After spending 7 years on the USS Pennsylvania's Blue crew, I got out and began to pursue my dream of becoming a published writer. When I started writing my first book, I had trouble thinking up an interesting character, but the old advice to "write what you know" served me well.
Four years later, I am a newly published author. My first book, 72 Hours, is about two navy nuke veterans that are caught up in the search for a rebellious teenage girl. I took a huge amount of inspiration from the characters that I served with, the way nukes are trained to think and reason, and the type of individuals selected for the nuclear program, and created two characters that I'm quite proud of.
A big part of why I got the contract that I did was that I demonstrated a level of discipline and effort that most novelists don't have. It just goes to show you that even if you don't end up working at a civilian nuclear plant, the things you learned in the Navy will serve you well.
If you're interested in the book, you can find it here (http://www.amazon.com/72-Hours-Dietrich-Stogner/dp/1466439238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320174481&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/72-Hours-Dietrich-Stogner/dp/1466439238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320174481&sr=8-1)). So far, I'm very pleased with the reviews, and the book is selling quite well!
Congratulations on having written and published your book.
Please elucidate, if you will, on the terms of this contract of which you speak. Specifically, I am interested in knowing how your demonstrated level of discipline played itself into your getting a better contract to self-publish a book.
Amazon has cleared the path to make publishing easier. They have a division called "Creat Space" https://www.createspace.com/ where they guide and provide resources to get your works to print.