Ronie Kendig and Free Books!

His mission, his team—until terrorists use a missionary teacher’s life to try to destroy both.

Before we visit today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Spirit Bridge, by James L. Rubart, is:

johudd@ . . .

and the winner of the signed copy of Hidden Faces, by Golden Keyes Parsons, is:

KellysShining@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing addresses, and we'll get your books to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's revisit with Ronie Kendig, author of Raptor 6 (Barbour, May 2014).

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. After twenty-plus years of marriage, she and her hunky hero husband have a full life with four children, a Maltese Menace, and a retired military working dog in Northern Virginia.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

-- I collect Audrey Hepburn dolls (okay, well, pretty much anything Audrey Hepburn).

-- I crochet.

-- This past February, I adopted a retired military working dog.

And it was fun watching that adventure chronicled on Facebook!

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Raptor 6.

His mission; his team. Those elements are the laser-like focus of Captain Dean Watters. So when a threat is launched against both of them, Dean’s Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Failing to stop the hackers coming after the military’s super-secure computer isn’t an option.

Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. And a target. Her expertise in quantum cryptology makes her an unwitting pawn in the hacker’s deadly game.

When Zahrah is captured, compromising the US military, Dean is forced to crack the box around his heart. A move that might come at the highest cost.

What is it about Dean that will make your readers care about him?

Dean is a very intense, focused soldier. His commitment is to his team and his mission. But Dean’s also broken, and very much aching (though he doesn’t quite realize it) for some normalcy in his life, and I think that’s something we can all relate to.

What kind of brainstorming do you do for your stories, and whose help do you incorporate?

My stories are generally borne out of some innocuous form of inspiration—a “what if” while watching a movie; a longing for a twist on a character; a comment by a customer in line at Starbucks.

But the brainstorming I keep pretty close to home because of the type of story I write—there aren’t many people who “get” military fiction or the demands it places on the author. There are elements I simply cannot put in my stories because of the fallout or how it might make look our military heroes look. I’m very careful about that.

If I get stuck in brainstorming, I’ll generally go to my husband, who has a very creative mind himself, though he isn’t compelled to write the way I am. We have the hopes of writing a series together. In fact, he came to me with a general plot just recently.

Hmm, maybe we're hearing about the Thoenes of inspirational military fiction...

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

The last book I read that I would recommend is Lisa Bergren’s Remnants . Lisa is a brilliant author, and I love her stories. Remnants is a YA dystopian with a clear Biblical parallel.

What are you working on now?

I just finished a massive serialization project with my publisher called Operation Zulu: Redemption, and now I’m plunging headlong into the final book of the Quiet Professionals series, Falcon (May 2015). Hawk, book 2, will release November 2014.

Where else can readers find you online?

I can be found at www.roniekendig.com, on Facebook, Twitter (@roniekendig), Goodreads, and Pinterest!

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question do you have for my readers?

We all have a hero in our lives, and I have a few in my life—Mrs. Warnes, one of our Taekwondo instructors; my father-in-law, Loren Kendig; and my husband. I would love to know who your hero is in your life (not in history).

Thanks, Ronie, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Ronie has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, May 26. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Ronie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Beth Vogt, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a signed copy of the book.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.