Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Heroes Outside the Storybooks

Thank you for joining me for the Blog Tour de Troops! You should have come here from Ron Vitale's blog. Please follow along to Ali Cross's blog next. Leave a comment and I will email with details to receive a copy of my paranormal romance, Destiny Divided, for free. Don't forget to leave your email address. For each comment, a soldier overseas also gets a free e-book, so comment away!




Welcome to my blog!
I write paranormal romance...
action packed adventure,
magic,
dark humor,
alpha males,
strong women,
and steamy romance!
for more info and samples of my book visit my site:




As fiction writers - especially the romance genre - we see the word hero and automatically think hunky, muscular men who dash around saving women from dragons, loneliness, evil step-mothers, bad boyfriends, and so on. And aren't they a dream to lust after?

As readers we may sigh and fan ourselves (or in my case, hunt down our partners and tackle them onto the bed), when we read the brave and gallant acts our fantasy heroes perform.

But we leave our fantasy crushes for the storybooks and trudge through our lives never giving a second thought to the real heroes among us. The ones who sacrifice the comforts we enjoy every day to protect our country. Heroes that devote themselves to our safety, independence, and freedom. Sometimes it's in grand acts of bravery, but most of the time it's in the mundane things we don't think about. Some have been through hell and back. Some are in hell right now. Others were in a different hell long ago that we'd never understand. Many are lucky enough never to have seen hell. All are important. All have served us in ways we'll never know. We owe each of them our respect and gratitude.

So, thank you, to the veterans and soldiers, the real life heroes.



"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Winston Churchill

Remember to check out Ali Cross, next stop on the tour!

105 comments:

  1. hi Leia! that picture just tugged at my heart.
    thank you for your contribution to the brave men and women out there and for participating in this tour.

    aobibliophile(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the picture. It says it all.
    mrice6@cox.net

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for being part of this tour and I hope your book makes somebody’s day better :)

    hellenlovesbooks (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  4. that is so true! Our soldiers are the real heros and deserve so much more. I love the tour and that it gives a little something back to those who put their lives on the line for our freedom.

    Christy
    practimom@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing your book with everyone. It is greatly appreciated.
    helpersarah2009@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for supporting our troops in such a generous manner! I know that each and every book received will be greatly appreciated! And thank you for allowing me to be a part of it through you!

    iarvd@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for sharing your book, this is wonderful idea. Your cover is amazing!

    artgiote at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks for visiting and caring so much about the troops everyone! and yes, i fell in love with the picture when i saw it. the look on that mother's face....it speaks volumes, doesn't it? i'll be emailing the books in waves all day today so you should get it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. thank you.
    pamela at pbdesigns.biz

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for this wonderful support of our troops. And for sharing your books for us to read. pringpringles(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's an AWESOME reunion shot.

    Just another author on the tour checking in. This is an awesome program, and I feel really honored to be included.

    ~ Erin M. Klitzke
    athensmcleod@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for being part of such an amazing program! I can't wait to read your book!
    Melissa.gwinn(at) yahoo(dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  13. An awesome blog tour for a really worthy cause. Thanks for your generousity to the soldiers and the readers. And I'm glad to do my part in commenting.

    tamsyn5@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just like the first person to leave a comment, that photo nearly made me cry! Yes, as you said... Thank You!
    suzy.turner[at]hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. A big THANKS to our Troops.

    Thank you for taking part of this wonderful blog tour.

    Stephanie O.
    ladybug07999@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a touching picture! We often think of our military as "men" but these days it's common for women to leave and serve our country as well leaving their children to protect us and our children. Wow - thanks is so NOT enough.

    Many blessings to you, thanks for participating in this tour.

