Thursday, October 31, 2013

Southern Magic and Wounded Warriors!

Southern Magic Readers Luncheon 2011
Debby Giusti here!
I can't wait until Saturday and this year's Southern Magic Readers Luncheon. Each person at my table will receive a number of goodies, including my September Love Inspired Suspense, THE SOLDIER'S SISTER.

When I first learned about the Army’s Wounded Warrior program, I knew I wanted to feature the AW2 program in my Military Investigation series. 

Last fall, I interviewed Nancy Carlisle, the Army's Wounded Warrior Advocate who helps wounded, injured and/or ill soldiers assigned to Fort Benning,Georgia. As one of more than 200 advocates nationwide, Nancy’s job is to provide hands-on support for the soldiers on her caseload as they transition back to active duty or return to civilian life. She walks the injured and their families through the maze of paperwork that often accompanies government programs and also provides career counseling and information on educational opportunities and resources available to the wounded warriors.
Debby Giusti (L) with Fort Benning AW2 Advocate
Nancy Carlisle.
Nancy provided me with a detailed overview of the AW2 program and talked openly about the many ways she assists the soldiers. She also discussed the setup of the Warrior Transitional Battalions, special units on each Army post where the injured service members live and work during their recuperation.

After meeting with Nancy, my story started to take shape. The heroine would be an AW2 Advocate, and the hero would be a special agent in the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. I decided to have one of soldiers on her caseload attacked in the opening chapter and upped the heroine’s internal conflict by including an estranged brother. Making him a suspect added an interesting twist and increased the tension between the CID hero investigating the crime and the advocate trying to reconnect with her brother.


My hope is that THE SOLDIER’S SISTER will not only provide an exciting suspense read but will also spotlight the AW2 program and the many people who help our injured military heroes.  God bless the brave men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much in order for this great country—the United States of America—to remain the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Debby presents her author basket at the 2009 Southern Magic Readers
Luncheon to MV Freeman, the current chapter president.

See you at the Readers Luncheon!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti

THE SOLDIER’S SISTER
By Debby Giusti

WHO WILL PROTECT HER?
Someone wants Stephanie Upton dead. A warning to leave town is just
the beginning. Fearing for her life, Stephanie turns to Special Agent
Brody Goodman for help and protection. But can she trust him when
he’s convinced her own brother is a prime suspect? Torn between her
devotion to two men—an estranged brother whose trust she yearns to
regain and an agent she may be falling for—Stephanie doesn’t know
who or what to believe. As feelings between her and Brody escalate,
she’ll have to choose sides to stay alive.

Available now at Amazon.

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