As many of you know, I lent Kri some of my dearest friends in the Broken Series. Some are mentioned by name, others by aliases. I’ve heard from a lot of readers how they love these characters, how they feel like friends, and how they miss them when they step away from the series. That is what makes this so hard. It is with a heavy heart that I share we’ve lost one of these remarkable friends. My beautiful, passionate, feisty, big-hearted, not-afraid-to-be-girlie, pink and prankster loving, fiery red-headed friend Kimme died unexpectedly in July. I am still grappling with the fact that I can’t text her. I will never again hear her voice. I won’t get to see those cute little pig tails she rocked well into her 50’s. I’ll never get to cook clam linguine with her again. I can’t share another glass of wine with her while we strategize about the many ways we could right the wrongs in this world. Kimme was such a powerful, steadfast advocate for veterans, for people with disabilities, and for seniors.

I don’t think she fully realized the countless lives she touched and the many, many people she helped both in and outside of the office. She wore many hats… long term care ombudsman, elder rights advocate, veterans advocate, health insurance counselor, talk show host for Aging Horizons, dog-lover, friend, and wife, just to name a few. I deeply admired her energy and dedication to helping others, especially knowing the challenges she faced as the spouse of a Vietnam veteran who struggles mightily with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. She. Never. Stopped. Giving. And she loved with her whole heart. 

Some of my fondest memories with Kimme involve hiking Mount Helena, sitting at the top, and contemplating life together; collecting and delivering Christmas gifts to veterans residing in Montana’s veterans’ homes; cooking together; donning fancy hats and throwing a full-on tea party at 5:30 a.m. while we watched Prince William marry Kate Middleton; and, of course, pranking Charlie and waging water-gun wars to liven things up at the office. Kimme was a remarkable friend, one I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know, even if just a little, in the Broken Series. 

So, this is my Christmas wish… that each and every person who reads this post finds a veteran who is isolated and alone, stops by to introduce themselves, and offers to help. Please, as awkward and vulnerable as you might feel reaching out to a total stranger to offer help, to simply check in on them, to let them know they have NOT been forgotten and are NOT alone, I want you to remember how vulnerable our veterans allowed themselves to become when they chose to serve our country… to safeguard us. Remember that sacred commitment? We “leave no man behind.” Far too many of our veterans have been left behind, left alone to fight the remnants of a battle that began decades ago.

This Christmas, I would like to recruit you all to help me ensure a tiny part of Kimme’s spirit lives on. You see, her husband and my dear friend Dan has been completely lost without her. She was his primary caregiver. She handled all the tasks he couldn’t. Even when the ghosts from his past were pushing her away, she remained steadfast in her love. She made sure he felt cherished, appreciated, cared for, loved. He’s alone now. Kimme is gone. I visited him briefly, long enough to honor his wish that I spread her ashes at sunrise on one of our favorite mountain tops. I live more than two thousand miles away. I’m doing what I can from afar to help Dan through this, but I know it isn’t nearly enough. He is incredibly frail… on oxygen… housebound due to injuries and disabilities he acquired while serving this country. It has been difficult to cobble together services to cover all the things Kimme did for him, none of which he wants because he has huge trust issues and really, all he wants is his wife back. There’s a huge workforce shortage and an even larger volunteer shortage, not just in Montana, but in most if not all communities. Finding someone to shovel his walk, winterize his home, clean out his fridge, deliver his groceries, get him to medical appointments, sort through and donate his wife’s belongings has been a monumental, near-impossible task. 

Our veterans desperately need your help. This is not a group of people who are comfortable asking for help. They have spent so much of their lives serving and protecting others, which makes it even more difficult for them to accept help. They are used to being on the giving rather than the receiving end of service. So, this mission, should you choose to accept, may require a bit of sweet talking and persistence on your part (something I learned from Kimme). Tell the veteran you have chosen to adopt that you are on a mission to keep our friend Kimme’s legacy alive. If you don’t personally know a veteran who could use some help, reach out to your local VFW post, VVA chapter, or DAV chapter. They can help you find a veteran in need. This holiday season, let’s ensure we leave no veteran behind. 

This one’s for you, Kimme. I love you.

I’ve got some good news. I have finally finished that spin-off novel I promised several years ago – a friends to lovers romance for Kadyn and Shae! My editor is working her magic, my beta readers have a draft in their hot little hands, and I have secured a stunning cover I can’t wait to share with you all. Finally, it is all coming together with a tentative release date in March. This has without a doubt been a labor of love, with challenges and distractions seemingly insurmountable at times. I am so happy to be nearing the finish line. 

Speaking of happy… after spending the last few years navigating a global pandemic and merely surviving… I have discovered I need to work on that… on being happy. The New Year’s resolution I have chosen for 2023 is to engage in more activities that make me happy. An integral part of that is trying to figure out what makes me happy. One strategy I have chosen to adopt is acknowledging when something makes me happy… literally stating aloud, “This makes me happy,” even when that feeling is fleeting. 

I have learned a few things already. While trying to pinpoint what makes me happy, I have discovered it truly is the little things. It is snuggling with my dogs, walking with my daughter, and a crisp blue sky. It is seeing leafless trees turn silver in the moonlight, a dusting of snow, and cozy socks. It is having a real conversation on the phone with my friends (instead of texting). It is chucking pistachios at my mom and seeing her initial confusion and disbelief morph into laughter. It is giving and receiving hugs, kissing my husband, sleeping in, and binge-watching Bridgerton. It is that precise moment each week when I finish grading for the classes I am teaching. It is the kind words my students share at the end of the semester. It is learning something new, engaging with someone new, and hearing a friend’s child has finally busted out of the hospital. It is seeing my daughter’s labs looking so good, it is a clean house, a warm cup of coffee, a piece of chocolate while it is melting in my mouth. It’s a completed task. It’s a Yoga stretch. It’s witnessing a good deed, it is helping someone in need, and… finishing my novel.

