Heroes with Attitude

By Sharon Hamilton

If there was one thing you could point to that is different about Military Romance, what would it be? We have heroes in all fields: police, fire, para-rescue. But what differentiates a Military Hero from all others?

In my opinion, it's ATTITUDE.

I love the smart-mouthed quips and the making fun of things you can't do in polite society. Somehow, when you are putting your life on the line, it is totally appropriate to talk about jungle rot and chaffing balls, or the absence of tofu in a SEAL's diet. In one of Suzanne Brockman's books, the hero and his buddies were pinned down in the middle of a firefight, and they were discussing making offers on real estate as arms and limbs were being blown apart.

The smack talk conversations between the Teammates are my favorite pieces to write. Maybe my inner demon wants to have the gutter-talk they have. As a reader, my taste is for an abundance of four-letter words. I smile as I think about all the bleeps that would occur if they were quoted on TV. I like heroes who defy the odds, come up against higher authority, but get the job done anyway. I think that's why I love reading and writing SEAL stories so much.

Here's an excerpt from my latest book, SEAL Under Covers, which is releasing August 10th. SEAL Team 3 mates Fredo and the hero Armando are discussing Armando's wayward sister, real estate, and the condition of Fredo's truck.

            “So, ‘splain this to me. You save her life and the life of her baby. You buy her a fuckin’ great house in a good area, you buy her furniture and you help your mama too. And she disses you like this? I’m telling you, those demons is not only getting bigger, they’re having babies. What’s next?” Fredo responded.

            “What’s next is I’m gonna get her, bring her home and cook her a fuckin’ steak. And you’re gonna be a perfect gentleman, hear?”

            “Yessir. I get you.”

            After storing the perishables, Armando and Fredo stopped by Fredo’s apartment to pick up his  Parks Department four door beater truck. No sense exposing Armando’s black Hummer to the neighborhood to which they were headed.

Armando slid onto the torn leather bench seat and examined the contents of the cab behind him. The floor was nearly ankle-high with fast food wrappers and old milkshake and soda containers.

“Some super sleuth you’d make,” Armando said, holding his nose. “All anyone would have to do is sort through all your wrappers and receipts. They could re-create your whereabouts 24/7.”

Fredo shook his shoulders and jutted out his chin. “Just because you got an obsessive compulsive disorder for specks of dirt, don’t mean you have to insult a normal male with normal eating habits.” Fredo didn’t look back at him.

“That’s not normal,” Armando said with a thumb pointing over his shoulder.

They rounded a corner and the noise of displaced paper cups, balled up bags and wrappers was unmistakable.

Fredo put on the brakes and nearly was rear-ended. “You wanna walk? You’re usin’ my petrol for your own devious little plan. I’m just along to make sure you don’t get your ass busted.”

Armando started to open the door and Fredo grabbed his shoulder. “Get the fuck back in the truck, Armani. I’m just messin’ with you.”

“I’m just doin’ the same.” They rode in silence for a few minutes. Armando was twirling the comment Fredo had made over and over in his brain. “Obsessive compulsive?” he asked.

“No shit, Sherlock. Like you had to put plastic down on the couch yesterday before I could sit down.”

“That’s because you were working out before you came over. You was sweaty, man.”

“Yea, well don’t you get sweaty balling all those coeds on your couch, man? You think I mind if I sit my ass down on some teenage cum?”

“I don’t screw teenagers. You know that.”

Fredo humphed. The silence continued. Then Fredo spoke up. “I clean my truck on the first of every month, and always before deployment.”

“That’s a very good thing. No telling what could grow in the back seat in six months unattended. Might have to have a HazMat clearance.”

“That’s Coop’s problem, with all that Kambucha he drinks. I think it’s disgusting to drink something that’s living.”

“Well hells, bells. We finally agree on something.” Armando smiled at his Mexican friend and found Fredo chuckling as well.

What do you enjoy most about reading or writing military romance? One commenter today will receive a Kindle copy of my new book, SEAL Under Covers, on release day.

These Are the Men of Hard Ink...#HardAsItGets #Giveaway

By Laura Kaye

I am super excited for the release this fall of my Hard Ink series, starting with Hard As It Gets on November 26! So I wanted to share a bit about the book and an awesome giveaway of goodies I just received from my editor!

