I’ve had this fantasy since I began seriously writing romance in 2006. I’ve always wanted to walk through an airport and see a traveler reading one of my books, like I always see them reading James Patterson, or whatever the current, hot new bestselling release is (according to the NY Times). Well last night, the soldier kind of made my dreams come true. My Army consultant is stateside for leadership training and…this is amazing, I still can’t believe it…while flying to Fort Benning in Georgia, he saw a woman reading my book in the airport!
It was the first one he helped me write back in 2007, A Few Good Men, while he was a tank commander in Ramadi and I started seriously penning real life military missions into my romantic fiction, thanks to him. He told the woman he knew me, and that I support his platoon, but he didn’t tell her he helped me, that the missions in the book were actually his. He didn’t think she’d believe him. I reminded him that his name is most likely in the dedication, but always a man of mystery, Sean wanted her to figure it out for herself. And actually, now that I look back at that dedication, I used his nickname because he was feeding me such incredible military details, I was afraid I’d get him in trouble if I put his real name. Whether she knows or not, I am still thrilled. I didn’t get to see it myself, but someone was reading my book in the airport!
This event, the fulfillment of my lifelong dream, if even on a very small scale, strikes me on two levels. One, as much as I often love to loathe Amazon.com and support wholeheartedly the local indie bookshops in my area, I know in my heart that traveler purchased that book from Amazon where I always have a place on their virtual bookshelves. I know that a tiny indie bookshop can not possibly stock even one copy of every book, every author has available, and that is a sad truth. The other thing that strikes me is how the universe has recently begun throwing boulders in my path, yet after every assault, it will dangle a carrot in front of me to keep me moving forward. Just its way of keeping cosmic balance perhaps. So as I dodge the boulders and follow the carrots, I keep plodding along. Thank you to any of you who choose to monitor my progress or join me on the journey. 
And speaking of carrots…. A new reader review has just been posted for A Prince Among Men (one of my Contemporary Military Erotic Romances), just in time for the Fourth of July holiday. Here is a blurb: “WONDERFUL! FABULOUS! I WANT MORE!!!!!! What more can I say, I loved it. Hot Hot HOT HOT HOT!!!!! I laughed, I gasped, I was totally pulled in and fell in love with the characters. All I can say about Ryan is…..I want one! Totally great plot and super well written… Phenomenal story telling.”
Read the full review at http://seriouslyreviewed.blogspot.com/2009/07/prince-among-men-by-cat-johnson.html
Have a safe and joyful Fourth of July, and don’t forget to tip a beer to all the men and women of the armed services this weekend.
Cat
A Prince Among Men and A Few Good Men are both available in print on Amazon.com and in eBook from Linden Bay Romance.com, All Romance eBooks.com and My Bookstore and More.