, or discredit America.
-Tattoos may not discriminate against national origin or religion, even if the ink is covered under a uniform. Tattoos that endorse illegal substances or drug use are not allowed.
-Any body art that suggests gang affiliation or the use of illegal substances is also not permitted.
-Body mutilation is not allowed in any regard, including tongue forking, skin modification (including intentional scarring), intentional burns to create designs on the skin, or any type of dental ornamentation.
--Since body art is such a diverse subject. the Navy grants permission to a commanding officer to determine what is acceptable and what is not allowed.

Assignment Bletchley: A WW2 Story of Navy Intelligence, Spies and Intrigue
ASSIGNMENT: LONDON: A WWII Novel of Naval Intelligence and Spies

The sales activity, in Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, of the first two novels in my ASSIGNMENT series has been very gratifying. So have the ratings on amazon.com and goodreads.com, generally 4/5 stars. The 3rd in the series is now in development.

Michel wrote: "While it is most probably not the series you are looking for, Feliks, the only 'husband and wife agents' pair that I can think of is 'The Americans'. Now, that is one hell of a spy TV series!"

Oh I second that motion, The Americans is just terrific!

Raising my hand :)

Assignment Bletchley: A WW2 Story of Navy Intelligence, Spies and Intrigue
Published 3/30/17, nine 5-stars and one 4-star rating so far, between Amazon.com and GoodReads.com