jacki delecki
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Is it springtime yet?
This has been a rough winter for Seattle residents. Lots of gray. Lots of snow. Lots of cold. Just when I think winter is waning, we get another blast of dreary, frigid weather.
The good news is it’s almost over! March 20th marks the first day of spring and I’m so ready.
How do you celebrate the arrival of spring? For me, it’s getting active outdoors. Riding my bike to the local market for fresh produce and sunny flowers.
Springtime also means watching for the flowers in my garden to bloom and blossom.
Warm weather also means time for a pedicure! I can’t wait to trade in my thick socks and boots for flip-flops and bare feet!
What is your favorite way to welcome spring?
Behind the Bodyguard
There is a bodyguard angle in my new military romantic suspense series, Impossible Mission. In book 1, Mission: Impossible to Resist, Aiden Foster reluctantly takes on a short assignment as a bodyguard to fulfill a promise to a friend. As a Delta Force operative, Aiden has been trained to protect high-value assets but the beautiful socialite who ignores his directives proves to be more of a challenge than he expects. And, at six foot six, Aiden doesn’t blend in to the background like bodyguards are trained to do. In book 2, Mission: Impossible to Surrender, Navy SEAL Finn Jenkins also serves as a bodyguard to protect a gorgeous, wealthy young woman from danger even though it puts him—and his heart—at risk.
Whoever thought guarding bodies could prove so difficult?
When writing these books, I did some research on professional bodyguards. Here are five facts that surprised me.
- Not all bodyguards are armed. One expert explained that a bodyguard’s best strategy is to remove the person they’re protecting from dangerous situations, not fight off attackers.
- TMZ.com is a great source for news about celebrities. Some protection specialists use TMZ.com for information about which celebrities are uncooperative with their bodyguards or who’s having trouble and might be in need of services.
- Social media makes their job harder. Celebrities and entertainers can inadvertently expose themselves to risk by sharing personal information that reveals travel schedules, upcoming appearances and details about their routines and private life. Professional bodyguards often monitor clients’ social media accounts to identify and minimize risk.
- No glitz and glamour for bodyguards. Protection specialists are often part of a luxury lifestyle, but they are not living that lifestyle. Their job might include international travel on private jets to exotic locations, but they are there to do a job, not enjoy the amenities.
- Bodyguard is not their preferred title. Professionals don’t refer to themselves as bodyguards. The preferred term, according to the president and CEO of a company that provides such services, is “executive protection agents.”
I have huge respect for anyone who puts themselves between danger and others, but I’m sticking with “bodyguard”. Executive Protection Agent just doesn’t have the same allure.
Mission: Impossible To Resist
Book 1 in the Impossible Mission Series
Now Available
Mission: Impossible to Surrender
Book 2 in the Impossible Mission Series
Coming 2.21.19
Top 5 Military-themed Shows to Binge-watch
It’s the weekend – yeah! With inclement weather continuing throughout the country, it might be a good weekend to binge-watch something on Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime or any of the other on-demand streaming services.
The proliferation of military-themed shows has made it easy for me to binge-watch my favorite type of hero: The Warrior. It’s the complex mix of characteristics that make these heroes so compelling: disciplined yet daring, stoic yet passionate, strong yet vulnerable.
Here is my list of top 5 military-themed shows to binge-watch — all in the name of research for my contemporary romantic suspense books, of course!
SEAL Team – The lives of the elite Navy S.E.A.L.s as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high-stakes missions our country can ask.
The Brave – The complex world of our bravest military heroes who make personal sacrifices while executing the most challenging and dangerous missions behind enemy lines.
Valor – The boundaries between military discipline and human desire are tested on a U.S. Army base that houses an elite unit of helicopter pilots trained to perform clandestine international and domestic missions. The drama unfolds in the present as well as in flashbacks to a failed mission involving one of the first female pilots in the unit, ultimately uncovering layers of personal and government/military secrets and leading to a season-long plan to rescue a group of MIA soldiers.
The Last Ship – After a global viral pandemic wipes out over 80% of the world’s population, the crew (consisting of 218 people) of a lone unaffected U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the fictional USS Nathan James (DDG-151), must try to find a cure, stop the virus, and save humanity.
