Guest Post and Giveaway: Just Drive by L.A. Witt

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Just Drive, the first book in the new Anchor Point series!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Just Drive and Afraid to Fly) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 26^th.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Keeping Up With A Rapidly Evolving Military

The military isn’t known for embracing change, but actually, it evolves pretty quickly. Especially when you consider how many service members are between 18-22—those who’ve enlisted for four years straight out of high school—there is a constant influx of people who aren’t stuck in decades past. It’s hard for the military to stay firmly rooted in the 1970s when so many service members were born in the late 1990s. (Let that sink in. I know. I feel old too.)

This was why when DADT was repealed in 2010, there wasn’t nearly as much backlash within the ranks as people expected. There was certainly some, and there was definitely pushback from the top (not a euphemism), but by the time that happened, an enormous percentage of service members were products of an age when homosexuality has become more widely accepted. The old school leaders who opposed it have begun retiring. The younger people who supported the repeal are now moving up in the ranks. In the fourteen years I’ve been married to the Navy, the change has been fast and dramatic.

So the military has been better and faster at adapting to social changes than even I expected, but there have also been internal changes. Uniforms, for example. Just a few years ago, they switched to the blue digital camouflage (or digicam).  Now they’re in the process of changing again, this time to some other breed of camouflage, probably because they realized that blue camouflage only blends in to the water, which is literally the last thing on the planet you want to blend in with. When you fall overboard, they kinda need to see you if they’re going to retrieve you.

Similarly, the Navy has changed how they address enlisted service members. For example, my husband is a master-at-arms, and he’s an E6 (first class petty officer). Up until recently, he was addressed as “MA1.” Now, it’s “Petty officer.” That change was implemented pretty much overnight.

So… you can imagine the challenges of trying to write military-based stories when the military can’t sit still for twenty minutes. My editors and I have scratched our heads a time or two about how to keep the stories accurate without dating them.

The conclusion I’ve come to is that accuracy is more important than being dated. So, a story is written based on the regulations and practices of the day. It’s entirely possible those things might change before the story comes out, but I do the best I can to keep them current.

In the end, that means that the book you’re reading is a snapshot of its day. Of the time it was being put on paper. So, as you read the Anchor Point series, you may see uniforms changing, or the characters addressing each other differently.

And somewhere in the distance, if it’s a quiet night and you listen very carefully, you’ll probably hear the sound of a military spouse-slash-romance writer screaming “THEY’RE CHANGING SOMETHING AGAIN????”

About the Book

For Sean Wright, driving a cab in the tiny Navy town of Anchor Point isn’t an exciting job . . . until he picks up just-dumped Paul Richards. A drive turns into a walk on the pier, which turns into the hottest hookup Sean’s had in ages.

After a long overdue breakup, Paul can’t believe his luck. Of all the drivers, he’s picked up by the gorgeous, gay, and very willing Sean. Younger guys aren’t usually his thing, but Paul can’t resist.

One taste and neither man can get enough . . . right up until they realize that Paul is Sean’s father’s commanding officer and the last man Sean should be involved with.

With two careers on the line, their only option is to back off. It’s not easy, though; the sex and the emotional connection are exactly what both men have been craving for a long time. But Paul has devoted twenty-four years to his career and his dream of making admiral. If he’s caught with Sean, that’s all over. He has to choose—stay the course, or trade it all for the man who drove off with his heart.

Just Drive is now available from Riptide Publishing!

About the Author

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

Connect with L.A.: Website || Author Blog || Personal Blog || Twitter @GallagherWitt || Facebook || Goodreads

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Just Drive, one lucky winner will receive their choice of two eBooks off L.A. Witt’s backlist (excluding Just Drive and Afraid to Fly) and a $10 Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 26, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!