Jessica Scott

All right folks, the new blog: jessicascott.net/blog  up and running. Talk about a nightmare. Though I think I might have made it harder than it needed to be, I’ve FINALLY gotten my blog up and running on my domain name. Wow, what a process.

First, I had to figure out how to install WordPress on my godaddy site. My hosting wasn’t compatible. So I had to purchase and upgrade and upgrate to IIS7, whatever that is. That took a day.

While I was waiting for that, I wanted to just point the old wordpress blog to the new site. That won’t happen. Apparently, there’s some upgrade that I can’t purchase or whatever but the old site won’t be update. I will, however, leave the link up there so that folks can keep finding me.

Once that was done, I typed in the new address and got the log in site. Finally. Then I had to pick a theme. Only I didn’t have any. Turns out you have to go to wordpress.org extended themes to find a new one. Then you have to upload it. THEN you can use it.

I wanted one that was similar to my website design but nothing really jumped out at me until I found this one. Similar but fun so I went with it. Then I had to figure out how get Twitter on the new site. Solution: HTML widget. Thank you Twitter.

Finally, I had to update the RSS feed in Facebook and I couldn’t remember how to do it. Found it, changed it and I think we’re in business.

All this took 3 days. The problem is that once I start on something, I can’t rest until I figure it out. So while I wasn’t a perfect solution, I think it worked out.

So what do you think of the new Jessica Scott Blog?

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Welcome to the new blog. It only took me three day to figure how to make this work. Please God let it have actually worked.

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I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted an offer of representation from Kim Whalen at Trident Media Group.

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Avery Beck from Austin’s RWA, my home chapter, just released her first book. Stop by and take a look and while you’re at it, check out this fantastic cover!

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A few weeks ago, I posted how there was another book out there about a wounded GI and it was called Shattered. Well, the author, the fabulous JoAnn Ross stopped by on my blog and offered some amazing comments. I’m incredibly flattered to have her stop by and read my stuff and it was really great chatting with her. If you’ve never read them, her High Risk series does an excellent job of capturing military life and she is just one author among many who support the troops over here. She’s also one of the few authors brave enough to tackle the issue of our growing family of amputees from the wars over here and she does it with taste and class and treats her hero like he is: a hero. Remember those who also gave so much, too.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday on the blog and commented. It’s really heartwarming to prove the media wrong. People still care that there is a war going on. Just look at the comments on Twitter and in the blog-sphere. Thank you for caring and for your continued support and we’ll see you on the high ground.

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Remember the fallen. They have names.

I never really got it before. Which is disappointing when you think that I’ve been a soldier for 14 years but I never truly understood what Memorial Day was truly about.

When I was five years old, my brother and I found a hand size American flag that had been run over by the lawn mower. I took it to school. My favorite teacher, Ms Emhoff took the flag from me and scolded me in front of the entire class. I didn’t understand until she told me her brother died in World War II. I should have gotten it then.

I never understood when I would see VietNam Vets crying at a parade for the fallen. I felt sad for them, but I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand when I saw an old man at the officer’s club wearing his Cav Stetson, just wanting to be around soldiers a little longer. I didn’t understand why my Command Sergeant Major lost his mind on a soldier for not shaving. It wasn’t about the beard. It was about wearing the uniform with pride, because in these colors, soldiers have died.

I started to understand the day we took our first casualty in country. The day we lost a battalion commander and his crew. I started to understand the first day I stood in the Memorial Ceremony and Taps ripped part of my soul out. And I started to understand the day I stood on the tarmac and saluted a flag draped coffin. It was the first. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last.

I walked into the chowhall today, acting like today was any other day. It was decorated in Red White and Blue. 

Alone at the front was a soldier’s cross. A kevlar helmet resting on a rifle, propped up in a pair of empty boots, a pair of dog tags hung around the rifle. 

Today I understand that it is not about the flag, or parades or those of us that are still fighting. Today it is about our fallen brothers and sisters. The ones who gave it all for something greater than themselves.

Today I understand.

And it hurts.

