Rita Henuber and Military Heroines

         Rita grew up running the beaches of a barrier island on Florida's east coast. An island brat, she spent more time climbing weathered oaks and chasing alligators than playing with the dolls her family gave her. She married a Marine and feels fortunate to have lived many places and traveled to the states and countries she didn't live. Leaving government service, she moved back to that barrier island where she writes contemporary fiction weaving her experiences into her story telling. Her heroes and heroines are either in the military or government service because she writes what she knows. Her father was in the Coast Guard and immediate family members served in every branch of the service as desk jockeys, grunts, pilots and everything in between. She's experienced the highs and lows of military and government life, and is grateful for each experience.

web site:  http://www.ritahenuber.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RitaHenuberAuthor?ref=hl

Twitter:  @ritahenuber
Welcome to Book Blather, Rita.

         Thanks so much for having me here. I love reading and writing. I write about extraordinary women and the men they love. Military heroines.  Women at the top of their field in a man’s world. They don’t want a man to take care of them they want a man who will accept them for who they are and stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their adventures. I’m frequently asked why I write military stories and more to the point why are my heroines the ones in the military.

         Well, I come from a family, who over the years, have served in every branch of the service in every conflict since WWI. I have ancestors who served in British conflicts back to the early 1800’s. Two great, great, great, great uncles were in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Thomas Dunn, a corporal, and Alexander James Dunn, a lieutenant were members of the 11^th Hussars, a British Army unit. Lieutenant Dunn was killed in the battle. Corporal Dunn was one of the fabled survivors.

         I have stories of family in WWI but no proof.  SO, fast forward to the next war to end all wars and I have many, many relatives who served. Some weren’t even in the military. Half of my family lives in Florida. Have since the early 1920s. An uncle owned several shrimp boats. One day, after the start of WWII, some scary guys in suits and uniforms showed up and said his boats were needed to protect the east coast from U-boats. There was no please. No thank you. No payment. All his boats were taken and he never got them back. He never complained. He was proud he could help.                                       

         My daddy trained Coast Guard recruits in Florida and Washington State, and patrolled in the North Atlantic riding shotgun for convoys.  

         Another Uncle was a Navy ace in that war and in Korea.

         One uncle, on the other side of my family, was home in December 1941 for 30 days of leave before he was to report to his next duty. His next duty? The USS Arizona in Hawaii.

         My husband’s uncle served in Germany.

         Hubs was a Marine and served in Vietnam.

         One son was with the first Marines into Bagdad in the Iraq war.

         There are many others but I think you get the point. The military in is my DNA.

         The next question is why write military heroines? I feel like the women in the service of this country are under appreciated.

          George Washington credits winning the war against England to six colonial spies who risked their lives to bring him information. One of them was a woman whose name has never been discovered.

         Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor for her efforts during the Civil War. Her name was deleted from the Medal of Honor Roll in 1917. She was asked to return the medal and refused, wearing it every day until she died.

         Agnes Meyer Driscoll known as Madame X, an American cryptanalyst for the U.S. Navy during World War I was a brilliant code breaker.

         During WWII over 1000 women in this country flew every type of military aircraft, ferrying them to military bases and departure points. They were test pilots and towed targets to give gunners training. Their service wasn’t recognized until the 70s 

         I have a special place in my heart for the nurses who took care of those who fought in Vietnam.

         The person who is credited with finding the terrorist leader who ordered the 9/11 attacks (I refuse to say his name) is a woman.      

My question is: why don’t we have more books with military heroines?

My new book, Point of No Return, is about a female Marine Corps Intelligence officer. She is smart, tough and a patriot.  http://amzn.com/B00IO262K8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/point-of-no-return-rita-henuber/1118742387?ean=2940149533251

A hot sexy prequel, No Holding Back, is free and tells how my hero and heroine met.  http://amzn.com/B00IO1XFO0

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-holding-back-rita-henuber/1118860752?ean=2940045726443

Under Fire: The Admiral is really close to my heart. It starts with a plane crash in the jungle, has Navy SEALS, narco subs and bad guys, and ends up in Paris.  SHE is the admiral who falls for a younger man, a doctor. 

http://amzn.com/B009G2X3P2  

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-fire-rita-henuber/1112958596?ean=2940015695908