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.

Gotta Love the Internet: More Research Connections!

This past week I've been dying of a flu/strep throat/sinus infection I came down with two weeks ago when we got back from our trip. Today is the first morning I woke up and thought I'm actually going to live. I can almost breathe through one side of my nose, and though my head and face feel like they might explode if I bend over, things are looking up.

Right now I'm working on the dedication and acknowledgements for Deadly Descent. As you know I got in touch with some really cool inside sources for research on this one, and had a ball talking with them. When I e-mailed my recently retired PJ contact and asked what official title to call him in the dedication, I got a response that so typically embodies these men that I could only smile and shake my head. I'm paraphrasing, but basically his answer was, "No thanks are necessary. We're just ordinary guys, and I'm glad I could help."

If that doesn't encapsulate their humility and heroism, I don't know what does. So Weaver, if you're ever reading this, just know you're a hero to me and always will be no matter how much you try to downplay your years in Pararescue. So there.

Another cool thing happened too. I don't even know how he found out about me (must have been through this blog, but I never asked him), but a retired Air Force Combat Controller (CCT) contacted me to ask how the heck a young woman from Canada became interested in CCTs. He said some people in the Air Force don't even know about them--which I hope isn't true--so he was curious about me. I joked that I'm a little odd, and that on top of being a Civil War superfreak, I love learning about Spec Ops stuff. I love it even more when I can put what I've learned into my writing and give it more realism.

Wait--what? You don't know what a CCT is either? Not to worry, there's a picture of one at the top of this post. Deadly Descent will introduce you to Ryan, a CCT embedded with a SEAL team out of Bagram. You'll learn plenty about why these guys are damn handy to have with you out in hostile territory. Or in any combat mission, for that matter. At the most basic level, they're Special Ops trained air traffic controllers that go out into harm's way and bring a lot of firepower with them. They bring the rain. Heavy ordinance from bombers, missiles from fighter jets, or close air support from gunships, just to name a few. And that's merely a part of their job description. I'll be highlighting the hellish ordeal they undergo just to earn the right to be called a CCT in a later post, so stay tuned.

Anyway, this retired CCT and I chatted back and forth a few times, and I assured him that while my books are steamy romantic suspense, I make an effort to research my heroes' line of work and add a level of detail that readers won't find in other books of the genre. His response surprised me. He said he's actually proud that I'm taking the time to learn about his CCT brothers and bring them into the spotlight. Even if it's only a small spotlight.

He also said he sincerely hopes my hero gets to spend the night with a belly dancer at some point in the upcoming book :) He wants to read the book, but I told him it's pretty steamy and he probably wouldn't like it. "Are you kidding? I love steamy!" was his reply.

He's in his early sixties now and has been out of the game for a long while, but he offered to put me in touch with a recently retired CCT while I'm writing the draft of Crash and Burn. And he's sending me a DVD on CCTs and a couple trinkets, just because he's a nice guy. How awesome is that? And to think this connection literally landed in my lap (er, inbox) last Monday. Gotta love the Internet! As soon as I'm finished this latest novella, I'm back into Ryan's book, and I'm looking forward to writing it more than ever.

So, Mr. A.L., if you're reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to contact me. Very cool getting to "meet" you.

Damn I love what I do :)

I Got "The Call"!

This has been an awesome week for me in terms of writing. On Tuesday I got my Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Awards trophy for Cover of Darkness, and it's now sitting on my nightstand until I get all the Christmas decorations packed away in January. Yep, I've already got half of the decorating done. (Don't hate me!)

Then yesterday I found a message waiting for me from Angela James of Carina Press, saying they wanted to contract Turbulence. I've never actually gotten a call before, just e-mails, so that was pretty cool. My heart was pounding in my chest as I listened, and I've even saved the message on my answering machine. I haven't "met" my editor over there yet, but from the sounds of it I've got some work ahead of me when we get to edits. That's okay, I'm up for the challenge and I'm sure the changes will only strengthen the book. Bring it!

I'm so glad that my Air Force PJ and Medevac heroine will have their story published. Don't know if the current title will stick or not, but the book will be released in digital format sometime next summer. I'll keep you posted!

Research Heaven

I don't think I've ever had so much fun researching a book. No, strike that. I know I haven't. I'm an eyelash away from finishing the first draft, and raring to get to the editing stage where I can go back and add all the neat little tidbits I've picked up along the way in this researching journey.

I already posted about the Navy pilot I interviewed and the other contacts I've been put in touch with, but I just had the most amazingly informative conversation with an Army medevac pilot. He has a lot of experience flying Black Hawks (pictured at the beginning of this post), and took time out of his day at the firehall to go through a list of questions I had. The info and level of detail he gave me was incredible, and will hopefully allow me to add a depth of flavor to the manuscript that wasn't there before. Used sparingly of course, like truffle oil or saffron in a gourmet recipe. I hope it seemed to him like I had done my homework and had a clue, but maybe not. I'll have to ask my ball player buddy later on what her buddy thought of our conversation :)

My hubby came home from doing errands shortly after I'd finished the phone call and I immediately dragged him over to my whirring laptop to show him all the notes I'd made. He pasted on an interested smile and nodded a lot, but I'm sure he wasn't even one percent as excited as I am. But what's not to be excited about? This is fascinating stuff! Plus, my PJ contact (and can I just say that I have a huge crush on all PJs?) came through with some really valuable information, giving me as much as he could without compromising classified material. And to top it off, Santa bought me the book I'd asked for that came out recently about PJs in Afghanistan. Basically, I'm in research heaven. There's not a lot of information out there regarding PJs (maybe because there aren't very many of them), so this book is a really valuable source. Loving this! Now to finish off that pesky first draft...

Why PJs are Awesome

One last post before I embark on my trip (*silent scream*) to highlight the amazing skill set PJs have. These guys are put through the ringer to make sure they have operational capabilities in all terrains and climates on land, air and sea. They are paramedic qualified and must remain so throughout their service. By the end of their training, they can do pretty much everything except major surgery out in the field while under enemy fire. That alone is impressive, but there's more.

PJs are jump qualified in both static line drop and freefall (HALO) jumps. If you don't know what a High Altitude Low Opening jump is, you'll see a snippet of one in the clip to follow. Google it if you want more info, but basically anyone who can perform them has to be nuts. PJs need this capability in order to be dropped in to a target area, and that's when the bulk of their training comes into play. Obviously they're extensively trained in combat and survival tactics, since they frequently operate behind enemy lines or in denied areas.

They attend Combat Diver school. They must pass Underwater Egress training where they're taught how to escape a sinking aircraft (makes me shiver just thinking about it, but if you're interested you can watch the end of The Perfect Storm to see the Nighthawk pilot bailing out of his sinking helo). Then they top it off with a kind of baptism-by-fire apprenticeship where they get their final training while assigned to a team out in the field. Hello gut-check.

All this and much more, for the privilege of wearing the coveted maroon beret and risking their lives to save others. I can't imagine the pay's that great, so let's hope job satisfaction makes up for the deficit. Here's another clip from the Pararescue website, detailing the training and missions a PJ faces. All I know is, I'm glad there are brave men willing to step up and take on this job "so that others may live".

Pararescue Jumpers

I've just finished reading a good non-fiction book about the battle of Roberts Ridge (Takur Ghar, Afghanistan) in March 2002. It details a SEAL insertion gone wrong that cost the life of SEAL Petty Officer Neil Roberts, which quickly morphs into a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission. It involves SEALs, PJs, combat controllers (CCT), Night Stalkers and their crews, Rangers and medics. Among the casualties was 26 year old PJ Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, who was mortally wounded during the mission.

From the pararescue website, I've included a video clip giving an overview of what PJs do. In the entire Department of Defense, the PJs are the only group specifically trained and equipped to go into hostile or denied territory to perform search and rescue missions. They often deploy with an AFSOC Special Tactics team, which would likely include a CCT, weatherman, security forces, etc. But they also respond during civilian humanitarian missions, for example disasters like Hurricane Katrina or mass floods, etc, and all to save people's lives. How can you not love that?

Give this clip a look-see and then you'll know why I find these guys so fascinating.

Here Come the PJs

Here they are: the Pararescue Jumpers. These guys are part of the Air Force Special Operations Command, and talk about amazing. They're half commando/half paramedics who go deep behind enemy lines to rescue downed air crews or other wounded and extract them. You've already seen them in action if you've watched The Perfect Storm or Blackhawk Down. They're the guys putting their lives on the line to protect the wounded until they can be evacuated. Their creed says it all:
It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save life and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live.

I'm feverishly working out the plot for a series of five books (though probably novella length this time), and at least two of the heroes will be PJs. I'll write another post later on highlighting the training and skill set these amazing warriors have, but if you're interested you can check out this Pararescue website for more information. It's tough to find good information on PJs because there's not a lot out there, but I managed to find a book listed on Amazon that received good reviews from former PJs. Must be okay, right? This new series will be set at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Aside from PJs, it will feature female aviators and Emergency Flight Nurses, plus a few Night Stalker pilots. Can't wait for everything to start falling into place!