To the best military spouse and mom around!

This post is going live a little later than I'd wanted it to. Sometimes life gets in the way. In this case, I've been traveling so much the past 2 months that my dog has developed an attachment disorder.

But I digress...

Yesterday was Military Spouse Appreciation Day and tomorrow is Mother's Day. And my blog post day falls squarely in between. So like any good daughter, my thoughts turn to my mother. Hey! I try to be a good daughter. I made the ultimate sacrifice of spending a long weekend in an oceanfront condo so that I could be with my mother on her birthday. If that's not a good daughter, I don't know what is!

I keep digressing...

By the time my parents married, my father had been in the Air Force for 10 years, well on his way to making it a career. As a college senior, I doubt she knew what she was getting into, marrying into the Air Force. Especially when, less than 2 years later, she had to move to Madrid with a 6 month old pain in the neck who turned into a toddler PITA (me). But she sucked it up and dealt with it, because that's what military spouses do.

This is my mom and dad in Spain (aren't they the best looking couple!). I'd tell you that this is a picture of my parents on their wedding day, but that would annoy my mother and as a good daughter, I'd never dream of annoying my mother. For the record, it was their second wedding. 

Any way, about 3 months ago, I posted a picture of my brother. It was his birthday and as his big sister, it is my job to torment him relentlessly. I'm really good at my job.

The fun thing about old pictures is that they come with stories. So my mom told me the story behind this picture. It was my brother's 6 month birthday party. We had it when I got home from school because daddy was TDY...huh? what? Back up the train. Daddy was TDY? I don't remember Daddy being TDY after Tony was born.

And then it hit me. That's what military spouses do. They keep the family fires burning. The keep the routines in place. The keep the children living typical children's lives. When there's absolutely nothing normal about your parent being done for months or even a year at a time. But they suck it up and deal with it, because that's what military spouses do.

So here's to my favorite military spouse and the best mom ever - Liz Forella!

To all the military spouses and moms out there, grab your favorite book and enjoy!

Happy Reading!

Felicia

Once a brat, always a brat

I thought I'd share a little insight about myself, something I've discovered in the last week or so.

I was an Air Force brat from the day I was born. And I'm damn proud of it. Before my father retired, I'd lived in South Carolina, Spain, Arizona, South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Had my father not retired when he did, our next stop would have the Philippines. Instead, it was Pennsylvania.

No matter where we lived, my mother made our house into a home. The Air Force isn't known for its celebration of architecture or interior design. Look up and down the block and the same finite number of styles are repeated. No matter what our house looked like on the outside, inside was ours for as long as we lived there. Special pieces carried special memories that made every place a home. I always felt at home. My mom rocked at giving us a home.

As a result of moving and the positive experiences that went with the moves, I always thought I didn't have any ties to any particular house. That the structure wasn't as important as the people in it. Any place could be a home with love and family in residence.

But I've learned something about myself. There are two houses that were my "home base" as I grew up. Places that never changed. Places were I knew what to expect whenever we showed up. Places where I knew who to expect.

Where were these amazing places? The homes that managed to capture me in a way no other place could? They were my grandparents' homes in West Virginia and New York.

Recently, I had to go to New York to go through my grandparents' house. My uncle lived in it for the 30 years since my grandparents passed, but it was still my grandparents' house. I walked around sharing memories with my husband and my brother-in-law. When all they wanted to do was pack up what I wanted and get out of New York. When all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and remember all the wonderful memories.

But what I couldn't understand was why this was hitting me so hard. After all, my grandparents have been gone for 30 years and my uncle made changes to make the house his own.

As I processed and focused, I realized the importance my grandparents' houses had on me growing up. And my much younger Air Force brat self still clings to them and what they were and what they meant. And I'm OK with that.

We are all products of our childhood. Mine started out as a part of an amazing culture. I wouldn't change that for anything. Part of my childhood snuck into my present and gave me an opportunity to learn a little more about myself and the impact being a brat has had on me. And I'm glad it did.

