Story of the 2 Jakes

Thank you, readers, for my great launch week for Jake2. I truly appreciate your feedback and support! Loved writing this book!

Sometimes you get into a story, and it becomes deeper than you'd planned, or you get caught up in a secondary character who makes his/her appearance on stage and completely takes over the storyline for a time.

With Band of Bachelors: Jake, I had one of those occurrences.  I loved writing about this dysfunctional family and all their problems. Jake, based on a real SEAL I knew briefly, had fathered four children with three different women, not because he was a bad person, but because he couldn't say no, and wasn't careful. It didn't matter to him if sex brought him more children because he loved his children.

I know there are "norms" and I get hit with occasional comments from the Reader Police, informing me about how I've bended or broken the rules. In the words of one of my delightful writer friends, "You don't have to worry about breaking the rules, just understand the rules you are breaking." She breaks them all the time, and so do I. I think that gives variety and spice to the romance genre, and we also get to try out things that perhaps we wouldn't have been able to if we all subscribed to the same lock-step rules.

So my guy is one of those who doesn't pay attention to the seed he spawns. Okay. That still doesn't disqualify him as a hero, because he makes good on his intentions - just learns the lesson later than most. And that happens in real life, right?

So, at the end of Band of Bachelors: Jake, I already knew there had to be a Book 2. I also am aiming more toward things that could be made into TV or movie pilots, and, from talking to screenwriters and others who produce TV pilots, they usually want the same character in each episode, not different couples, like I have in the beginning of my SEAL Brotherhood Series. So, I've been testing how I could do this, and have done it now three times: with Jameson in Nashville SEALs, Fredo in Fredo's Dream, and now with Jake2.

As a writer, I try to look for new projects for me, experiments that tickle my fancy (maybe some other things too, but I won't mention them!) and keep the creative part, well, creative! In Paradise, I wrote that book in first person. In SEAL Of Time, I created a paranormal Navy SEAL, son of Poseidon, who is an immortal healer.

As a reader, you like that, right? I know as a reader of some of my favorite authors, I sure do. I love seeing new things my favorite authors can accomplish. It's like opening a new chapter on a familiar book, and discovering something you hadn't read before. Thanks for taking the journey with me!

DISNEY AND WRITING ROMANCE - I am Alice in Wonderland

When I was little, my parents gave me a record player with one red button on it. The arm was red, and the volume control was on the right side. It played a number of 45 rpm records such as Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and others. The machine, like the one pictured here, had Alice in Wonderland characters painted on it.

This may very well be the exact machine I used to listen to those many many years ago. I was about 3. We had a large house in Oakland, California, and the upstairs had three bedrooms and two attic doors. We later had boarders, "the grandmothers" who helped my parents with expenses. But for a long time, I was alone in the entire top floor of this old home. My fantasy life bloomed into something so strong, I know it will always be with me forever.

We raise our kids on all sorts of stories now, such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and others. But back then, I think the very first records for children were fantasy love stories I listened to over and over again.

Alice In Wonderland is celebrating it's 65th anniversary this year. Perhaps that's why this RCA Victor record player had those characters. But my 3 year old mind and heart was stolen by the fantasy of true love. It has been something I carry with me to this day. I can still hear the songs, the music and the voices. I see the dancing. The idea of finding my handsome prince and dancing off in the moonlight is a vision for my generation that will thrill me until the day I take my last breath. I'll sail off to that other world, and hope to meet every one of my fantasy men, who will of course greet me like the queen of romance I am!

We've just spent a week in Orlando at Disney World. Children and adults from all different cultures and races can relate to the magic of family, of love, of finding a place that is safe and wonderful, and, for a few hours, forget the cares of the world and just explore their own childhood. John Lennon's words come to me, "Imagine all the people..." and I saw evidence that people could stand side by side when they have at least one thing in common. We don't ask what we don't share. We live by the things we do share in common.

I guess I could call Disney World and Disneyland (my home turf) my Mecca of sorts. We bring the grandchildren there to share with them what we shared with our kids. Our kids share their love of fantasy with their own children. It's an indescribably wonderful way to spend a few days together, memories that will last a lifetime. Because we never know when we'll be separated.

I once talked to a partner of Disney who said WD had taken his daughters to a park and found the merry-go-round animals had chipped paint and some of them didn't work. He vowed that when he built Disneyland, "It will be a place with no chipped paint and everything works." His legacy lives on.

