M is for Marliss Melton

We live in an exciting time and place. Because of the internet, I have been able to forge friendships with people I might never meet. Luckily for me, sometimes I get that rare opportunity to meet a truly inspirational person, a fellow traveler on this writing journey. And she writes about Navy SEALs, like I do.

I can remember the evening I picked up that first book of hers, I think it was Forget Me Not. I had never read a military romance, and I'd just come from the San Francisco Writer's Conference and someone did a panel on genres. I think it was Brenda Novak who told me about military romance, and recommended Marliss and Suzanne Brockman. I bought Marliss' book first, and I was hooked.

Up until that day, all my reading had been classics,
with a healthy dose of paranormal. I was an avid fan of Diana Gabaldon, but Anne Rice was my obsession, until the latter books, when my tastes shifted. Marliss opened the door to the SEAL community I knew a little about already, and I dipped my toe in the water, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Just like anything, when one person does something, it makes it easier for others to follow. She has her heroes too. She also has a loyal following, like me, wherever she goes. It is truly an honor and a priviledge to call her friend.

None of us write in a vacuum. Yes, we compete for the same reader dollar, but not really. We give a few hours of enjoyment to people, but it takes us way more than a few hours to write a good book, have it edited and get it out to the public. So, of course, there are other writers who write the same genre and their success leads to all our success, collectively.

There are so many opportunities for writers these days. The great Diedre Knight spoke at our SF RWA meeting on Saturday. She was excited by the possibilities out there. Our future is indeed bright. Lots of stories to tell, and, thank God, lots of vehicles of delivery.

What we bring will always be in style, no matter what goes on in the world. We bring fantasy and healing to a world in need of it. There simply isn't a better job in the universe. I sometimes forget, but for today, I remember all of it.


Don't forget to catch the other A-Z Blog participants by clicking here.

Welcome Marliss Melton - Bestselling Author Team Twelve Navy SEALs

I am thrilled today to welcome Marliss Melton, the bestselling author of the Team Twelve Navy SEAL Series. I asked her to give us a glimpse of this outstanding series, and what she's working on now. So, Marliss, what are you up to these days?

Tens of thousands of readers read and loved my Award-winning Navy SEALs which carried them through seven books, starting with FORGET ME NOT and ending with SHOW NO FEAR. (It isn’t too late to read them if you missed out). While it’s natural for me to write about Navy SEALs (my husband is US Navy retired), I took a slight detour lately with my newest Taskforce Series, expanding to an Inter-Agency Counterterrorist Taskforce group that is headed up 

by a Navy SEAL.

In Book #2 of the Taskforce Series, The Guardian (Amazon or Barnes & Noble), FBI Special Agent Jackson Maddox goes undercover into a prisoner reintegration program believed to have ties to terrorists, only his cover is about to be blown by a bombshell of a journalist, Lena Alexandra, who keeps sticking her nose into his business. To learn more about THE GUARDIAN, read the blurb next to the book cover.

This book is currently available in Ebook format at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.com and is coming out in hardback in October, 2012.

So, what are you working on now, Marliss?

Book #3 in my Taskforce Series is THE ENFORCER, which features fun-loving ATF Special Agent, Toby Burke, who goes undercover into a militia in West-by-God Virginia to find evidence that its leader, Dylan Connelly, a former female Army officer, is guilty of plotting violence against the current administration. This 

is going to be one of my best books yet!

But, Marliss, are you going to go back to writing your Navy SEAL books?

I get this question all the time, and the answer is a resounding yes. If you were able to read my short story “SEALed by Fate” in the SEAL OF MY DREAMS ANTHOLOGY, then you’ve essentially read the prologue to what will be my next Navy SEAL book. It may be Book #8 in my Team Twelve Series, or it may prove to be the first book of a new series, altogether. (I’m thinking of doing a DEVGRU series). DEVGRU is the name given to SEAL Team Six, and we all know that they are considered the cream of the crop, the ones who got Bin Laden.

This is so exciting, Marliss. I loved the Anthology and read so many great authors there. Proceeds were donated to veteran's charities, I understand.

And DEVGRU! The professional team of the SEALs. That sounds wonderful. Can hardly wait. What else can you tell us about what you're working on?

So, now you’ve got the skinny on what’s in my head for the future.  In the meantime, though, don’t miss out on my Taskforce Series:  THE PROTECTOR, THE GUARDIAN, and THE ENFORCER.

For those of you who couldn’t/can’t get enough of my SEAL Team Twelve Series, though, I have a treat in store for you! Look for a novella coming this fall entitled LONG GONE. It is based on the secondary love story in TOO FAR GONE. (Remember Drake Donovan, the FBI special agent who fell in love with Skyler Dulay, only she had to go into witness protection and they never got their happily-ever-after?)  Here’s a peek at the cover. Look for LONG 

GONE coming this Oct/Nov, 2012.

Wonderful news. I will be one of the first to buy it when it comes out. 

Thanks for stopping by and telling us about your must-read military romances. Marliss has been generous to offer a giveaway to a lucky commenter. Please leave your email, example: SuzyQ(at)gmail (dot)com in the body of your comment. And don't forget to come back and visit with military authors next week.

Leave a thoughtful comment and you may win a free digital or paperback copy of THE GUARDIAN! 

Summary, The Guardian:

When a highly esteemed prisoner-reintegration program falls under suspicion of being a terrorist training ground, the Taskforce sends Special Agent Jackson Maddox undercover to investigate. Going by the name Abdul, Jackson fits right in, until his cover is threatened by a sexy journalist taking his picture. If his mission weren't so critical, he wouldn't mind being the object of her fixation.  But when he confronts her, the hot-as-hell bombshell denies everything before slipping through his fingers.   

Crime journalist Lena Alexandra isn’t going anywhere. One of the parolees at the program murdered her sister a decade earlier and got away with it.  Determined to send the killer back to jail, Lena secures a job at a nearby convenience store and sets about interviewing parolees for a book she’s allegedly writing. Her objective— to use her astute interviewing skills and stunning sex appeal to get the killer to confess.  Dangerous plan?  Yes, but not even the gorgeous ex-con named Abdul can derail her, not even when she finds out who he really is.

As the summer nights heat up, Jackson’s probe reveals startling evidence that could endanger the nation’s capital.  He can’t battle his desire for Lena and subdue a fanatical leader at the same time. And Lena can’t corner her sister’s killer as long as an undercover FBI agent persists in trying to protect her. As peril looms for both of them, Lena and Jackson must learn to trust each other with their secrets . . . and their lives.

What about you? Do you love a man in (or out of) uniform? What do you love best about reading military romances? Any favorite hunks?