So share! Have you lived in many places? The same place? Do you have a favorite?

Happy reading!!

Felicia

Of BFFs who really have been around forever

I thought I'd tell you a little about the amazing woman who inspired Casey, the heroine in Call of Duty. While writing Call of Duty, I kept her in mind the entire time. She was going through some pretty crappy times and I hoped to cheer her up. She heroine was even named after her, but she chose the name Casey when the book was contracted.

Linda and I met in the 3rd grade. Our fathers were stationed at Barkesdale Air Force Base. It's a pretty big base, but we ended up living at opposite ends of the same street.  I like to remember that the friendship was immediate and strong. Honestly, I don't remember that part mainly because I don't really have many memories of a time before I met Linda at BAFB.

Linda and I were mostly inseparable for over 3 years. Running up and down the street was normal. We played in groups, we played together. I remember games of "red rover" and "red light, green light" and "Mother may I" in her front year. She had a tree that was great for base. I remember playing at gymnastics in the back yard. And of course, playing at the playground.

Linda was the one who told me about sex. She has an older sister, so we got bare bones details! I still remember sitting on the swings talking about how that couldn't be possible!

And I remember my 6th grade heart breaking when we got transferred to Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina. It didn't matter that she'd soon be moving to Carswell AFB in Texas.

This song still makes me think of her and cry.

Those were the days of counting the minutes in long distance phone calls. We made good use of our time!

Skip ahead to high school, when she flew up for my high school graduation. We hadn't seen each other in 6 years, not that anyone could tell.

After the children starting coming (my 1 and her 4), we visited when ever possible

Skip ahead to now. Linda raised 4 wonderful children mostly by herself until she remarried in 2011. Raised 4 amazing kids! She is my hero. I don't know if I've ever told her that. No matter what got thrown at her, she moved forward with an infectiously positive attitude.

These are her 4 kiddos, all adults.

The boys are Joe and Dalton. The girls are Allison and Emily.

And here is her retired Air Force father, the Colonel, with his army officer grandchildren, the Ranger and the pilot.

Through it all, for over 40 years, she's been there for me. No matter how long we go between phone calls.

My BFF.

A true heroine. My hero.

I'll love her always.

Happy reading,

Felicia

Visit my soon to be revamped website 

Call of Duty 

Of Christmases Past

This is the story of a family left behind when their Airman deployed to Vietnam and a little girl who still believed in Santa Claus. A little girl not so very different from the military brats of this generation.

For family members who have a better memory of this than me, don't rain on my parade! I was little, memories are faulty.

We were stationed at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base when my dad received orders to deploy. It was my dad, my mom, me, and my infant brother. So my mom, my brother, and I left the warm sunny climes of South Carolina to go live with my maternal grandparents in West Virginia. I remember the day my dad left. Being in avionics maintenance, my father was stationed in Thailand during his time in South East Asia.

Skip ahead to the Christmas season. For the school Christmas pageant, my class did a dance to "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." I still remember the darn thing and if you see me when that song comes on the radio, you'll see my spastic feet moving. But really, I'm just dancing the routine. And spastic is in the eye of the beholder.

It's Christmas Eve at my grandparents and the tree is in the front window. I think there's snow on the ground. Like most kids, I didn't want to go to sleep, but knew I had to so Santa Claus could come. I have no idea how long I was asleep, but something woke me up. Wide awake. It was still dark out, so I didn't think it was Christmas morning. Plus, I could hear talking downstairs. Definitely not morning. Being the nosy person I still am, I went exploring.

I don't remember who all was downstairs, but I remember that my Aunt Jeannie (my mom's youngest sister) was missing. When I asked my mom where she was, my mom told me that she'd gone outside to check out Santa on the roof! Now we know what woke me up!

Of course I wanted to go check, but my mom tried to hustle me off to bed. But I KNOW I heard sleigh bells as I went up the stairs. Try going back to sleep after that bit of excitement!

Cut to Christmas morning and the celebratory gift giving. I only remember one gift I got that Christmas. It was wrapped under the tree and it said "From Daddy."

