Ronie is a FaceBook friend, and I’ve avidly read everything she’s ever written and published. Like many others, I was sorry to see the “Discarded Heroes” series end, but her new three-book series about military war dogs and their handlers is equally captivating. The first in the series, Trinity, released in September (http://tinyurl.com/9yu295t). The second, Talon, will release in May of 2013, and the third, Beowulf, probably in October of 2013.
I just finished Trinity. As with all of her other books, there are engaging characters, a bit of romance, lots of excitement, intrigue, and suspense. I really “hated” the book – it so enraptured me I had to keep putting it down to keep from racing through it in one sitting. Trinity and her handler, Heath Daniels, are the central characters in the book, along with Darci Kintz, a military intelligence officer. Set in Afghanistan, there’s involvement with the Chinese, Russians, a couple of blinding snow storms, mountains, tunnels, and lots and lots of action. You will love Trinity! I will have a hard time waiting for the next two to release!
Ronie usually has her characters in mind before she has the locale or plot. “Some [characters] are easier to write than others. She laughingly said one of her characters from Firethorn (http://tinyurl.com/9ptu54f) told her three different stories before he told her the true one. Then he told her she could write whatever she wanted as long as she “stayed out of my business.” Ronie said on FaceBook recently that when writing the point of view for a villain in one of the new books, she had to keep herself bathed in prayer in order to complete the POV.
Ronie is writing her new series about military war dogs (MWDs) because many people are not aware of them and the important role they play. She was happy about the publicity on the Navy SEAL mission to get Bin Laden because the MWDs were an important part. She’s been researching the subject for two years and says this series has a different rhythm than the last and shows a new aspect of the military. Writing for her is like a journey; “kind of like getting to know a new friend.”
She’s an animal lover and feels everyone loves (or should love) animals. Dogs are famously loyal, but war dogs “take it one step further – they are to protect their handlers and will die to do so if required.
Ronie is a military brat – her dad is in the army. Her husband was, too, until he blew out his knee and had to retire. His dad is army, too. Ronie and her husband met at Ft. Hood.
I asked her what her readers don’t know about her – she said, “I really don’t know. I’m pretty chatty.” Then she related that her mom was born in England, then moved to Ireland. Mom was very strict, prim, and proper: she raised Ronie to be that way, too! She loves to paint, decorate, and remodel, but is notorious for starting projects that she says will take two weeks, but end up taking two months.
If you’ve not read Ronie’s work, you’ll want to collect them all. I guarantee excellent reads!