OK, the writing itself isn’t a team effort but writing for publication most certainly is a team effort.  Let me tell you about my team:

Sapphire Blue Publishing

My publisher took a chance on me.  My first manuscript was rough and needed an immense amount of work but they saw something in it and chose to work with me.

Line Editor

My manuscript was assigned a line editor and we did several rounds of edits.  She’d point out issues, I’d either correct the issues ow we’d discuss why I felt they were important to the story.  Together we refined my original manuscript.

Copy Editor

Once line edits were completed to our mutual satisfaction, the manuscript was assigned to a copy editor who graciously pointed out where I started four paragraphs with the same word or scrambled my timeline.  Details like that can ruin the experience for a reader.

Cover Artist

Sapphire Blue Publishing has a specific cover artist who creates all their covers.  Kendra Egert is the woman responsible for my covers and likely a good portion of my sales.  I’ve seen bad covers but never from Kendra.

Reviewers

Reviewers don’t get paid for their work (and they usually buy the books they review) but their service to the publishing industry is invaluable.  Without reviewers, most readers would never hear about our books.  They can make the difference between a book that sells and one that bombs.

Other Authors

For a career that is, for the most part, solitary, we do a great deal of leaning on each other.  Other authors read our books, review them, help us promote them and even allow us to guest blog on their websites.  This level of cooperation is unheard of in other career fields.

The Reader

Like the proverbal tree in the woods, if a novel were published but nobody read it, would it still be a novel?  Writers would be lost without readers and publishers, editors and cover artists wouldn’t work.

So, you see, the writing itself is done as a solitary endeavor but writing for publication is a team sport.

Personally, I am grateful to be on such a fantastic team.

For more information about me and my team, please visit my website at www.LisaPietsch.com.

Sarah Stevens examined the toe of her black, leather Prada slingback and gasped.  A huge scuff glared at her.  She sighed with relief as she wiped the spot with a tissue and restored the shoe to its original glory.  The overstuffed back seat of the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph limousine embraced her as she leaned back and glanced out the window.

“Not a bad way to get from point A to point B, huh?”

She turned to smile at Will Adams.  With their team leader, her boyfriend, Vince Hennessee missing in action, Will was in charge now.

Will dressed and carried himself like a man who had the world at his fingertips, because he did.  Will had once been a medic in the Navy but Sarah suspected there was much more to that story.  Though he began his career as a Corpsman, Sarah suspected he did a bit more than first aid to make the rank of Master Chief before he left the service for a position on Task Force 125.  He was the team’s second in command, capable of finding any supplies they needed on a moment’s notice.  With Vince missing, the entire team fell in line behind him without question.  He’d also worked undercover with Vince for years as an arms dealer.

Sarah took comfort in Will’s leadership and grasped the glimmer of hope she saw in his baby blue eyes.  They would find Vince and recover him before any harm came to him.

Will nodded slightly toward the front of the limousine.  “There it is, the Burj al Arab, Dubai’s crown jewel.”

Sarah’s jaw dropped.  She gawked at the glorious structure rising majestically over the water ahead of them as they drove along the causeway.

She remembered just over a year ago when she was an overweight Air Force cop with no future.  She gave thanks that her commander realized her potential and referred her to what she thought was a fat camp.  That weight loss program turned out to be one of the C.I.A.’s training farms for paramilitary operatives.  Little did she know at the time that losing her police job, her cheating boyfriend, and seventy-five pounds would make it possible for her to ride in Rolls Royce limos wearing Prada and Versace, not to mention the pearls around her neck that cost more than her car.  She fingered them lovingly and recalled with a smile the day Vince gave her the necklace.

As though he’d read her mind, Will smiled his winning smile.  “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

They pulled up at the curb in front of the seven star hotel and Sarah sighed.  “Yes, I have.”

Jason hopped out of the front passenger seat and opened Sarah’s door for her.  “Welcome to Oz.”  He beamed with his trademark Cheshire cat grin.  Anyone  who saw Jason would think he was happy to be staying at the glorious Burj al Arab but Sarah knew better.

