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!

For the Love of Military Romance, Indeed! by Laura Kaye

Credit By His Boots

Hey everyone! Welcome to our new digs and to the first author blog dedicated to military romance! I wanted to share a little about why I love military romance, introduce you to my series, and pass along a funny or two!

I’m often asked why I write about military heroes, and I have a couple of answers to this question. First, I’ve worked for the Navy as a civilian professor at the U.S. Naval Academy for the past seven years, so I’m surrounded by military culture all the time. Not only do I find it fascinating, but I have a real respect for the people with whom I work, their families, and the midshipmen who are dedicating their lives to the service of their country. 

Second, the U.S. has been at war for a dozen years, touching a whole generation of Americans in some way. I think it's important to talk about what the impact of these wars have been on ordinary people. I'm interested in telling all of these stories - the stories of military combat, the stories of personal sacrifice by military members, the stories of sacrifice by families and loved ones, and the stories of loss and grief and post-service injuries and adjustment. Some of my most satisfying moments as an author have been when I've received messages from military spouses telling me how much I've gotten right, or how much a character's struggles with post-traumatic stress syndrome remind them of someone they know and love.


I also enjoy writing military history because I have quite a few members of my family who served in the military. My father was a Marine during Vietnam, and my grandfather served in the Army during World War II. An uncle I admire greatly is an active duty Army doc. And, of course, military romance is so much fun to write because military heroes are strong and brave and alpha and protective, and that makes them so very compelling to read and write about! All of these have influenced me in writing my military romance series.

I have two military romance series underway: the Heroes series and

the Hard Ink series. The first two books in the Heroes series are out and follow the stories and struggles of prior Army Special Forces soldiers back from war. The Hard Ink series releases in November and is about how five members of an Army Special Forces unit who survived a deadly ambush in Afghanistan only to be blackballed in a conspiracy that ruined their reputations, ended their careers, and tarnished their honor, fight back to clear their names. I'm having so much fun writing both!

Finally, take a few minutes and watch this spirit video by midshipmen at the Naval Academy. Too freaking funny, guys, for real!

Why do you enjoy reading military romance?

Thanks for reading!
Laura

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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Guest Author Rosalind Hartmann

Hi there.

My name is Rosalind Hartmann and I'm a first time, self-published author of paranormal/action/adventure/romance series called 'Blood Memory'.

Book 1 was recently indie-published in October 2012 and tells a story between rival supernatural species – the vampires and werewolves.  The Blood Memory is genetically passed down from one werewolf gifter to a new fledgling werewolf in the initial bite, carrying with it a blue print of abilities, events, and in this case, a horrible nightmare of betrayal and rage for Simon Huntington and his vampire partner, Ellis Duban.

This story tells of the adventure Simon has with Vivienne, the outcast werewolf who is in love with the Commander of the Pipers – descendants of two families that carry the Blood Memory , which curiously, no one can remember the details of; neither the Pipers or Simon for that matter.  Simon and Vivienne strike up a partnership to seek out the truth of the memory before her lover and his pack of Pipers stop her and kill Simon in the process.

I grew up in a Navy family and married an Air Force member, so I grew up with military influence my entire life.  When I created the Pipers several years ago for a role-playing message board (http://www.sanguineaffliction.com) , they grew from a throw-away idea to being my complete universe.  I love the Pipers as if they were real. They were created with some of the men I met growing up in my father's navy career – polite, very handsome, but gentlemen to a young high-schooler.  Probably helped I wasn't trying to date them, but I digress.

The men I met through my husband's career are where the rawness of their personality is developed. What these men do, what they see changes them – inside and out. There is an abundance of cursing I really didn't write in, but their professionalism and skill definitely shows in the Pipers.

The loyalty – family and within their military structure – is very real. The Pipers are all distantly related to one of two families: the Hammerthynns and the Jamesons. I tried to stay as close to true military structure as possible, save for their ranking, but I did a ridiculous amount of research for the weapons, military maneuvers, equipment, and vehicles. On a personal level, I absolutely enjoy military movies and books, so when I see something wrong, it infuriates me.  I really tried to achieve a level of realism that I hope comes through in the stories.

Book 2 and 3 will be coming out this year and will feature more of Vivienne and her Piper boys.  Book 1 excerpts for Chapters 1-5 are free, as well as the entire ebook/pdf, on my website.

Currently my Air Force family is stationed in Colorado Springs, CO.  My 20 year, high school

sweetheart Michael and I have 2 kiddos, Catherine (13) and David (5).

Free Download - http://www.rosalindhartmann.com/download/ (LIKE THE PAGE FOR THE LINK)

Facebook Author Page (Rosalind Hartmann) | Blood Memory Series Facebook Page | Twitter - @ROzbeans