My worlds are internal. I am the stoker of the fire. I plant the seed and the reader takes that and grows it into a fantasy of their own choosing. Maybe I am the cage around the tomato plant, that keeps it from falling over. I losely guide the reader here and there, like a painting instead of a photograph. This is fiction. Blurry, fuzzy fiction, with enough grit, heartache and emotion to make it just real enough to ask the reader to come along on the ride.

Aside from trends, the writer in me knows I have to keep it fresh, and unlike other authors. My voice has to be unique. I have to weave universal themes such as true love, love heals, love conquers, and love everlasting. I'm not a billion dollar business (yet), but I'm inspired by the world building and that little touch of magic Disney has given me. I'm grateful my childhood was the way it was, every part of it, even the parts that weren't so much fun.

How lucky I am.  I create the fairy tale of the ball, the handsome prince, and the big beautiful blue dancing gown. Oh yes, and the promise of Happily Ever After.

FINISHING A BOOK, FIERCE WRITING, AND OTHER TALES OF FICTION

I get kind of crazy when I'm finishing a book, which usually means I'm anti-social and hermit-like. Not this time. This time, for whatever reason, I'm connected with lots of people. I've been working on Romancing The Vines, book signing at Coppola Winery on 2-20-16, coordinating things with the wonderful event staff there and making sure all of us are on the same page. There's more about that, but I best not put it in writing until after the event.

Then I fly to Hawaii to participate in an author's conference, and then another book signing in Honolulu for military writers. I'm sponsoring a trip to Pearl Harbor, and the Missouri and Arizona memorials. While I'm there, I'll be going to a swing dance (stag), but who knows? Perhaps I'll find a young officer to dance with, since my husband has to stay home this time.

End of February I'll be attending an Indie Un-Con in San Francisco. Next week I give a luncheon address for a group, talking about Navy SEALs and the heroism they display. This will not be my normal group of writers and avid romance fans, so I'm bringing to them brand new material.

We saw 13 Hours, which is a movie everyone should see, and watched some interviews with the real survivors. I finished Black Sails and Mozart In the Jungle, two new programs for me, which rival my previously favorite: House of Cards.

I've completely straightened my writing area, AGAIN! I've uncovered my gym, put material and quilting supplies that were encroaching into bins and boxes so I can see what I have. I've raided the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa and walked out with every aloha shirt I could find for my quilt.

This is behavior I had when I was pregnant! Impossible now, but perhaps the birth of the book is bringing out all the nesting instincts in me. And I'm still enjoying Christmas, even though the tree is torch-like dry. I'm leaving up all the decorations until the book is done. I have other writer friends who are stressing over deadlines farther out, and I've kept my mouth shut.

And I've done all this without coffee, can you believe it? And I've stuck to my diet, and have lost about 6#, perhaps more now.

I guess what's happening is I'm organizing my whole world so my focus is sharp and detailed. I call it Fierce Writing. In the zone, as one of my good friends says. I love writing this way. When I walk in and out of rooms, I get excited because they're clean, orderly and I'm not distracted. I don't feel bad because everything else has been allowed to slide. This is a planned attack, just like my SEALs do in the books I write. Writing fiercely and clear-headed is a practice, a devotion to something hopefully greater than myself.

Interesting that when I decide to clean up my spaces, I write better. My relationships are cleaner. Even three of my kids said thank you to me for being the mother I was. Two of them actually asked for advice!

Yes, I've gone to Heaven.

Okay, now back to the book. I'm working hard, and I do it for you!

Saying Goodbye

I am moved by events that happened today to some dear friends who experienced a tragedy. I know they are struggling with the pain that they must bear very privately, and how I wish I could take some of the burden from them. But I cannot. 

So I thought I'd do a post on the daily inspirational message I read every morning, but on this particular morning, had such a profound impact on me. I hope that it finds its way to your heart somehow, either now, or when you stumble upon it some days or weeks or years from now.

JANUARY 20

The pain of leaving those you grow to love is only the prelude to understanding yourself and others. 

I next read the message at the bottom of the devotional so I know where the message is taking me, and it read, "Today will bring both good-byes and hellos. I can meet both with gladness." 

I wasn't sure I was going to like this passage today. But I read on:  Life is a process of letting go, letting go of conditions we can't control, letting go of people--watching them move out of our lives, letting go of times, places, experiences. Leaving behind anyone or anyplace we have loved may sadden us, but it also provides us opportunities for growth we hadn't imagined. These experiences push us beyond our former selves to deeper understandings of ourselves and of others.  

