Wow! Daddy Wore Dog Tags is off to a great start! Reviews are coming in and I'm so happy readers are enjoying the book. Max and Chelsea have a very sweet love story.

Not only am I giving away 15 copies of my book on Good Reads (enter above), but I'm giving away my grand prize of an exclusive Daddy Wore Dog Tags wine glass and dog tag wine marker plus a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky reviewer on June 6th! Leave a review by midnight on June 5th - that's all you have to do!

Enjoy the book!

Memorial Day. I remember it well as a child. From the time I was little (around 5 or 6 yrs old) until I graduated High School, Memorial Day always meant going to the cemetery. At first it was taking coffee cans to fill with fresh water and adding cut lilacs and maybe tulips or daffodils that grew in our yard, to place on the graves of people I never knew. They were relatives I'd never met who had died long before I was born. Every year I went with my mother and grand-mother. I listened as they talked about those who we honored with our coffee can vases, and I remember the routine.

First we would visit the tombstone of my grandfather (Grandma's husband and my mom's father). Grandma would say a few words and I'd help her and my mom pull weeds, brush off fallen pine needles, and make sure the small rose bushes had room to bud and grow. Then we'd leave our coffee can and move on toward the front of the cemetery to find other relatives and place our coffee cans of flowers. It was always a quiet tribute, full of honor and respect and I can remember us leaving and I'd feel kind of sad, and at that time I really didn't understand the significance of the sacrifice and service my ancestors had made for our country.

Our tradition carried on through my high school years. At this point, it was something my family did without question. Only as I became older, our flowers weren't so much fresh cut lilacs and tulips as they were beautiful artificial bouquets that easily stuck into the soft earth around the headstone. No need for coffee cans or fresh water. The tribute was still the same and the feeling of respect remained even after all the passing years. Only now, I marched in our high school band who paid tribute to the fallen soldiers at the front of the cemetery by playing a couple songs and of course TAPS.

Even then, I remember not really "getting it". I was young and I knew what it all meant, but I couldn't see that bigger picture of what all of the fallen stood for in terms of our freedom and our safety. As I eventually moved away, my visits to the cemetery have stopped. Only now I have the memories of 911 to snap me back to reality. After watching network coverage in horror as the towers in NYC fell under attack, I suddenly understood what our soldiers go through and what our ancestors fought for. I really "get it" even all these years later, when terrorism is still a threat and there's the subconcsious fear of never knowing if/when someone will try again.

I may not go to the cemetery anymore, but it doesn't mean that the tribute isn't still alive in my heart and in my mind. Because it is. I hold the love of my country in the same regard as the love of my family. And to those who risk so much more than their lives to uphold this nations values and keep us safe, I speak for the many who may not completely understand your value and sacrifice, but who respect you all the same. We may never meet, exchange words or smiles, but know that you are loved and respected for what you've done and what you will continue to do.

For you, I leave this...

My son just completed his freshman year of college and his first year of army ROTC. He left home for campus last fall my little boy, going off to college. Over every break I'd see little changes and realized  how he's growing up into such a fine young man. Hubby and I did well and we couldn't be more proud. But when he came home for the summer....yes, he's still my little boy (always will be), but I see the strong, determined leader he's becoming.

I remember when he first told me he was interested in the army. Fear entered every fibre of my body and when he never wavered from that route I was beside myself. I had a hard time taking off my "mom hat", you know the one that says I'm supposed to watch over and protect him. Because taking off that hat would mean accepting the fact that I wouldn't be there to watch over him. For the first time, it hit me that he was going to grow up and live his life in what could be a dangerous country. But I knew he was sincere and I knew I would support him 100%. I just had to wrap my head around what it all would mean. There were many nights I lost sleep, picturing a future so far off that only a mother's hysteria could conjur. I'd cry - real tears and silent ones. But most importantly, I started to do research. And when we started looking at colleges and speaking with ROTC staff and cadets, I realized this was the kind of world my son wanted and it would be so good for him. And seeing how much he has grown and thrived during this first year is proof positive that he is exactly where he needs to be, learning exactly what he needs to learn. It's in his stance, his smile and the way he takes care of himself by working out and eating right and having such a healthy happy lifestyle. He works hard, and it shows, and again I couldn't be more proud of this man. I can look 3 years from now and see him in full dress uniform being commissioned as a second lieutenant. Because 3 years from now he's going to be stronger, and still determined and I will shed tears of pride and joy because not only did we raise a fine young man, but we have raised a United States soldier and the things he's going to accomplish are going to be amazing, I just know it.

Do I still get scared and lose sleep? Yeah, sometimes. But I don't dwell on things that haven't happened yet. He still has a lot to learn, and so do I. But when the time comes I know I will have to be just as army strong as he is, and I will be because I'm his mother, and as he has sworn to protect our country - I will forever protect him, even if I'm thousands of miles away (in my heart and in my thoughts and the way I lead my life). While he does his duty, he will always know how much he is loved.

Even though my time is still a few years away, this picture speaks to my heart, as I'm sure it does to any Military Mom out there.

Lots of news since my last post! My next book is about to come out and I'm planning on lots of buzz and promotion. I even have a Street Team on FaceBook: Barbie's Barracks-Official Street Team of Author Barbara Witek! It's always better in the Barracks. So if you'd like top secret inside information about my books, occasional FREE swag, and lots of fun...then sign up because WE WANT YOU!

So excited that my latest book, DADDY WORE DOG TAGS will be released May 22nd!! So stay tuned for MAJOR launch party information, cover reveal, and lots of fun giveaways! Make sure you like my Facebook Author Page or join my Street Team so you don't miss out on all the fun, meet new friends and get to know some really great authors.

This story is book 2 in my Guardians of Freedom Series and will be followed by a 3rd book in late summer/early fall. Here's the blurb that I posted in The Barrack's on Wednesday.

I just LOVED writing this story. Country music played an interesting part in the book, you'll see how in some of my upcoming posts. In the mean time, enjoy the blurb and come join us in The Barracks!