Hell Week begins the moment she walks through his door…
Lieutenant Tabitha Chapel is determined to join the SEAL Teams. But the last thing Commander Marc Miller needs is to be her commanding officer when the only thing he wants is her…
Will the determination of both the Lieutenant and Commander succeed? Will they get what they are looking for? To introduce to this pair, Rogenna Brewer, author of ‘SEAL It With A Kiss’ has dropped into ItsWriteNow.com to share a little more about this novel. Rogenna, most of us will admit to loving a little bit of romance in our lives, so I want to know what sparked the romance in SEAL It With A Kiss to not only spark a thought, but lead to an entire book. How did this romance start?
I set out to write a heroine who was a SEAL. I pictured her on a mission and had a different hero in mind––one who needed rescuing. I still might write that story some day :) But the real hero showed up, arms crossed and shaking his head…”She has to get though me first.” And the story of a woman determined to be a SEAL took off from there…
I haven’t had the good fortune to meet many Navy SEALs to make sure those dynamics between the characters would work well and feel true. Did you draw on any life experiences when you were writing this book to make sure the story range true?
I’m proud to be a US Navy veteran married to a veteran. I drew from that well of experience to write the book, but I’ve never been a 6′ tall redhead :)
I’m not sure about how you’d turn yourself into a 6′ tall redhead, but I’m sure your story didn’t suffer without it! You have an awesome insight into the Navy world, how did your characters develop from there?
Tabby was born at the end of her parents story. She springs from a background where her father was “the first SEAL” and her grandfather “the first Frogman.” Her mother was a treasure hunter who took on a SEAL Team and a bunch of bad guys. So Tabby came naturally from a military background with strong role models and I knew she had to be “the first female SEAL.”
And Marc sprang from the conflict of her becoming the woman she was meant to be.
What do you hope readers take away from watching this conflict bubble up through the story?
Ultimately, I think this story is about the age old battle of the sexes. And hope that it sends the message that women can do anything, be anything.
Do you find writing about these age-old battles, like the battle of the sexes energizes or exhaust you?
Exhausting. I find it hard to get stories from my head to the page––so exhausting.
What are you thinking about as you battle through the exhaustion?
I just write what I want to read––which to me means––my characters have to be larger than life in situations that are over the top.
Have you done any branding around your love of these over the top situations to help both readers and yourself quickly and easily understand what these books have to offer?
I did––to the point of overthinking it. I’ve tried centering my brand around different themes––nautical, beach, etc., but stayed clear of red, white and blue color combos.
But here’s the thing…I come from a military background, I write about military characters and my initials before and after marriage have always been RWB.
Now if that’s not a clear sign those initials are all you, then I’m not sure what is! With your clear understanding of your nautical brand and tales, where are you currently directing your pen to write?
I’m working both ends of this story…
Finishing up a lengthy revision of Tabby’s parents’ story and starting a new series featuring some of the BUD/S instructors from SEAL It With A Kiss.
More awesome Navy men and women to meet, I can’t wait! In fact, we should wrap up our chat here so that you can get closer to getting them out readers dig deeper into this fascinating world. Rogenna thanks so much for sharing your novel with us, and I can’t wait to hear all about the next release soon!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘SEAL It With A Kiss (Bargain Book $0.99) ( ASIN: B0194EZOL2 )‘.
Want to find out more about Rogenna Brewer? Connect here!