CTR: Welcome to author Jessica McQuinn who’s sharing our themed book party today! First, tell us a little bit about the book you’re featuring today. Things like publisher, release date, ISBN and a buy link at least please! Also a blurb would be nice 🙂

JM – The title of my book is Indivisible. It’s the story of Navy SEAL Gideon Cooper and his wife Charlie. While celebrating their one year anniversary, Gideon “surprises” his bride with the news that his team has to deploy”¦and soon. The couple deal with changing life as miscommunication and a general lack of communication take a toll on their marriage.

I am so happy to have this story available as the first offering of the new year for Omnific Publishing (www.omnificpublishing.com) on January 25, 2011. (ISBN 978-1-936305-56-8 1-936305-56-9)

CTR: What made you decide to write this particular book? Did you have a special uniformed person in mind or just admire them all? Can you give us some story behind the story?

JM ““ I have always had a “thing” for a man in uniform. The fact that my dad and husband were both Navy men may have had a bit of an influence on me and why Gideon is a SEAL. I also have lived in military communities for the last 15 years and have several friends who are military husbands and wives.

The idea for Indivisible actually came from a friend’s real experience when her husband was deployed for six months. She was telling me a story about when he was gone, and in the twisty crevices of my writer’s brain I thought about what might have happened if her situation had taken a different turn. I took it to a further degree, embellishing and stretching her real life story and made it my own.

CTR: How about the spouses and SOs of our uniformed protectors””do you know one and sympathize with the special stresses they have to endure? Do you think couples can make two careers of this kind work?

JM ““ Well, as I explained, I’ve lived in military communities for the past 15 years and have made friends with several spouses. I think that there are so many great support systems for spouses now, and the military tries very hard to make sure that our soldiers/sailors don’t have to worry as much about their families while they are gone. Though I know they still do!

I think technology has also helped the spouses of our military members serving overseas. When I was dating my husband and he was in the Navy, there was no e-mail. (Yes, I am that old!) So I had to wait for his ship to get into port, and then we paid a fortune for collect calls from pay phones in whatever country he was in. One time, while he was on his way to Asia, the news flashed a story about a sailor lost at sea. I panicked! But, there was nothing I could do. I had to wait for him to call. Now, with the communication systems being so much easier and readily available, I think it helps families stay closer while a spouse is deployed, relieve at least a tiny bit of that stress.

Being among the military community on a daily basis, I have known both men and women who were service members, and even some that were married to one another. If a couple has open communication and are determined to make their relationship work, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Like any other marriage, it just requires commitment and a willingness to work at it.

CTR: What do you think is the special appeal of men and women in uniform, be it military, law enforcement, fire fighters or others? Do they make good romance characters because of this?

JM ““ Where do I begin?? I have been a fan of any man in uniform since I became a fan of men. In high school I had a poster in my room of a man in Navy dress whites (I use the word “in” loosely because his shirt was off and flung over his shoulder and his pants precariously unzipped).

For me, the draw to a man in uniform is not simply that they all have a six pack and giant muscles””in my mind they all pretty much look like the guy from my poster. A man (or woman) who chooses this as a profession has to have a sense of pride and commitment. These are jobs that can get you killed, and to do that on a daily basis is an amazing thing.

How could a man who cares so deeply about protecting others NOT be a great romantic character? If he is willing to put his life on the line for total strangers, imagine what he would do for the woman that he loves. The possibilities are endless.

CTR: Let’s switch subjects a little bit now. Here we are at the start of a brand new year. Are you one of those folks who makes a big list of resolutions and struggles to keep at least some of them or do you take a pass on this custom?

JM ““ Actually, funny enough, I’m a little bit of both. I have grand plans from Christmas until New Years Eve, but when that clock strikes midnight”¦well, then I turn into a realist and know nothing on that list is going to get done. One year I will make the resolution to live a little more in fantasy world, and then I’ll be able to actually try to keep a resolution.

CTR: Do you have a goal, plan or dream for something to do this year?

JM ““ Short term, I want to get my office set up! I started last year and got shelves up on the walls and a bookshelf in there, and even put up things on my shelves. And that was it. My desk is still in my bedroom, I don’t have an office chair, and I do my writing at the dining room table.

My plan/dream for this year is to vacation in San Diego. Indivisible takes place primarily in San Diego, and I want to go back and revisit so I can imagine Charlie and Gideon around town. I lived in San Diego for a few years when I first got married, and one of my biggest regrets is moving from there. I love the city, and was so happy to be able to use it in this book.

CTR: Where do you see yourself and your writing career on Jan 1, 2012? 2020? Even farther into the future?

JM ““ Oh, making me think about the future really isn’t fair. I’ve just barely started accepting that I’m really an author. I do know that I’m going to stay with my military men, though. I’m planning on two more books that involve Gideon’s SEAL team.

I would love to have a following for my SEALs that will talk about them with me, and imagine who would play them in the movie, and eagerly await the release of the next book. That’s a dream.

CTR: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers today?

JM ““ I just want to thank you all and remind everyone to remember those men and women who do put their lives on the line for us. A simple thanks to them is always appreciated.

CTR: Thanks so much for joining us today.