War is hell…but sometimes it’s also funny as hell. Combat and Other Shenanigans is Lieutenant Piers Platt’s firsthand account of his year as a cavalry platoon leader in Iraq. Wry, action-packed, and poignant, Combat and Other Shenanigans is the absurd-but-true story of the antics the world’s finest soldiers get up to when no one high-ranking is watching.
History/Biography/Memoir
Do You See Writing as a Career?
It’s certainly what I love to do! But it’s not enough to pay the bills right now, so I’m going to keep plugging away at the stories in my head, and in the future, I might just take the leap and leave my day job to take a serious whack at writing full time. Scary idea, but exciting, too.
What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?
The second draft. The first draft was very cathartic for me, but my wife helped me realize that a bitter war memoir wasn’t going to be anything new or all that interesting to read. So with her help, I took a very different approach in my second draft.
Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?
Besides my English teachers from grade school through college? I can’t credit them enough. For “Combat and Other Shenanigans,” several friends from high school and college pointed out some omissions that really helped improve the book, especially from the perspective of someone who’s unfamiliar with the military and tank terminology.
What is next for your writing?
Fiction! I’d like to try turning the concept for one of my short stories into a longer novella / novel.
Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?
Yes, absolutely. Right now I am working my way through the handful of Terry Pratchett “Discworld” books that I haven’t yet read.
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The absurd-but-true story of the antics the world’s finest soldiers get up to when no one high-ranking is watching.
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Piers Platt grew up in Boston, but spent most of his childhood in various boarding schools, including getting trained as a classical singer at a choir school for boys. He joined the Army in 2002, and spent four years on active duty, including a year-long deployment to Iraq in 2004 as a tank and scout platoon leader.
He now works as a marketing strategy consultant in New York city, when he’s not spending time with his lovely wife and daughter.
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