    Heather
    nurse6030@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you for supporting our troops through this blog tour.
    cmhswi(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you for participating in this wonderful support to our troops. They are all truly amazing.

    musicalfrog at comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  19. Awesome blog tour for a great cause.

    quinnsmythwood(AT)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for supporting our troops!
    SWyland808@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for our troops, and thank you for being a part of this. It is such an amazing thing that all you authors are doing! I cannot wait to read a copy of your book.

    meghan.guarnieri@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. that picture, and so many that are similar to it, make me tear up. the sacrifice isn't one i've experienced, but my best friend is marrying a man who served, and experienced extreme loss during that time. The scars heal, eventually, but his sacrifice, like that of so many others, will not be forgotten.

    shirleykcarter at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Whenever I see a man or woman in uniform I make a point to say "Thank you for serving our country." I'm always humbled by their appreciation of that simple act. It seems to me like something so simple should be more commonplace for them, not a nice surprise. At any rate, my young children now do the same thing and I hope they continue to thank our country's true heroes even as they get older. Thank you, Leia, for doing your part to show our troops your appreciation. It's very thoughtful and generous of you.
    Gina.Maxwell@rocketmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. thank you all for sharing your heartfelt thoughts and experiences with me. E-books are coming your way! I'm so excited to see how many soldier's we'll be sharing books with because of this event.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for supporting our troops!! I grew up a military brat with a long family line to the military. I would also be in the service but due to medical reasons, cant. However, I am one of the most patriotic people I know. Flags are flying outside my house. I always stop to thank a soldier (where ever we are). I proudly sing patriotic songs. I get mad when others take for granted the freedoms we have because of the sacrifice of so many love men and women. So thank you very much for giving the troops a copy of your book! And a special shout out to my father in law who is a Vietnam Vet and has a Purple Heart among other medals!

    nook_heartnsole at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for supporting the troops! This tour is a wonderful idea, I'm glad so many authors are participating!

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks for supporting our troops & for the free read - I can't wait to check out your book.

    allyreads81 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for participating in the tour and supporting the troops!
    Have a great day. :)
    pauline@pjhandcrafts.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Love the picture of the soldier and child being reunited. Thank you for the generous offer and for participating in this event to show your support for our veterans. shadow31071 (at) suddenlink (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you so much for supporting our troops!!!
    Magluvsya03@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. You are so right, our veterans and troops are our true heroes. This includes the folks that are paper-pushers to being on the front-lines, they have all served us well and I will be forever grateful. This is such a wonderful event, thank you so much for participating and honoring our veterans on their day and giving to our troops the joy of a good book. I am also thankful for your providing us readers a copy of your lovely book as well. Your efforts are appreciated.

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and participating in this great tour, I look forward to reading your book!
    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

    ReplyDelete
  33. My husband is currently serving this great country of ours. He is helping making it possible for our daughters to enjoy freedoms most take for granted.

    Having this Blog tour means so much to the troops.

    I started my blog when my husband and I met. It's just a little mundane site that helps keep my husband in the know about the daily goings on here at home. He would read it every night before he went to sleep while he was in training until he was deployed.

    I decided to have my blog printed as a hard copy book before he makes it back home from overseas. That way he will have a copy of my blog right in his hands. It's those little things that mean the most.

    betty.vickery.johnson@gmail.com

    My loving soldier Jon:

    provert247 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  34. Betty, what a beautiful story and thank you so much for sharing that. Turning your blog into a book, what a wonderful idea! I love it and I'm he will too. And a special thank you to your husband for his hard work and dedication!

    Leia

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thank you so much for participating in this wonderful event! It is a great way to thank our troops!

    Karen

    kmoaton@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you for participating in such an amazing cause :) My Granddad was in the RAF and fought during WWII, as a big reader himself before he died I know he would have loved the idea of the Tour de Troops.

    shroudedheart(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is a really great way to support the troops.
    divavixenqueen(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thank you for participating in the tour :)

    brittanyrose40 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thank you for your support of our troops, as a mother of a son who just joined the Navy I do appreciate it.
    lvs2dv (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks so much for this great event. I just donated some money to help buy Kindles for the troops. I think that is such a great idea. I know books are my escape so I'm happy that some of our soldiers will get the same opportunity.

    jen(at)delux(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thank you for supporting our troops!!

    books4me67 at ymail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  42. As a 24yr vet it has been my honor to serve.
    Thank you for what you do.
    ryan.mill68(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in the worthwhile cause. Our troops will be grateful.
    glenn(at)keyaquests(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  44. We can never repay what we owe to these gallant men and women, but we can pray for them. God bless them all and bring them all home soon, safe, and sound.
    Please give my free copy to another soldier. Thank you.
    Joe

    ReplyDelete
  45. That picture is awesome! Thank you to all our Veteran's and those who are serving today!!

    miranda.grissomATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  46. Repeating what others have said: thank you to the troops for what they do; thank you to you for supporting them and supplying a book for them to read; and thank you from me (in anticipation) for your book.

