Welcome to JoeBuff.Com, the Cyberspace Home of author Joe Buff

Praise for Joe Buff from NY Times Bestselling Authors:

"Superbly researched and well-written, Joe Buff's novels are the creme de la creme of submarine thrillers."
--Stephen Coonts

"Joe Buff takes the reader through a labyrinth of action and high adventure. A rare thriller, highly entertaining."
--Clive Cussler

"If you want a hair-raising trip to the bottom of the ocean, Joe Buff's the guy to take you there."
--Patrick Robinson

Welcome to JoeBuff.Com, the Cyberspace Home of
national bestselling author Joe Buff.

December 27, 2004

SIXTH FULLER NOVEL TITLE WILL BE "SEAS OF CRISIS"; IS DUE OUT LATE NOVEMBER 2005

Joe Buff is pleased to announce that the title, and release schedule, of his next novel -- the sixth in the bestselling Captain Jeffrey Fuller series -- have both been finalized with Joe's publisher, Wm. Morrow/HarperCollins. The title of the book will be SEAS OF CRISIS.

You can expect it to become available in bookstores everywhere, in hardcover edition, in late November, 2005. (The paperback of STRAITS OF POWER will appear about a month before that.) The paperback edition of SEAS OF CRISIS will be out in late 2006. The plot is embargoed for many months yet to come, but those in the know expect it to be the most exciting entry in the saga yet! Joe is now busy drafting the manuscript of the story, which is due to his editor at Morrow, Mike Shohl, in early spring '05.

December 8, 2004

"STRAITS OF POWER" HITS AMAZON.COM MEN'S ADVENTURE TOP-15 LIST

The hardcover of Joe's STRAITS OF POWER, which went on sale two weeks ago, is now running in the Top 15 Bestsellers among Amazon.com's broad category of Men's Adventure Fiction. (This is happening even though joebuff.com's main book-ordering links go to Barnes & Noble's website, not to Amazon.) BTW & FYI, for those of you who might be curious, Amazon's sales data for best-sellers by category is derived in a different way from the secret and complex formula that Amazon uses to get the "sales ranking" that appears on each individual book's page within their entire site. (According to various writing websites and blogs, that formula, which Amazon changes sometimes without widespread public announcement, includes moving averages and also incorporates total sales of each book since it first came out. Thus, anomalies with the sales ranking numbers can and do occur, such as an outdated edition of a reference book showing as higher than the latest edition -- just because the older edition sold more copies than the just-released new one has so far. Trying to analyze Amazon rankings is a source of endless fascination for some in the publishing industry!)

December 2, 2004

JOE BUFF WRITES HIS 50TH ESSAY FOR MILITARY.COM

Joe is pleased to report that his regular column in the Military Opinion section of Military.com has reached its 50th essay, with his " From Russia, Not Love" piece. Military.com is the premier website of daily news, views, practical advice, and other valuable features serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces, their dependents, veterans, as well as civilian supporters and enthusiasts. Military.com now has over 4,000,000 registered members (and close to that number of monthly unique site visitors, too). The website is run by Military Advantage, Inc., which consults to Fortune 500 corporations on how they can best meet the special needs of the military community, in a properly positioned and focused way, when marketing products and services. (Military Advantage is a subsidiary of Monster Worldwide.) Joe intends to continue his regular contributions to Military.com, which he began in early 2003, and is looking forward eventually to his 100th essay!

November 23, 2004

"STRAITS OF POWER" HARDCOVER GOES ON SALE TODAY

The hardcover edition of STRAITS OF POWER, the fifth Captain Jeffrey Fuller adventure, officially goes on sale today. It's available at all major brick-and-mortar and on-line bookstores in the U.S. and Canada -- if they've run out, just ask them to order you a copy. (The paperback of Joe's TIDAL RIP, the fourth Jeffrey Fuller book, went on sale in late October and is now a Barnes & Noble national bestseller.) For more information on both books, see the BOOKS and ORDER buttons at the top-left of all JoeBuff.com website pages. FYI. the paperback edition of STRAITS OF POWER is scheduled for release in late 2005, coordinated with the publication of the sixth hardcover in the saga, whose title is not yet finalized, and whose manuscript is busy being drafted by Joe now.

