From Omaha to Da Nang Reflections of a 2-Yr Marine (ePub)

Biography of Michael J. Schneider

I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. At the age of 18, I was eligible to be drafted as the Vietnam War was at its peak. I chose instead to enlist in the U.S. Marines. I spent 14 and 1/2 months in Vietnam with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Most of that time my duties were that of a clerk-typist; but I had a short period where I participated in long-range reconnaissance patrols.
In 1971 I enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and received a degree in Civil Engineering in May 1976. I worked for the Federal Government as an engineer from June 1976 until January 2008.
I got interested in writing and took two courses in writing for children and teenagers. My instructor assisted me in preparing Swift, Silent and Deadly: Recon Marines in Vietnam. This book is nonfiction targeted at the young adult audience.
My first book was The Secret of Sangre de Cristo, followed by Brendan of Kilrush. Both of these books were fictional stories intended for the young adult market. Both were self-published. I recently published The Secret of Sangre de Cristo as an eBook on Amazon Kindle. Ink Smith Publishing offered me a standard contract for Brendan of Kilrush. In July 2014 Ink Smith published the book in both paperback and ebook form.
After taking a short course entitled: Writing the Romance Novel at the University of Iowa, I decided to try writing a historical romance. The result was Rebecca and the Renegade.
I followed that with The Mystery of Skunk Hollow. This is a romance/mystery intended for an adult audience. It is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle.
My most recent book is From Omaha to Da Nang. This is a nonfiction memoir of my two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. It is also available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle. I wrote it with the idea that high school seniors might like to know what to expect if they enlist in the Marine Corps.