Modern War books (that don't suck)
Military guys swear a lot. As such, war books are laden with crass, often hilarious but frequently inappropriate material. My bookshelves are full of great novels and military non-fiction that I can’t let my kids read. As a homeschooling dad who loves military history and combat novels, that presents a dilemma.
When I began writing my modern war series of novels, I struggled with how to write realistic dialogue and vivid action scenes of that grade school kids and military veterans can equally enjoy; too many expletives and it’s no longer suitable for young adults; if you get too sanitized, men will roll their eyes.
I put those elements in the beaker and the result was Beyond the Golden Hour, a tale of Afghanistan combat blending heroism with realism that parents can give to young men who need stories about both.
My next novel, The Stars and Their Places, was equally tricky in a different way, tackling themes of marriage and military families alongside trauma and regret. Plus blood and bombs and car crashes, of course. Reality is messy and our stories need to reflect it. We know (and you probably know) men and families who’ve lived this stuff.
Pegasus, my third novel in the series, increased all of the above, and explored darker themes of personal demons juxtaposed with the need to fight pure evil. And Those Who Face Death deals with ethnic cleansing and human trafficking.
With all these books my primary goal has been to tell a realistic and exciting story, true to the history, that honors those who lived it.
Dangerous situations require swift, often violent action, and it’s violent men who win wars, not the soy boys. We need them operating at that aggression level or the evil perpetrators of this world will win. But we don’t have to use crass and explicit language to tell their tales.
That is one facet that sets my books apart. Another is that they’re full of kick*** action, from a Godly perspective.
I hope you enjoy them.