From Daddy??? All the way from Thailand? Inside that beautifully wrapped box was a yellow nightgown. It had a thicker bodice made of a looped material and a soft skirt. I wore that nightgown until I outgrew it and the loops stretched out. I wore that nightgown long after my father came home.

I kept that nightgown long after I outgrew it. It had a place of honor in my dresser drawer, surviving the purge that accompanied every move - from West Virginia to Louisiana, to North Carolina to Pennsylvania. I couldn't get rid of it. My father gave it to me.

Fast forward to high school. I was putting away clothes and my mother walked in my room. Probably to make sure I was actually putting them away and not just piling them around the room. She noticed the nightgown in my drawer.

"Why do you still have that?"

"Because Daddy gave it to me for Christmas when he was in Thailand."

"You do realize that he didn't actually send that to you from Thailand, don't you?'

"Ha! The next thing you'll be telling me is that Santa Claus isn't real."

It's my birthday...

but you get the present! Just comment on this post before midnight on 11/10 and you'll be eligible for a $10 Amazon GC.

Not only is it my birthday on Monday, but today is my son's birthday! When the heck did I get old enough to have a 26 year old child?? I know I've bragged about him before, but isn't that what mom's are supposed to do?? He's a 1LT in the Air Force and will graduate in May with a Masters in Computer Science. Happy Birthday, Cory!

Don't forget, the Class of '93 Trilogy is available for Kindle:

 

Deadly Briefs

 Attorney Aiden Greene’s life has become one predictable routine of work, work, and more work punctuated by weekend visits with his twins. A blast from his Air Force special operations days changes all of that in an instant. He winds up in the arms of his one true love and on the run for his very life.

Major Erika Dalton is one of the best officers in the history of the ultra-secret Air Force Security Agency. That’s one of the reasons she’s been assigned to protect Aiden Greene from an escaped Latin American drug lord intent on exacting retribution.

Except she can’t keep her mind on her assignment. Or her hands off of Aiden, despite the fact that back in the Spring of ’93, back at the United States Air Force Academy, he shattered her heart. Has fate

Trail of Desire

 

A serial killer is loose on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, killing couples in their tents, and the local jurisdictions have asked the FBI for help.

Hot shot Special Agent Braden Powell is anxious to hit the Trail and start camping. He hopes that the high profile case will boost his standing at the Agency, proving that he deserved the assignment after leaving the Air Force. He’s even more anxious to spend time in close quarters with his sexy new partner.

Special Agent Katrina Boyd is anything but pleased to be on a remote assignment with a loose cannon. Eight young people are dead and she’s stuck with a maverick for a partner on a case that could propel her FBI career to the next level. Compounding the disaster is the fact that her traitorous body is more than excited at the thought of sleeping next to the handsome Agent night after night. 

Call of Duty

 

 Appearances can be deceiving.
Major Chadwick Monroe knows that all too well. He is the best fighter pilot the Air Force has ever seen and he is about to defect with the military’s newest weapon. Chad has a mission very few people know about – he’s an officer with the ultra-secret Air Force Security Agency, trying to thwart a Latin American terrorist organization. He has no time for a woman in his life, or so he thinks.

Casey Wilkes doesn’t trust men in general, fighter pilots in particular. The divorced single mother burns the candle at both ends to make ends meet and provide a life for her young son. The last thing she needs or wants in that life is another jet jockey, even one who draws her in and captivates her heart. Especially one who exposes her to cutthroat blackguards. Now she just has to convince her heart.  

Don't forget to find me on Facebook! Author Felicia Forella

Happy reading!
Felicia

Where Did the Summer Go?

Happy September!

I can't believe that it's already September and the Christmas merchandise is hitting the stores! Are you a fall person? I'm not really a fall person. But only because fall leads to winter and I am NOT a winter person. The best part of winter is Christmas, but I can celebrate that by a beach. I don't need snow. Just sayin'.

