Respect and Admiration: Why I Write Military Fiction

Canadian writer Lee-Ann Graff-Vinson shares some inspiration and her latest novel with us. Enjoy...

At night, when the quiet enters and my mind settles, I ask myself the question. My breath is deep and my exhale long and slow. I am tired, my eyes burn with the lateness of the hour and the knowledge that I am not yet done. Again, I ask myself the question. Through the fatigue and the strain, my eyes focus on the answer. They show me that what I’ve been working so hard for is no longer just a dream. At night, when the quiet enters my mind, I ask myself why I write. The answer stares back at me from my shelf. I write in the hopes that one day my work will help or inspire another in need.

I write military/suspense/romance novels because of my intense respect and admiration for our Warriors. It is within the pages of my works that I honor those brave men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice for their country and the civilians they protect. Without their inner strength and ability, our world could be a wounded shell of a former democratic reign. Blessed are we to live in countries where freedom prevails. My gratitude to those brave individuals who keep liberty standing strong runs deep. My need to give thanks in the only form I know how, takes me to dark places in the souls of our heroes. Our countries need to recognize just what the Warriors take on to allow us our complaints on more trivial matters. These men and women serve their country until the day they die. There is no retirement from the demons that haunt a wounded body and mind.

It is with utter respect and humiliation that I write for those who fight. I will tell their stories. I will walk in their shoes. I will offer my support. This is the least I can do. I wish it were more.

Life and Liberty - synopsis

Captain Dana Jenkins of the United States Army is about to embark on a mission that will change her life. This isn’t Dana’s first deployment, but it is proving possibly to be her last. As part of the platoon traveling from Camp Liberty, Iraq to Camp Taji, Dana’s convoy gets ambushed. She and the surviving soldiers are taken prisoner by the merciless Iraqi rebel group, Al-Moofoona. Their only hope lies in the hands of their fearless leader, Captain Jack Parsons—the man with whom Dana has fallen hopelessly in love.

Captain Jack Parsons can only sit and watch as what is left of his platoon is ordered into the back of a truck. Along with his men, they’ve taken the only woman he’s ever allowed to penetrate his heart. Jack is going to do everything in his power to save them all before it’s too late.

Lee-Ann Graff-Vinson is a freelance writer, e-book author and blogger. She is an avid military supporter, and writes military romance novels published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing. Along with her novels, she is currently working on a children’s picture book series with her daughter published by Great Minds Think Aloud Publishing. Lee-Ann is also a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Canadian Romance Authors Network. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Please look for more from this author at: www.amazon.com/author/leeannvinson http://www.leeanngraffvinson.blogspot.com/ www.gypsyshadow.com/Lee-AnnGraffVinson.html https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Ann-Graff-Vinson-Author/177242768993456