Friday, May 25, 2012

Friday Fireworks!!

It's Friday so, yes, time for Friday Fireworks!!

To win the Kindle Fire, you will have to scroll to the bottom of the blog for the entry information.



But for my Friday Fireworks blog, I want to salute the Marine Corps.

A few of you, who know me in real life, may know that I come from a military family. I was raised surrounded by Marine men and taught the values of that way of life from a very young age. My uncle, JuJu (Virgil Parnell), served in the Corps and traveled overseas for many years, some of the proudest of his life. He kept many of his old buddies from those days until the day he died and when my mother married a Marine when I was a teenager, I found that the Corps was a brotherhood that didn't care about age or any other restrictions...if you were a Marine, you were automatically family to them.

My older brother served for awhile. My father couldn't have been prouder of his choice. When I, right out of highschool, decided I wanted to serve our country as well and signed on to the Air Force...well, I didn't earn the proud slaps on the back. Semper Fi...doesn't extend to the flyboys. I mean, it was good I chose to join and all...but it just wasn't the same.

My author pal, Heather Long, found a quote that brought tears to my eyes, especially since we recently lost Uncle JuJu. I have heard my entire life that they are "Always a Marine," but never really understood the saying. On her website (which you can find here) Heather traced back the history of this truism
. "Now the official motto of the Marine Corps League, the origin of the statement is credited to a gung-ho Marine Corps master sergeant, Paul Woyshner. During a barroom argument he shouted, “Once a Marine, always a Marine!” MSgt. Woyshner was right. Once the title “U.S. Marine” has been earned, it is retained. There are no ex-Marines or former-Marines. There are active duty Marines, retired Marines, reserve Marines, and Marine veterans. Nonetheless, once one has earned the title, he remains a Marine for life. - USMC Heritage"
I've been reading Heather's Always A Marine Series since she created it and found it to be nothing but respectful to the branch of the military that I hold so dear to my heart.

She has managed to capture the fact that they aren’t just soldiers, but men and women who give up time and make very personal sacrifices to defend freedoms we take for granted.
Since Memorial Day can be easily redefined as a day to say thank you to our military men and women and the families that love them, I thought featuring her series on my blog a fitting Memorial Weekend salute.

Once Her Man, Always Her Man
Can Luke and Rebecca bridge the pain of a decade long abandonment in one cold Texas night?


In this story, Heather takes a man and a woman, separated years before when he left to serve, and reunites them. Will one night be enough to span a lifetime of hurt? She does a wonderful job, in this one, of telling a long lost love story in a way that is fresh and new.


Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here
They’ve shared everything, but will one night be enough?
Heather steamed my glasses up with this menage story. Jazz is not your typical Marine but then again the men that Heather teams her up with are anything but mundane themselves. My only hope, when reading this one, was that perhaps there is more to come of them since the author left this one very open for more of their story at a later date.


Tell It To The Marine
Take one Marine and introduce him to the movie star of his dreams and it sounds like a script right out of Hollywood, but for James Westwood and Lauren Kincaid, reality just might be the ticket they’ve both been searching for…
Coming Soon!

Proud To Serve Her
Sparks fly, wine pours and what follows is a total seduction of the senses as Damon prepares a birthday that Helena will never forget.
Coming soon!


Her Marine
The last thing either expected was a soul deep connection that brings them both wonder, but is the spark of lust enough to bring these two loners in from the cold?
Coming Soon!


So, yeah, if you are looking for a great military romance to curl up with for the holiday, pick one of this series up. More are coming out and...They really touch upon what it is all about. Real people, really feeling something.

Friday Fireworks Blog Hop QuestionWhatseries is Mel known for and even has a Facebook Group for?
(Hint: Check out her ‘books’ at melissaschroeder.net )



Rules:
10 Authors. 10 Questions. 10 Easy Answers.

You will go from blog to blog gathering questions about each author. There will be a hint and a link that will lead you to the answer.

In order to be entered to win the big prize, a Kindle Fire, you will need to send your answers to Brandy at bray829@gmail.com SUBJECT: Friday Fireworks
You must include all 10 questions with answers.

Winner of the big prize will be drawn and announced on Heather Long's blog. Any prizes offered individually on the author's page will be taken care of by that author.
Who's Participating:

12 comments:

  1. Virg,

    Thanks for sharing your story. You actually brought a tear to my eye with that. I have nothing but love and respect for our armed forces and the families that love them especially the Marines.

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  2. Wow. Thanks for sharing your story. That is a great quote. I too come from a long line of military men and women. Unfortunately, I was not able to join due to my Deafness. But I have always wanted to.
    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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  3. While my cousin is not a Marine, he had been in the Army for 26 years. We are all very proud of him. He's serving his 3rd tour overseas in Kuwait right now and we miss him.

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  4. I too come from a long line of Military men. I am proud to say that every generation in my family has served all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately no Marines but ever other branch of the service has been represented. I am extremely proud of the fact that my family has always served our country.

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  5. My military fam is out now, but they were there for the first Desert Storm. Great post. :-)

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  6. What a wonderful history on the true meaning of their motto! I love reading military romance books. Thanks so much for sharing and participating in the hop!
    slinkydennis@yahoo.com

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  7. That was a really interesting and informative post. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Also thanks for the book suggestions; I will certainly check them out.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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  8. I just realized that I've been missing something! I haven't read any military romance. Thanks for the recomendations, I have some reading to do!
    mcv111@hotmail.com

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  9. I like military romances and I'm finding lots of books to add to my TBR list. Once Her Man, Always Her Man sounds like my kind of story.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. Great post, Virgina--thanks for sharing!

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

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  11. Awesome post! My family is littered with military. My cousin just signed with the marines. I love reading these type of books. I get a yummy hero in a uniform who kicks butt and there usually vulnerable and make you want to reach in and hug them! :D Thanks for sharing!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Excellent post! thanks so much for this info!

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