Jason Williams, the former Green Beret and the team’s weapons specialist, was always spoiling for a fight and he knew he was going to have a big one when they took Vince back.  Since she’d joined the team, Sarah and Jason had become great friends.  He was a mixed martial arts master and damn impressive in a fight.  For months now, he’d been teaching Sarah how to fight and win in just about any situation.  He’d also been kind enough to squire her around Las Vegas to all his favorite watering holes.  It didn’t hurt that Sarah was so attractive he could get into any club in the city with her on his arm.

A tall handsome Arab man dressed in a silk Armani suit greeted Sarah, Jason and Will at the curb as they stepped out of the Rolls Royce.  They were all dressed to the nines, Armani being the suit of the day for Jason and Will too.  The greeter smiled slightly.  “Mr. Adamson, welcome to the Burj al Arab.  Your suite is ready.  If you will follow me.”  He turned and escorted them into the lobby.

Adamson was one of Will’s aliases.  What they were doing here was not sanctioned by the C.I.A. and, if they were lucky, the Agency would never find out about their plan to recapture their kidnapped leader who was being held somewhere in the Middle East.  They were all using aliases on this trip.  Sarah’s was Elisabetta Scuro, an Italian alias in honor of the recently deceased Angelo Scuro who not only died on their last mission but left Sarah his vast estate in Italy.

The hotel’s service was immediate and excellent but Sarah couldn’t help being annoyed at the time that was passing, precious seconds that meant the difference between life and death for Vince.  The flight to Dubai provided her with far too much time to think about what his captors might be doing to him.  She pushed the dark thoughts of Vince being tortured and beaten from her mind and tried to stay focused on the task at hand.

They were here to meet with Mark Davidson, an agent none of them had met, who had information on where Vince was being held.  Davidson’s contacts had found out about Vince’s kidnapping and he knew to contact Will at Sarah’s estate in Italy.  Sarah ran through the list of things they’d need to do before they could even begin planning an attack to get Vince back.  After they checked in to their suite at the hotel they’d make contact with Davidson, who was working under an official cover in U.S. State Department in Saudi Arabia, and then wait for their other teammates, Brian Allen and Chris Wilson to arrive in Dubai.  All of this meant more passing time.

Worries vanished from Sarah’s mind as she gasped at the overwhelming opulence of the Burj al Arab.  Massive golden columns encircled the lobby and reached toward the sweeping arches above.  The mesmerizing mosaic on the floor in deep blue, red and gold nearly stopped her in her tracks.  Sarah looked at Jason wide eyed.

Jason grinned and paused with Sarah while Will continued toward the elevator with their host.  “Shock and awe, eh, sweetcheeks?  This place makes Vegas look like a two bit whore.”

She grinned at Jason.  “Speaking of whores, did I tell you how fine you look in that suit?”

He smoothed the front of his jacket with his right hand and extended his left arm for her.  “I guess you won’t mind being seen with me then?”

“Not at all, handsome.”  She looped her right arm through his and they picked up their pace to meet Will and their host at the elevator.  Her Prada shoes tapped along the ornate marble floor as she took in the rich colors and happy international chatter coming from vacationers and businesspeople. 

Their host escorted them into a private elevator and they rode to the twenty-fifth floor of the all suite hotel.  Sarah held the rail tightly as they whisked fifty floors skyward.

Sarah tried to remain calm as she wondered about where Vince might be and took a long, deep breath as their host opened the door to their two-story suite.  On the other side of the glistening marble entryway was a marble and gold staircase covered with leopard print carpeting.  Being instantly enveloped in luxury while her mind swam in thoughts of the horrible things that could be happening to Vince overwhelmed her.  Sarah gripped Jason’s arm tightly to keep the only grip on reality she had.

He leaned close and smiled as he whispered to her.  “Any other time I’d love your manicured nails digging into my skin but the blood you draw today will ruin my Armani.”

Jason’s teasing was all Sarah needed to shock her back to reality.  This over-the-top extravagance was her life now.  Angelo had left her an enormous estate in Italy and more money than she’d ever dreamed of having.  Once Vince was free they’d leave the Agency and start enjoying it together.