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I’m thrilled to announce that the Romance Round Table picked me to win their giveaway of Sherry Thomas’s book Not Quite A Husband. I absolutely cannot wait to read that book. Sherry is a fantastic writer and her novels have a depth I can only dream of hitting in my work. She’s truly a rising star and she’ll be on the NYT in no time.

In other news…

I’m starting a new type of posting today to give folks an idea of the soundtrack to a current album. Since my Young Adult novel is still only about half way through, I thought I’d mention that the first half of the book was written to Hurt, Red and Age of Daze. The second half of this book is chugging right along since I discovered Digital Summer as well as 7 Days Away. The song Rescue me, by Digital Summer is completely capturing the mood for this book, as is the rest of their awesome EP The Hollow.

If you like melodic rock, check these guys out. And, when this book hits the shelves, maybe you’ll be able to pick up a hint of their influence between the pages.

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In case you haven’t noticed, I change my website design a lot. Though I ~think~ I’ve found one that is going to stick around for a minute. We’ll see. I said that last week and I had a new site up and running inside of a week. But, stop by and tell me what you think: www.jessicascottbooks.com.

Anyway, with the new website design come something else new. As those of you know who’ve been following me, I was disappointed a couple of weeks ago to see that not only did a NYT Bestselling author have a book out called Shattered, it was also about a wounded GI. What’s a girl to do, right?

Change the titles. While I’d originally decided to stick to the same family of words and go with Broken, guess what? I changed my mind. I was trying to think of something iconic, that didn’t sound like half a dozen other titles out there. I’m shooting for something that stands out. Here goes: 

After the War becomes War’s Darkest Loss

Shattered becomes War’s Darkest Fear

All That Remains becomes War’s Darkest Sin

Burning Out becomes War’s Darkest Choice

If they sound kind of dark, that’s because they are. I do my damndest not to candy coat soldiers’ issues with my work and I’m kind of liking the title and the constant feel to them. Plus, the titles give a little more of a hint as to what’s between the pages.

I’d love thoughts and feedback both on the titles and the new site!

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I’m a member of a couple of different writing groups. One of them, the RomVets, is made up entirely of writers who used to be – or in my case still are – in the military. Several of the RomVets have gotten major Harlequin backing (you know, the publishing company that’s actually posting profits despite the economic downturn?) for the Time Raiders, a new series for the  Nocturne line.

Here’s the link. Check it out. We’ve got some fantastic writers in the group and this series is simply going to rock!

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So those of you that have been following me know that I’m working on a young adult paranormal. It’s my first foray into YA and other than the Twilight Series and Harry Potter, I haven’t read any.

Yeah, it’s a great idea to try and write something you have no idea about. But I digress.

This book is kicking my ass and I think I figured out why. In my adult novels, I’m not pulling my punches. If a throat needs to be cut – figuratively of course – then so be it. If my characters move to a point where they have sex, yup, all fine and good.

But in this one, I’m trying to get into the head of a seventeen year old girl who has been made an outcast in her school. Her friends are having sex. Her little sister is playing the choking game, albeit unwillingly. And I read several scathing articles about some of the popular YA books out there that venerate sex, money and popularity like nothing else. It’s mean girls times a hundred.

Again, I say that having NOT read any of these books – though I plan on it so that I have an idea about the market.

Here’s my issue: I’m writing a book for kids. Basically, the market for YA is 14 and up. Middle grade is 12 ish. I have 2 daughters that will someday be reading in the YA market.

I’m hung up on my morality. I’m writing a book that other people’s kids are going to read (at least that’s the hope) and more than anything, I feel like I have a social responsibility to write something that I would be okay with my own kids reading, right?

I mean, even in my adult novels, when a throat needs to be cut, there’s an underlying issue there. I’m hoping my books deal with some tough issues – combat zone choices and their impact, right and wrong, good and bad. Does doing a bad deed make someone a bad person? That kind of thing. So I’m hoping there’s substance to my books.

With my YA, I’m pulling back, trying to remember how I felt when I was in high school. What did I think about the girls who were having sex back then – because contrary to popular belief, we all weren’t -. What do I remember about the ‘popular girls’?