Five dishonored soldiers

Former Special Forces

One last mission

These are the men of Hard Ink

Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees. 

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge...


I'm also very excited to share the brand new endorsement I got for the book from my absolute favorite author, #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward!!! Gah!

"Edgy, sexy and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!" ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward on HARD AS IT GETS

Read Chapter 1

Pre-Order at Amazon | B&N | iTunes

GIVEAWAY!

2 commenters will win an awesome set of Hard Ink swag, including a dogtag, signed cover flat, postcard with excerpt, Heroes series bookmark, AND a super fun Yay Our Troops! magnet and Got Your 6 pin! Giveaway is open to international! Good luck!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Laura

Visit Laura around the web:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

And the winners are:

Terrie Newton Fulk

Jennifer Betts

Congrats!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author Donna Michaels

Happy Release Day! Thank you, FTLOMR for having me here again. I’m happy to guest blog today to talk about my brand new military romance which happens to be FREE today through Sunday!

Hello, I’m author of romaginative fiction Donna Michaels, and I love military men…I mean, romance…military romance! Okay, and men. So much so, I married one. My husband has been in the National Guard for over thirty years, and full time for almost twenty. It was only natural the military would spill into my writing.

Besides my husband, I’ve met many heroes over the years, all ages, races, sexes, and do my best to honor them in my writing. As always, a big thank you goes out to our troops. I’m honored to be a part of a wonderful group of authors who, like me, write about these heroes.

Romance through the H’s—Hot, Humorous & Heartwarming are what you’ll find in my novels and SHE DOES KNOW JACK has all three. It was great to revisit my hero Capt. Jack ‘Dodger’ Anderson, a former Army Ranger who provides security on the set of a reality TV show where his brother is the groom and receiving threats.

(Formerly released as Meet Your Mate, this book has been updated, heat level upped to hot, with over 20k words added.)

Today is Release Day for SHE DOES KNOW JACK and I’m happy to offer it for FREE the next three days.

Security specialist, Brielle Chapman reluctantly agrees to help her uncle by going undercover as a contestant on the Meet Your Mate reality show. Having nearly failed on a similar assignment, she needs to prove she still has a future in the business. But when the brother of the groom turns out to be Dodger, the only one-nighter she ever had—while in disguise from a prior undercover case—her job becomes harder. Does he recognize her? And how can she investigate with their sizzling attraction fogging her brain?

Former Army Ranger Capt. Jack ‘Dodger’ Anderson would rather run naked through a minefield in the Afghan desert than participate in a reality television show, but when his brother the groom begins to receive threats, Jack quickly becomes his sibling’s shadow. As if the investigation isn’t baffling enough, he has to contend with the addition of a beautiful and vaguely familiar new contestant.

But when deceits come to light, and the case is solved, can he overcome the lies to meet his own mate?

Excerpt:

“You’re leaving. Now.”

“What?” She blinked. Several times. “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

Or wasting precious time thinking about their past encounter. It was high time she put the case first. Concentrated on the threat and the culprit. Not Jack.

“Don’t you get it?” He advanced toward her, backing her into a wall. Again. “Whoever’s been threatening Matthew obviously wants you off the show.”

“Too bad.” She shrugged, not at all worried, and just a bit peeved at herself. “And you should be happy.”

His gaze narrowed into a deep frown. “Happy? Why?”

“I’m obviously making someone angry, and you know what happens to people when they get angry, don’t you?”

Begrudging admiration filled his eyes. “They make mistakes.”

“Exactly.” She nodded with a smile. “And if we play our cards right, we’ll catch the offender in no time.

“We?” He shook his head and grasped her shoulders. “Oh, hell no. There is no we, Ms. Bennett. This isn’t a game.”

“Yes—we,” she corrected, lifting her chin. Heat seared her skin from under his grasp, but she applauded herself for resisting the urge to press closer. “As I see it, I have two choices, Mr. Anderson. I can either cower and leave the show, or stand my ground. I’m much better at standing.”

His gaze darkened to a smoky blue before dropping to her mouth. Ah, heaven help her. Not that again. Her heart did an impromptu fire drill—stopped, dropped, then rolled.

All thoughts of the show, threats and suspects clouded as her body responded to Jack’s nearness. That pressing-closer urge grew stronger. Much stronger. She only had to lean forward and they’d be heart-to-heart, body-to-body.

