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Michael Ritter chronicles his life as a military brat in his new book, The Brat Chronicles. Ritter shares his inspiration for the book as well as advice, and his favorite novels, with Book Addict contributor Krysten Lindsay Hager.

Tell us about your new book, The Brat Chronicles.

The title refers to my growing up as a military brat, and it’s a coming of age story that takes place from the mid-1950’s through 1974. It’s not unlike many stories from that era – a time of change that had long-term effects on our nation, and me personally.  It’s a funny book – not a “tell-all-poor-pitiful-me” saga.  It has an episodic format with each chapter being a story unto itself, so it’s an easy read.  In a nutshell, it’s the story about people who spent their childhoods in a world that stopped promptly at 5:00 to pay homage to the flag; where everything was painted in shades of green, and hometowns were places that only existed on television.  It mirrors the experiences of thousands of Americans who fought the good fight – not on the field of battle – but in living rooms of military housing around the world.  Anyone who experienced that life has stories to tell … The Brat Chronicles reflect some of mine.

What inspired you to write about your life as a military brat?

A couple of things …  after many years of regaling my wonderful wife with war stories about growing up as a military brat, she convinced me to write them down … she may have just been sick of hearing them.  I would laugh it off, but one night I was watching The Wonder Years on TV and thought, “Man, I can do that – my stories are just as good as these.” My high school years in Germany in the early 1970s were some of the best days of my life – full of unconditional friendships, freedom, travel … and living in a county with no drinking age didn’t hurt either. 

My family is important to me – perhaps because of the nomadic military life. My dad was a M/Sgt in the Air Force, and there were many times when we only had ourselves to rely on.  My mom had the job of maintaining order with five kids to tote around the globe and making ends meet on a M/Sgt’s pay. I wrote the book for them – both as a token of appreciation and as a pulpit for letting people know what growing up in a khaki-colored world was like. 

Have you gotten a lot of feedback from other (current and former) military brats?

Oh, yeah – it’s been great. I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited to speak of my experiences at several military brat reunions, and it is always a blast to watch the faces of the crowd as the people relate to my stories.  I’ve reconnected with lots of people from my youth – I’m the only one who still looks the same, by the way – and it’s been a real joy to take those strolls down memory lane. 

You paint such a vivid picture of your life as a child, how has the book been received by your family and friends?

Well, some of it was a surprise to my folks … I had to invoke the statute of limitations for past “crimes”, but both my parents and siblings have been very supportive. When the book was first published, my mom took flyers out to the Wal-Mart parking lot and peppered cars with promotional literature.  I had to laugh – probably lost a few sales with that marketing strategy.  It’s always been a goal of mine that when I leave this world there would be some evidence of my time on the planet. The Brat Chronicles serves as a great vehicle toward that end.

You’ve had quite an artistic career doing political and concert posters, how did you decide to become a writer as well?

Actually, writing was one of my first passions, along with cartooning.  I studied creative writing in college and was editor of the student newspaper at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas in the mid-70’s.  Austin was a kickin’ place then, full of artists and musicians. It still is, but at that time it was a liberal oasis in a sea of conservatism. I mean, we’re talking Texas here.  It is also the state capitol, which fed well into my love of politics.  So it was a natural transition to combine writing and cartooning which led to my becoming a political cartoonist for a time. That led to getting hooked up with Bee-Bop Printing and the Austin Graphic Artists scene, which evolved into making silk-screen posters.  But times change, ages creeps in, and my focus turned from the graphic arts to writing.

You have an obvious gift for memoir writing. Do you have any plans to write fiction?

Some people think I already did with The Brat Chronicles. But, honestly, the stories in there are true. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. I have written fiction in the past – a screenplay called Tarot Terror, a comic book that I wrote and illustrated for the Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse to be used in schools called The Adventures of Howie and Hocus, and a short story called America, Inc. about a society that has replaced government with a corporate board of directors.

Who are some of your favorite memoir writers? Did any writer in particular spur you to write your own book?

Not really – like many of my generation, my influences have come from the TV screen rather than literature.  I read boring stuff – political memoirs and biographies. I just finished reading The Reagan Diaries and Barack Obama’s, The Audacity of Hope.  I did recently read To Kill a Mockingbird and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which are both wonderful novels and quite different from the film versions.

You traveled a lot as a child. Where were some of your favorite places to go? Was there any place you moved to that felt most like home?

Oh, you know – like the saying goes … home is where the heart is. That’s particularly true for military brats. I loved living in California from 1966 – 1970, an era of hippie uprisings and surfer babes, and that time really honed my political and spiritual philosophy.  But, I’ve got to say that those high school years in Germany were the absolute best. I could party in France, drink beer in Munich, go skiing in Austria, spend a few weeks on the beaches of Barcelona and get all the benefits of military life without the burden of the uniform.

Moving a lot with a military family is hard. How did you go about making each new place feel like home for the short time you were there?

I’ve got to lay a lot of the credit for that on my mom’s shoulders.  It wasn’t easy to transport five kids and all their junk around the globe, move into a new home in a foreign country, set up house and keeps my dad’s uniforms in a starch-stiff condition. We would live out of suitcases for weeks. We often had to wait for military housing to open up – the Air Force was real good at shipping families around the world but not all that worried where they would live once they got there. But it was cool with me. For the first year in Germany we rented a small house in a tiny village off base and it was a wonderful experience.  Eventually we’d get our goods from the states and it was like Christmas as we unpacked old toys, record albums, furniture and other items like they were new.  Money was always a concern, but with help from the folks who make SPAM, we survived.

What projects are you working on currently?

Oh, too many all at once … which means none of them will be completed any time soon. I’m illustrating The Brat Chronicles as a comic book and making it a book on tape; writing follow-up books tentatively entitled Romeo in Black Jeans (college and early adulthood) and That Gray Area (life after 45); and, of course, the everyday challenges of making ends meet in a post-Bush America. 

What advice would you give to any current military brats?

Same as I would any young person – enjoy every minute of every day and seize every opportunity that comes your way. The only thing worse than failing is not trying.  Be daring – take chances. To paraphrase one of my favorite literary characters, Auntie Mame: “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.”  Take your place at the table and dig in.

What are some websites where we can find you online?

www.thebratchronicles.com. Lots of pics from the past, some samples from various chapters, and one can leave their own “brat chronicle” and enter to win a copy of the book and a Starbucks gift card. There’s also a link to my publisher, Literary Road, where one can purchase the book.