I want to write a book that talks to those girls that aren’t in the clique but who still have value as people even if they aren’t the richest, the prettiest or the best at sports. I want to write about a young woman who has to deal with everyone around her doing these things and has to make her own choices because her parents are so wrapped up in their lives, they can’t see that their kids still need them.

So what’s my problem? In writing this book, I worry that I’m somehow glamorizing what happens to my characters. And yet, I worry that as I write this that people will think I’m condoning what I write about.

I guess we’ll see where the story takes me for now. This is one book that has tortured me, though, because I worry about my own daughters reading it. And it would make me the ultimate hypocrite if I put something out there for other people’s kids without considering the impact to my own.

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This bears repeating. I’ve said it before but just so we’re clear. Anything said on this blog by me represents my opinion unless otherwise specifically cited as belonging to someone else. Nothing I say should be misconstrued to speak for the US Government, US Army or Department of Defense. 

Also, please bear in mind, everything I post has been scrubbed for OPSEC. I’m not going to post anything about operations or anything else spicy or scandalous. Nor will you find that in my Tweets or on Facebook. I’m highly conscious of what I put out here and will post nothing that detracts from our mission over here.

That being said, the few times I do voice my opinion about certain issues, they are MINE. I’m not a spokesperson for anyone other than myself and I am no one’s mouthpiece. Those of you that know me already know I’m pretty opinionated but I do censor myself here so as not to bring discredit upon my unit, my profession or my nation.

I won’t post anything here that I wouldn’t want my mother, my soldiers, or my superiors reading.

I’ll talk about things from a romance writer’s perspective, which, let’s face it, involves gender issues, sex, and other areas of intimacy. But please know, I’m very conscientious about what I post.

That’s all. Just in case you missed it.

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The more I pay attention to the news, the more I feel the urge to comment on things that are probably going to get me into trouble. But here goes anyway.

I think the President made a smart move NOT releasing the pictures. For those who disagree, sign up for the Army or Marines and come walk the street with our boys. The people in those pictures have been punished and held to account, of that I am fairly certain. The ONLY thing those pictures serve to do is inflame the media and the bias that is already against us in the Arab world. 

In case you’ve forgotten – and I assure you the Muslim world has not – Abu Ghraib is still a rallying cry around the region. Releasing more photos would only serve to give greater incentive to those who wish to die blowing us up along with them.

Whatever those pictures show, I’m sure they highlight the flaws of a few, not the consent of the many. We are an organization made up of people, humans who make mistakes and contrary to what people may believe, we are not an organization of bloodthirsty baby killers. We have true believers among us, who believe in the morality and righteousness of what they are doing. We do not condone these actions and when they are discovered, we deal with the perpetrators. We learned many lessons from Abu Ghraib. Let’s not make soldiers who have nothing to do with the situation pay for the choices of a few. 

Once more, I challenge those of you who would question the soldiers on the ground: Join Us. Send your son or daughter over here when those pictures are released to live with the fear of mortars and rockets and VBIEDs. Of losing friends who walk the streets. Experience making those decisions for yourself, then sit back and say release the photos. And once more, I tell you we are not perfect. We make mistakes. We more than most have to live with the consequences of our decisions, because they are life altering and more often than not, they are permanent. 

Thus far, the president has had to make some difficult choices and I applaud his efforts. He made a balanced decision about the photos of our Fallen Heroes, probably the best choice that could be made under the circumstances. 

I think he made the right one here and our boys on the streets will not face an increased threat because of it. For now, anyway.

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Smartbitches recently posted an article about breaking up with a series. While I’ve never broken up with – or read – any of the series they mentioned, I though I’d point y’all in that direction. The series they mention not withstanding, have you ever broken up with a series? Why?

I find that I’ve stopped reading a couple of authors, not necessarily series. The writing just doesn’t call to me like it used to. Either the stories have started to feel the same or the characters are just not someone I really want to know about. 

I’m not sure why I fall out of love with a series or an author. But I do know that once I’m gone, its really hard to get me back. I wonder if other readers feel the same.

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Happy Mothers Day everyone. Today is one of those days I’m wanting to sleep through, b/ c if I don’t I’m liable to spend an inordinate amount of it crying.
But I have to say there are some great moms out there, but I’ve got one of the best. Not only did she take my two heathen kids for us for a year, but she’s doing a damn fine job raising them ( trust me, my oldest could piss off the pope). I’m able to be here in Iraq and do my job b/c my mom is taking care of business back home.
Thanks, Mom for being a great mom and an even better Grammy!
I love you.

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There’s nothing quit so frustrating as finally settling on a title for your book, that you’ve worked on forEVER, only to find that a NYT bestselling author has a book with the same title and the same hero: a wounded GI. Ah well, back to the title drawing board. At least my hero isn’t a pilot, too. That’s another book.

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Here’s another one of those posts I try not to make too often. It was announced today that Stephen Green, the man accused of raping and murdering 14 year old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi in Iraq was convicted of rape and murder and now faces sentencing.

I am glad this animal was found guilty.

Green’s attorney argued the jury to “consider the “context” of war, saying soldiers in Green’s unit of the 101st Airborne Division lacked leadership.”

Here’s my problem with that. This lawyer is asking civilians to understand the context of war. Which is fine, except that this case does not need to be viewed in the context of a wartime environment.

In what case is it morally acceptable for our soldiers to rape and murder children and their families? There is absolutely no justification for Green’s actions and the actions of the cowards who went with him that night.

Do not mistake the actions of soldiers in the haze of battle who misidentify a target with the actions of a criminal who planned a brutal rape and murder.

War asks that good men do bad things. Green and his lackeys were not good men doing bad things. They represent the worst of our society and unfortunately, they were not stopped in time to prevent this tragedy. I am truly sorry for the actions of these soldiers.

I am even more sorry that their attorney has the audacity to explain this brutal crime as the impact of the combat stress. It’s a shame that the media plays into this and casts doubts on the honor of our men and women in uniform by lump us in with this criminal.

When the media repeat the lawyers argument that this should be ‘considered in the context of war’ they do every honorable man and woman in the military a great disservice.

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My other half and I were involved in a discussion the other day, which got me thinking. I was simply commenting about how I really love my Macbook. He made the comment that using Macs was typical of what was wrong with America. Which was to say it was blatant consumerism at its best when you’re paying for a brand rather than the best product out there (let’s not forget he bought it for me as a deployment gift but I digress).

What I explained to him is not that my computer is superior because it’s the base line Macbook but that it gives me functionality I don’t have on a PC: namely Scrivener and iLife. He pointed out that I could get more power for a significantly less amount of money, which is true, except that I wouldn’t have Scrivener. I wouldn’t have TimeMachine and a whole slew of other Mac programs. But mostly Scrivener. Lusting after Scrivener is what ultimately made the switch easy for me.

For me, my Macbook has made my life simpler. I no longer worry that I’m going to lose all my data and I’ve been using for six months straight, well over 14 hours per day and I’ve yet to have a single issue. (there have been a few hiccups but nothing that TimeMachine or Google didn’t help me identify in a few minutes). There has been no lost data (meaning completed novels that disappear into the ether, knock on wood)

So I ask you: am I being a snob simply because I enjoy using my computer? I like the feel of the keys, the quickness of the start up (open the lid) and shut down (close the lid). Does that make me a brand conscious snit or someone who simply doesn’t feel like digging into the control panel to change power settings when I can press a button?

My Macbook is not superior (though consumer reports says it is:).

It is simply enjoyable, functional, and reliable. What more could a deployed writer ask for?

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So you might be wondering, what does a girl need to survive over here? I’m going to automatically exclude my husband from the list of top 10 things I’m glad I brought to Iraq because that goes without saying. But, all things being equal, here’s my list so far:

10. Lansinoh. Oh really, you might ask. Why exactly does need a cream designed for nursing moms in Iraq. Two words: Chapped Lips. The weather over here is absolutely brutal and nothing heals chapped lips faster than Lansinoh. Once you get past the slightly off taste (hey your baby ate it, its fine) it is the single best cream on the planet for getting lips beyond the dry chapped look that is so in vogue over here.

9. Clinique SPF 15 Glosswear. Because Lansinoh does not have SPF. Enough said. Clear is functional and not slutty and lets me feel a little bit like a girl:). At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Hey, my husband is here with me.

8. Flip Flops: Here’s a visual for you: public showers. Nasty public showers. The kind that are so dirty the little Lamisil Monster won’t even attend. Flip flops are the last bastion of protection between your feet and a case of fungus you won’t be able to kill with bleach.

7. InCase Covers: I’m a gadget geek. I lusted over a Kindle until I bought my iPod touch (see # 6). I have an InCase cover for my MacBook (see #1 ), all my portable hard drives and my iPod. They’ve kept the dust down to way below normal levels. If you’re coming over here and care about your electronics, get these little neoprene cases. They’re worth their weight in gold. (Trust me, the dirt is unREAL)

6. IPOD touch: why not a regular Ipod? Why not an Iphone? Ipod touch has Skype, so I can call home (once my headphones with mic show up) on wifi. I have pics of my kids with me where ever I go (I look at them more than you think). Plus, books via Stanza (free), news via NYT (Free) and USA Today (also free and my hubby thought those two apps were the coolest ever), movies and of course, music for those hours at the gym on the stairmaster and elliptical trainer reading all of ARWA’s fabulous author’s books.

5. Clinique Daily Defense SPF 25. I stood on the airfield for 2 hours with no headgear on and did not get a sunburn. Proof enough that my fav multitasking moisturizer is worth it’s weight in gold.

4.  Headlamp from OCS. We had to do night land nav in OCS. At Fort Benning. In July. There are some big ass spiders in the Fort Benning woods. (I was not a happy girl, just ask my mom about the 430 am phone call where the spider was blocking my path and demanding ransom). In comes the headlamp. One hand for the map, one hand for the spider stick (don’t ask) and you’ve got a much happier (and sane) officer candidate. And while my headlamp sat in my duffle bag for a year, it has since resurrected it’s usefulness during this deployment. 

3. Birth Control. Because nothing says tramp more than going on a deployment with a whole years worth of birth control, even IF your husband is going to be with you in the same CHU. And nothing says neurotic like wondering if you’re pregnant every month because it’s now screwed up. Ah the joys of being a woman in a combat brigade. Maybe I should go to the ladies’ tea.

2.  Tide. Because nothing says eww more than getting back dirty clothes from the laundry point. Drop a capful of Tide into the bag and presto, clothes that almost smell like home. Now if only I could do something about the dingy yellow of my socks.

1. Macbook. Two words: Time machine. Knock on wood, no data has been lost in the making of this journey and the apple gods willing, none will. Create my website, blog, call home with video conferencing on Skype, and write my next book on Scrivener. This little sucker has the power and beauty to meet all my computer geek needs. But that’s not the best part. Again with the dust? The aluminum unibody has kept the dust remarkably out of the important parts. I opened it up yesterday to see how it was holding up and I was pleasantly shocked to see that there was barely any dust in there at all. Yay, apple.

These are the things you will find either on me or near me at all times during this fun little adventure in Iraq. I’d love to hear other things folks consider in their top ten of things to bring to Iraq.

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I write too fast. Hell, half the time, I talk too fast, too. But in writing, I my fingers go fast but my brain goes faster. I have no idea how I went from never having finished a story to having 7 novels under my belt, but I did.

So why is that a problem?

It’s not, in a classic sense. My issue is that getting that first draft out comes in a rush but so do the revisions. And revisions, in my case, need to take a lot longer than they do. I’m currently revising Shattered for an amazing agent who I’m flattered has even given me the time of day and I’m slowing down.

How? For starters, I’m reading out loud. That in an of itself has done wonders for picking up dropped words, non sequitur phrases and wordy sentences. Secondly, I’m trying to read the story like I’ve never seen it before. I’m looking at ideas in paragraphs, dialogue and mostly I’m looking for snatches of paragraphs that should have been cut on the last trip but somehow were still in there.

Reading out loud, though is the best idea I’ve ever had suggested to me. And the other thing: revisions are a good thing. I used to fear revisions. Now, I’m good with them. I enjoy them. In fact, I think I like editing more than I like getting new words on the page. I love seeing a story go from raw idea to something actually (I hope) readable.

So I’m slowing down. And, fingers crossed, it will make a difference.

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