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General

Navy SEAL Heroes

Well, with all the media coverage about SEALs lately, I felt the need to do up a short post here. By now we all know about the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, and which group of SEALs carried it out. This morning I was disturbed to learn (from a former SEAL’s wife) that reporters are scouring the towns and bars closest to DevGru’s base in VA, trying to learn the identities of the team members. Call me crazy, but I thought they were a Black Ops group for a reason. “Outing” the members is not only bad for security and morale, it places their families in danger from any extremists looking for a way to exact revenge. If I was a SEAL, I’d be pissed about this. And maybe it’s just me, but pissing off a SEAL doesn’t seem like a good idea. Ever.

Since the May 1st night-time announcement by President Obama, there has been an insane amount of increased interest in these elite warriors. There’s even been a huge increase in demand for SEAL romance novels, as outlined in a recent Washington Post article that mentions Suzanne Brockmann’s series (click HERE to see article). Even my little series has seen a bump in sales since last week. Yay!

The emblem at the start of this post is the coveted SEAL Trident, and only a very select few will ever earn the right to wear one. For good reason. The Navy does a very good job at weeding out all but the toughest, most determined and physically fit men. It’s no wonder why the public sees them as heroes, so it stands to reason that these alpha male warriors would wind up as characters in romance novels. But I suspect that SEALs, and all other Special Ops members for that matter, don’t do what they do to win the hearts and minds of the US public. In fact, they’d no doubt prefer to stay off the radar, and simply be left alone so they can do their jobs and hopefully come home safely to their families. They are all to be admired, yes, but let’s give them the respect they’re due. Along with our heartfelt thank-yous, let’s give them the privacy they deserve. I think they’ve earned that right.

Great News!

Just found out the other day that No Turning Back has finaled in the OKRWA National Readers’ Choice Awards! I was ecstatic to hear the news, even before I found out the book had been nominated for best romantic suspense with this list:

Cold Sight by Leslie Parrish
No Turning Back by Kaylea Cross
Edge of Sight by Roxanne St.Claire
A Rancher’s Brand of Justice by Ann Voss Peterson
Killer Heat by Brenda Novak
Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

The winner will be announced at RWA Nationals in July. There’s no way I’ll win the category against competition like that, but I’m just tickled the judges loved the story so much. Especially because I represent a little e-publisher 🙂 And, obviously I’m thrilled to have finaled amongst this group of powerhouse authors.

Like I’ve said before, Ben was a difficult hero for me to write, and the book is so violent and graphic it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so finaling in a contest like this means a lot! If you love to root for the underdog, please send out good thoughts for Ben and Sam’s story.

The Eagle Has Landed. Er…Hatched

Morning everyone! Well, after a very stressful time yesterday when Ma Eagle seemed to step on and crack the egg open before the chick was quite ready, the little one appears to be doing well. Its sibling has not yet hatched, but hopefully we’ll have another addition to the nest shortly. Click HERE to go to the live camera. Come over and say hello to our new fuzzy gray bobblehead! He’s sooooo cute…

Egg Hatching Day

Today’s the big day! Our eagles are about to become parents again. The first egg should begin hatching sometime today, and its sibling should join him/her two days after that. Click HERE to go to the live camera feed, and keep your eyes peeled. The weather is supposed to be decent for the next few days, so I hope at least some of you out there get to see the big event. So exciting!

I got something cool in the mail this week. My new CCT friend sent me a DVD, commemorative coin and lapel pin, just because he’s a nice guy. I’m dying to watch the DVD, but I have to hold off until I get these second round of edits finished for my first Callie Croix release, and then finish off my next ranch story.

In other exciting news, it’s finally baseball season here. It’s been extremely chilly and windy here in these parts, and I have to tell you we’re all sick to death of it. Let’s hope it warms up fast so that my weasels actually enjoy heading to the ball park!