    Janey
    jandhj2 (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thank you for supporting our troops this way (and I have to say that I'm going to enjoy it too). My father, husband and brother-in-law have all served or are currently serving and anything that supports our troops is near and dear to my heart.
    Thanks again,
    Andrea
    a_ariail(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  48. Thank you for participating in the blog tour to support the troops.

    I find this picture you posted says more about duty and sacrifice than a 1000 word blog could.

    sophiarose1816@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Thank you for the great event! I am happy to comment in support of our troops.

    ML
    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  50. Thanks for supporting our troops. :)

    reikibirth at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  51. This tour was an amazing idea! It's great to see so many people participating. Thanks for supporting our troops!
    ruby[dot]meek[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  52. a special thank you to the soldiers and vets that commented! we wouldn't be where we are without you!

    as for those of you who request your copy of my book to go to a troop, i will send the request along to the people who run this event. thank you for your generosity.

    Anonymous - email me at leia@leiashaw.com and i''ll get you the book. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Ryan - your email address bounced back when i sent the details for the book. any idea why? can you double check that you wrote it correctly? email me if you need to. leia@leiashaw.com

    ReplyDelete
  54. I want to commend all of you for what you are doing to support the morale of our troops! My husband was in the Navy and my mother-in-law and daughter were in the Air Force, so supporting our men and women holds a special place in my heart!
    I look forward to reading your book :)
    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  55. Loving that picture. Here's to the real heroes of our lives!

    evanbartholomew@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. Thank you for caring and brightening the day of many well-deserving soldiers. christygibbon at juno dot com

    ReplyDelete
  57. Thank you so much for taking part what a great blog tour! This sounds like a great book always looking for new Authors and I love Paranormal my favorite!
    Thanks again :)
    tishajean@ charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  58. Thanks so much for this tour. I know the troops will be very happy to receive a few hours of escape from the challenges of serving our country.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  59. What a wonderful way to help the troops especially during this time of year.

    Thank you so much for sharing.
    Amelia
    rejoicegmj@goldenwest.net

    ReplyDelete
  60. Thank you for being a part of this event. As a military wife it makes my heart swell to see all the comments and support going around!

    miranda_lynn2001(at)live(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  61. Thank you for supporting our men and women in uniform with this event. I have been impressed with how many participants there are.

    nancyg5997@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  62. I loved your comments and thank you so much for being a part of this event :) I'd love a copy of your book to read and devour!

    thebookishsnob(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  63. Thank you for supproting our troops!

    Please donate my copy to a service member.

    ReplyDelete
  64. What a great way to support our troops! Thank you :-)

    smaccall AT comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thank-you for doing this!
    Please send them mine as well.

    ReplyDelete
  66. What an amazing picture! Thanks for making this such a great event and for your generosity!
    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  67. Thank you everyone for coming by on the blog tour. this is a truly spectacular event and i'm thrilled at the turn out. it's so nice to see so many people caring about our troops and our vets. and we can't forget the families as well. i've seen comments from several families of soldiers and we thank you for your sacrifices to help our country. and i pray for each and every one of you who has loved ones overseas, that they return safely soon.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Thank you for being part of the Blog Tour de Troops. Your efforts are appreciated.

    Ardee-ann

    sagemoon_cottage@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  69. That was a wonderful picture. Thanks for supporting our troops.

    stefscat@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  70. Thanks for supporting our troops!!

    Thanks to all our veterans and active members of the military.

