14 More Days…

14 More days until the release of A Major Attraction.

Some facts behind the book:

• This is based off the very first book I ever wrote (back in the 1990s, yes way back), although that version has gone through many, many revisions. Thank God. It was pretty awful when first finished.
• I lived in the same house the hero lives in, the Robert Lee Smith House–1901, which is a historical home with a placard and everything. 🙂
• The coffee shop Olivia opens is in place of the actual coffee shop which back then was the Church Street coffee shop. It was a tiny little place where you could leave your cup hanging along a rail. Then you’d come in and they’d pour you your own cup. Now it’s apparently expanded big time and is the Church Street Coffee & Deli.
• Swansboro, NC is a terrific town outside of the Marine Corps base. It’s close to the base but far enough away, and on the water, to feel like you’re vacationing at the beach. (Though for the beach, you need to drive a few more miles to Emerald Isle).
• Marines are some of the best people I know,and I very much wanted to write a book about some hard-chargers finding love in the unlikeliest of places. The ratio of men to women near the base is skewed, with far more men there than women.
• With the operational tempo so much faster than it used to be, Marines are deploying all the time. Poor Kyle needed a break after so many months training and then at sea. MEU-SOC (Marine Expeditionary Unit-Special Operations Capable–the mission of a MEU is to be ready to fight. They spend 9 months stateside then 6 at sea–which can be lengthened if needed.)

And there you have a bit of the background behind the book. Happy Tuesday.