Men Under Fire

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PTSD in Military Working Dogs

In my new release, MEN UNDER FIRE, Sgt. Nick Welby isn’t the only veteran returning home from Afghanistan with PTSD. His partner Talley, a bomb-sniffing canine, is also struggling to overcome Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

Nick and Talley are strong characters in their own right and well-suited to the perilous plot in this story, but as an avid dog-lover, there was deeper motivation behind the creation of these two characters. I wanted to raise awareness about the struggle many of our two-legged and four-legged veterans face when they return home from active duty.

PTSD has become a well-known condition in the decades following military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both human and canine veterans require intensive support, therapy and treatment in order to manage the symptoms of PTSD.  For dogs, these symptoms may include:

• Extreme fearful or emotional reactions
• Aggression
• Hyper-vigilance
• Anxiety
• Physical behavior such as panting, pacing, sleep issues

Researchers, including psychiatrists, statisticians and veterinary behaviorists, are finding anecdotal evidence that indicates PTSD can affect service animals much like it impacts humans. Dogs who are identified as having PTSD may receive medication in addition to conditioning/behavior modification to unlearn a PTSD behavior Approximately 50 percent of these dogs return to active duty, with the remainder being reassigned, retired or adopted out.

Not everyone is convinced “canine PTSD” is a real issue. It doesn’t matter what label or title is applied to the skittish, stressed out behavior exhibited by dogs returning from active military duty. What does matter is making sure all of our veterans–human and canine–receive the care, support and respect they need to return to a happy, fulfilled life. For more information, check out these resources:

Canine PTSD Blog
Integrative Veterinary Car Journal
Veterinary Practice News

Now available ~ MEN UNDER FIRE

The release of a new book is always a thrilling event for an author, no matter how many other titles they’ve published. It’s with great excitement that I invite you to join me in celebrating the release of MEN UNDER FIRE, Book 3 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series.

Hollie Thomas, the feisty, tattooed office assistant to Grayce Walters, has come a long way from living on the streets. Along with finding a job she loves, she’s found friends and safety. When her new life unravels, she faces dangers that dwarf her troubled past. Fighting to survive, she discovers that sometimes what you need the most might be found in the one person you failed to see coming.

Returning home from the war and struggling to find his way, Sergeant Nick Welby, and his bomb-sniffing golden lab, use their skill set in the last place he’d ever imagined—Seattle’s Waterfront. To protect the one woman who matters, Nick and his trusty canine partner will risk everything to rescue her and Seattle from disaster.

Embroiled in Grayce Walters’ most perilous case—a terrorist plot with the threat of deadly explosives—can Nick and Hollie work together to save themselves and each other before it’s too late?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FfYfRl
BN: http://bit.ly/1FakMhC
iBooks: http://apple.co/1KzAFWD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1cixWSf
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1J0UWUu

Seattle's Pier 69

I love Seattle! Not only is it my hometown, it is also the setting for my Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series. The city, with all of its unique features and elements, is practically a character itself, alongside Grayce, Davis, Hollie, James and the assorted animal heroes.

One of Seattle’s most distinctive features is its waterfront. Even this element has different nuances. From the actual port—a hub for international trade, regional transportation and industries such as tourism and commercial fishing—to the downtown shoreline along Elliott Bay, Seattle’s waterfront is by turns dark and gritty, bright and glitzy, urban and trendy, quiet and pristine.

I have featured the Seattle waterfront in all of my Grayce Walters books, including MEN UNDER FIRE, which releases May 26. The diversity of this Pacific Northwest coastline provides a variety of locations, each suited to a different mood or event within the story.

Pier 69 is one such locality you can “visit” in my upcoming release, MEN UNDER FIRE. The Central Waterfront piers are numbered 46 (in the south) to 70 (at the north end). Pier 69 is the location for the Port of Seattle headquarters where the commissioners hold their public meetings, as well as the passenger ferry that carries folks to the Inner Harbour in Victoria, British Columbia.

There are many unique features that make Seattle the dynamic, vibrant city that it is. Read the Grayce Walters series and see how many well-known landmarks you recognize!

Cover Reveal: MEN UNDER FIRE

MEN UNDER FIRE, Book 3 in the Grayce Walters series has a cover! Meet Nick Welby. He looks exactly as I imagined my hero from WOMEN UNDER FIRE. Nick brings Talley, his bomb-sniffing dog, to Grayce for help in treating the dog’s PTSD following an IED explosion having heard of Grayce’s healing abilities using animal acupuncture. Thanks to Kim Killion for another fantastic cover design.

Using local settings in my romantic suspense books

I’m currently working on the next book in the Grayce Walters series, MEN UNDER FIRE. Writing contemporary romantic suspense requires just as much research as historical romance suspense, but it’s a different kind of fact-finding. Since my books are set in Seattle, where I happen to live, it’s easy to incorporate my research into other activities.

For example, I volunteer as children’s tour guide and frequently lead groups through Pike Place Market. Because of spacing limitations, many of the marketplace vendors store their inventory in the Sanitary Market food locker. It’s rather dark and foreboding — the perfect backdrop for something sinister or dangerous, don’t you agree?

I’m also developing a female character who is a rocker trying to break into Seattle’s grunge music scene. To get some insight into this character, I interviewed Gretta Harley, a local musician. I believe this authenticity enriches my stories so that when readers step onto the page, they enter a world that is part fiction, part fact, but always entertaining and compelling.

Is there a location in your hometown that would make a good setting for romantic suspense?