Good parts to good parts.

A second later, his palms hit the wall on either side of her head. He did the pressing. His hot, hard, solid body pushed her into the wall and warm breath washed over her as he let out a curse while lowering his face towards hers…

“Jack! Jack, what room are you in?” A deep voice penetrated her fuzzy head.

With lightening speed, the sexy former Ranger jumped back and shook his head as if that would clear it.

Good luck, buddy, she thought, drawing in a breath, trying to remove her own cobwebs. Damn, that was close. Too close. Disappointment, mixed with guilt, calmed her libido. She turned and headed for the bathroom without glancing at the tempting man just as help arrived.

The walking wall was first through the door. And according to Uncle Franco, her escort from last night was also a former Ranger. She’d hazard a guess his whole team consisted of former Rangers.

Needing a moment to recover before facing said team and her uncle’s men—who had orders to pretend she was a stranger—Brielle closed the door and splashed water on her heated cheeks. Cold water. Very cold water.

“You’re an idiot,” she mumbled into the towel. But it wasn’t her fault. That man was hot enough to melt steel.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget, you can get Jack for FREE for the next three day! Please pass the word and share a sexy former Ranger with your friends.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZZGMEA

You can find me here:

https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMichaelsAuthor

https://twitter.com/Donna_Michaels

http://donnamichaelsauthor.blogspot.com/

http://pinterest.com/donnamichaels/

http://www.goodreads.com/Donna_Michaels

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/donna-michaels/8/879/408

https://plus.google.com/110301062410249005533/about/p/pub?hl=en

Amazon Author Page

http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Michaels/e/B008J24XR2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Hope you all have a great day. Thanks for reading,

~Donna

We are looking for a few good...posts

Hello, everyone! I am posting now to let you know that we are looking for people for the rest of the year. If you are an author who write military romance or handles an organization that is linked to military or military romance (Wounded Warriors, Fisher House, USO) and would like to write up a post, we have some openings. You can see the open dates on the sidebar.
The post must be military related. Authors-you need to have a book that has a military theme with heroes or heroines in the military or are former military and it must be romance.
If you are interested, please email me at Mel's Email!

Excerpt for BULL (Red, Hot & Blue Book 10) Now on Preorder!

BULL (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 10) by CatJohnson

When the going gets tough, the tough go out with a bang…

Spec Op “Bull” Ford is as big as his nickname. His team, the civilians he protects, whether they know it or not, all depend on him. But beneath his stony exterior beats the heart of a caring man—unless he’s crossed.

Between her job as professional harpist and fending off an ex-boyfriend who won’t take the hint, Marly feels like a circus juggler. She doesn’t need some oversized, overzealous security guard accusing her of being a terrorist—as if a five-foot-nothing woman in a ball gown could threaten anyone.

Though when the real terrorists strike, she’s more than grateful to have Bull at her side…or on top, which certainly makes what could be her last breaths memorable.

But after Bull takes the brunt of the explosion, Marly is left with feelings for a man who doesn’t remember who she is. And by the time the red-hot memories come flooding back, the trail to her heart may have gone cold.

Warning: Contains explosive sexual encounters—literally!

EXCERPT (G)

“Bull.” Matt’s voice seemed to explode out of Bull’s eardrum.

He jumped and turned toward the wall so the other guests in the room wouldn’t see him talking to himself. “Jesus, Matt. You scared the crap out of me. What?”

“The threat’s been bumped up. It looks like it’s fucking real. We’re on our way to you now.”

“Where’s it coming from?” Bull’s heart kicked into high gear.

“It’s right up your alley, buddy. Chatter on the lines indicates a bomb.”

“I swept the building—”

“It’s hidden somewhere inside the walls.”

“What? How?” Bull had spoken rather loud and got a few stares from the guests nearest him.
“There were workmen there six frigging months ago repairing the plaster. One of them has suspected terrorist ties. I was bored and started to check back just for fun.”

Bull never did understand Matt’s idea of fun, but it was a damn good thing he’d decided to have some fun tonight. A work crew six months ago had planted the bomb? This had been in the works for a while. Organization like that meant these guys were serious.

“Now the original threat makes sense.” Matt continued, “It was some sort of riddle about the walls of Jericho coming down. No one took it seriously until I found the record of the crew that worked on the walls.”

