Thanks very much to Mandi for having me here today!
If you’ve read any of my books at all, you already know how much I love military men, especially Special Ops soldiers. I admire their unflagging commitment to their units, their teammates, missions and country. Today I want to introduce you to my newest hero, from an overlooked Spec Ops group I wish more people knew about.
Remember the Chinook crash of August 6th this year in Afghanistan that killed all those SEALs belonging to DEVGRU? They weren’t the only Special Ops personnel lost that day. The SEALs got most of the media attention, and some went to the air crew because the pilot’s little boy finally spoke up (and I was so glad he did), but even when I dug a little deeper, there was no mention made of the Air Force Spec Ops members lost. Only a brief mention of three airmen being on board that fateful day.
In reality, those three “Airmen” were so much more than that. Two of them were Pararescue Jumpers (PJs), and one was a Combat Controller (CCT). At the very least, they deserve to be recognized for their service and membership in two of the most elite and specialized units the US military has to offer.
So what’s a PJ? In essence, they’re high-level trauma medic commandos that go into harm’s way to save lives. Whether they serve here at home in the Air National Guard, or overseas in a combat zone, PJs put their lives on the line to uphold their motto “That Others May Live”. In combat they routinely work with SEALs, Green Berets and Rangers in high risk search and rescue missions, like rescuing an air crew shot down behind enemy lines.
Most of what they do happens without any attention from the media or any recognition from the public. And according to the PJ that helped me with research questions for Deadly Descent, that’s just fine with all of them. They do what they do because saving lives is what matters most to them, not because they want thanks for doing it. That’s the stuff real heroes are made of, and it’s why I chose a PJ for the hero in Deadly Descent.
Deadly Descent is the first of my Bagram Special Ops trilogy, and aside from the PJ hero, this time the heroine is a soldier as well. A Black Hawk medevac pilot stationed at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
I’m giving away a digital copy of Deadly Descent to one commenter here, so please leave me a comment to enter the contest. Any questions for me? Any favorite military romance books you want to share? Fire away!
Thanks Kaylea! Contest open to all through September 9th.
Wow, I love books about military personel. What made you begin to write about them in the first place?
I haven’t read too many military books but I have enjoyed the ones I have read. How do you keep coming up with the story lines?
Hi, Meka. Actually, I started off as a rabid Civil War buff, and somehow it segued into an interest in US Special Ops. I love romantic suspense, but it used to annoy me when authors wrote about soldiers without doing any homework first. Then I found authors like Lisa Marie Rice, Suzanne Brockmann and Marliss Melton, and I admired them so much for the work they put into their research. I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try myself.
Martha, that’s a really interesting question! The answer is kind of sad, but true. Every day on the news there’s something new happening with The War on Terror. I watch lots of documentaries, read lots of articles, follow military people on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Unfortunately there’s never a shortage of ideas because there’s always conflict to draw from in the world. I don’t mean to sound depressing! I sure admire our troops, who face countless challenges.
I really enjoyed Vicki Hinze’s Kill Zone!!
Oooh, Vicki Hinze! I’ve “met” her through some RWA contests. Very nice lady.
I think it’s amazing how much research you put into your books. I had no idea who PJ’s were until you (and even impressed the hubby by mentioning something about them, lol). Congrats on the release, this is one of my favorites! (Plz don’t enter me in the contest)
Katie!!! (I have a fangirl crush on Katie, everyone)
Thanks for coming by to “see” me. I’m flattered that you think it’s amazing, but I always think I should do more.
I feel like it’s my duty to do my soldier characters justice, and it bugs me when I get something wrong. I know I won’t always get every detail right, but I wish I could. Since you live with your very own soldier hero, you can bug him about military research questions anytime! Hmmm, I think there’s a Marine S/S hero book somewhere in my future ;) *wink wink*
In the process of reading Cover of Darkness right now :-) Really liking it so far (32% in)
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Greetings from Germany :-)
sk_86(at)gmx(dot)de
Hi Kaylea, I’m very much looking forward to reading your work after reading the review on smexybooks!
Thanks for the great post! You’re “new” to me so I look forward to trying your books! I really like Suzanne Brockmann’s series but I got a lil burnt out… so this is serendipity! I was looking for a new military romance author and there you are ;)
efender1(at)gmail(dot)com
Sounds great. I am really looking forward to trying your books. Thanks for sharing today!!
Just wanted to say Hi and let you know how much I enjoyed reading Cover of Darkness, No Turning Back and Absolution. I didn’t get to read the other 2 books in that series yet (1st and 4th one I think?), but I have them on my list to go back and purchase. I had to jump to Absolution to see how it all ended and it was fabulous. Absolution was very emotional. I am really looking forward to reading Deadly Descent. Thanks!
Kelly
Hello, _yay_, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Hello from far away here in Vancouver ;).
Thanks, Mindy. I hope you enjoy the story.
Erin, I recently heard that Suzanne Brockmann isn’t writing about SEALs right now. Is that true? Not sure what to believe half the time. I love her character development. She is amazing at it, just like JR Ward.
Hi, Donna, glad to be here!
Thanks, Kelly, I’m so glad you like the first series! Absolution is my favorite of all time. I actually think books 4 and 5 are the strongest (Relentless and Absolution), and since Out of Her League is my first book, it’s the weakest of the 5. If I could go back and re-write that story now, I’d do so many things differently. Live and learn, right? Hope you like Deadly Descent just as much. Cam’s quite something!
