Middletown Barnes & Noble

Yesterday CJ Robison, Elaine Snavely, and I had a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Middletown, RI, near Newport. The audience was great. I think it was the best question and answer period I've experienced during my two+ years on the book tour. The questions included whether CJ and Elaine would recommend the military as a career for women, what it's like as a mother to come home from the battlefield, and should the law excluding women in combat be revised since they are in combat.

Included in the audience was a man whose son was killed in Iraq. His son worked in maintenance and he said it didn't matter what your gender. If you're over there, in Iraq or Afghanistan, you're in combat. One woman's son is in Iraq and is coming home for two weeks of R&R. She asked Elaine and CJ for advice. What could she, the mom, do for her son. CJ said he'll need sleep, TV, food, and beer. I and the audience appreciated CJ and Elaine's candor and honesty when responding to questions. One couple called the reading an "inspiring" evening. A Vietnam vet described it as "profound."

For me the day and evening were emotional. We spent the day in Newport, eating lunch at the Mooring. CJ ate a lobster; Elaine and I ate lobster rolls. We drove by the mansions and sat on a wall overlooking the water. It was fun for me to listen to them share stories and connect. It was also humbling. These women have been through so much physical and emotional pain, yet here they are with me on the book tour educating the public about what they went through on the battlefield and when they returned home. They continue to be my heroes.

Today we are going to the University of Massachusetts Law School at Andover to film an educational documentary about The Girls Come Marching Home. The school filmed a documentary about Band of Sisters that won national and international awards. They are hoping for a repeat!

New England

every woman needs a band of sisters ...

I arrived in CT on Sunday. Monday morning went to breakfast with Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of the VA for the State of Connecticut. Much of the discussion revolved around Linda VanDermeer (sp?), Vietnam vet, Army nurse, who wrote a memoir about her experiences returning home.

CJ Robison and Elaine Snavely arrived safely from Iowa and California, respectively. This was the first time I had seen them since I interviewed them for The Girls Come Marching Home. Both look great. And it was the first time they had met. They had read each others' stories in the book but over margaritas and coronas they recounted their experiences in Iraq and returning. They liked the fact that they didn't have to elaborate. They spoke the same language and "got" it. Sisters in arms. Off to Newport!!!

New England Trip

Every woman needs a band of sisters ...

Super excited about this upcoming week. I'm flying from North Carolina to Rhode Island on Sunday, just in time to celebrate my niece, Sarah's, 21st birthday. On Monday, I'm having breakfast with Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of the VA for the State of Connecticut. Later in the day, I will be picking up CJ Robison (former Army Master Sergeant) and Elaine Snavely (Navy corpsman) at the airport. Robison is flying in from Iowa and Snavely from California. Both are featured in The Girls Come Marching Home.

On Tuesday, Michelle Wilmot former Army sergeant who is also featured in TGCMH) will join us and we will have a signing at the Middletown Barnes & Noble near Newport, RI, at 6:30 p.m.. Hoping we can hang out in Newport for the day. The next day, Wednesday, we will film an educational documentary at the University of Massachusetts Law School at Andover. They did a documentary on Band of Sisters and it won all sorts of awards.

Thursday night we will be at the La Grua Center in Stonington, CT, at 7 p.m. If you're around, come out and support our female veterans!!!

Okay, have to get my iphone fixed and pack.