Better start getting used to it now.

She retracted her claws and gave him an apologetic pout as she mouthed the words “I’m sorry”.

Freedom’s Promise, book #3 in the Task Force 125 series, is coming to Sapphire Blue Publishing, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other ebook sellers in June 2010.  Read about the Task Force 125 series by Lisa Pietsch at www.LisaPietsch.com.

The Path to Freedom, Book #1 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

Let’s face it – the military life is romantic.

We travel to exotic places that other people only dream about.  We meet people from all walks of life who are driven, capable, confident, fit and well-groomed.  It doesn’t get much sexier than that.  We live fast and work hard.  We savor every moment because we know, it could be our last.  We love, sometimes for the moment and sometimes forever but always passionately.

A Taste of Liberty, Book #2 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

We suffer.  We endure.  We ache and we grieve.  The joys are balanced with the pains of living but I don’t know one person who has served who would give up any of their pains if it meant giving up their joys as well.

We eat a bigger slice of life than all the people back home put together.

Is it any wonder they’re just chomping at the bit to read about it all?

I am a veteran and a military wife.  I write romance because I live a romantic life.  If you want to know what has been so romantic about it, pick up The Path to Freedom and start reading.  Sometimes, the only way to get people to believe it is to dress it up as fiction.

Today is release day for A Taste of Liberty, the second book in my Task Force 125 series so pardon me for being a bit excited.  Squeee! 

A Taste of Liberty follows The Path to Freedom and continues the story of Sarah Stevens and her team as they aim to take out a major arms dealer.

Following is the first chapter:

Sarah blinked back the sweat that rolled from her forehead and into her eyes. Her hair fell from her ponytail in long locks sticky with perspiration and clung to her cheeks. Her breath was hard and fast as she dodged hits and blocked kicks just to keep up with the man she was fighting.
My God! He’s a machine.
He had about thirty pounds on her but he was wiry and fast. He was throwing everything he had into the mix. He started with Muay Thai boxing, but, when he did a Capoeira flip and spun his body in mid air from a standing position, a chill raced up her spine. She’d never seen anyone as fast as this guy. She threw punches at his face, shoulders and stomach and never made contact. He’d dodge, twist, spin and jump just barely avoiding her hits and kicks. His years of training and experience in hand-to-hand combat were obvious.
Focus, Sarah. Focus.
The midday sun in the Nevada desert beat down with a steady blast of 102 degrees. Each breath was like taking a drag off a bonfire. The heat, dehydration and near exhaustion wore her down, and Sarah slid into a reactive, defensive mode where her movements were automatic. She knew she couldn’t win this way but the bright sun lulled her into not caring.
Her opponent flashed a wicked smile. His eyes sparkled like the trillions of grains of sand glinting around them. The relentless sun and heat slowed her down and he made the most of it. “Come on, sugarlips. Is that all you got?” He spun to his left.
The pain of a powerful blow to her right shoulder woke her from her daze, and her adrenaline surged.
Son of a bitch!
His teeth glistened as he grinned. “Papa’s gonna take you to school.”
Her jaw tensed. “Not today, Papa.” Sarah saw her opening for a kick and took it. She put all of her weight behind a roundhouse kick aimed for his neck and a clothesline takedown but the soft sand beneath her feet shifted and she slipped, kicking him in the head instead.
They both fell.
Sarah scrambled to stand quickly. As she did, she turned to see the man still lying on the ground, unconscious. She dropped to her knees beside him. A chill raced up her spine despite the heat. “Jason? Jason!” She placed two fingers on his neck.
Good heartbeat. Damn. I’m gonna need some help with this sandbag.
This wasn’t the first time one of them had been knocked out when they were sparring. It was becoming all too common as Sarah’s fighting skills advanced. She walked over to her Jeep and pulled her phone out of the door pocket. She pressed the number One and then the Send button.
I hope he answers.

The Path to Freedom and A Taste of Liberty are both available at Sapphire Blue Publishing.