So often those experiences that sadden us, that trigger pain, are the best lessons life is able to offer. Experiencing the pain, surviving the pain that wrenches us emotionally, stretches us to new heights. Life is enriched by the pain. Our experiences with all other persons thereafter are deeper. Instead of dreading the ending of a time, the departure of a loved one, we must try to appreciate what we have gained already and know that life is fuller for it.

My grandfather, who was probably the greatest man I have ever known, the handsome preacher who called on people to rise up above themselves, out of the flaws of this world for the possibility of a more perfect world yet to be, conducted  my grandmother's funeral and called it a Victory Memorial. I can't quite go there today, especially in light of what my friends have had to bear today. But what he meant was that death wasn't the end of things.


It's a doorway to the next thing. We each see that doorway, depending on where we stand in connection to it, so that every person has their own perspective of it, experience of it uniquely their own.

My grandfather's message to us was that there were other doorways, and everyone has one we will enter when that time comes. Until then, life is to be cherished. Every minute of it. That we feel pain is evidence that we are alive, lucky to be alive, living amongst each other, and that there is sunshine ahead.

Some day. 

Sharon Hamilton

Life is one fool thing after another.

Love is two fool things after each other.

Author Page ** Sharon's Blog ** Sharon's Website ** Facebook**Twitter

Happy New Year - Love Those Navy SEALs!

Welcome everyone to the New Years Blog Hop. There are a ton of prizes you can win, which I've described below. In addition, someone on this blog will win a set of dog tags (3 covers of my SEAL books) and my new release, Fallen SEAL Legacy.

But that's not all. EVERYONE who leaves their email address wins something: either SEAL Encounter, the prequel/short to Accidental SEAL, or SEAL Endeavor, the prequel/short to Fallen SEAL Legacy. Yup. Everyone!

Your mission, if you so choose, is to leave a comment here on this blog, with your email address. We're sorry, but the Grand Prize #3 SWAG Pack offered on the site that is won internationally may have postage charges added.

You have a lot of other great blogs to follow and enter for freebies, so this post will be short. Here are the 10 things a Navy SEAL would NEVER SAY.

1.  Let's go hang out at the mall.
2.  I'm not a risk taker. I like it safe.
3.  I'm not really a great swimmer and don't much care for the water.
4.  I have a replica DOR bell on my keychain, just to bring back the fond memories.
5.  Getting wet and sandy is my idea of fun on a Saturday night.
6.  I sometimes have trouble making quick decisions.
7.  I can't live without 8 hours sleep every night.
8.  I'm just as happy reading a book as getting into a fight.
9.  Will you pack my chute for me? I'm just too tired.
10. I don't ever think about the sacrifices my family makes for me at home.

Can you add to this list? Which one is your favorite?

Good luck with the grand prizes, listed below:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $300 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! 

Join the other blogs to sign up for more freebies and enter for Grand Prize drawing here

New Year's Blog Hop Coming January lst.

It's another year over! Can you believe it? Well we authors, readers, and bloggers sure can't. And to celebrate the New Year with bang, we're going crazy and sending out so many prizes, fun parties, experiences, and other goodies, that it's a bit scary. Each author has a favorite New Year memory, book, idea, or way to party and we're going to show you! Can't wait to see you January 1st - 6th!

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $300 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

In addition, each person who leaves a comment on my personal blog will be entered to receive a set of Dog Tags from the covers of my SEAL books, as well as a free copy of Fallen SEAL Legacy, my new book. Every commenter will also receive a free short (SEAL Endeavor or SEAL Encounter). Be sure to leave your email in the comment. 

Enjoy your adventure into the NEW YEAR!

HAPPY READING - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Come back and join me here on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013.

Here are all the blog participants

Forwarding encouraged!

Angels at Christmas: The Start of the Writing Journey

Angels and the Heaven That Could Be

I was raised in a traditional family, or as traditional as a family could be in Northern California during the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. And yes, we had our fair share of quirky characters, as all families do. Laced in there were some serious hours doing service at our local church, mostly because that’s what my parents had done, how they had met, in the shadow of my grandfather, who was an evangelist.

Let me set you straight here, this blog isn’t about religion or much of anything in the way of values, other than as it relates to my characters. I’ve always said I’m a Christian with a bent antennae. I’ll explain.