I’ve only a little while ago devoured Pamela Clare’s Breaking Point! I love her books! Deadly Descent sounds great. I don’t think I have ever a read about a female pilot in a romantic suspense. Looking forward to reading it!
So did the PJ who helped with your research have to do so on the sly? It always seems like the Spec Ops have to keep everything super secret!
Great question, Megan! I love it when readers pay attention ;)
He’s just recently retired from being a PJ so he didn’t have to be ultra secretive about everything, but there were still things he flat out told me he couldn’t share. For operational security reasons, etc.
One of them was the authentication process out in the field, when they reach their traget and have to verify that the person they’re trying to rescue actually IS who they think it is. (Does that make sense?) There’s a certain way they do it, and though my ex-PJ contact had to be vague about the process, he later read Deadly Descent and said I did a good job of portraying what goes on in the field. Would be so neat to know exactly how it all goes down though!
I’d never heard of PJs – very cool! Can’t wait to read more about them in “Deadly Descent” :-) Thanks for the giveaway!
smaccall AT comcast.net
I just took a quick look at my bookshelves and found that a number of my favorite authors are those who write military romance (Brockmann, Mann, Melton, Clare, to name a few). I’m glad I’ve ‘found’ you so I can add to that list. Will definitely be checking out your backlist and catching up!
Thanks for bringing these special people to our attention!!
Sounds like a good one! Please enter me. I am an old follower.
bevsharp@desch.org
I would love to read this book…it sounds great!! Thanks for the giveaway!!
I haven’t read many military themed romance books, I am just starting to branch out from PNR, this sounds like a damn good read.
bookdevoteereviews(at)hotmail(dot)com
i love military heros. I married my military guy and loved the whole lifestyle. Your book sounds yummy. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Sarah, hi and thanks for coming by. I’m in love with PJs now!
Karen, those are all great authors. Have you also read any of Gennita Low’s books? I think she’s very underrated as an author. And Pamela Clare–I love Unlawful Contact. Such a Hunter/Marc fan. I just found out she writes historicals, too, so I plan to read them in the very near future.
Hi, Beverly, sure.
Thanks, Jennifer. You’re so welcome! Glad to be here.
Jet, you might really like military romance, since a lot of PNR has alpha male warrior heroes.
Trish, you lucky thing! I’m very glad you loved the lifestyle, because personally, I think it would be really hard. The families left behind have so much to deal with when their loved one deploys. Not for the faint of heart.
I have read some of Gennita Low’s books, but it was a number of years ago. I’ll have to check out some of her new work. Thanks for the ‘tip’.
I also used to read Susanne Brockmann. Would love to try your book. It sounds interesting.
Lynnette, what’s the scoop with Brockmann now? Is it true she’s no longer writing about SEALs? That would be a shame. She’s a master.
Hi! What a great Post! I love the premise of this book. I really have a lot of gratitude for those who put their lives on the line for others and our country. I can’t wait to read this book.
Sounds like a great read. I haven’t read any special ops book recently but this one sounds fantastic.
Hey, Pam, you’re the winner! Could you please email me at info@kayleacross.com so I can send you a digital copy of Deadly Descent?
Hope you have a great day,
Kaylea
I love a good military romance! Smexy’s been tweeting about how good this book is – I can’t wait to read it! :)
Dear Kaylea, until Deadly Descent I don’t think I’ve ever read any military novel. Sure some of them had an ex-soldier or marine hero, but your novel was like a documentary and action flick rolled into one! I LOVED it! And just like Katie, I was completely clueless to the army structure, but thanks to Deadly Descent I researched PJs, Night Stalkers and other previously unheard names :-) Can’t wait to read more from you!!
Don’t enter me in the contest as I already have my copy of Deadly Descent thank you :-)
Hi Kaylea, I have not read any of your books (yet) but I love romantic supsense. I love the a bit lighter ones by Cherry Adair, though there is paranormal in it as well, Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalkers, Christina Skye.
Wow! just reading what was wrote here brought me to tears. My son gave his life for this county was an Airman and little was said about him or what he did. I feel so bad that there are so many who give up their lives for this county and do not get recognized. I look forward to readying your works. Thank you.
Hi, Andrea! I’m glad you’re grateful to our troops–I think too many people take them for granted.
Pam, thanks for stopping by to “see” me.
Kaetrin, I know! Smexy’s been amazing to me.
Stella, wow! Thank you so much for saying that. (Your check is in the mail! Lol.)
Hi, Aurian. My fave Christine Feehan book was one of the Ghost Walker books. I think it was NIko’s book? With Dahlia? I just remember that cover vividly, with the incredible pale blue eyes on it.
Oh, Cari, I’m so sorry! Such a terrible thing for a parent to have to live through, and it’s terrible that he wasn’t given the recognition he deserved. Have to say, I’m always outraged that celebrities/athletes, etc get more attention and recognition than the men and women of our armed forces who give their lives for their country. That is so wrong I can’t even wrap my brain around it. I hope it gives you some measure of comfort that there ARE grateful people out there.
DItto what Kaylea said Cari.
I would love to read this book. It sounds very good. I like reading about military also. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
This sounds like a very interesting book! I would love to read it! My late-husband was in the army for twenty years . Please, enter me in the contest.
Really looking forward to reading your books!!!! Thanks!