This week, the New York Times announced the recent death of Major General Jeanne Holm. Major General Holm’s contributions on behalf of women in the U.S. Air Force as well as women in all our U.S. Armed Forces are well documented. Her biography has a permanent place on the Official U.S. Air Force website. She is also a member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. I won’t attempt to offer you a biography or an obituary of General Holm because they have both been done. What I would like to offer you is how General Holm, though never a personal acquaintance of mine, had a significant impact on my life.

When I joined the U.S. Air Force in 1991, I had every intention of becoming a linguist. I had the ASVAB & DLAB scores and the written job guarantee to prove it. As so often happens, the needs of the Air Force superseded my desire to travel the world as a brilliant linguist and I was given a career that needed bodies. It had only been six years since women had been allowed into the U.S.A.F. Security Police. They had been doing Law Enforcement duties prior to that but the Security Police (now Security Forces) were the infantry of the Air Force. They needed bodies and it didn’t matter what sex they were so I found myself in the Security Police. A “tread” or a “droid” as our Law Enforcement brothers and sisters preferred to call us but they always called us when the job was too big and they needed backup.

General Holm raised the female numbers in the Air Force. She also made it possible for women to be more than nurses. Security Police was one of the few holdouts when it came to women joining because of the combat nature of the job. We were trained in what was politely called “Air Base Ground Defense”. Over the years, the fluff has been removed from the title of our training and it is now simply called “Ground Combat Skills”.

It was because of General Holm’s work that I was able to do the many things I did to distinguish myself in the Air Force. I was a dead-on shot with an M-60 and frighteningly accurate with the Mark-19 and M-203 grenade launchers. I was also handy as a Fire Team Leader and Security Controller. I worked every facet of nuclear security during my eight years in the U.S.A.F.

I hardly think General Holm even considered me when she joined the Army Air Corps but the fact is that my personal history would be far less interesting had she not gone before me to pave the way for women in the U.S. Air Force. She will always have my undying respect and gratitude.

General Holm, I salute you.

I’m in the process of editing my second novel with Sapphire Blue Publishing and I love the process. It isn’t as much fun as writing the first draft but it is exciting to see the rough edges smoothed and polished.

While I’m editing, I’m updating my Twitter, Facebook and Myspace status with the number of “Editor Love Notes” I have left.

My publisher and a few other writers got the joke and got quite a kick out of it.
Others just scratch their heads and say “Oh, that’s Lisa. She’s just crazy.”

Crazy like only an Air Force Cop can be but I digress.

I don’t like saying I have 300 edits to make to a manuscript because that implies errors and they aren’t. They’re opportunities to improve the story.

If there is one thing that trips my trigger, it is improving the story!

So I call them “Editor Love Notes”.

My hope is that my editor and I can love on this manuscript enough that readers will love the final draft that becomes “A Taste of Liberty”.

Until that time, feel free to follow my progress.

Lisa Thibault Pietsch | Create Your Badge

I know what it says at the beginning of the book. All the characters and events are purely fiction, blah, blah, blah.

As I was tweeting with an ex Navy friend the other day, we realized we both had the same problem:

Nobody believes the true stories and we have no choice but to fictionalize them!

Let me let you in on a little secret: I’ve met so many characters in my nineteen years (eight active duty and eleven as a military wife) that I just have to put some of them into books.

How can I not?

There was that corporal in the Royal Air Force, that Buck Sergeant from South Carolina, the good old boy from Virginia, the trust fund baby from Texas, the Fratalian from Maine, the farm boy from Kansas, the cowboy from South Dakota…and that’s just the first four years!

The fact is, we’ve met more characters than we can count – and likely had just as many adventures with those characters.

When we put the characters and adventures on the page with a plot, a few hooks and some tension, they make for great fiction but we can never share the truth.

My story “The Path to Freedom” was reviewed once by a reviewer who found only one aspect of the story completely unbelievable – the idea of a good looking woman getting a free drink from a Las Vegas bartender just to sit at the bar. The premise of the overweight cop being sent to a top secret CIA training camp in the Nevada desert wasn’t questionable at all. It was that free margarita that made the reviewer call “bulls***”.