“What do you want me to do until you get here?” He didn’t want to start a panic, and he really didn’t want to tip his hand.

If the bomb was built to trigger with a detonator, that device could be held by anyone inside or outside the building. Letting that person know the good guys had discovered the plot would force the bomber’s hand. Bull reevaluated the guests and staff. There weren’t many people here. It was still early. That was good. The terrorist would want the biggest bang for his buck and wait for a full house.

“Get the senator out, first of all. We’ll never live it down if we let him get killed. But don’t let him know anything. Don’t let anyone know anything yet.”

 “Affirmative.” Bull moved closer to the senator. “Sir. Excuse me for interrupting. I need to speak with you. Now.”

When Dickhead—the frigging cocky idiot—looked annoyed that the security he’d insisted on being up his ass all night had bothered him, Bull added, “It’s urgent.”

It must have hit him something was wrong. His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth. Bull grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room before he could blow their one advantage—the element of surprise. The guests, and probably the terrorist, would guess Bull was security, but no one but the Senator knew he came attached to a special task force highly trained for situations exactly such as this. And no one knew the good guys had discovered what the bad guys were up to.

Outside the building, Bull did a visual sweep of the area. It was deserted except for a few valets waiting around to park any new arrivals’ cars. Even so, Bull pulled the senator to where they could speak without being heard.

“What’s happening?” Dickhead’s voice rose, tinged with panic.

He didn’t feel comfortable telling Dickhead the truth, didn’t trust him to keep his cool or keep quiet, so he’d have to make up some cock-and-bull story. The man was probably a Chicken Little—the type to run around screaming at the slightest provocation. No way Bull could tell him there was very likely a bomb hidden inside the walls of the building where his hoity-toity associates still were.

“Nothing yet.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. “It’s just a precaution.”

“If it’s nothing, then why the hell did you drag me out here?”

Bull clenched his jaw and mentally talked himself down from telling the senator what he thought about him. “There’s new information about the threat. My orders are to keep you out of the building until further notice.”

They should evacuate. The commander would probably have Bull trip the fire alarm. That would clear the building but wouldn’t tip off the bombers. But until the commander and the team arrived, his orders had been to get Dickhead out, and he’d done that. Now he figured he was free to go unobtrusively search for the bomb and the bombers... If Dickhead would get clear of the damn building and let Bull do his job.

The senator scowled. “What am I supposed to do? Stand out here in the driveway like an idiot?”

He was already doing a good job of being an idiot, so that sounded like a good idea to Bull. A long black car pulled up and he recognized Dickhead Junior being helped out of the back seat by the driver. “It looks like your son’s arrived. I’d strongly advise you and he take the car and go elsewhere until the situation has been reevaluated. Somewhere far.”

Like out of the blast zone.

“All right. You have my number?” There must have been something in Bull’s tone or expression, but the senator quit acting annoyed and started to look concerned. Lucky for Bull, Dickhead was a chicken shit and all in for saving his own skin. He gave in.

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep me updated.”


“Yes, sir.” Bull watched Dickhead steer Junior back into the car. He even waited until the vehicle drove off the property, just to be sure. Then he turned on his heel and headed for the entrance.

“Matt, Dickhead and Little Dick are off the property. I’m heading back inside to see if I can spot the trigger man or find evidence of the bomb’s location.”

“Roger that.”

“Matt, we’ve still got civilians inside. Between staff and guests, about two dozen.”

“I know, but until I recheck everyone, we can’t clear them out. One of them could be our tango.”

“Understood.” Inside, Bull heard the harpist begin a new song. “Can you check the harpist?”

“Do you think she’s our tango?”

“No. Just covering all the bases.” He did think it would be a shame if she accidentally got blown up though. Maybe he’d come up with some bogus reason to get her out of there once Matt had cleared her.

 “Okay. Give me a few min—shit, Jack! Take it easy on the turns. You almost knocked the laptop onto the floor. I’m sorry, Bull, but I’m doing the best I can in the back of the van with Gordon up there driving like he’s on the NASCAR circuit. Hold tight. We’ll be there soon. It could still be nothing.”

“Should I ask around? Try to find out where the crew worked on the walls? It might give us a clue of where to start looking.”

There was dead air for a moment and then Matt was back. “The commander says no. Sit tight.”

