We are happy to host Jessica Scott's blog tour today for It's Always Been You. Check out the Q&A with Jessica, an excerpt and giveaway.
She plays by the rules . . .
Captain Ben Teague is many things: a tough soldier, a loyal friend, and a bona fide smart-ass. He doesn't have much tolerance for BS, which is why he's mad as hell when a trusted colleague and mentor is brought up on charges that can't possibly be true. He's even more frustrated with by-the-book lawyer Major Olivia Hale. But there's something simmering beneath her icy reserve-and Ben just can't resist turning up the heat. . .
. . . and he's determined to break them
The only thing riskier than mixing business with pleasure is enjoying it . . . and Olivia can't resist locking horns-and lips-with Ben. He's got more compassion in his little finger than any commander she's ever met, a fact that makes him a better leader than he realizes. But when the case that brought them together awakens demons from Olivia's past, she will have to choose between following orders-or her heart...
Stephanie: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Jessica: I think I always wrote but I don’t think I always knew I’d be a writer. I worry sometimes that the muse is going to pack her bags and quit on me but so far, she hasn’t left me hanging. Since I’ve started writing, though, I don’t think I can stop.
Stephanie: Did you choose to write about war heroes because of your experiences in the Army?
Stephanie: Did you choose to write about war heroes because of your experiences in the Army?
Jessica: I write about everyday heroes. I love a good alpha male as much as the next gal but there’s something about the men and women to my left and right that really inspire me to tell their stories.
Stephanie: What was it like being featured as one of Esquire's 2012 Americans of the Year?
Jessica: That was pretty cool, honestly. To be part of standing up for my sisters who may not have a voice was pretty inspiring and I hope it made a difference, you know?
Stephanie: What can you tell us about the future of the COMING HOME series after It's Always Been You?
Jessica: Right now, I’m working on First Sarn’t Sorren’s book and after that, we’ll see what happens. I’ve got ideas for a couple more so we shall see :)
Olivia
looked away. The first packet was heavy in her hand. “The quick summary is that
you have five drinking and driving, two assaults, three hot urinalysis tests
and five soldiers caught with other intoxicating substances.”
“Define
‘other intoxicating substances’? What the hell does that mean?”
“Huffing,
spice, bath salts.”
“Bath
salts? What the hell are bath salts?”
Olivia
pulled out her phone and pulled up a website explaining the drug. “They’re
really new but we’re starting to see more of them. They’re meant to be a
synthetic drug that mimics cocaine and ecstasy but they’re really bad stuff.
Some of it is variants of plant food.”
Ben
reached for her phone and angled it so he could see. His hand was big and rough
against hers. Hot where their skin met. If he noticed, he didn’t give any
indication. “Plant food?”
Olivia
tried to ignore how his hand felt against hers. Because, oh yes, she’d noticed.
Heat spread across her skin, sliding up her forearm and tingling down her
spine. “Soldiers will smoke anything these days,” she said quietly.
“Why?”
“That’s
a whole ’nother discussion,” she said, easing her hand out of his. “The short
version is that intoxicating substances are prohibited by regulation and I
advise you to do two things with these kids: send a strong message that this
behavior won’t be tolerated but also enroll them into drug abuse counseling to
send a message that you’ll help those who want it.”
Ben
studied the paperwork in front of him. Tormented emotions flickered over his
face and it was everything she could do not to ask him what was on his mind.
She didn’t have time or reason to go crawling around Ben Teague’s head but that
didn’t stop the want pulsing warmly over her skin.
“I
know this kid,” Ben said quietly. “I served with him downrange last deployment
but ever since he’s come home, he’s been nothing but trouble to the old
commander. Zittoro has three previous drug charges,” he said.
“Private
Zittoro is a different case. I recommend you separate him from the military
under a chapter nine, rehab failure.”
She
heard his quick intake of breath. Saw the conflict flicker over his sharp
features.
He
cleared his throat roughly in the awkward silence. “Zittoro… he’s got nowhere
to go. He’s got a deadbeat dad and his mom is… well, she’s not winning any
parent of the year awards.” His fist clenched on the table in front of her. “If
I throw him out of the army, what happens to him? He’s an addict.”
She
flinched at the pain in his words. Ben had only been a commander for a couple
of hours but the strain was already obvious in his voice.
“You
can’t save everyone,” she whispered. She waited until his eyes met hers.
“You know
that, right?”
“Yeah.
Sure.”
There
was no comfort she could offer. This was the burden of command: to balance the
needs of the army over the needs of the individual. A tightrope he had to walk
alone.
All
she could do was give him the facts and her opinion. But in that moment, she
had the sudden urge to save him from this. “If you keep him, do you have the
manpower to keep going to his room and making sure he hasn’t overdosed every
night? Do you trust him enough to give him a weapon and believe he’ll do his
job?”
Ben’s
throat moved as he swallowed. “Guess not,” he said quietly. He leaned back and
it was as if a wall of glass crystallized between them. “What other fun things
do you have in there for me?”
Olivia
wasn’t convinced by the sudden shift in Ben’s mood but now wasn’t the time or
the place for digging any deeper. She reviewed the rest of the drug packets,
watching him tense more with each one. She stopped after the last driving under
the influence.
“Why
is this bothering you so much?”
He
offered a half-assed cocky grimace that failed to mimic the smile he was going
for. A pretty shitty attempt to cover the darkness twisting beneath the surface.
He took a deep breath. “I’m a big boy. I’ll do what has to be done.”
“I
didn’t imply that you wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it’s not bothering you.”
He
drummed his fingers on the table. “Let’s finish this up. I’ve got to get down
to my company and start digging out from the mountain of crap that my
predecessor left me.”
He
brushed her off. The action was as insignificant as a paper cut.
She
leaned back and picked up the next packet and wished it didn’t sting like it
did. Then she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. There was such a dark lack
of hope in his eyes. A bleak resignation to the things he was forced to
confront. She almost reached for his hand. It would have been a simple gesture
of support. But he looked at her as though a single touch might have shattered
him.
He
was not her problem. She didn’t do damaged and introspective.
Because
there were people counting on her not to get distracted.
But
looking at him now, she wondered about the glimpse of the tired warrior she saw
behind those tormented brown eyes.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one ofEsquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
