Salute to Veterans Day with Cat Johnson, Delilah Devlin, JM Madden, & Sharon Hamilton

With me today for the Salute to Veterans event are 4 of the talented authors who are included in the box set 

UNIFORM DESIRES

Cat Johnson, Delilah Devlin, JM Madden, and Sharon Hamilton. 

They were each asked the question....

Why do you write Military Romance? 

Cat Johnson 

I initially began writing military romance because I enjoyed reading it. My motivation changed once I began to correspond regularly with active duty military. Now I write military romance because these heroes inspire me. I want to tell the stories of the boots on the ground--the tankers and infantrymen and wingers, even if it is a fictionalized spin on reality.

Delilah Devlin

First, I’d like to thank Kallypso for hosting this event! It means a lot to me, personally, that people take the time to salute our veterans. After all, I am one.

I won’t say when I served—a girl likes to maintain certain secrets (her age, the number of lovers she’s had, her jeans size...)—but I did serve fourteen years in the Regular Army and another seven in the National Guard. Which, I suppose, makes it strange that I have written so few military-related stories. I was a communications officer and was assigned to posts in Germany and the Middle East. I’m a veteran based on the months I spent in the Middle East during the Gulf War. If ever you want to hear some very funny tales, buy me a drink or a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you all about them, but I prefer not to write about them. Strange, I know.

The story I wrote for the boxed set of military-themed stories, Uniform Desires, has an ex-marine hero who’s still serving his country, but from inside the DEA. And he’s still very much a hero while he does his best to keep the heroine and himself alive while they run from some very pissed-off and well-armed criminals.

While I don’t write many military-themed stories, I do draw on my memories of the men I served with to make my heroes as real as I can. They aren’t perfect men and don’t always make the right moves or decisions, but they will lay everything on the line for what they believe and for the people they love.

JM Madden

Well, I had the idea of writing vets for a long time, and a lot of it was sparked by newspaper articles and blog posts about soldiers being left behind by their significant others. That truly broke my heart. These men (and women) were going out and waging war, then coming home to empty houses. Some of those soldiers had been ‘combat modified’, and their families just couldn’t cope with the way of life they were suddenly thrust into. So, many of them walked out, leaving their injured spouses behind. It just seemed so wrong.

Several years before that, a relative cheated on her husband while he was on a year-long deployment to Iraq, and my sense of outrage just boiled over.

It took me years to start the series, though, because I didn’t feel like I would do the men justice, and I needed to. I couldn’t go out with a half-assed story, so I dug my heels in and made it the very best series it could be.

So far, I think I’ve accomplished that. I get so many letters and emails from people who have been touched by my Marines, and that is truly the greatest pay-off an author can receive; recognition from the readers that they’ve been affected by our words. It’s what I strive for in every book I put out.

My men are not ‘fixed’ by the end of the book. They will still be in a wheelchair and they’ll still walk with limps, talk with stutters, struggle with day-to-day tasks, but they will have found a partner in the struggle.

Every life challenge is better faced with a significant other, right? And love? Always love…

Sharon Hamilton 

I started writing Navy SEAL Romances when I first sat down with a bunch of young recruits who had just made it through Hell Week. They were hunched over, walking like crab-like creatures, arms and legs spread out due to the chafing from wearing clothes, including boots and socks without changing for 6 days straight. And, although they hadn't had more than 45 minutes of rest during those 6 days, they were hungry as Hell.

I looked at those boys, some of whom actually had broken limbs and bloody wounds, a couple of black eyes and bald spots on the tops of their heads from carrying those rubber boats, and what I saw there was courage and determination unlike I had ever seen before. You don't get to be a SEAL by being a sissy or doing it the easy way. And that's why their motto is "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday."

Six New York Times, USA Today and National Bestselling Authors combine their love of hot military romance, weaving tales of super alpha heroes and the women who love them. They love hard. They love intensely, like everything else in life they do. This is intended as a toe-curling, knee-wobbling read not for the faint of heart as we learn about heroes who put their lives on the line every day.Infatuation by USA Today bestselling author Melissa Schroeder
To prove her love and save her man, she has to go above and beyond the call of duty

SEAL's Honor by award-winning author Elle James
Two Navy SEALs jeopardize their lives and hearts in a battle-torn land when they vie for the love of one sexy Night Stalker helicopter pilot

SEAL the Deal by national bestselling author Sharon Hamilton
A SEAL's nightmare of a promise given at his sister's deathbed gives him the woman of his dreams

Dangerous Liaison by national bestselling author Delilah Devlin
A pampered travel agent escapes through the jungle with an undercover DEA agent when a drug lord mistakes her for a rival's daughter

Her Forever Hero by bestselling author JM Madden
When the boss's pregnant, unwed daughter needs rescuing, disabled Marine Grafton Parks proves he's still a hero

Cinderella Liberty by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Cat Johnson
A weekend liberty leads to unexpected passion between a Marine and his best friend's sister, but he must survive seven months in Afghanistan to get back to her

Buy the box set at Amazon

Cat Johnson

Cat Johnson is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author writing contemporary romance in genres including military and cowboy.  A self-proclaimed promo 'ho, she is known for her creative marketing and research practices. Consequently, Cat has sponsored bull riding rodeo cowboys, owns an entire collection of cowboy boots and camouflage shoes for book signings and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. She writes both full length and shorter works and is currently contracted with Kensington and Samhain.

Contact Links:

Twitter   Facebook   Website   Mailing List

Delilah Devlin

Delilah Devlin is an award-winning author of erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over a hundred twenty stories with Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake Romance, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing. Read more about Delilah at www.delilahdevlin.com.

Contact Links:Website: http://www.delilahdevlin.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DelilahDevlinFanPage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DelilahDevlin

JM Madden

Terminally addicted to romances, thanks to finding her aunt's stash of 'Harlequin Presents' years ago during a sleepover, J.M. Madden loves any and all good love stories. Most particularly her own. She has two beautiful children and a husband who always keeps her on her toes.

J.M. was a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio for nine years, until hubby moved the clan to Kentucky. When not chasing the family around, she's at the computer, reading and writing, trying to perfect her craft. She occasionally takes breaks to feed her animal horde, and is trying to control her office-supply addiction, but both tasks are uphill battles. Happily, she is writing full-time now. She always has several projects in the works and loves to hear from readers.

Contact JM-

FB- https://www.facebook.com/jmmaddenauthor

Twitter- @authorjmmadden

Email- authorjmmadden@gmail.com

Newsletter- http://www.jmmadden.com/newsletter.htm

Sharon Hamilton

Sharon’s award-winning almost-erotic Navy SEAL stories of the SEAL Brotherhood, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion and true love.

Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read before, since they don’t have to go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun.

Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.

She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers..

Contact Links:

Website: http://sharonhamiltonauthor.com/index.html

FB: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSharonHamilton

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752621.Sharon_Hamilton

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharonlhamilton

Contest Information:

For this giveaway we have 4 separate winners. Just fill out the rafflecopter AND comment below and tell us if you know of someone who is or has been in the military and what branch of the military there served in. First names only please for confidentiality reasons. 

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