NOVEMBER 18, 2004

JOE BUFF BECOMES LIFE ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS

Joe Buff has been sponsored to become a Life Associate Member of the large nationwide organization for active duty and former/retired/reservist qualified submariners, the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc, also known as the USSVI or SubVets. The SubVets are set up as regional chapters around the country, called bases, and Joe now belongs to New York State's Albany-Saratoga Base. (Joe had been a guest speaker at a luncheon at the 2004 National Convention of the SubVets, which took place in Saratoga Springs in September. This is how he first got to meet some of the submarine veterans who belong to the Base, which by coincidence is the closest one to Joe's home.) Joe and his wife Sheila attended their first meeting of the Base last night, and look forward with pleasure and pride to ongoing participation in the organization's activities. A key goal of the USSVI, as expressed in their official Creed, is to perpetuate the memory of all submariners who gave their lives in the line of duty -- only in this way can today's and tomorrow's submariners be most strongly inspired toward ever greater achievements defending American freedoms.

NOVEMBER 16, 2004

"TIDAL RIP" PAPERBACK MAKES BARNES & NOBLE NATIONAL BESTSELLER LIST

Joe Buff is delighted to pass along the news that his latest paperback, TIDAL RIP, which came out in late October and then quickly went back to press, has hit #16 on Barnes & Noble's national bestseller list. This list, updated weekly, tracks relative ranking of total sales of different paperbacks across the entire national chain of Barnes & Noble stores.

NOVEMBER 2, 2004

JOE BUFF'S "TIDAL RIP" PAPERBACK EDITION GOES BACK TO PRESS IN FIRST WEEK

Joe Buff is pleased to be able to report to readers and website visitors that public demand for the paperback edition of his fourth novel, TIDAL RIP, is so high that his publisher is going back to press to produce more copies only one week after the book officially went on sale. This decision is triggered by brisk reorders from bookstores nationwide as they sell out copies of the initial print run. So, if your favorite bookstore doesn't have TIDAL RIP in paperback on the shelves when you stop in, just ask at their information desk or cashier and they will probably be able to tell you when they expect to restock (it happens very quickly nowadays). Depending on local store policy they may even be able to hold a copy for you by name as more cartons of the novel arrive. Joe wants to thank all his readers for their enthusiastic support!

NOVEMBER 1, 2004

JOE BUFF "AUTHOR OF THE MONTH" ON MAJOR U.K. WEB SITE FOR WRITERS AND AVID READERS

Joe Buff is profiled in a written interview as Author of the Month for November on the major U.K. Web site for aspiring writers, www.aspire2write.com. This Web site was established in 2002, funded by a grant from the prestigious charitable organization The Prince's Trust. Joe is the seventeenth writer to be interviewed. Previous Authors of the Month include NY TIMES bestselling novelist Stephen Coonts, and twice World Fantasy Award winner Gwyneth Jones. This site's many different features, regularly updated with fresh content, are a fabulous resource for anyone interested in writing, whether for fun or at the professional level. It also has lots of goodies for avid readers, who'll be fascinated by the Interview Archive's many "behind the scenes" revelations and reflections about how novels actually get written. (The books don't just suddenly end up in bookstores by magic!) In Joe's interview, he shares candid thoughts about his own career as a writer, and offers his best advice for any new authors who are trying now to break in and get published. Check out this beautifully designed Web site -- Joe highly recommends it!

October 26, 2004

"TIDAL RIP" PAPERBACK GOES ON SALE TODAY

The paperback edition of TIDAL RIP, the fourth Captain Jeffrey Fuller adventure, officially goes on sale today. It's available at all major brick-and-mortar and on-line bookstores in the U.S. and Canada -- if they've run out, just ask them to order you a copy. The book (at the end) includes a "sneak preview" from the beginning of Joe's next book, STRAITS OF POWER, out in hardcover on November 23, 2004. For more information on both books, see the BOOKS and ORDER buttons at the top-left of all JoeBuff.com website pages.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2004

JOE BUFF A SPEAKER AT SUB VETS 2004 CONVENTION, RE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF NAVY NUCLEAR POWER

Joe Buff was very honored to be one of the luncheon speakers at the 2004 Annual Convention, in Saratoga Springs, NY, of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc., (USSVI). The lunch at which Joe spoke on Friday, Sept. 17 specifically recognized the fiftieth anniversary of U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion. (The USS Nautilus, SSN-571, the first ever nuclear-powered submarine in the world, was commissioned in September 1954.) Joe's remarks emphasized two themes: First, the traditions and achievements of the men in the Silent Service during World War II and the Cold War are strongly relevant to today and tomorrow. Second, technical and tactical innovation have been going on constantly for decades, culminating in submarines now being true capital ships of the twenty-first century. Almost 2,000 members (plus many spouses) attended the 2004 SubVets convention, and a wonderful time was had by all! Also please note: USS Nautilus herself is now a museum, open to the public free of charge right next to the fascinating indoor and outdoor exhibits of the United States Submarine Force Museum ( www.ussnautilus.org) in Groton, CT. (Nautilus has been modified with a staircase near the bow, making it much easier for non-sailors of all ages to enter and exit the actual ship. A recent refurbishment included a major upgrade to the terrific self-guided tour's sound system. The Museum's main building was also expanded to provide more space for great exhibits on the long and illustrious history of U.S. Navy submarines and submariners. Highly recommended!)

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Joe addresses the audience of submariner veterans and spouses. (Photo by Sheila Buff.)

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A SubVet's radio-controlled model cruises in the Prime Hotel's pool. (Photo by Sheila Buff.)

SEPTEMBER 3, 2004

JOE BUFF VISITS RHODE ISLAND'S NEW RUSSIAN SUB MUSEUM, THEN WRITES ABOUT IT

Joe Buff wants to draw all submarine fans' attention to the Russian Sub Museum established two years ago in Providence, RI, located at the scenic northern tip of historic Narragansett Bay. The main attraction of the museum is an actual, beautifully maintained, ex-Soviet Juliett-class diesel powered nuclear cruise missile attack submarine! The sub's hull is seaworthy and it floats in the bay at a special pier. The inside of the sub is open for self-guided tours by visitors, no reservations are necessary during normal museum hours, and boy oh boy do I recommend you go there if you're anywhere near the Providence area! I visited the sub, NATO code-name "Juliett 484," known to the USSR during the Cold War as K-77, with my wife and some friends in August. This inspired my essay on Military.com, "War Trophy, Warning, Fun!" which will give you a much better feel (in every sense) for the Russian Sub Museum and the history it evokes. More info is available at the museum's Web site, www.juliett484.org, or by calling 401-823-4200. Note that the Russian Sub Museum is affiliated with a project to bring the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga to Rhode Island's Quonset Point, also as a museum ship. Quonset Point, for which Quonset huts were named in World War Two, is also near Davisville, RI, the original base of the Navy Seabees in W.W.II, and now the home of a new Seabees Museum and Memorial Park. (See www.saratogamuseum.org, and www.seabeesmuseum.org.) Here is a photo of my wife Sheila and me in front of K-77:

Joe and Sheila Buff at the Russian Sub Museum, Providence, RI, in August, 2004.
(Photo by Marian Dupuis.)
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August 30, 2004

JOE BUFF'S STRAITS OF POWER GALLEY PROOFS REVIEWED, & DRAFTING OF SIXTH NOVEL STARTED

Joe Buff is pleased to report that his next novel, the fifth Captain Jeffrey Fuller adventure, STRAITS OF POWER, just completed its galley proofs review phase. These galley proofs -- in the age of publishing automation more properly called the "first pass pages" -- are the first-cut actual (loose, unbound) typeset pages of the hardcover edition of the book. Their "look" includes the design of the page layout created by a specialist designer at Joe's publisher Wm. Morrow/HarperCollins, including (rather kewl!) title page and chapter headings art, specific typeface, etc. During this phase, Joe carefully re-read every word of the novel and made some small changes to improve the clarity of a few sentences for readers. He also searched for and fixed some items such as misplaced commas and other details, that can make an author rather cross-eyed but are worth the effort for the quality of the final, printed and bound book -- which is scheduled for release to bookstores in November, 2004. Though grueling for the author, the review of the first pass pages is also exciting and gratifying, since after a solid year of hard work the manuscript is starting to look like an actual book! Joe is now writing a formal Outline, based on his copious scratch-pad notes, to begin drafting the sixth Jeffrey Fuller story, which would be out in Autumn, 2005.

August 27, 2004

JOE BUFF JOINS SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS

Joe Buff has joined the Society for Risk Analysis, a non-partisan and international body headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Joe has a lot of training and seasoning as a professional risk analyst through the 20 years he spent as an actuary, with an emphasis for much of that time on investment risk measurement and management for financial institutions. In Joe's present full-time role as a novelist and non-fiction commentator on homeland security and defense preparedness for the past 7 years, he realized he was continuing to apply these key risk analysis skills diligently, just in a new subject area. The Society for Risk Analysis is a good fit to Joe's work now, since its members address public policy issues related to everything from environmental damage to nuclear threats. Risk analysts, in general, construct and analyze chilling scenarios in order to challenge conventional thinking and help better prepare for a risky tomorrow. This is a main theme behind the war scenario depicted in Joe's Captain Jeffrey Fuller series, as well as in Joe's regular essay column for Military.com and his frequent, award-winning, technical articles in THE SUBMARINE REVIEW. More on the Society for Risk Analysis can be found at www.sra.org.

August 11, 2004

JOE BUFF IS MADE HONORARY SEABEE

Joe Buff is proud and delighted to have been made an Honorary Life Associate Member of the Navy Seabee Veterans of America (NSVA), a nationwide association of Seabees who have served in all eras, from W.W.II up the present in Afghanistan and Iraq. Seabees are the U.S. Navy's combat engineering and construction force, whose motto is "We build, we fight." Seabees originated the expression "Can Do" and the saying "The difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a little longer," both of which entered the wider popular vocabulary decades ago.

Joe's membership card in the NSVA was presented to him at the 2004 National Convention of the NSVA, in Davisville, Rhode Island (original home of the Seabees in W.W.II), on August 6. While in Davisville, Joe also visited the new Seabee Museum located on the site of the old W.W.II base, and also went to the nearby Seabee Memorial at a National Veterans Cemetery. Joe's late father was a Seabee, based on Guam, from 1946 through 1951. Beginning last year, Joe has been an active participant in Operation Seabees Knowledge, a volunteer grassroots effort to gain broader recognition for the Seabees of all eras (see SeabeesInfoHQ.org for lots of kewl information). Joe's next book, STRAITS OF POWER, includes an exciting sequence of near-future Seabees in combat defending America's way of life. CAN DO!

August 10, 2004

JOE BUFF'S NEXT BOOK, STRAITS OF POWER, NEARS ITS NOVEMBER 9 RELEASE DATE

Joe Buff's next submarine warfare novel, the fifth in the Captain Jeffrey Fuller series, titled STRAITS OF POWER, today completed the manuscript's copyediting phase. This is one of the last steps before hardcover copies of the book go into production. Improvements to the story draft text were completed earlier this summer, by Joe working hard with his editor at Wm. Morrow/HarperCollins, Mike Shohl. Next, that text was given by Mike to a copyeditor, a specialist who carefully examines the entire manuscript and marks up detail corrections, including questions and suggestions to improve sentence structure and enhance reading clarity throughout. Joe then received and went through all the copyediting notations, and responded to each as appropriate.

The upcoming step that Joe will be involved in, preparing STRAITS OF POWER for publication, will be to review the "first-pass page proofs," which used to be known as the "galleys" in the age before computers.

The specific plot of STRAITS OF POWER is embargoed by Wm. Morrow for now. But Joe can say that this fifth book will demand the very utmost from Jeffrey Fuller in command leadership, personal courage, and innovative combat skills, as the war against the Berlin-Boer Axis in 2012 rages on and spreads further across the global canvas. Fresh new technology, many new friends and enemies, and frightening new international relations will test Captain Fuller -- and his crew and attached SEAL team -- to the absolute limit!

March 1, 2004

JOE BUFF HELPS LAUNCH WEBSITE SUPPORTING "OPERATION SEABEES KNOWLEDGE"

Joe Buff spent time the past few weeks to help create a cyberspace home and Rallying Point for the ongoing grassroots volunteer effort OPERATION SEABEES KNOWLEDGE. The Mission Statement of O.S.K., which Joe drafted, is: "To make the broader military community, and the public at large, better aware of the ongoing role of the Seabees as U.S. Navy combat troops and constructions workers heavily involved in national defense and humanitarian aid worldwide." The website URL is SeabeesInfoHQ.org, and a link to it can be found near the bottom of JoeBuff.com's Home Page. (Joe's late father was a Seabee in the early Cold War.) Joe's webmaster, Bill Parker of Parker Information Resources, plus retired reservist Seabees chief "Stormin' Normand" Dupuis, and fellow PIR Webring author Capt. David E. Meadows, USN were also involved in building the website and providing its start-up content. Important features of SeabeesInfoHQ.org include links to major Seabees organizations, historical foundations, and museums; interactive and frequently updated features such as "Did You Know?", "Ask Stormin'", and "Seabees Say"; and -- most important of all -- materials for a Speaker's Kit plus a Volunteer/Contact e-mail address to bring closer together Seabees of all eras and interested public audience-groups of all sorts.

February 26, 2004

JOE BUFF INTERVIEWED BY CHRISTY TILLERY FRENCH

Christy Tillery French, well-known author and also book reviewer for the Midwest Book Review, recently wrote a nice review of Joe Buff's latest novel, TIDAL RIP, and also conducted an interview with Joe in his roles as novelist and non-fiction military commentator. An excerpt from Christy's review of TIDAL RIP is:

"TIDAL RIP is a mesmerizing read, full of tension-filled action scenes and intense dialogue... The characterization is phenomenal... The modern warfare technologies are explained clearly, and the story realistic to the point of being frightening. Get ready for one rip-roaring, exciting read with this page-turner. Highly recommended."

The full review and interview with Joe can be seen at: Joe Buff/Christy Tillery French Interview

February 6, 2004

JOE BUFF DELIVERS LATEST MANUSCRIPT TO PUBLISHER

Joe just delivered the draft manuscript of his latest Captain Jeffrey Fuller adventure, titled STRAITS OF POWER, to his editor Mike Shohl at Wm. Morrow/HarperCollins. (This book previously had the working title STRAITS OF WAR.) The formal editing process now begins! STRAITS OF POWER is scheduled for hardcover release in December 2004, coordinated with the paperback release of TIDAL RIP. A first cut of the cover art for STRAITS OF POWER has already been developed after consultation with Morrow's Art Director, Rich Aquan, and the result is stunning and beautiful. The plot of STRAITS OF POWER is embargoed by Joe's publisher for a while, but this story takes Jeffrey to new heights of command responsibility, deadly international intrigue, and some of his most harrowing front-line combat yet. Once again Jeffrey works with Navy SEAL Lieutenant Felix Estabo and his men, and some important new characters are introduced. STRAITS OF POWER is the first of Joe's latest two-book contract with Wm. Morrow, and Joe and Mike Shohl already have a basic concept for the next novel in the saga. Drafting this next book will be Joe's main work project for 2004, and the book would be published in hardcover in late 2005, along with the paperback edition of STRAITS OF POWER.

January 20, 2004

JOE BUFF HAS ANOTHER ARTICLE IN THE SUBMARINE REVIEW

Joe's article "Reflections on a Tiger Cruise" has been published in the January 2004 issue of the quarterly journal THE SUBMARINE REVIEW. (The article is reproduced with permission in Joe's website Non Fiction Articles archive.) The article is a personal reminiscence of Joe's four-day trip aboard the USS MIAMI, SSN 755, a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, from Groton/New London, CT, to Halifax, Canada. With the support and encouragement of THE SUBMARINE REVIEW's editor, the article in slightly modified form is being reproduced in two parts in Joe's regular column in the Military Opinion section on Military.com's home page, with the title "Dive! Dive!" THE SUBMARINE REVIEW's Editor wrote a special Preface for this two-part reprinting, an excerpt from which is as follows:

Joe's experience was aided by his previous work in thinking about and writing of the world of submarining... It was his interest, ingenuity and common sense which has made him a knowledgeable commentator on issues of undersea science, strategy and operations... Our readership has responded positively to those efforts... It is particularly appropriate that those interested in general military subjects have the benefit of Joe Buff's insight.

James C. Hay
Captain, USN (Ret.)
Editor, THE SUBMARINE REVIEW

January 8, 2004

JOE BUFF'S TIDAL RIP GETS NICE REVIEW IN U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS

Joe's newest hardcover, TIDAL RIP, received a rather favorable book review in the January, 2004 issue of the prestigious U.S. Naval Institute PROCEEDINGS. Here's an excerpt:

"This novel manages quite successfully to merge a large dose of submarine technobabble with a page-turning description of a not-too-distant World War III.... All hell breaks loose during the sound and fury of an underwater cat-and-mouse game when Challenger and Admiral von Scheer face off. During all the turmoil a SEAL team does heroic work in South America and on tiny Atlantic islands... A rewarding voyage to the outer limits of naval technology."

-- Review written for PROCEEDINGS by Lt. Col. Richard Seamon, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired).

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