Tomorrow, September 21, is the one year anniversary of my first release, Heart of a Soldier.

My super talented daughter, Cat Hoffa did the cover for me. It is not Computer Graphics, but an actual painting.

There is always something just a little special about your “first” anything. I was so thrilled and excited to see something I had written published!

Heart of a Soldier was inspired, in part, by my darling blog mate and BFF, Beverly Ovalle. Bev’s son Nick had joined the Marines, and one of our other friends, Alice’s son joined the Air Force. I could just imagine how terrified I would be if my son chose to join the service.
I guess God thought that was funny. Because he did join the service, the service of the Lord, and frankly I’m not sure if this doesn’t scare me more. He intends to mission, so he will be going into hostile situations without the benefit of a gun.

So, Heart of a Soldier was born.

Blurb:
Soldier Jameson Hunter faces the battle of his life: winning the heart of Charlotte Mackenzie, widowed mother of a young recruit.

Excerpt:
What she wasn’t prepared for was the man sitting behind the desk.
Oh, my. Shoulders a mile wide, dark hair, with just a touch of gray at the temples, sunbronzed skin over sharp features and eyes so green they practically glowed in his handsome face.
Rising to his feet, the personification of Ares extended his hand.
“Warrant Officer Jamison Hunter.” When he spoke, the deep baritone of his voice sent tiny shivers down Charlie’s spine. What the hell was this? This was definitely not the time or place for her long dormant libido to decide to wake up. Pull yourself together girl! This is the man that wants to take Evan away. Remember, he is the enemy.
“Charlotte Mackenzie, Charlie. And I believe you know my son Evan.”
“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Please have a seat.”
Okay, Charlie, you can do this, all you have to do is convince a career military man that your son shouldn’t join the army. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?
* * *
An hour later Charlie’s mind spun with information overload. But, one thing was certain, she had a lot to think about. CWO Hunter seemed to sense Charlie’s trepidation.
“Evan, would you mind letting me speak to your mother a moment in private?” Jameson asked.
“Yes, Sir.” Turning to his mother Evan said, “I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Charlie wanted to refuse. She had enough to think about already and she didn’t need the added distraction of CWO Hunter interfering with her thought processes. But, one look at the excitement and anticipation on her son’s face and she nodded her agreement.
Jameson Hunter stared at the beautiful woman in front of him. A compact bundle of curves, with glistening red hair that brushed against her chin in a subtle sway and eyes as blue as the Caribbean, Charlie was everything that revved his engine in a woman. He knew she had concerns about Evan joining the army, but at the moment all he could think about was the woman, not her son. Keep it in your pants boy, he scolded himself. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone and make a date with the delectable Charlie. Then he would have the chance to get to know her better and help allay her concerns about the army. Yeah, that could work. “Charlie, I know you have concerns about Evan signing up. Would you like to go out to dinner with me and we could discuss this in a more informal situation?”
Charlie stared at his face, was he asking her on a date or was this business? Charlie really didn’t know what to think. While Jameson Hunter was an attractive man, Charlie hadn’t been on a date in…well, truthfully since she was dating Phillip in high school. Charlie surveyed Jameson’s face, trying to read his expression. He was smiling, causing the skin beside his eyes to crinkle, eyes that held a slightly wicked gleam. It had been a while, but Charlie was pretty sure she could still read the signals and the signals she was receiving from CWO Jameson Hunter were shouting, “Hey baby, I wanna see you naked,” or maybe that was her and she was reading her own desires in his eyes. Charlie hesitated. But, her concern for Evan was genuine and she really did want to discuss it, so she acquiesced.
“I would like that,” Charlie replied.

What’s a Birthday party without presents? So… who would like to win a copy of Heart of a Soldier? In the comments below tell me What you love about military heroes. The more comments the more winners there will be… say one e-book for every ten comments.