Six – Navy SEAL Team Six attempt to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan when they discover an American citizen working with the enemy.
What’s your favorite military-themed show to binge watch?
Easter and Springtime Safety Tips for Pet Owners
After a long and dreary winter, springtime is finally here! One of the first celebrations of the season is Easter–which means chocolate and lilies and other health risks for pets.
Make pet safety part of your planning process when you organize gatherings, decorate for holidays and have special treats in the house. Here are a few of the most dangerous hazards for dogs and cats.
Flowers and Plants
Lilies and daffodils are two of the most popular springtime flowers. Both are toxic if ingested by cats.
Easter Grass
Lining baskets with brightly colored Easter grass is as much a tradition as colored eggs, but the strands can cause major medical problems if they get into an animal’s digestive track. Avoid problems by lining baskets with tissue paper instead. (Hint: Ditto for Christmas tinsel!)
Chocolate
Be careful if hiding treats is part of your Easter fun. Dogs have keen sniffers and may find hidden chocolate treats. It is the theobromine and caffeine in chocolate that’s dangerous to pets. The severity of an animal’s reaction to consuming chocolate depends on how much and what type. Play it safe by keeping chocolate put up where dogs and cats can’t get into it.
Xylitol
This artificial sweetener, used in candy and baked goods, can have adverse effects on humans when eaten in excess amounts. It only takes a small quantity to harm dogs.
Warning Signs That Your Pet May Need Veterinary Care
Lethargy
Vomiting
Trembling
Diarrhea
Straining to defecate
Painful/distended abdomen
Dehydration
Loss of appetite
Remember that holidays and celebrations are fun for you, but they may be disruptive for your pet. If you are traveling or having company, plan ahead so your pet remains safe, comfortable and well behaved.
Happy Springtime!
Traveling with your pet
Undercover Danger ~ Excerpt from 'Women Under Fire'
Angie stood motionless in the shadow of a misshapen cypress tree. The setting summer sun of Seattle didn’t relieve the cold frisson of danger or the press of her revolver’s cold metal against her skin. Although it had been months since her last reconnaissance mission, her body recognized the drill and tightened into high alert.
Splatters of fading sunlight danced across the sagging house. Official yellow tape was wrapped around the turn of the century beauty like a Christmas bow on a crushed, forgotten present. A “condemned” sign was nailed to the warped door. The crumbling front steps looked like their weight bearing days were a distant memory.
Not sure how to proceed, she waited and watched the abandoned house in the residential Ravenna neighborhood until it got dark. Should she take the squatters unaware? Surprise Maddy before she could run?
She moved from her hiding place to investigate the back of the house. The yard was littered with broken glass, smashed Styrofoam carryout containers, and plastic bags mired in mud from the wet Northwest summer. She stepped over the yellow tape that was haphazardly hung around the back steps, turned the handle, and then pulled open the back door. It was unlocked. The rusting hinges screeched.
“Maddy, it’s Angie from your VA group.” She reverted to her forceful military command voice. “I’m coming in.”
When the door was thrown wide open, small dark bodies—rats—scurried away. Dread raced down her spine into the tips of her toes. God, she hated rats. This rat hole was worse than anything she had seen during her tours of duty in Afghanistan.
She stepped gingerly over the bags of garbage strewn on the uneven linoleum floor. The smell of the years of neglect and black mold hit her sensitive nose. She tried not to breathe. All of her senses heightened in the darkness, an internal radar honed from door-to-door urban combat. She took another two steps, listening for sounds other than the resident rodents.
“It’s Angie from your VA group.” She wasn’t too worried about handling a high Maddy, but handling her companions might get tricky. After eight years as a Marine, she was used to tricky. And after everything Maddy had gone through in Afghanistan, Angie wasn’t about to let her friend descend into another hell.
She reached in the pocket of her jeans for her tiny penlight as she walked into the dark dining room. The light of her flashlight reflected back at her from a cracked mirror hanging over the fireplace, then a sudden, shiny motion. Before she could react, a bright burst of pain exploded in her head. She fought against overpowering blackness.