I was given a unique view behind the curtain, to see what went on behind the production number that was the stage. And that’s where I think the real story is. I got to see the women, kids in tow, coming to my grandfather’s house in the middle of the night, after being beaten by a raging husband. Those things really do happen in the real world. I’d see them at breakfast the next day, and watch as my grandfather would hand out a free meal or a little money to people out of luck. He told me the “hobos”, as we used to call them, marked his fence so one that followed would know there was a kind person living there who might share a scrap of food. I once gave my favorite teddy bear to a little girl who was about 4 and clearly was afraid. I was afraid too. Afraid for her future. I often think of her little face, standing in my grandfather’s kitchen, barefoot, with syrup running down her chin.

What has always interested me is what makes people do the things they do. And what choices they make in life. I didn’t want to go into religious studies. I wanted to know what motivated them. So, in college I majored in Psychology.

Years later, after raising a family of my own and now beginning to see them have children, I still don’t really know what makes people do what they do. But I know how to write it down.

Heavenly Lover is my first book, and it was the book that seized me one cold December day when I was visiting my daughter for her college graduation in Portland. We were snowed in that day, and the graduation (mid-year, smaller) was cancelled. And like the famous story of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein, we started talking about stories as we went around the room. I had been dreaming about angels, but not anything close to the angels I’d learned about in Sunday School. These were fully fleshed out beings with personalities, in a beautiful place with gardens and classrooms so they could learn about human life.

My blonde angel character was innocent, but drawn to the human world like a moth is drawn to a light fixture. The story developed that her attraction to all things human was what made her such an effective Guardian Angel. And she had a 100% track record, unlike anyone else.

I constructed a world around her and the possibility that she might fall in love so hard, that she wanted to give up her wings and become human. And so I explored what that would look like, how she would feel, and what the consequences would be.

The premise became:  Heaven isn’t 100% perfect by design. The Underworld isn’t 100% evil by accident.

I began thinking that she would test the premise that all beings had free will, human as well as angelic. And I wanted her to push the boundaries. And not just push them, I wanted her to fall off the edge and watch her recover, if she could.

Thirty days later, in mid January, I had that first draft done. It was 92,000 words. I asked other writers I was becoming friends with if that was normal, and realized I am a prolific writer. Now that version has been re-written over 50 times now, vetted and critiqued on the contest circuit, where it did very well. It took a lot of people to help me wrestle with this behemoth first novel. But the end result is something that is near and dear to my heart. The premise and the ending remained the same.

I’m now on my 4^th book in the angel series.

You might ask me if I believe in the presence of a higher power. And I have to say, when I shut my eyes and tune out everything else, that someone else is there.

I hope you enjoy the journey I’ve taken. No, it probably won’t send you back to church. But it might make you believe in perfect love. For life doesn’t have to be 100% perfect to be fully enjoyed. We don’t have to be 100% perfect to love or be loved.

All I Want For Christmas is my Husband

There are a lot of military families out there who are separated this Christmas. Thank you for stopping by to help remember them today. It's easy to forget about our fighting men and women when we are just going about our daily lives. In this picture, my husband and I are at the wedding of our oldest son, which took place amongst the redwoods. I'm holding our grandson.

But these precious days wouldn't be possible without those that have sacrificed, and in some cases, given their all so we could have a "normal" life, free from the worries and dangers we might otherwise face.

I think about the families separated this Christmas, and my heart goes out to them especially. They are having a Christmas dinner in a temporary home, sleep on a cot, love getting letters and packages from home. They play video games and read, and they think of their families. I include them in my family. And if I could rule the world, like I do in my military romance novels, I'd bring them all home safely tomorrow. Before Christmas.

But I'm a realist. The world doesn't always have a happily ever after, like in our books. And, sadly, some must pay the ultimate sacrifice or come home wounded. I can only imagine the pain their absense causes.

And so I say thank you, for all you do for us. For giving me a Christmas and a whole life I will not squander.

Please leave your email in your comment for a free short to my new Navy SEAL Brotherhood series, SEAL Endeavor. This is the prequel to my new release, Fallen SEAL Legacy. You must also leave your email addy to be entered in the grand prize drawing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, and be sure to share this post with everyone you know. Remember, EVERYONE who leaves a comment and their email address will win a short. Everyone.

And be sure to stop by all the other author blog sites for other free prizes to make your Christmas that much merrier:

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

After you leave your comments, join the other hoppers by clicking here.

Welcome Kaylea Cross

Today I am thrilled to welcome Kaylea Cross. She is a new author I have just discovered, and I love her writing. She also writes about military heroes, but from a detailed perspective I find rare in romantic suspense. You can tell she has studied many disciplines. Hope you will enjoy my new find as much as I have!

Tell me how you got started writing military romance? How many books have you written?

I’ve been a military history nut ever since I can remember, so I guess it’s little wonder that I chose to write about military characters when I decided I wanted to write romance. To date I’ve written 16 books under two different names (because they write different genres).

Why do you think these Alpha military heroes (and heroines) are so popular? What makes them heroes?

I think—I hope—they’re popular because people admire our men and women in uniform. They sacrifice so much, and so do their families.

They’re heroic because they serve and defend their country at risk to their own lives, and they do it with little or no recognition. Or much compensation, in my opinion.

How do you compliment the heroine to a strong alpha military guy? Do you write them strong? Compliant? Kick-butt?

I personally like heroines that are smart and have a backbone. Though if they’re civilians who suddenly find themselves in harm’s way, they’d better listen to the hero and do what he says without argument. I can’t stand it when a clueless heroine starts arguing with a seasoned soldier/operator in a dangerous situation about how things should be done. Hello? He’s the expert—just do as you’re told!

Do you like writing in series, or single?

Series! I like it best when we get to meet a whole cast of characters and get to know them, so we really care about each of them throughout the entire story arc of the series. When it comes time for each character’s story, the reader will hopefully be that much more invested in the book.

Who is your favorite character you've created? Why?

Hands down it has to be Luke Hutchinson, my former SEAL turned CIA contractor who features in my first romantic suspense series (the hero of Absolution). He’s fifty years old and has gone through hell for his country, including sacrificing his family life in order to hunt down the monster he created early in his career. If anyone deserves a shot at happily ever after, it’s Luke. And he’s CRAZY sexy. For real. Gah! I love him so much.  I have to admit I haven’t started Absolution, but after reading Cover of Darkness, I had to go out and order it. I mean, Yum.

Do you find it easier to write the bad boys or the good boys? I'm assuming both are heroic, but which ones are more fun to write?

I’m going to say good boys, since most of my heroes have very strict moral compasses and high standards of conduct they hold themselves to. Their training and experience in the field mature them in a quick hurry as well. I have written a couple of heroes that have a bit of a bad boy persona, but they know when to stop and put on their game faces.

What about the heroines? Do you find it easiest to write the bad girls or the good girls?

 

Definitely good girls. They might have an attitude or be able to kick ass at any given moment, but they’re always good people. Not perfect, mind you. Nobody wants to read about a perfect character, since that’s boring, not to mention unrealistic. Each of my characters has to grow and change during their book, struggling to overcome some sort of fear or flaw. I think that makes them easier for readers to identify with.

I did just finish a book with a sort of bad girl heroine (Maya, from the Bagram Special Ops series), but she changes a lot during her story because she lets her defenses down once the hero earns her trust. Not an easy feat, I’ll tell you that much. But so satisfying in the end.

If you could have a date with one of your characters, which one would it be and why? Where would you go?

You mean if we were both single and unspoken for? *g* Oh, that’s so hard! I immediately want to say Luke, but we wouldn’t be compatible for a lot of different reasons. So, I’d have to go with either his son, Rayne (from Out of Her League), a former Marine now SWAT officer, or Cam, the Air Force Pararescueman from Deadly Descent (first Bagram Special Ops book).

They’re both sweet but highly trained and very protective of the women they care about. Alpha males for sure, but not so much that they require special feeding and handling, like some of my other heroes do.

If you could go to a desert island with two companions, who would you bring? What would you do there? What would you bring if you could bring anything?

I love my husband, but he’s an accountant, so I doubt he’d be much good to me on a desert island. (Don’t tell him I said that!) I’d want someone with survival training, and they’d have to be both calm and decisive. Can I take a SEAL and a Pararescueman with me?

Aside from food and water, a GPS and a way to find a rescue? I’d want practical stuff like tools, shelter, etc. And a never ending supply of pen and paper to write with.

Pretend you have just sold your 100,000th copy of one of your books. What will you do to celebrate?

Ah, an author can dream… I’d probably plan a surprise trip to Disneyland for my hubby and kids.

Tell us something about you that most people wouldn't know or guess about you?

I’m a total wimp! Reading my books you might not think so, but I hate conflict of any sort. Gives me hives.