I have a new member of my family. No, I'm not a grandma, yet. The DS and DIL seem to think they have final say on the baby front and I have nothing to say about it. Sheesh! The newest member of my family is Rocko, a 5 year old Puggle. We rescued him about 2 months ago. He's awesome! Isn't he a cutie! He keeps me company while I work and write.

Are you a cat person or a dog person? Tell me a little about the furry 4-legged part of your life.

Happy Reading!

Felicia

Deadly Briefs
Trail of Desire
Call of Duty

Long Time, No See

Hello there! It's been a while. I seem to have this nasty habit. If I don't write my blog post the *second* it occurs to me, I forget it and I forget all about it. I'd like to blame it on old age, but it's been a problem for way too long. I think I keep 3M in Post-It Notes profit. There's even a bright green one taped to my computer monitor, as I type, that says "blog post."

This month, I thought I'd do something a little different. I thought I'd post an excerpt from my WIP, as of now untitled, but goes by the unofficial title of "Truck's Story." I know, isn't that just so original?!

Truck is an officer in the United States Air Force. He flies on the AC-130 Specter Gunship as a Combat System's officer. He and his crew mates are temporarily grounded, they hope, so Truck decides to spend some time on his other passion, enjoying the subs at Chain of Command, a local BDSM club. But before he can do that, he meets Genevieve, a worker with an NGO based in Africa. She's come back to state-side to raise holy hell with the military brass, but before she can do that, she meets Truck, a man who brings out every sub instinct she has.

A beam of sunlight poked at Genevieve’s brain, pricking at her to wake up. Her non-tortured eyelid fluttered with the effort to open and failed. With a loud groan, she rolled to her other side in an attempt to dodge the sun streaming into her room and the drum banging in her head. The blue of her sheets appeared before her eyes as she finally managed to pry her lids open.

Blue sheets? What the hell? My sheets are ivory.

Where the hell was she? What the hell happened last night?

The kettle drum banging in her brain amplified as she tried to recall the events of the previous evening.

The last thing she remembered was Timothy wanting to take her to the local BDSM club. She had only planned on meeting the guy, no jumping right into a scene. She remembered asking him to call her a cab so she could go home. Obviously, that hadn’t happened. Instead of waking up in her own room, she woke up here. Wherever here happened to be.

Note to self: Don’t let Heidi introduce you to a prospective Dom ever again.

A terrifying thought popped into her mind. She swallowed hard against a wave of nausea. Dear God in Heaven, had she left the bar with Timothy? Genevieve lifted up the comforter and peered underneath. The breath she didn’t realize she was holding whooshed out. At least she was still dressed, wherever the hell she spent the night. If she had gone home with the jerk, she hadn’t slept with him.

Pushing herself to a sitting position gave her a better angle to survey her surroundings. It did nothing for her head. The stark room divulged nothing. The bare walls and uncluttered dresser top revealed nothing about her host. Strike that. She’d bet her last grant award this room, this place, belonged to a man. Sure, the comforter, sheets, and curtains of blue made it a relatively safe bet. But the lack of anything personal, hell, anything at all, sealed the deal.

Tugging her legs free of the tangled bed linens, Genevieve inched her feet to the floor. She’d never figure out what happened last night if she stayed in the bed. She tugged at her dress, untwisting it from around her waist.

Eww. The image staring back at her looked like, well, she didn’t have any words to describe her hair or her smeared make up. With only her fingers to make herself into something resembling a female human, she fixed herself up as much as possible. Once she’d repaired her wild ponytail and her mascara-smudged eyes, she was as ready as she’d ever be.

Drawing a deep breath, Genevieve rose from the bed and shuffled to the door. She pulled on the door knob and found herself at the end of a short hall. With moving ahead being the only non-cowardly option, she marched to the end and wobbled as she stopped short.

Holy mother of God.

