Happy Anniversary
Today is my wedding anniversary. My two boys are both in Catholic school, and this morning are actually attending mass at the very church we were married at 11 years ago today. Pretty cool, no?
My hubby is a wonderful, steady guy. Rock solid with lots of family values, which are my two favorite things about him. (Besides him being a sexy beast in his catcher’s gear when he used to catch for me, that is.) He’s the first to admit he’s not the most demonstrative or romantic guy in the world, but every now and again he blows me away with something completely thoughtful and over-the-top. Today I found a card taped to my steering wheel, telling me that the kids are taken care of this afternoon and that I have to be ready to leave at 2:45 today. Oh, and I should shave. (Thanks for the tip, honey!) I hope that means he has plans to see me in a short dress, and not that he seriously thinks he has to remind me to shave, lol.
A year ago today we were in New Orleans to celebrate our 10th anniversary (another huge surprise from hubby, and he even arranged for my crit partner, Katie Reus, to meet me there as another surprise). We spend the day touring some plantations, such as Oak Alley…
and a Creole plantation known simply as Laura.
Fascinating place, run by powerful women, and the original slave quarters were still intact. They even had a copy of the Code Noir, or Black Code, stating the laws about owning slaves. They also had a manifest listing all the slaves owned by the plantation owners, their names, ages, trades, and what they were worth on the market.
O_o
Seriously hard to wrap your brain around that one. Seeing it written down in stark black and white was almost mind boggling. If a slave had any white blood in him at all, he was worth way more than a pure African slave fresh off the boat. Old slaves were worth practically nothing, and the more skills you had as a laborer, the better.
While the tour was somewhat disturbing, I’m glad they didn’t try to sugar coat everything and sell the Gone With the Wind image to the tourists. We headed back to the French Quarter for dinner at Irene’s, a famous Italian restaurant there (the dark chocolate mousse was to die for!),
then took a paddle boat jazz cruise down the Mississippi.
Very romantic night! Hmm, I wonder what the man has in store for me today?
Luke is a Finalist!
Just received word yesterday that Absolution is a finalist in the 2012 EPIC Awards! I’m thrilled because Luke is my favorite character, and because I truly think it’s my best book. I suppose it doesn’t pack quite the emotional punch if a reader hasn’t read the previous four books, but I hope it still makes an impact. Not sure when the winners are announced, but it was nice to be nominated.
I have one last set of edits to do on another Callie Croix story, then I’m jumping back into Crash and Burn. It’s been tricky to figure out how/where I can have Ace and Ryan spend time together to form some sort of a relationship, because of their difference in rank, and because the book is set at Bagram. But I’m up for the challenge!
Special Guest Marliss Melton & Giveaway
I’m so excited to be hosting the amazing Marliss Melton over at Writers Gone Wild today. She’s giving away a signed copy of The Protector to a commenter, so if you love military romantic suspense (and I guess if you’re reading my blog you must like it!), I hope you’ll come by.
One of the things I admire most about Marliss is the effort she puts into her research. She really tries to get it right and portray the military men accurately, something I wish every writer would do. I’ve asked her all sorts of questions about her research on SEALs, and about why her publisher no longer wanted to buy her SEAL books. Once you read the interview, I bet you’ll have even more respect for her.
Blurb: Eryn McClellan teaches ESL in Washington, D.C., until the day she’s targeted by terrorists avenging her father’s actions in Afghanistan. The FBI has stepped in, but when it looks like they are using her for bait, General McClellan enlists the aid of the only man he knows he can trust: former Navy SEAL Ike Calhoun.
Embracing solitude in his remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ike thought he’d left the War on Terror far behind. Now he’s stuck shielding a blue-eyed beauty from ambitious federal agents and crazed jihadists. More disturbing still, the charming Eryn seems intent on shattering his self-imposed isolation. Ike does his best to resist her welcoming ways, but he can feel his restraint eroding like a mountain in a mudslide. With the FBI hot on their heels and the terrorists not far behind, Ike willingly wages a one-man war in defense of the woman whose passion and faith have given him the strength to rise above his past.
Get Ready To Meet the Heroes of AFSOC
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever, but on Monday Deadly Descent is finally “out” in the world. I’m so excited for you all to meet Air Force Tech Sgt Cam Munro, my delicious PJ hero. I cannot tell you how much I admire and respect these men and what they do.
Blurb: Devon Crawford is an officer; Air Force Pararescueman Cam Munro is enlisted. Dev flies medical evacuations; Cam jumps into danger zones to save lives. Dev wants to return home from Afghanistan with her heart untouched; Cam will do anything to win the woman he loves.
Reaching for happiness in a war zone is the last thing Captain Devon Crawford plans, but she can’t ignore the feelings she’s hidden for so long. Cam’s sexy charm and wicked kisses weaken her resistance, but she’s too afraid of losing him to give in.
When Dev’s helicopter and crew are shot down and set up as bait by a notorious warlord, Cam risks all to save the team. What he doesn’t know is that the trap is set for him.
This week is nuts for me (in a good way), so here’s a list of places and dates where you can find me if you’d like to try and win a copy of Deadly Descent.
Monday, September 5th: Fresh Fiction
Tuesday, September 6th: Carina Press blog, SOS Aloha blog
Wednesday, September 7th: Smexy Books, Writers Gone Wild
Friday, September 9th: Cynthia Eden’s blog
Monday, September 12th: Book Lovers Inc.
Whew! That’s a lot, huh? Plus both my kids are starting school Tuesday, and I have another set of edits due back by the end of next week.
I hope you’ll enjoy Cam and Dev’s story. PJs truly are amazing. They live and die by their motto “That Others May Live”, and deserve our respect and our gratitude.