They also had a bit of a problem with so many good looking guys in the story but I chalk that up to their never being posted on a fire team with three Air Force cops with good haircuts who run with forty plus pounds of gear and guns all day.

This is why I have to write fiction – nobody believes the truth.

Besides, who wouldn’t want to romance the characters I’ve met?

As veterans there is one thing in common we carry with us throughout our lives and that is our time in service. Whether it was just a few years or an entire career, it gives us a common language and a common bond. We were and always shall be brothers and sisters in arms.

Although our service rarely comes up in cocktail conversation I find it really is something I enjoy knowing about people.
I recently watched the much anticipated premiere of Human Target on Fox, starring Mark Valley. Being a major action/adventure fan (as well as an action/adventure writer) I was anxious to find out more about the series after thoroughly enjoying the pilot.

As it happens I saw an interview with Mark Valley and McG, the executive producer, that was quite enlightening. They were old Army buddies from Desert Storm. I liked that. I researched a little further and discovered that Mark Valley is a West Point graduate with a degree in mathematics.

I didn’t intend this to be a commercial for Fox or the show, Human Target. My point is, Mark Valley is one of us. I would like him even if he weren’t – his writers are writing great script, he’s easy on the eyes and he plays a great alpha hero. I hope that someday actors who are veterans will play the action heroes that I write but, until then, I hope we can help a brother out and keep Mark Valley working on a great show.

Check it out: http://fox.com/humantarget

Lisa Pietsch is a freelance writer and novelist. Her interests include terrorists and terrorism, the small arms trade, human trafficking and drug trafficking. All of these topics are represented in the Task Force 125 books which are stories of espionage and paramilitary operations centered around the character of Sarah Stevens who is recruited into the CIA’s Special Activities Division. You can find more information on Lisa’s service and her books at www.LisaPietsch.com.

In my debut novel, The Path to Freedom, and the stories that follow in the Task Force 125 series, my heroes are all men and women who served.  Sure, anybody can be a hero, but in my eight years in the U.S.A.F. Security Forces I’ve seen qualities that only those who have served share.

Sense of Duty

There is a shared sense of duty which makes failure unacceptable.  It is a binding quality that joins people of every race, sex and nationality.  It is the common language of military personnel the world over.

Teamwork

Military heroes have faults.  Sometimes they swear, drink or smoke too much.  Sometimes their relationships take a back seat to the mission.  Whatever their faults, they are only human.  What makes them extraordinary is the fact that they face fear and press on anyway because their brothers and sisters in arms depend on them.

Though the heroes in my books work for the CIA, the British Secret Service and private military companies, they all share a common past – their military service.

That’s the beauty of writing military heroes – we all share a common past that allows us to all be just a little heroic.

Jay Stanstead was a career man in the British Special Air Service (SAS). He spent twenty years jumping out of planes, cut more throats than he cared to count and drank more pints than he could remember. He’d invested his money well and had a comfortable retirement courtesy of the crown but his life was missing something he couldn’t live without – action.

On the suggestion of a mate, he met with an American named Brock Benjamin who ran a private military company that specialized in providing freelance work for guys with a certain type of military experience. Jay’s type of military experience.

Jay enjoyed the freelance work and made a good reputation for himself.

One day, Brock called him and two other men in for a look at a special job. Brock showed them a photo of a woman and explained that she was an international businesswoman who needed a personal security specialist, a bodyguard.

No woman, real or photographed, had ever made Jay’s heart stop until that day.

Jay wanted this client. He had to have this client.

The pay was excellent and the conditions guaranteed were first class.

All three men expressed an interest in the job.

Brock stood, smiled and announced he expected to see one man in his office in ten minutes after they’d worked it out amongst themselves who would take the job.

Jay broke the bones of good men that day to be a bodyguard, to be Sarah Stevens’ bodyguard.

Excerpt from The Lonely Road, Task Force 125 book #4, by Lisa Pietsch

Lisa Pietsch is an author, mother, military wife, RomVet and USAF veteran.  You can find her online at www.LisaPietsch.com and the first story in the Task Force 125 series, The Path to Freedom, at Sapphire Blue Publishing.