Name and Location:
Noonie Fortin
Jonesboro, GA
Hobbies and Interests:
Whale watching, fishing, camping, photography, sightseeing, writing, and speaking
This page was last updated on 23 March 2000.
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I have just been notified that AOL is going to cease using the publishing system I use for this website as of 3 April 2000. AOL has taken upon itself to screw up all the people who use their Personal Publisher 2 system with less than a month's notice. I (along with many other people) will no longer be able to update this site and at this point don't how I will be passing on my information to you BUT please don't give up on me. I am in the process of getting my own domain sites and you will be able to visit me at Tales and Whales Publishing, Noonie Fortin, or Colonel Maggie. Meanwhile until I get the pages up and running completely just do a search for any of these names and hopefully you'll find my new site. AND if not, LangMarc Publishing always knows how to locate me. I am a woman who just happens to be a retired Army Reserve First Sergeant. I have shared my experience and expertise in researching, writing, finding a publisher, and "hitting the road" with my books Memories of Maggie--Martha Raye: A Legend Spanning Three Wars, Potpourri Of War: Labors of Love Remembered, The Sarge's Thoughts: Volume I, and The Sarge's Thoughts: Volume II. I communicated with Martha "Colonel Maggie" Raye from 1988 until her death in 1994. I came to know and love her. I visited her several times in her Bel Air, California home, where I enjoyed her comments as we watched her old movies together, heard the stories, reminisced, and visited with this remarkable woman about her beloved frontline soldiers. Both in my book Memories of Maggie and during some of my speaking engagements I paint a picture of the most intriguing women of our time. A superb jazz singer, Martha Raye's comedic genius and her brilliant acting will long be remembered. But her most awesome gift was her devotion to entertaining frontline soldiers in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. She donned fatigues and a Green Beret. She would head into territory where no other civilian would consider visiting. She had a photographic memory for recognizing each soldier years after meeting him or her. My book centers on the woman I came to know as Maggie and her personal mission with the troops rather than on her chaotic personal life. I compiled pictures offered by hundreds of Maggie's admirers and collected stories about this endearing woman. Memories of Maggie covers her entire life from birth to death. It talks about her family life, stage performances, radio, movies, records, albums, tv shows, and most of all her devotion (regardless of branch, rank, gender, religion, or ethnic background) to our Armed Forces personnel. It also discusses the long, tedious process it took the committee I spearheaded to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to her. A&E Biography put Martha Raye's life on television. I went to Los Angeles where I did my on-camera interview for the program. It premiered on 9 October 1999 and will be rerun 3-6 months from then. If you didn't see it the first time or if you want to see it again be sure to keep an eye on A&E to see when it will be rerun. I'll try to let you know but I might not be able to. Meanwhile if you are interested in an autographed copy of my book or want me to speak to your group just send mail by clicking here. I travel quite a bit so I can't always be reached by phone; but you can reach me by e-mail at NFortin@aol.com or by contacting LangMarc Publishing Speaker's Bureau at 1-800-864-1648. They usually know where I am. If you knew Maggie please e-mail me your memories of this great American patriot. Many people asked if I would write another book. My answer was "Yes" I would. As a matter of fact my second book, Potpourri Of War, was released by LangMarc Publishing on 30 May 1998. It was kicked off officially on Flag Day 14 June 1998 in Seekonk, Massachusetts following the groundbreaking for their Vietnam Veterans Memorial ceremony. During the one hour kickoff for Potpourri Of War, I sold more books than two of the New York Times best sellers did during the week in the Seekonk/Providence, Rhode Island area. That's quite an accomplishment. Potpourri Of War includes some of the things I had to cut from Memories of Maggie (this is one reason LangMarc agreed to publish this book) as well as my experiences since it was released. It shows how Maggie changed my life and includes some historical facts about other not-so-famous people who worked with the USO-Red Cross-Special Services that you should learn about. There is also information in it about the Women in Military Service to America (WIMSA) Memorial dedication, the Gold Star Mothers, Kent State, Vietnam, what it took to get Memories of Maggie published and promoted, as well as many articles about other women and men who served our country. Silly me, I wrote a third book. The Sarge's Thoughts: Volume I. I self-published it and it is only available direct from me. It contains articles I wrote during 1998. By the way, I completed two children's books (Mom Wears Combat Boots and its twin Dad Wears Combat Boots) and one about women who served since World War I. The children's books are written in a simple manner for kids 5-10 years of age to explain a little about patriotism, military equipment and training, and how it all affects families. The books are identical except for the covers, dedication, and wording changed from Mom to Dad. THESE BOOKS WOULD BE GREAT GIFTS FROM ANY PARENT OR GRANDPARENT TO SHARE WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. Comments from American Legion personnel and former Congressmen about these books have been very good. The book about women profiles more than 50 women who served our country either in the military or as civilians during peace or war time. This is the first time many of them have shared any of their experiences, some funny--some sad. Its an opportunity to read about some of the things the did and the places they were sent. I'm searching for a publisher for this book now but might decide to self-publish it also. Meanwhile, in my little spare time, I'm working on several things including my personal autobiography in between my speaking engagements. Over the Christmas '97 holidays, I was also approached to write a column online. I hope you will visit "The Sarge" on the Military Network site located at Military Network - Army,Navy,Marines,Air Forc... Its hard to believe I've been writing this column for almost two years already. I have tried to get on the television talk shows without success. I would love to be on Oprah or chosen as her book of the month but neither hasn't happened either. Maybe all of you could contact Oprah and tell her about Maggie, my books, and me. That might help. AND maybe the A&E Biography of Maggie's life will get me invited to her program. I have had a lot of success getting radio talk shows to do interviews since I started to place ads in the Radio-TV Interview Report put out by The Bradley Communications Company but they are getting too costly for me. More people have said Memories of Maggie needs national attention and publicity. Likewise, Potpourri Of War should have it as well. If you know how I can get some, please advise me. Unfortunately I still don't have an agent yet. I have also contacted publicists but no one is willing to work on a commission basis doing publicity. Most publicists want a minimum of $2000 a month with no guarantee of paid bookings. Naturally I can't afford that--I couldn't have even when I was working two full time jobs. Any ideas will be welcomed--just drop me an email message. I have made several additional pages which might be of interest to you. Those pages include excerpts from Memories of Maggie and Potpourri Of War, a Buddy Search Page, and a page where you can order books through me that are carried by Amazon Books. Although I have a column from Susan Christiansen who wrote Vet Forum and L.O.V.V.E. in BRAVO's Veterans Outlook, she has not been submitting anything to me for it. I am adding several more pages as I try to get this website updated--while they are still in the construction phase you should be able to see what I plan to do with them as time permits. So please check back often to see the changes I've made. NOW, simply click on the following icons to visit the areas that are ready for your viewing. You can also use any of the buttons at the very bottom of this page to go to another section. I have a guestbook at the top of this page. I hope you will all sign in and tell me a little about yourselves, especially if you are a Veteran or a fan of Maggie's. Perhaps you would like to vote for this page to be selected as a HOT SITE. If so use the Starting Point button below. If you like my icons, buttons, graphics, etc, contact The Clip Art Warehouse. Their button is also below. They offer free clip art to everyone. Check out my counter to see how many people have visited this site since it began on 20 April 1997. Copyright 1997-2000 by Noonie Fortin. All rights reserved.
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