Music, Military and Me

When it comes to writing, one question I am always asked is what music do I listen to while I write? For the most part, I don't typically listen to music with words because lyrics will inspire me and give me other story ideas and talk about your shiney object overload. But in the case of What Part of Marine Don't You Understand? I actually broke this rule. I listened to song after song about the military--sometimes about the Marines, but in every single one of them, there was an element that took my breath away. This was vital considering Naomi Sparks, my heroine, is not only the sister and daughter of a Marine(s), but also because she is a songwriter.

So in no particular order, I share with you the playlist for What Part of Marine Don't You Understand?

Tim McGraw - If You're Reading This...




Sarah McLachlan - In the Arms of An Angel



Lonestar - I'm Already There (Messages from Home)




Toby Keith - Red, White and Blue



Lee Greenwood - God Bless the U.S.A.



Toby Keith - American Soldiers



Big & Rich - 8th of November



I can honestly say these songs humble me for the service our men and women and their families give this country and I hope I do it even a little bit of justice with my books.

What Part of Marine Don't You Understand? releases on May 24

Military Spouses

What does it take to be a military wife?

I've been thinking about that quite a bit lately since my son, an LT in the USAF, is getting married at the end of the month.  It's either think about that or face up to the fact that I'm old enough to have a son old enough to get married.  :)

When my son was commissioned two years ago, I asked his fiancee if she was ready to be a military wife.  She said that if he can handle her being in grad school, she can handle him being in the USAF.  While I admired her answer, I don't think she had any clue what she could be in for.  And she has it easy.  My son is a developmental engineer stationed in Massachusetts.  Odds are he won't deploy and may not even has to PCS (move to another base) during his four-year committment.  But he is still in the military and he could deploy and could PCS.

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law is a strong, intelligent woman.  She can take care of herself.  I think that is a necessity for a military spouse.  She has a stong sense of herself, another characteristic I think is important.  She doesn't need anyone, not even my son, to make her feel complete.  No matter how long my son stays in, I think she'll be just fine and be a great military wife.

Did I mention that she's stunning?  :)

In my WIP, the heroine, Genevieve, is a fierce do-gooder working for a non-governmental agency that works with women and children.  I'm making sure that, like my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, she is strong and intelligent and sure of herself.  And sexy enough to drive the hero, Truck, out of his ever-lovin mind!  Truck is part of the crew of a Spectre C-130 Gunship.  He is frequently deployed and his job is dangerous.  I have to make sure that Gen can handle that.  As sexy as she finds him and as much as she loves him, she has to be prepared to deal with all aspects of his life because Truck has no desire to leave the USAF.

What do you think it takes to be a military spouse?

Conspiracy Theories

I had a major epiphany while plotting out the storyline of a new military romantic thriller series I have planned.  The new series revolves around a black ops team that has been betrayed, framed for a horrific event and is on the run—trying to find answers and clear their names. 

 Needless to say the men are hot, alpha and more than capable of bringing down the organization that framed them. It was while I was tossing around ideas for the series that my brainstorming partner casually mentioned that I must really love conspiracy theories, because so far everything I’d been proposing had a major conspiracy in it.  

This comment really opened my eyes, and made me think. Pretty much all of my current book ideas do involve conspiracies, as do my favorite televisions shows. In fact, my new favorite of favorites television show has a fantastic conspiracy plotline too.

The show is called Orphan Black, and it’s on BBC America Saturday nights at 8/9 o’clock. 

 

  If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you carve out the time to watch it. You won’t be sorry. Just make sure you start watching from episode one. Don’t start in the middle of the season, because you’ll be completely lost. Plus- this is a show where you need to watch from episode to episode, so you can see the gradual transformation of the characters.

I know a show is exceptional when it makes me want to be a better writer, when it makes me jealous of the characters they’ve created, and when it makes the plot bunnies multiply so fast in my mind I can’t keep track of them all.

For me characters and plot have to go hand in hand to keep me interested. Without a strong plot, I get bored. Without strong characters I don’t connect with the people in the story, so I don’t care how the plot impacts them.

 Orphan Black does an amazing job of braiding the plot through the characters, and staying true to both.  And the characters are simply amazing. None of them are pure black or white. Good characters do bad things, but for understandable reasons. The bad characters do good things for understandable reasons. The main character goes through this subtle, slow transformation from hardened con-artist, to someone with actual scruples and heart as the plot swallow her and she struggles to remain alive and protect her family. 

 

But really, I think the most amazing thing about this show is that 90% of the characters are played by one actress.  But because each character is so different and so clearly defined from their dialog, to their actions, to their wardrobe, to their habits and their mannerisms, you actually forget the same actress is playing all of them.  In fact, this is embarrassing- but it didn’t even occur to me for a while that the same actress WAS playing all these characters. I mean outside of face and body, none of them were the same. I knew exactly which character was on stage just by how they dressed, spoke and acted. It was only when someone on twitter mentioned that Tatiana Maslany (the lead actress) deserved six Emmys for her roes on the show, that it dawned on me that she was playing all these amazing characters. 

That’s the mark of true brilliance, I think, that while you’re watching you don’t even realize just how talented the actors/writers are.

It isn’t often a television show makes me feel like an inferior writer. But boy did the writers of Orphan Black punch my inferiority button.  Which is good- really—since I’m striving to up my game and match their awesomeness.