“Roger that.” Bull sighed.

The one thing he was not all that good at was waiting and doing nothing. He glanced around the room again. The wait staff was comprised of pimple-faced boys. Old men and cleavage-baring women guests, and one petite harpist with reddish brown hair pulled into a sleek, surprisingly sexy ponytail rounded out the full complement of those in attendance. He’d bet his life—he was betting his life actually—not one of them was the terrorist.

He’d have to start his search again now that he had the all-important information from Matt to look at the walls. But this time, he’d have to do it so no one, the bomber in particular, would notice. He remembered a closet on the first floor. It apparently used to be a bathroom. The old cast-iron tub and fixtures were disconnected but still there, surrounded now by cardboard boxes and paint cans. It was obvious one wall had been freshly painted. He’d start there. If he was wrong...well, they’d know soon enough.

He slipped into the closet unnoticed and began running his hands over the surface of the wall, looking for any irregularities.

“Bull!”

He jumped one more time. It must be his being alone, without the team, making him so jumpy. He blew out a breath. “I copy, Matt. What’s happening?”

“There’s no record of a harpist on my list.”

Aw, crap.

Preorder on Amazon at http://amzn.to/17fQATT

http://catjohnson.net/books-2/bull-red-hot-blue-book-10-military-romance/

THE RED, HOT & BLUE SERIES

Available Now

TREY

JACK

JIMMY

BB DALTON (Free Read)

JARED

COLE

BOBBY

A FEW GOOD MEN

MODEL SOLDIER

A PRINCE AMONG MEN

Coming Soon

BULL October

MATT November

THE COMMANDER December

Marines, Love, and Christmas in July

Yep, I said Christmas in July. I do actually have one more Marine release this summer--it will be out next week. We're returning to the Always a Marine series roots with a 1Night Stand entitled Marine with Benefits. It's due to release on July 19, but I will be in Atlanta and I may not be online enough to celebrate, so be sure to swing by my Facebook page the week after for some party fun. I'll include a little excerpt at the bottom, in the meanwhile, I wanted to talk about Christmas in July.

Holiday Stories

I've been writing holiday stories since May and let me express just how weird it is to be writing about Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and more when it's hotter than hell outside? I keep forgetting to have my characters shiver.

Fortunately, the books are set in some different locales--including Texas, so at least I know that there are some holiday seasons where it's warm enough outside that we don't shiver. Heck, I've worn shorts at Christmas here before--easily.

Five Holidays for the Marines

Yes, I know there are many other holidays in the year, but I picked five that all fell around the same time - Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas and New Year's Eve. I wanted to capture the spirit of the season and the chance for love for my guys in uniform. In addition to the holiday magic, I plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from each book to Toys for Tots.

This is an amazing organization that works to provide children with toys every holiday season. They are like Santas in uniform and they don't do it for credit or to win points, they do it because it's hat they do. They rescue Christmas with the same determination they protect our country. So heck yeah, I want to help out!

A Marine of Plenty

The first holiday book tackles Thanksgiving, not here--but in Afghanistan. It's a little different because I know I'm dealing with a hot spot and I did take a little literary license by cutting a corner here or there. But I hope it works out, because it turned out to be one of my favorite Marines to date--right up there with Marine Ever After. It also deals with Charlie Sparks, Naomi's brother from What Part of Marine Don't You Understand?

A Candle for Marine

Hanukkah books are not that easy to find during the holidays, and that kind of surprised me. So I wanted to tell a Hanukkah story that was a little different, but also one that embraced the beauty of the celebration. Fortunately, I had the right guidance from friends who do celebrate and the celebrations I've attended in the past.

Marine Under the Mistletoe

Pagan Marine? Yes, this was right up my alley! Marines come from all walks of life, all races, and from a wide variety of religions. Why not a Wiccan Marine? And considering one of the basic tennets of Wicca is "An it harm none, do what ye will," how does a Marine reconcile his spiritual side with his experiences in the Corps? This turned out to be a beautiful challenge and even lovelier tale.

The final two are not quite complete yet, so I don't want to tell you too much in case it changes *wink* but I do know that our New Year's Eve story, Lest Old Marines Be Forgot, takes me into some new territory with an older pairing, a true second chance at life romance story that resonated with me and I hope with you.

