I just wanted to write a brief summary of what has been going on in my life over the past year and where things are headed.
As most of you know, I began divorce proceedings in Miami-Dade County in September 2014; on January 7th, 2016, my divorce was finally granted, during that period I had moved all my personal possessions to Port Saint Lucie, FL; where my sister graciously provided a room for me while the divorce progressed.
During the same month I came upon a beautiful house here in Stuart, FL and placed a down-payment on the property a few days later. This was the first time that I had to do everything on my own in regards to buying a house and it was a long and tedious process, as most of you know. Fortunately, the owner was not planning on moving out until April 15th, which gave me plenty of time to organize financing and do as much preparation as I could in advance, while simultaneously keeping a wary eye on my bank account.
On July 15th, 2016, I officially announced to myself that I was finally done with the moving-in process and I now consider my house to be my "home". A few minor diabetic foot injuries slowed down this process, along with moving thousands of books, records, CDs and DVDs first into the spare bedroom and then the tedious, but still fun, task of going through everything piece by piece and putting everything in its proper place in the living room. While the house was, more or less, furnished, I still had to go out a few times a week to buy mundane items you don't know you need, until you don't have them.
The bottom line is that while I will still have plenty of, "ten minutes here and thirty minutes there" type of work to continue for the next several weeks or maybe even longer, my house is neat, clean and organized and I finally get a chance to relax without worrying about having to get up and do something.
So, with that being stated, I wanted to outline to everyone who is interested, what my plans and goals will be for the next several months.
The good news is that I have finally gotten back into the mood to write and finish the Sikh War Source Book, but before I tackle that monster once and for all, there are several smaller items I have to work on first, both to clear the path and get back into the groove of writing itself.
So, in order of both size and importance, my goals are as follows:
1) To collect all of the errata questions for Tanga 1914 and then get with George Pearson to provide answers and come up with a comprehensive Errata/FAQ Sheet by the first half of August 2016, but hopefully sooner.
2) To write an in-house review of a recent issue of "War Diary" magazine for my fellow editors and contributors and to ask the Editor if I can write a book review on a person and subject very near and dear to my heart. To be accomplished by September 1st and 15th respectively.
3) To simultaneously contact Richard Berg and GMT Games to see if "Wellington in India" is a go or not and if so, can we work out a flexible schedule that I can adhere to, starting sometime in 2017.
Finally, and more important than anything above, finish the Sikh War Source Book in time for publication by Spring, or at the latest, Summer 2017. I have found some new and very important sources, including Sgt. Pearman's Memoirs, Bancroft's "From Recruit to Staff Sergeant" and one of the Holy Grails, "European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785-1849" by Grey and Garrett, along with some other useful tomes and efforts.
Most importantly though is that I have finally found a copy of "Volume 2 of the Khalsa Durbar Records", which hopefully has the missing information on the Sikh Jagardari (militia) forces that I have been searching for almost from the very start. Wish me luck!
On top of that, I have a real, live editor; whose name must remain secret for now but will astound everyone when they get their copy of the book.
The bottom line is that life will always intervene, but I have my schedule penciled in and I plan on sticking to it starting this very week. Words of support are always most welcome, not only now, but down the pike when I'm down in the trenches and wondering if it is worth all the time and effort I am putting forth.
I will be contacting various individuals over the next several days with more details, but I just wanted everyone to know that the drought is over and the floodgates are opening. Thank you for your support and encouragement, but most importantly, for your patience!
Andrew Preziosi
Stuart, FL
July 18th, 2016
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
