Today is the anniversary of the attacks of 9/11, when nearly 3,000 innocent people were murdered. On the day it happened, in 2001, Jack and I were far away from the events, in California. We had called home (Virginia) and Jack’s mom told us that “a plane flew into the World Trade center.” We were getting ready to drive to San Diego for a conference and hadn’t turned on the news, so we thought maybe a small plane had flown into one of the towers. We naively set off on our trip anyway, turning on the radio once we were heading south on I-5. By then, the second plane had hit and as we listened the Pentagon was attacked. Horror struck the more we listened, and by the time we’d driven an hour or so, we decided to turn around and go back to San Francisco. We lived across the street from City Hall and a check with our apartment manager let us know that a good bit of the street was cordoned off for security. Once home, we settled in to watch the disaster on TV.
Of course, shortly after the attack our military took center stage in retaliation. My dad, a 24-year veteran of the Navy, never wavered in his love of country and the Navy. Had he been a young man at the time, he would have been first at the recruiting office on 9/12—his dedication to the U.S. was that strong. I thought of him while I wrote Naval Maneuvers. I hope I did him justice.
Blurb: Naval Maneuvers
Men and women of the armed forces experience lust and love pretty much like everyone else. Except, well, there is that uniform. And the hard-to-resist attraction of "duty, honor, service" as a man might apply them to a woman's pleasure. All things considered, romance among the military is a pretty sexy, compelling force for which you'd better be armed, whether weighing anchor and moving forward into desire, dropping anchor and staying put for passion, or setting a course for renewed love with anchor home. Explore the world of love and the military and see just how hot Naval Maneuvers can be.
Buy link:
Amazon Kindle Unlimited
https://www.amazon.com/Naval-Maneuvers-Dee-S-Knight-ebook/dp/B079V62PT3/
Excerpt:
"And what is your name, pretty?" Mel Crandall addressed the dinosaur bones in an undertone, bending nearly to face level. The skeleton displayed an open mouth and rows of fierce, sharp teeth.
"Roger," a man standing next to her said in a low voice. Startled, she looked up. Up being the operative word. She stood a decent five feet ten inches, and he beat her by a good half foot. She studied him. He ignored her.
The guy had a solid profile, strong chin, chiseled cheekbones, and a straight back with muscular shoulders. Short brown hair. He wore glasses and stared straight ahead, but glasses couldn't disguise the laugh lines that radiated from the corners of his eyes. His posture was near perfect and he was not overweight, as evidenced by the trim fit of his jeans and red polo shirt that clung enough to give evidence of a low body/mass index number.
As a doctor, she immediately noticed body characteristics before actual looks. But with this guy, examination in lieu of admiration was hard. Men were often put off by the fact that she paid attention to whether they looked sallow or flushed, or if their hands were cold or warm before she "saw" them. She noticed if a man's eyes were dilated or glittered with fever before she registered eye color. Dates started with mini examinations before she relaxed enough to enjoy personalities, but that's just the way she was. Men had to take it or leave it. Sadly, most left it. Which was why she talked to dinosaurs at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History all on her own.
Mel moved on to the next exhibit, a shorter built specimen but still tall and with a nasty spiked tail. "I wonder what you looked like," she murmured. "What color were you, what did you eat, and what's your name?" She bent to read the exhibit information.
"Gray. Grass." That same guy had followed her. Rather than having a strong profile, she was beginning to think he was a weirdo. "Annnd, roger."
Quickly, Mel moved to the next exhibit. "And you are–"
"Roger."
He stood beside her again! Mel started to look for a museum guard but saw none. Great. Planting her hands on her hips, she turned to him. "Stop following me," she said loudly enough that people in the general area turned to see what was happening.
The guy said, "Hold it."
Hold it? Hold it, as in "Wait a minute, little lady?" She opened her mouth to lay into him when he turned and removed his glasses, showing her the richest, most chocolatey brown eyes she'd ever seen. The words stuck in her mouth.
"I'm sorry, what?"
In a lower voice she said, "You're following me from exhibit to exhibit and talking to me. I want you to stop."
"I didn't realize…" He wiggled the glasses at her. "I'm working here and I'm afraid I didn't notice you."
Well. What was worse, that he was a pervert following her place to place, or that he wasn't a perv and hadn't even noticed her?
His brow furrowed while he studied her. "Yes. Yes." Then he shook his head. "Roger."
Again with that Roger.
"Gotta go. Later." Then he smiled at her. "Just a minute, okay?" He folded the glasses and put them first in a protective case. Squatting, he placed a briefcase on the floor and opened it. He stored the glass case inside a pocket. Then he removed something from his right ear—an earbud?—protected it and also put it in the case.
Mel watched all of this with curiosity. He expected her to wait for him? What arrogance. And yet, wait she did. When he stood, holding the case in his left hand and smiled once more, her heart stuttered. The guy was drop dead gorgeous—at least to her understanding of the word. Normally, she appreciated the male form, mostly from a medical viewpoint. This man she enjoyed with pure pleasure.
And Good God. He hadn't been talking to her, he'd been talking to whoever was on the other end of that earbud.
Reviews:
5 Stars: “One short story after the next in this exciting heart racing book leaves you wanting more of them. Oh, and you may need a cold shower too. I enjoyed this book a great deal as I am a sucker for military romances and this one delivers.”
5 Stars: “These short stories have made me remember the passion between a woman and a man. Inspiring and heartfelt. A true gift this author has for sharing the beautiful relationship between a man and a woman.”
5 Stars: “I highly recommend Naval Maneuvers to readers who enjoy hot romance and humor. Dee S. Knight kept me turning pages until the end. I long for the next book where men and women make each other feel whole and dive into the unexpected. You don’t choose who you love. You just love.”
5 Stars: “Dee has an amazing ability to pull the reader into the story, so much so, that you live and breathe the lives of the characters until you reach the end….I'm glad I bought her book and look forward to reading more from this author. :)”
After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. And all three offer some of the best romance you can find! Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity. Sign up for her newsletter and have access to free reads.
Author links:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com
Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN
Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749
Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K
1 comment:
I was at work when one of my friends ran into my cubicle and told me about the attack. I couldn't believe it. At that moment, it seemed like the world was ending. A truly horrific day.
Thanks to your dad and all service members (plus the brave firefighters and other personnel who were in NYC that day). They deserve our respect.
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