Writing Outside the Box: Military Heroines with PTSD by Sara Jane Stone

WELCOME TO OUR MILITARY HERO BLOG TOUR

August 9 – 16

 

 

 

 

Writing Outside the Box:

Military Heroines with PTSD

by Sara Jane Stone

 

 

 

‘Sexy Contemporary Romance’ and ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ does not exactly sound like a good combination, especially when it comes to heroines. Fun, light-hearted, and yes, red-hot reads, fill this marketplace. The pages of these books are more often than not lined with Alpha heroes. And yes, some of the titles in this genre feature military heroes who have returned from war with nightmares and horrific flashbacks.

 

But what about the more than 200,000 women serving at their side? Do their stories have a place in the sexy contemporary series romance genre?

 

With my Avon Impulse debut, FULL EXPOSURE, Book One: Independence Falls released July 1, 2014, I do not have an answer to that question. Yet. my editor and everyone else at Avon have been one hundred percent behind this book. But a story about a young woman, Georgia Trulane, who returns from Afghanistan with a burning desire to live, and who craves adventure and sex is still risky. I knew the minute I started typing that Georgia’s story was outside the box. And finding a publisher who was willing to take the chance on this book was not easy. But in the end, I found the perfect match for the story I wanted to tell.

 

Halfway through the manuscript, I realized that Georgia Trulane needed to remain strong, even when facing of her nightmares. Falling in love with the hero, Eric Moore, does not erase her memories of war. Love does not fix her. Georgia was never broken. She is a survivor and a warrior, one who is learning to live, to love, and to trust other as she adapts to civilian life. But there was one key piece of this story I failed to fully communicate on the page when I handed in the first draft. A strong heroine needs a super-sexy Alpha hero.

 

Eric Moore is driven by a desire to make Georgia his. And he has a list of reasons not to cross that line. Georgia is his best friend’s little sister, the nanny to his three-year-old nephew whom Eric took in after his sister and brother-in-law died, and she’s struggling to find her place in the world as a twenty-something female veteran.

 

As a writer, I feel so lucky to have found a publisher and editor who were willing to let me write outside the box, to try something different. Will readers love it? I hope so. Because I would love to keep writing stories about strong women that challenge the traditional definition of what makes a super sexy successful contemporary romance novel.♥

 

 

 

FULL EXPOSURE: Book One: Independence Falls was released in ebook from Avon Impulse on July 1, 2014. To learn more about Sara Jane Stone’s books, please visit www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook at Sara Jane Stone.