I like being at home with my kids or writing, puttering in the garden, quilting, painting or reading. Though I do own a collection of Civil War weapons… (And up here in Canada, owning any sort of gun is considered very weird if you’re not a hunter. So I’m considered to be a very strange duck.)

Who are your favorite authors/books?

Linda Howard’s All the Queen’s Men is my favorite romantic suspense book of all time. If you haven’t read it, do. I was inspired to write Cover of Darkness because of it.

I also loved the early Black Dagger Brotherhood books by JR Ward (up ‘til Vishous’s book). Those characters seem so real, I got sucked right into their world.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on the first book of a new single title series I hope an agent will be interested in, featuring a group of ex-Spec Ops heroes now working as military contractors. Fingers crossed!

Excerpt: From Deadly Descent, book 1 of the Bagram Special Ops series

She kept firing, heartened that some SEALs remained out front. It wasn’t like they’d deserted her.

Her gun clicked when she squeezed the trigger. Empty.

Shit, out of ammo again. She reloaded. Her gaze swept past the SEALs toward the Chinook. She cried out in relief when she saw Cam running flat out toward her. He moved like a blur, weapon firing.

He came barreling into the rock shelter and skidded to his knees beside her. “Come on,” he yelled over the noise.

Still holding her weapon, she grabbed a fistful of his uniform as he levered her onto his shoulders. Amidst the whine and ping of the rounds landing around them, he ran for the Chinook. She kept firing in bursts toward the enemy, and stopped only when she felt the heavy rotor wash beating at her back. A howl of agony ripped from her throat as Cam flipped her off his shoulder and all but tossed her into the cabin.

Someone grabbed her under the armpits and hauled her backward away from the ramp as Cam jumped inside. Black spots swam before her eyes.

“Talk to me, Spike.”

She turned her head at Ryan’s voice. “I’m okay!”

He moved away toward the cockpit. The inside of the bird was so crowded with bodies she couldn’t tell who was who. The pitch of the big engines changed, rising to a shrill scream as the bird struggled to take off. Fighting back the pain, she found Cam at last near the ramp and met his stare. The gunners were still firing from their positions. The bird shuddered and strained under the burden of all its passengers.

Oh God. They were overweight. The engines were already maxed out.

Cam exchanged a long look with Jackson, then pushed his way over to her. She grabbed his upper arms and leaned forward to shout. “They need to throw some ammo and equipment out, or—”

“Listen to me.” His eyes were the most intense she’d ever seen them. She stilled.

He surrounded her with his arms for a second before kissing her hard and pulling back. He shook her once, staring down intently at her. “I love you.”

Her heart stopped beating.

He wouldn’t. She read the intent in his eyes. “No, don’t—”

“Hang on to this for me,” he shouted. He yanked out the chain she’d given him and put it in her stiff hand. Then he turned and disappeared down the tail ramp.

She threw out a hand to grab him. Stop him. But her fingers only grabbed air. “Cam!” He didn’t stop. Didn’t so much as hesitate as he jumped off the tail ramp and joined the SEALs still on the ground around the Chinook.

“Cam, no!” Heedless of the pain in her leg, she pulled herself toward the closing ramp. Desperate to get to him before it was too late.

She tripped on someone’s leg and went down, crying out in agony as her wounded knee smashed into the steel floor. Hard hands gripped her waist. Yanked her up and back. She fought them.

“Dev, don’t.”

Ryan. Mindless, she ripped at his restraining hands. “Let me go! He’s going to get killed!”

Ryan hauled her up and into his arms, holding her tight as the Chinook lifted off the ground. She fought him with all her strength. “Is he on the Hawk?”

“Dev—”

“Is he on one of the Hawks!”

“I…I don’t know.” He held her tighter. Cutting off her breath. She weakened and stopped fighting.

Her body was stiff with denial. She was sobbing now, hysterical. “W-we have to g-get him.”

“He’ll get out, Dev. I promise you.”

The pain was suffocating. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t ease the splitting sensation in her chest. The tears flowed fast and hot down her cheeks. They soaked the front of Ryan’s fatigues as the bird rose into the dark sky and left the man she loved behind.

Bio: Kaylea Cross is an award winning author of edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense. A Registered Massage Therapist, Kaylea is an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dancer and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She is an active member of the Greater Vancouver Romance Writers of America chapter and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband.

All buy links can be found on my website: http://www.kayleacross.com

You can find Kaylea through her website, Twitter, Facebook, and her blog.

 Thank you, Kaylea. We wish you all the success with your hunky heroes.

Sharon