One of the most common questions I get about the Heart of a Warrior series is: Why Navy SEALs? I usually give one answer or another:

• My brother considered becoming a SEAL at one point.
• One of my favorite movies, Tears of the Sun, showed me what flawed men and a flawed mission can sometimes accomplish when our perspective changes.
• I could tell you that I was curious.

And all of that is true.

Over the past few years, SEALs have become a growing focus in our country. What was once more of a behind-the-scenes elite group is now in the spotlight more than ever due to media. Sometimes the press is positive, sometimes jaded, sometimes a snippet of the full truth we’ll never know (and don’t need to know), and sometimes a criticism of issues within the ranks of this group that needs to be dealt with. My interest began before the press, but regardless of the current article titles, I still learn much from their culture and institution.

When I began the Heart of a Warrior series, a friend promised to help with facts, with accuracy in the story under one condition—that I agreed not to “Hollywoodize” this team. I eagerly agreed. I wanted to capture the heart of this military group. While fiction does sometimes necessitate an exaggerated look at reality (for example, they can’t be completely silent over comms. This is a book, afterall. We’ve got to have a little dialogue to aid the scene.), I did seek to keep it as close as possible to reality.

So why the SEALs? Because they remind me of ideals and truths I want to infuse in my story. This group has a team culture—no holds barred, knowing and maximizing each other’s strengths for the good of the operation, and never leave a man behind. The only easy day was yesterday. So we fight for a better tomorrow. We don’t give up. We fight for one another, and if necessary, withone another, so that we can be better together and fight forone another once again.

From the outside looking in, I don’t think there is anything simple or easy about this brotherhood. It is difficult on marriages, families, spiritual lives, health, and the psyche. But men step up and do the job. And they do it together. I never want to idealize something and ignore the difficulties. But I do respect the ultimate heart and intention of this elite band. And I hope that I can continue to capture some of that in the stories to come—the ideals of fighting for something bigger than oneself, honoring the brotherhood, and never giving up.

Studying this group—I hope—makes me a little better, and I think it made this series a little better, too. And I can’t wait for you to see these guys get their own love stories. Brush up on the Heart of a Warrior series. The Heart of a Hero series is coming at ya soon.

What other questions do you have about this series? I would LOVE to answer them!