The hall opened into a large living room and kitchen separated by a low bar. And standing behind that barrier stood the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Not to mention the largest. He worked at something on the counter, allowing her to oogle to her lust’s content. His short dark hair neatly cropped his head. Chiseled cheekbones and a strong chin finished off his face, covered by a five o’clock shadow. His shoulders looked so broad; his T-shirt clung to his wide chest and narrow waist. The muscles in his biceps flexed with whatever activity on which he focused. What she wouldn’t give to see if his abs looked as good as the rest of him.

What the hell was wrong with her? She stood in the apartment of a complete stranger and instead of figuring out where she was, she drooled over the man. She drew in a deep breath, preparing to step into the living room.

A Special Man

Happy Friday!!

I've been thinking quite a bit (again) about the real men and women behind the fictional heroes we all love.

My son is a 1LT in the Air Force (in case I haven't mentioned that before :) ). He had the privilege to work with a very courageous man, a fighter pilot who was shot down over Serbia. My son was so impressed with the retired LtCol, that he shared his story with me.

I'm really glad he did. And I'd like to share bits of it with you.

This is very quiet, so make sure you turn everything up! Every time I listen to this, my admiration for all our military service members endure grows.

Here's the link to a documentary about what been unthinkable until that point. For some reason, I can't find the video, so here's a link.


 I thought I was invisible!

And what happens to a man after he's shot down? LtCol Zelko showed the true measure of a hero!

The next time you're enjoying a story by your favorite MilRom author remember the real life heroes walking among us and those who gave their lives for us.

And don't forget about Mom! I hope my mother has a wonderful Mother's Day, she deserves it after all my brother and I put her through. Although in the interest of full disclosure, it was more my brother! :)

Happy Reading,

Felicia

Snowed in and blogging

Well, my blogging date went whooshing by last month in a blaze of day job responsibilities. January is a busy month for us as we are preparing for and putting on a statewide conference.

And I was so excited to post last month. Finally, all three books in the Class of '93 trilogy are available for Kindle! I'm very excited that they have been reissued with hot new covers.

Plus, I was anxious to share the news that my favorite Ranger is back CONUS safe and sound!! Yes, he'll be going O-CONUS again, that's what he does. But for now, it's nice not to worry.

So, at long last, here they are, all 3 books in the Class of '93 trilogy!

 Deadly Briefs

Attorney Aiden Greene’s life has become one predictable routine of work, work, and more work punctuated by weekend visits with his twins. A blast from his Air Force special operations days changes all of that in an instant. He winds up in the arms of his one true love and on the run for his very life.

Major Erika Dalton is one of the best officers in the history of the ultra-secret Air Force Security Agency. That’s one of the reasons she’s been assigned to protect Aiden Greene from an escaped Latin American drug lord intent on exacting retribution.

Except she can’t keep her mind on her assignment. Or her hands off of Aiden, despite the fact that back in the Spring of ’93, back at the United States Air Force Academy, he shattered her heart. Has fate given her a chance to reclaim what she lost all those years ago? 

Trail of Desire 

A serial killer is loose on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, killing couples in their tents, and the local jurisdictions have asked the FBI for help.

Hot shot Special Agent Braden Powell is anxious to hit the Trail and start camping. He hopes that the high profile case will boost his standing at the Agency, proving that he deserved the assignment after leaving the Air Force. He’s even more anxious to spend time in close quarters with his sexy new partner.

Special Agent Katrina Boyd is anything but pleased to be on a remote assignment with a loose cannon. Eight young people are dead and she’s stuck with a maverick for a partner on a case that could propel her FBI career to the next level. Compounding the disaster is the fact that her traitorous body is more than excited at the thought of sleeping next to the handsome Agent night after night. 

Call of Duty

Appearances can be deceiving.

Major Chadwick Monroe knows that all too well. He is the best fighter pilot the Air Force has ever seen and he is about to defect with the military’s newest weapon. Chad has a mission very few people know about – he’s an officer with the ultra-secret Air Force Security Agency, trying to thwart a Latin American terrorist organization. He has no time for a woman in his life, or so he thinks.

