Saturday, May 19, 2012

Feature: Guest Post by Cambria Hebert, author of Charade (Heven and Hell #2)

Happy Weekend everyone! I hope you all have fun and/or relaxing things planned for today ;-).  We'll be attending my son's last regular season baseball game (before tournaments start), and we might even go to a rodeo tonight. Yeehaw! Haha...


Today is also Armed Forces Day, so let's all be sure to thank a soldier/veteran and the family that supports them! 


Our guest today is one of those lovely supporters, as she is married to a Marine. That's right, ladies! A Marine! :-)  Everyone give Mrs. Cambria Hebert a warm welcome... 


And be sure to stick around and enter to win your very own copy of Charade!


In case you missed my review, you can catch that HERE.


Take it away, Cambria!




Hey everyone!

Thanks for having me here today in celebration of my latest book, Charade!

You know, I have always been interested in writing. When I was a teenager, I would write poems and peck away with one finger on the computer writing a book about this girl who lived at the beach… and then life happened. I got busy and I married and had some kids. But then I remembered how much I loved writing and that I missed it.

I’ve always kind of thought that the Marine Corp had a hand in getting me serious about writing.

The Marine Corp you ask? How could the government possibly remind me that I liked – needed – to write?

They made me miserable that’s how. LOL.

Allow me to explain.

I am married to a United States Marine. My husband, Shawn, has been in the marine corp for almost 17 years. That’s a longgg time. I have been with him for almost eleven of those years. A few years ago he was deployed to Iraq for a year and it was during that time that I really got serious about writing. I think part of it was a defense mechanism – a way to cope with him being gone. I mean here I was in this new town (we moved here in August and in Jan he shipped out) with two little kids and I was on my own.

I didn’t start writing right away because I had to get into a routine, and I had to be sad for a while that he was gone. But eventually, I needed something to do, something that was all my own, you know what I mean? Enter the writing. The characters kept me company. They were my adult conversation in a house with only children. It was my escape from reality and into something I really enjoyed. Even now that he is home from Iraq I still write and I don’t think I will ever stop.

But… I am not really here to talk to you about writing today. Yes, this is a tour for my newest book, Charade, but if I only talked about that all the time you would all want to gouge your eyes out with a pencil. Oh. You wouldn’t? Well, I would. :-)   

Because today is Armed Forces Day (yes, really it is!), I am here to talk to you about what it’s like to be married to the military – I mean – a man in the military. Although, I admit in my mind it’s the same thing.


Here are, in no specific order, the best things about being married to someone in the military:

1. Pride. I think most members of the military enlisted and spouses will say they are proud of the work they do. They are proud to represent the country and defend our freedom. Even if you don’t support the war, I think that supporting the troops is very important because these men and women give up so much to do it and they do it whether they want to or not.

2. Job Stability. There is a lot to be said for knowing that you are getting a paycheck. Knowing that you cannot be fired (unless you do something horrible). In this economy, I think that is something really good. The health insurance is pretty good too.

3. A uniform. What lady doesn’t like a man in uniform?? LOL.

4. Strength. Being a spouse of the military shows you what you are made of. There are many times that you must rely on yourself because no one else is there to depend on. It’s made me a stronger person.

5. Benefits. The military members get some “perks” from a lot of people who are respectful and appreciative. Like discounts into theme parks, stores and restaurants. We even got to go see the Rockettes perform in NYC a few times for free; that was my favorite “perk”. It really is nice to see how the nation supports the service members. Also, if you live by a base you can shop on the bases and you get lower prices and pay no tax on grocery items and other personal goods.

6. Speeding Tickets. My military ID has gotten me out of a few. LOL. (Okay, it was only one. I’m a very good driver. He he he)

Here are, in no specific order, the worst things about being married to someone in the military:

1. The time spent apart. I actually like my husband and I want him around, LOL. But, being in the military means deployments to other countries (into war zones) and even just him having to go away in the States for training. That leaves long stretches sometimes that we are apart and I am left behind to essentially take care of everything alone. It’s stressful; sometimes it’s overwhelming and when he was deployed I always worried that he wouldn’t come home.

2. Moving around. Now, some people might like this. I however have found that I do not. Trying to pack up a house, some kids, a family… trying to sell a house, find a new one and do it all within the Marine Corp (my hubs is a Marine) time frame is very stressful and difficult.  Most of the time we can’t get the timing right or they spring a move on us a month in advance and I have to stay behind until we get everything set up = more time apart.

3. On call 24/7. No, I am not the one on call but my husband is. He has a cell phone that goes off night and day and he has to be available to be there when the need arises. I like to tell my husband that if he is to be on call all the time he should get paid to be on call. We laugh. The government doesn’t pay overtime.

4. Stinky Clothes. Now, maybe this is just a guy thing but EW! My hubs wears a uniform all day but they have to PT (PT= physical training) which means that he has to take workout clothes with him. Well… he tends to sweat (ew, again) but then he leaves his stinky sweaty clothes in a bag in his truck! Can anyone say nasty?! I go out to his truck sometimes and open the door and am shocked and dismayed by the bags of stinky laundry….

5. Not Family Friendly. I am sure a lot of military wives will disagree about this. But I happen to think that the military isn’t family friendly. If they wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one in boot camp. They work long hours, rarely get home for dinner and then are gone for long stretches of time. Makes for missing a lot of school plays and activities. Sometimes they miss Birthdays. We have been fortunate that my husband has yet to miss a child’s birthday but he has missed mine several times and I have missed his.

6. Haircuts. They must have a well groomed appearance at all times. Which means a hair cut at least once a week. They also must shave before going out in public. I cut my husband’s hair every single week. It annoys me. LOL.

So those are some of the top benefits and not so benefits of being married to someone in the military. As today is Armed Forces Day, maybe take a moment to thank someone you know who is in the service or even just say a prayer for the men and women serving overseas right now for their safe return.


                        
Thanks to Cassie for having me here today as part of the Heven and Hell Tour: Charade. Check out the Heven and Hell Series – it’s really good! LOL.


Cambria Hebert is the author of the Heven and Hell Series and several stand alone short stories. She has an irrational fear of chickens, loves a howling werewolf and thinks math = torture. You can find her at Starbucks sipping a latte or stalking the aisles of any bookstore looking for her next YA read.

Her newest book, Charade, comes out May 18, 2012 and is available where all books are sold.



If you cannot breathe, I will breathe for you.
If your heart will not beat, mine will beat harder.
If you do not live, neither will I.



GIVEAWAY!!

Here's your chance to get a free ecopy of Charade!  Good luck!!


                                                        




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