So that's what I'm doing on these blistering hot days--writing about colder weather and hotter passion. Do you enjoy holiday romances when it's the season?

Excerpt from Marine with Benefits
By Heather Long

Releasing next week!

He needed to get it together. Tonight was about purging demons and having a good time. When the waitress delivered his jack and coke, he swirled the ice around in the glass, watering down the alcohol. An icy hot shiver skated over his skin. Twisting in the seat, he looked toward the entrance in time to see her walk in the door. It was like every cell in his body leaned in her direction, drawn by the inexorable force of nature that was Kara Childs. He’d know her anywhere.

Steel bands squeezed his chest, compressed his lungs, and bruised his heart. She was gorgeous. A red dress hugged her luscious curves, too much so. His dick stood at attention without a second thought for courtesy, commitment, or promises made. And damn if she didn’t make an entrance, her arrival captured more than a few looks of interest from the single men at the bar and a few not so single men at the tables.

Rising, he crossed the room toward her. The moment her gaze collided with his, heat flashed through him. She had no business being out in a dress like that much less in a club like this.

“What are you doing here?”

“I planned on asking you the same question.” He caught her arm and turned her around, not quite hurrying her back up the red-carpeted steps toward the front door. “And why aren’t you wearing some damn clothes?”

Kara stopped, and unless he planned on picking her up or knocking her over, he had to stop, too. Although, he had to admit the former idea held a certain appeal. “Let go Derek.”

“You shouldn’t be here.” He kept his voice low and leaned into her. The scent of plum and flowery blossoms in the soap she favored smelled like coming home.

“Really?” The cold spray of her gaze flicking over him cooled his ardor. “I live here. What’s your excuse?”

“I’m moving here—moved here.” Yeah, not how he planned to drop this particular bomb. And from her shocked expression, not one she expected either. “I planned to call you,” and it was a little to late to apologize. “After I settled in.”

Her chest rose with her swift inhale and his gaze dropped to the warm curves of her breasts visible above the strapless line of her dress. That dress was made for her. His cock jerked in his pants and he was grateful for the lower illumination near the door. “Well, thanks for the notice.” She turned away from him and surveyed the room beyond. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a date.”

Violence rocketed through him. “With who?” He didn’t even realize he gritted his teeth until he tried to speak.

“With a gentleman called none of your damn business,” she tugged her arm out of his grasp.

Flushing hot and cold and then hot again, he moved to stand next to her and studied the room. Who the hell was she meeting in a place like this? How did she even know a bar like this existed? Keith’s baby sister did not belong in a club like this. “Who are you here to see, Kara?” He bent his head, his lips damn near brushing the warm curve of her ear and half tempted to kiss it while he was there. Locking down that urge, he ordered his body to knock it off.

She was—and had always been—way out of bounds.

Guest Author Jennifer Lowery

Hi For the Love of Military Romance and all you fabulous readers out there *waves* Thank you so much for having me today!

Growing up, I'd always wanted to be a writer, but I had no idea I'd become a military romance writer. I read multiple genres in romance. When I decided to make my dream a reality ten years ago, I wrote in multiple genres trying to find my voice. I started with historical, western, paranormal, contemporary, romantic suspense, and began to notice a trend. All of my heroes were alpha males. And, they all had a military background.

After many rejections I realized that I’d been fighting my voice. I’d never imagined myself writing military romance, and hadn’t read much of it either. But, once I found that voice, I couldn’t be stopped. I inhaled military books, both fiction and non-fiction. I joined military loops on the internet, I found military blogs, and I fell in love with my writing all over again.

I knew this is where I belonged. My heroes were strong, protective to the point of overbearing, and alpha through and through, much to my heroine’s annoyance. They would put their lives on the line to protect the innocent, and God help anyone who messed with their family and friends. They put themselves in the line of fire without hesitation. Their word is their bond. And once they set their sights on you, it’s for life. They are loyal, devoted, and trustworthy. 

My hero, Jon Murphy was my favorite type of hero to write. A wounded warrior. Returned to civilization after being held captive and tortured before his Army Ranger buddies rescued him. Murphy’s journey to forgiveness and falling in love with the heroine, Sara, and her daughter, Abby, was incredible for me to write. I call this story the one from my heart because I fell in love with these characters from page one. Secrets came out about the daughter I didn’t even know or expect before I started writing and made me love her all the more. And Sara turned out to be the perfect match for Murphy.