    ReplyDelete
  71. This book looks like a fantastic read.
    Thank for your generosity and supporting our troops!
    tweezle(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  72. Thank you for participating and supporting our troops
    Suefitz(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  73. thanks for all you are doing. I think it is a wonderful thing.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Love your "beautiful men" pix! Thanks for taking part in the Blog Tour de Force! Such a great cause. :)

    ~Jesi

    jesilea@charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  75. Thank You Veterans. thanks for the service.
    rlrlaney@yahoo.com rhonda

    ReplyDelete
  76. I used to send books overseas via 'Books for Soldiers', and this is the best way I've seen yet to continue that effort!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Thank you for participating on the tour. I look forward to reading your book.

    pefrw at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  78. Thank you to all that serve.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  79. Thank you for supporting our Troops!
    t_manfredi@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  80. I think it is so great that you all are doing this tour for the troops. Thank you so much. carolynvaldez51@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  81. Thank you everybody for participating in this event and supporting our troops. Don't forget to check out more great authors as the tour continues Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Otterdaughter - you didn't leave your email address. If you'd like a copy of my book, please email me at leia@leiashaw.com Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  83. Thanks for participating in the tour and donating books!

    acm05atjuno.com

    ReplyDelete
  84. thanks for doing this!
    diamondskye20 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  85. Loved the picture! Thanks for your support of our troops. They are wonderful!
    egstanley(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  86. The picture reminds me of when Jeff ( my son-in- law) left to go to Bagdad.
    Being at the airport with all the soldiers and their families.
    Thank you for the support of our troops the past, present and the future.
    And thank you for all the hard work.
    tammi.hagberg@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  87. It's a wonderful thing all these authors are doing with the Blog Tour de Troops. I was just reading a news article in which active duty troops were lamenting the lack of new books to read! Thank you for your generosity and the contest!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Thanks. what you folks are goind is great. :)

    brustj@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  89. Thank you for taking part in the Tour and thank you to all that have served our country.

    larson a 1 @ live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  90. Thank you for supporting our troops. This whole blog tour is such a great idea.

    readergirls@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  91. My dad was a WWII vet and landed at Omaha Beach on D-day. He didn't live quite long enough to go on one of the Honor Tours and he didn't talk about the war but he looked very dashing in the pictures.
    Thanks for the book and thanks for supporting our troops
    OmahaUrbanec AT aol Dot com

    ReplyDelete
  92. Thank you for doing this!

    appleblossoms977@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  93. thanks for doing this. As an army veteran of multiple deployments, I can assure you that reading provides sanity and a chance to explore worlds outside the dust/rain/dirt of the present un-fun. With the advent of eBook readers it has become even easier to read, try new authors and to feel less cut off from the world.

    sincerely - Holly (prosekniticATyahooDOTde)

    ReplyDelete
  94. What a wonderful idea to let our troops know how much we respect and apprecitate them! Thank you for doing this!

    Dani
    mdavis24@ec.rr.com

    ReplyDelete
  95. Sometimes a picture says a thousand words right?

    Thanks for a great post!
    Donna
    donna.haw@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  96. Thanks for the continued comments and support. Susan - you didn't list an email address. Please contact me at leia@leiashaw.com if you'd like a copy of my book.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Such a wonderful idea. Please send a copy of your book to a soldier to help them escape for a while.

    ackleybj@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  98. Hi,

    Thanks for being part of the tour.

    To all of the women & men of the military, thank you for everything you do, the sacrifices you make, and for keeping our country safe! To the families of those in the military, thank you for the sacrifices you make each and every day.

    Pinky
    pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  99. Thank you so much for supporting our troops and for participating in this blog tour.

    thenarcissuslibrary at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  100. I'd love a copy, thanks! :) etitameh(at)q(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  101. such a lovely idea!

    loolookittydee @ gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  102. Thank you for being a part of the blog tour. I think it's a wonderful way to honor our Service men & women.
    I'm a Military brat and it warms my heart to see so many people come out to send them books.

    Thank you everyone!

    Teresa K.
    tcwgrlup41(at)yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  103. I'm so glad there's another Tour de Troops!! Can't wait to see if there's more comments than Memorial Day! What a great way to give our troops a little escape in a book while they are away from home and at war. Thanks IndieBookCollective!! Thanks for the free book - can't wait to read your story!

    I would like the troop book to go to my cousin Zachary Neer serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan.
    Melissa
    missyebookmail (AT) mediacombb (DOT) net

    ReplyDelete
  104. Love the post, quote and picture. Thank you to all our heroes out there, all our veterans and all of our troops in and out of service. You'll never know how much you mean to all of us. I hope that you make it home safe and sound.
    jessangil at gmail dot com
    -Jessica B

    ReplyDelete
  105. Thanks for supporting the troops.

    Marty
    puccagirl73@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete