Those who have been to war come back with life-changing problems. They are not understood by their family, friends, and civilian co-workers, yet they have to get along as best they can. As characters, each has a lot more for the writer to work with than does the civilian.

I have the second manuscript in the James Early mystery series with Tekno Books, waiting for word on whether the publisher will take it. While waiting, I'm writing the first book in a new series. It features a young female defense lawyer who, when she was a member of an Army National Guard MP company in Iraq, lost an arm and a leg in a booby trap.

Have nearly finished a re-write on the first in the series. Had a reasonably positive feedback from one agent but she felt I needed more "something". Wish she had been more specific. But, I realize every writer has her own voice/style and maybe the way I want this first one to be presented in not the traditional POV format. We all just need to keep plugging away. But I'm happy for you and every writer who find her way.

I'm not yet published. Still looking for an agent. My series is based on my own 27 year law enforcement career in California which began as a sheriff's dispatcher and ended as a parole agent in San Diego - with stops along the way in welfare fraud and the state's attorney general's office.

Hi Julie,
You asked about my writing. I write the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series (A Real Basket Case, nominated for the 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award, and To Hell in a Handbasket, May, 2009). I also write the Rocky Mountain Adventure mystery series (the first of which, Deadly Currents, will be released in March, 2011). To find out more, please visit my website at bethgroundwater.com and my blog at bethgroundwater.blogspot.com .