True North
by Roger Rooney
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Pub Date May 16 2018 | Archive Date Jan 07 2019
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Description
A genre-busting, page-turner Vietnam War story set in 1962, TRUE NORTH is a war/love story that sets a cracking pace and is the 'Wilbur Smith of the Vietnam War' and the new ‘Highways to a War’. It is unique in that it tackles the Vietnam War from both sides and with a fearless blend of history, romance, philosophy and, most importantly, brutal truth.
Australian Army Lieutenant Jack Burns is deployed as part of 'The Team' to the Mekong Delta, where he is about to undergo the ultimate test of his convictions. As Jack is honing his craft in the Delta, Tran, a female teenage soldier with the North Vietnamese Army, makes her way down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and into the Delta, where she must stare down the might of US firepower at the Battle of Ap Bac. In a war without frontlines, the two soldiers must fight enemies foreign and domestic if they are to survive the most dangerous place in the world - South Vietnam. True North HALO drops the reader into the contested paddy fields and the viscous military swamp that was Vietnam divided between the corrupt Diem regime in the South and a ruthless communist-cum-nationalist fanaticism in the North, with Big Brother America raging like some crippled giant; an Ozymandias of the Mekong Delta. Part war-story, part love-story, the reader sees the conflict through the vulnerable eyes of an Australian adviser to the South, and a fighter from the North who just happens to be a beautiful young woman. The reader travels with the two protagonists, Jack and Tran, separately and together through some of the most harrowing events of the first years of the war. TRUE NORTH is a tale of the brutal, bloody impact of war on people fighting on opposite sides, with sudden and violent death an ever-present threat.
About the Author
Roger Rooney is a Canberra-based historical fiction writer and is a graduate of Deakin University with a BA (Hons) in International Relations and Strategic Studies. He has performed 23 years of public service with all levels of government, having worked as a Senior Researcher with the Australian Government’s Refugee Review Tribunal, where he sat on the China and South-East Asia desk. His first novel, TRUE NORTH, was released in April 2018 and was developed over four years, with Roger getting up at 5 am in winter to write 250 words per day. He collaborated with award-winning author and historian Robert Macklin, who provided strategic advice throughout the writing. He has visited Vietnam five times and fell in love with the country and the people when he first traveled there with his wife and two girls.
Advance Praise
• “Utterly Gripping…the book is a triumph. Vietnam itself is evoked with an authority that is certain to engage the reader, and the battle scenes are so powerful that images remain long after the reader has returned the book to its place among the most memorable in the reader’s collection. True North has a maturity of structure, characterisation and expression that might be expected to come from a novelist with at least half a dozen books under his belt.” - Robert Macklin (Award winning author of SAS Sniper, Redback One and Warrior Elite)
• “It’s the first book of its type in 50 years.” Vietnam Veteran Brigadier Nicholas Jans (Ret’d), OAM.
• "Roger Rooney tackles the Vietnam War with a fearless blend of history, romance, philosophy and, most importantly, brutal truth. The intense amount of research that was done and the historical framework into which this story is woven also gives the novel immense power. At times, one forgets they are reading fiction, as the characters are so richly developed and the setting so frighteningly recognizable. Whether you are passionate about Vietnam War history, crave suspenseful plot-driven romances, or want to peer a bit deeper into the depths of human nature and the cruelty of war, this book attacks on all fronts." Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★½
• “Reminds me of Kate Grenville's 'Secret River' in the blend of historical detail, clashing personal truth perspectives and compelling storyline. So beautifully crafted.” Michelle Canberra Bookclub
• “Readers who love their history spiced with drama and romance will love this one.” – Andrew Draffen (Author Long Planet Travel Guides)
• “You feel you are part of all the action.” - Litandcoffee.
• "Not just for the war-heads. True North helped me understand the historical significance of the Vietnam War through accurate and entertaining fictional accounts of the major battle of 1963, told from a soldier's perspective on both sides of the war. It's the new 'Highways to a War'." – Colleen.
• “A meticulously researched book. True North authentically distils the extensive and meticulous research that Rooney has put into this novel. He conveys with great accuracy the political and military contexts of the Vietnam War, including, for example, the sensitive relationships between the Australian, American and Vietnamese army hierarchies, and the formal and informal ways that troops of different ranks operated in those armies and within the Vietcong forces. A veteran of the Vietnam War would finish reading the book wondering if Rooney had actually been there.” - Fergus Thomson , Legal Staff Officer, Australian Army Task Force, Nui Dat, Viet Nam 1967-68.
Marketing Plan
National launch through Woodslane Distributors (Australia NZ) and available on Amazon.
Promoted through the Australian War Memorial online shop, magazine and newsletter
Promoted with paid advertising across all social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin) Canberra Writer Festival and other festivals, podcasts.
Promoted through Veterans Associations (VVA and VSC)
Instore promotions at Robinsons, Harry Hartog, Dymocks