Casey Wilkes doesn’t trust men in general, fighter pilots in particular. The divorced single mother burns the candle at both ends to make ends meet and provide a life for her young son. The last thing she needs or wants in that life is another jet jockey, even one who draws her in and captivates her heart. Especially one who exposes her to cutthroat blackguards. Now she just has to convince her heart.   

Not To Be Taken For Granted...

MH-53E Sea Dragon

Several things have happened in the military world recently that have been so disheartening.
The first was the news that al Qaeda was enjoying a resurgence in Anbar province in Iraq. Many American lives were lost years ago as we struggled to wrest control of the area from al Qaeda's grip. For the most part, we succeeded. But the Iraqi government has not been able to maintain control.
It seems like we've lost a lot of the gains we made over the past ten years.
Two other items that absolutely broke my heart are the consecutive helicopter crashes.
On Tuesday, a chopper crashed on the eastern side of the UK, killing 4 U.S. Air Force Servicemen. Then, in a completely unrelated incident, 2 Navy sailors died in a training incident off the coast of Virginia. 2 others were rescued, but 1 was lost at sea. The search for his body has now been called off.
Incidents like these do happen, though not normally all in the same week.  
It reminds us how fragile and fickle our lives can be. And I can't say this enough- SUPPORT OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY! Every day, even if they're not in a war zone, they go out and risk their lives for our protection, and we can't take that sacrifice for granted. We need to let them know how much they are appreciated. Thank you, Thank you all active duty and former military!

Why, yes, it is my day to post!

Where did the time go?? It was just Dec. 1. And all of a sudden, it's Dec. 9. It's a good thing I had my post all planned out for today! Even if I forgot it was today.

I'm very excited because the final book in my Class of '93 trilogy will be available on Kindle on Dec. 15.

The first book in the series is Deadly Briefs.

Deadly Briefs

Attorney Aiden Greene’s life has become one boring routine of work, work, and more work punctuated by weekend visits with his twins. A blast from his Air Force special operations days changes all of that in an instant. He winds up in the arms of his one true love and on the run for his very life. 

Major Erika Dalton is one of the best officers in the history of the ultra-secret Air  Force Security Agency. That’s one of the reasons she’s been assigned to protect  Aiden Greene from an escaped Latin American drug lord intent on exacting retribution.

 Except she can’t keep her mind on her assignment.  Or her hands off of Aiden, despite the fact that back in the Spring of ’93, back at the United States Air Force Academy, he shattered her heart. Has fate given her a chance to reclaim what she lost all those years ago?

The second book is Trail of Desire.

Trail of Desire

A serial killer is loose on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, killing couples in their tents, and the local jurisdictions have asked the FBI for help.

Hot shot Special Agent Braden Powell is anxious to hit the Trail and start camping. He hopes that the high profile case will boost his standing at the Agency, proving that he deserved the assignment after leaving the Air Force. He’s even more anxious to spend time in close quarters with his sexy new partner.

Special Agent Katrina Boyd is anything but pleased to be on a remote assignment with a loose cannon. Eight young people are dead and she’s stuck with a maverick for a partner on a case that could propel her FBI career to the next level. Compounding the disaster is the fact that her traitorous body is more than excited at the thought of sleeping next to the handsome agent night after night.

The third book is Call of Duty.

Appearances can be deceiving. Major Chadwick Monroe knows that all too well. He is the best fighter pilot the Air Force has ever seen and he is about to defect with the military’s newest weapon. Chad has a mission very few people know about – he’s an officer with the ultra-secret Air Force Security Agency, trying to thwart a Latin American terrorist organization. He has no time for a woman in his life, or so he thinks.

Casey Wilkes doesn’t trust men in general, fighter pilots in particular. The divorced single mother burns the candle at both ends to make ends meet and provide a life for her young son. The last thing she needs or wants in that life is another jet jockey, especially one who exposes her to cutthroat blackguards. Even one who draws her in and captivates her. Now she just has to convince her heart she's better off without him.

The holiday season is in full swing! I wish you a joyous holiday that leaves your TBR piles overflowing with new reads and I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

Felicia