Here are a couple of trailers for the show. Enjoy! 

I

Guest Author Denise A. Agnew

Celebrating the Military Hero: It’s In My Blood

Thanks so much to the ladies here for including me as a guest blogger. I very much appreciate it.

I’ve written quite a few military characters over the years, some who left the military because of

injuries, some who left to pursue other things, and even one or two who retired (yeah I don’t always write twenty-year-old heroes). A few of the stories are romantic suspense or have hints of suspense, and even others have paranormal elements. A few are historical characters. Can’t say that I just write one genre, because I love to mix it up.

I stumbled around trying to decide how to describe why I write so many military characters, because sometimes it’s difficult for a writer to think of their motivations. Of course military characters in novels can be wonderful heroes because of their courage, fortitude, and the possibility of significant angst. All great fodder for intriguing stories. But I think there’s a bigger connection for me personally.

I came to the conclusion that the military is just in my blood…literally. I grew up in Colorado Springs among several military bases. My father told me of his experiences during World War II and my brother served in the Air Force during Vietnam. Over the course of many years, I’ve also learned a ton about my family’s genealogy. Ancestors of mine served in the French and Indian Wars, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War (Union and Confederate), and World War II. Both of my grandfathers would have served in World War I but they had medical problems that disqualified them.

When I met my husband he was already in the army. I became a war bride when we thought he’d be deployed to the Middle East in 1991. My husband retired from the army after twenty years. So I guess I could say there’s no escaping the military, and I don’t want to escape.

So where can you find my military romances? Well, stop by my website at www.deniseagnew.com and read through all my blurbs! You’ll find military heroes in many of my books, even the stories that aren’t specifically military romance (such as Asylum II: Shadows Rise and Asylum III: ShadowsFall).  Some are erotic romance and some are not.

Soon I hope to publish a trilogy of novellas that feature three brothers, all in the military and the very dangerous situation that brings them close to three special heroines. Keep your eyes peeled for that. If you sign up for my newsletter you’ll be updated monthly on every new book that comes out. You’ll also find links to my Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for spending time with me!

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

COVER REVEAL: A Marine Affair

A year’s separation changes both of them. The last person Eli expects to see when he steps off the plane is Rick, but the physician wants another chance with the only man he’s ever loved and he has a plan. Will bitterness, recriminations, and loss keep them apart or can these two officers rediscover the faith and loyalty that bound them for so long?

A Marine Affair, book 13 of the Always a Marine series and the second M/M releases June 7, 2013

Commander Rick McConnell and Colonel Elijah Masters have been secret lovers for years. They nurtured their very private relationship with planned vacations and leaves, always meeting somewhere different—always escaping off the grid. It worked for them—career officers with a desire to serve their country and a passion for each other.

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell provides them with the tremendous opportunity to come out to their friends and loved ones—Rick wants to seize the day, but Eli isn’t so certain. His hesitation leads to a fight, an ultimatum, and a breakup. Rather than confront their issues, Eli takes a foreign assignment.

A year’s separation changes both of them. The last person Eli expects to see when he steps off the plane is Rick, but the physician wants another chance with the only man he’s ever loved and he has a plan.  Will bitterness, recriminations, and loss keep them apart or can these two officers rediscover the faith and loyalty that bound them for so long?

And for a little more bang for your buck--here's an unedited excerpt!

COVER REVEAL: The First Harmless Military Heroine!

Hiya, everyone! I hope you are already having a great May. As someone who lived in Hawaii thanks to my husband's military career, I miss being in Hawaii for these days. May Day is Lei Day and it is so pretty. It strikes me especially because I just finished up editing and formatting my second Santini book: Marco, which takes place in Hawaii.

So, what about this cover? It was done by the wonderfully talented Kendra Egert who has done the others.

 I have wanted to write a Harmless Military heroine and I knew the Berg's had a sister who was active duty. Our heroine, AJ (short for Angelica) is active duty and her hero is not (he is former military though). I am excited because I think that not enough military heroines get featured this day. There are several authors who are on this blog who have written some wonderful ones. It is something I want to do more of in the future.  Oh and don't forget to catch THE SANTINIS, and get LEONARDO before it goes off sale on May 5th.

Coming in May | Events & Appearances

Coming this month from the Military Romance authors!

Appearances:

RT Book Convention | May 1 - 5
Cat Johnson
JM Madden
Laura Kaye
Liliana Hart (subject to change due to personal reasons)

Frederick Book Festival | May 18
Laura Kaye

Chocolate and Romance | May 22
Laura Kaye

Comicpalooza | May 24 - 26
Heather Long

Wizard World Philadelphia ComicCom | May 31 - Jun 2
Laura Kaye

Releases:

Cat Johnson
May 7 | A Few Good Men (Red, Hot & Blue Series) - Trade Paperback

Dahlia Rose
May 15 | My Daddy is a Hero: LCDR Chase Latos - eBook

Heather Long
May | Tell it to the Marine - Audio
May 24 | What Part of Marine Don't You Understand - eBook

Kaylea Cross
May 1 | The Vacant Chair - eBook

Liliana Hart
May 14 | Kill Shot - eBook

Melissa Schroeder
May 3 | The Santinis: Leonardo - eBook

May 10 | The Santinis: Marco - eBook

May 17 | The Santinis: Gianni - eBook 

May 24 | The Santinis: Vicente - eBook