While I wasn’t surprised to discover these things make me happy, what I did find surprising is how frequently I feel happy. As odd as this may sound, I think I was allowing these moments to slip past me unnoticed. Now that  my “happy radar” is on, I am more aware and appreciative of these moments. 

The last few years have been difficult for all of us. It is long past time we carve out some happiness in the midst of this insanity… to find joy… to move past surviving and savor life. I hope you will join me in adopting strategies that will help you find your happy. If you do, let me know what you find. I would love to hear what makes you happy.

We have proven our strengths. We have proven that at a minimum we are exactly the same as you are. So do prove that you are with us… that you will not let us go… and then life will win over death; light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine. – Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, March 1, 2022

As many of you know, Ukraine-Russia relations feature heavily in The Broken Series. I thought I would share why I chose to weave this conflict into my novels, and why I feel we should stand with Ukraine now. I think this video is the perfect place to start. Please take a minute to listen to President Zelenskyy’s appeal to the EU. You might want to grab a tissue.

Some background information on the revolutions President Zelenskyy is referring to in this speech. The Orange Revolution was waged after a run-off vote for president in 2004 that was marred by corruption. The Ukrainians voted for the pro-western/pro-democracy candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who survived an assassination attempt (dioxin poisoning) while running against Putin’s preferred candidate, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was announced the winner, despite credible exit polls proving Yushchenko won. Over a million citizens poured into the streets of Kyiv every day until a free and fair election was held. Yushchenko (the pro-democracy candidate) won. The Orange revolution came to a peaceful end. No blood was spilled.

Sadly, Kremlin-backed Yanukovych secured the presidency in the next election. He imprisoned his political opponent Yulia Tymoshenko, who co-led the Orange Revolution, and he suspended the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. That agreement forged stronger economic, social, political, and cultural ties between Ukraine and the EU. Yanukovych chose to strengthen ties with Russia instead, despite the Ukrainians’ deep and long-standing desire to become a member of the EU and NATO. The EuroMaidan revolution (aka Revolution of Dignity) followed. More than a hundred people were killed during the protests. Yanukovych fled his palace, but not before he and his cronies absconded with $40 billion in state assets. They currently live in Russia.

Ukraine’s former president Petro Poroshenko (pro-democracy) and current president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (also pro-democracy) are both fighting in the streets alongside the citizens of Ukraine to defend their country against Russia’s brutal, unprovoked war crimes, which can only be described as a David and Goliath fight. As I write this, international news outlets are reporting that Putin plans to replace President Zelenskyy with Yanukovych, the Kremlin-backed criminal who stole billions from the Ukrainian people before fleeing the country in 2014. I should note this is not the first time Putin has attacked a neighboring country and installed a puppet regime (see, e.g.: Belarus, Chechnya, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia). This is his modus operandi. I share this because I want people to understand how long Ukrainians have been fighting to end Putin’s meddling in their government, how desperately they want to align themselves with European countries, and how determined they are to fight for freedom and democracy. 

Why do I care? I taught conflict resolution in Ukraine in 2003. I also conducted research in Ukraine for the International Peace Research Association. I currently teach Conflict Resolution, NATO, and Human Security (just to name a few classes) for the American Military University. I have followed Ukraine’s progress and the challenges they have faced for decades. I am well aware of the tactics Putin has applied to undermine their democracy. He has applied those same tactics in twenty-seven other democracies, including the United States. He has made clear he will not stand for any NATO ally or NATO country on his border. If he takes Ukraine, there will be four NATO countries on his new, illegally acquired border. He will pick them off one by one, two by two, or altogether by shutting off their fuel, by applying economic warfare, political warfare, cyber warfare, and information warfare (just like he did in Ukraine). He will weaken them, and he will demand they leave NATO. If they do not comply, he will intervene militarily. If they do comply, he will demand they relinquish their militaries (the same demand he has made of Ukraine). He will force them to abandon trade agreements with other democracies, including the United States (just like he did in Ukraine). Once he gains control of these countries, he will apply the same tactics to gain control over the NATO countries on their borders. He will seize control of Europe and the Arctic region. Our world will remain a unipolar world but with Putin at the helm. Meanwhile, Putin will continue to disseminate propaganda fueling tribalism and social unrest in the United States. He will apply political warfare, economic warfare, cyber warfare, and will continue to threaten us with nuclear weapons until we submit. He has developed a nuclear weapon with advanced antimissile countermeasures designed to penetrate the U.S. missile defense shield aptly named Satan 2 (aka RS-28 Sarmat), which travels at 16,000 mph and carries 10 large warheads, all of which can target different locations. This weapon will be loaded into 50 ICBM silos this year. According to Military Today, “a single RS-28 missile with MIRVs can completely destroy three U.S. states.” This is what lies in the balance. This attack on Ukraine is only the beginning. Listen to President Zelenskyy’s other speeches issued over the past several days. He knows it isn’t just the Ukrainians’ he is fighting to save. It’s us. All of us.

And that is why I stand with Ukraine.