Author Page

I love to write.  I guess it stems from my bookworm tendencies and enjoying all the authors over time that have brought me so much entertainment and information.  My first published work was a 'labor of love', in that I loved the subject and the process of creating. Over the years I have written voluminous business plans for the technology start-up companies that I have been associated with and have enjoyed my contributions because they involved research, organizing and a certain degree of creative writing.  I believe a writer must first and foremost be in love with the subject matter and from this, the creative process will follow.

On this page, read about my first published work, co-authored with my brother, Steve Edgell:  Table Soccer Rules and Strategy. Also, read the introduction to my first full length historical novel, Beryl, and a synopsis of my second full length historical novel that combines our family history with Europe of the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries..

Every serious writer must wake up every morning and write. Like any task, there is a certain fatigue to this labor of the mind and a simple diversion helps relax one and allow the creative process to go in another direction. I have created a new character to divert my mind from the task of ‘noveling’ and his name is ‘Sir Wrinkles’. Click here to enjoy.

My first published work was a book titled 'Table Soccer Rules and Strategy'.  In 1974 a faddish game began to emerge called Fussball.  At the height of its popularity, Fussball was a national pastime among the young and 1/2 million dollar tournaments were held in the United States.  My brother Steve and I got 'hooked' on the game during college in 1971 and 1972 and began writing the book.  Steve was finishing his dissertation for his PhD and I was taking post graduate courses at the University of Minnesota.  In our spare time we either played Fussball at the 'Big Ten Bar' on campus, or we were writing the book.  After college, we both moved to Phoenix, Arizona and found a local publisher. The book was published in 1974 by O'Sullivan Woodside & Company and sold over 20,000 copies.

There are many references to the book on the World Wide Web and it is commonly referred to as an 'obscure little book'.  One would expect such a label after 32 years and the book out of print for 20 years.  Still, it was the first book to address the rules and the first book to teach novice players about the strategy and psychology of the play.  I still find copies for sale on Ebay and willingly purchase them for my collection.

And, yes, that is me on the cover eons ago.

Beryl is a historical novel set in WWII and is based on a few short years in the life of Kenneth Beryl Edgell, the late Uncle of the author. The story is set in Goodland, Kansas, England and Normandy, France.

It is a love story, a religious inquiry (there are no atheists in foxholes), and an adventure as young recruits from across America mature to fighting soldiers in Normandy, France.  Based on soldier’s stories and battle reports, the historical context of the story preserves the movements of the 175th Regiment, ‘Dandy Fifth’ during their training in England, the landing on the Normandy beach and the drive south to battle the German army in the bocage as they fight their way to St. Lo.  Day by day, hour by hour, the movements of Beryl’s Platoon include the battles, missions and patrols as they encounter a well concealed German army and the snipers that are left behind to slow the advancing Allied army.

Beryl is a young Lieutenant from Goodland, Kansas and his only experience with leadership was in High School when he led his Tennis and Football teams to victory. He soon finds military life presenting him with new challenges as an officer and doubts begin to erode his boyhood confidence. Now he has a Platoon of 36 men and he must mold the green recruits into a fighting unit.  He is joined in this task by his Staff Sergeant, Frank Deitz, who left the Catholic Seminary at the point of his final vows to participate in the military campaign against Hitler’s army. Sgt Deitz is educated in dealing with people and their problems and through a combination of psychology and religion, he is able to counsel the men of the Platoon as they struggle with personal issues and military relationships.

Sergeant Deitz has his own vulnerabilities as he meets a young British girl and falls in love.  It is his first girlfriend and even though mature for his age, he is a neophyte on matters of love and romance. He had never kissed a girl romantically, let alone make love to one.  Deitz, the virile head of the Platoon matches wits with Angela as she lures him to her heart.   

- Angela, the British girl who seduces Deitz and educates him on the horrors of the German bombing of London.

- Kate, the beautiful neighbor of Beryl’s village host who is engaged to Sonny, a British soldier fighting in North Africa. Kate shares her loneliness with Beryl at the Tedworth mansion.

- Esther Copeland, the girl from Kansas who becomes Beryl’s wife and soul mate.

- Sergeant Anderson, an angry young man that must work through his anger to become a squad leader concerned with the men in his unit.

- Private Torkelson (Tork), the farm kid from Iowa who must learn to fight and think for himself.

- Sergeant Gault, a son of a General Motors VP who contributes a unique prospective to the military and war.

- Private Davison, the bastard son of a laundry worker whose Deism and pedantry both intrigues and amuses his fellow soldiers.

- Private Love, the Georgia boy who attracts the ladies and entertains with his music and charm.

- Private Kuzinski (Ski), the Platoon clown who adds humor to the hazards of training and diffuses conflict with his comedy.

Several literary cameos are presented in the context of the story:

 - Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Junior, the mistress of Tedworth mansion and hostess for parties benefiting the soldiers.

-  Lady Nancy Astor, who visits Tedworth to boost the moral of the soldiers training in England.

-  General Gerhardt, Commander of the 29^th Division,  who inspired and cajoled his men to advance to St. Lo.

-  General Cote, Assistant Commander of the 29^th who stayed in the battlefield and coordinated Battalion movements

-  Colonel Goode, Commander of the 175^th Infantry Regiment (Dandy Fifth) who led his men on critical missions.

Beryl combines romance, religion, intrigue and the adventure of hedgerow battles with the German army in this historical tale of a platoon of men who have trained for over a year in England and meet their fate in the bocage of Normandy, France. The personalities of the men are exhibited by their behavior in battles as they protect their platoon brothers during the harrowing experience of war.  The reader will feel the intensity of each patrol and battle as the 29th Division moves south from the beaches of Normandy to drive the German army from France.

Martin

A Pagankopf Story

I am currently working on my second historical novel that is centered on two themes: my family history that dates back to Pomerania, Prussia and the story of the Hohenzollern monarchy that ruled the Kingdom of Prussia (Germany) in the 18^th, 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Both themes are rich in history as we follow the Pagankopf family from their existence in the Baltic coast state of Pomerania to their travel and settlement in the midlands of Kansas and the Hohenzollern family that ruled what is now known as the German states and their struggles against Napoleon, the Holy Roman Empire and the changing Euro-politics of the centuries.

I am deeply indebted to Ben Pagankopf of Arizona who made contact with our family and corroborated the rumor of the Pagankopf relationship with the Hohenzollern family and Ben also provided a great deal of genealogy regarding the Pagankopf family of Pomerania.

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