I’ve included an excerpt from Murphy’s Law I hope you’ll enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing:

Murphy sat at the kitchen table, half in the shadows created by the soft light glowing above the stove, hair tousled from sleep. Naked to the waist. A bottle of amber liquid sat in front of him, an empty glass in his hand. Her gaze landed on his muscled shoulders and trailed across his tanned chest. So much for getting him out of her mind. Now she had the real thing to dream about. Looking at the dark hairs that veed down his chest and disappeared behind the table, she decided he’d been right. He was a dangerous man.

She tore her gaze away from temptation and looked at the granite lines of his face. Beneath the hardness of his expression, something haunting lingered. Drawn, she circled the table to the opposite end.

Murphy met her eyes with coldness that should have sent her running for the safety of her room, but she remained standing in place. He wanted to chase her away. This time she wasn’t running.

“Mind if I join you?” She grabbed a glass and from the cupboard and reached over his shoulder for the bottle.

His hand snaked out and wrapped around hers, preventing her from pouring a drink.

“I mind,” he growled.

“Well, get over it. I need a drink.”

Scowling, he let go of her hand and allowed her to pour a glass for herself. She refilled his glass next, set the bottle on the table, moved to the chair beside him and sat, lifting her glass.

“Cheers.” She brought the glass to her lips. His gaze as she drained the glass made her fight the urge to cough as the fiery liquid burned its way down her throat. Seconds later she felt the familiar warming sensation as it numbed her insides. Her eyes filled with tears. She blinked them away and reached for the bottle.

Murphy held it away from her. “What are you doing?”

“Having a drink. I’m not in the mood for warm milk tonight.”

His eyes darkened and narrowed. “You don’t strike me as the drinking type.”

She wasn’t, but tonight it sounded good. Maybe it would soothe away her problems and make her forget how screwed-up her life was. Talking about Kent earlier had brought back painful memories. She didn’t want to feel that misery anymore.

“Maybe you don’t know my type,” she said.

He studied her closely for a moment before rubbing a hand over his face. “Go back to bed, Sara. Sleep it off.”

“I don’t want to sleep it off. I’m tired of thinking about it.”

Maybe it was the whisky, or his naked chest, or the part of her that had been dormant for six years coming back to life. More than anything she wanted to discover it with Murphy, her strong, scarred hero.

She rose to her feet. He watched warily as she stepped in front of him and positioned herself between him and the table. He leaned back in his chair and sent her a thunderous look.

“You and I are alike in many ways, Murphy,” she said softly. “We’ve both lost pieces of ourselves we can’t ever get back and it has forced us into a life of loneliness and solitude. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being alone.”

He pinned her with a hard glare. “I’m not what you want. Go back to your room before I do something we’ll both regret in the morning.”

His harshly spoken words sent little electrical shocks through her body.

“I’m tired of people telling me what I want.”

Thank you so much for having me today! I just want to send out a big THANK YOU to all my readers out there! Without you I wouldn’t be here. My wish is to one day meet each and every one of you so I can personally thank you for your generosity and support! 

All my best,
Jennifer

Author Bio:

Jennifer Lowery grew up reading romance novels in the back of her math book and on the bus to school, and never wanted to be anything but a writer.  Her summers were spent sitting at the kitchen table with her sisters spinning tales of romance and intrigue and always with a tall glass of ice tea at their side. 

Today, Jennifer is living that dream and she couldn’t be happier to share her passion with her readers.  She loves everything there is about romance.  Her stories feature alpha heroes who meet their match with strong, independent heroines.  She believes that happily ever after is only the beginning of her stories. And the road to that happy ending is paved with action, adventure, and romance. As her characters find out when they face danger, overcome fears, and are forced to look deep within themselves to discover love.  

 Jennifer lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.  When she isn’t writing she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. 

This is what people are saying about Murphy’s Law:

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Cindy Gerard, Tara Janzen. or Cherry Adair series. Each of these writers have the same flavor with a secret ingredient in their stories as does Jennifer Lowery. Great story!
- hmhibbit, Open Book Society on Murphy's Law

Find Jennifer:

Author Website   Facebook   Twitter   Romance Recipes

Buy Murphy’s Law:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iTunes