In the Moonlight with Lorhainne Eckhardt, author of The Captain's Lady

The Challenges of writing about a war that is still so prevalent in the news and sparks so many different reactions in people

Did you know I thrive on challenge? I believe quite strongly in moral issues. When I write a story it will be surrounding some prevalent issue, which is forefront to me at the time. We all have a voice and need to be heard. The difficult issues that arise, I believe they need to be addressed and brought to the forefront. In our fiction, it may be a fictional story, but the research done, you can lend another side to the reader. Especially of issues that spark controversy. That’s how we bring about change for the better.

Just mention the war in Iraq to anyone and the heart wrenching emotions that arise, will spark an instant debate along with the politics and the anger. The opinions and reactions are vast. I felt compelled during the war to write this novel. One was the support I felt needed to be extended to the troops. Whatever anyone’s view is of the war, the troops are the ones sent to the front line. We’re not there and they are. I do hope my novel will spark reactions in people, and create discussions about the challenges the troops face there everyday. What better place to write about the challenge and controversy that surrounds the Iraqi war then in a story.

Blurb: The Captain’s Lady

Captain Eric Hamilton is a powerful force in the U.S. Navy, having earned himself a reputation of being a hard-nosed chauvinist. He’s commander of the USS Larsen, a destroyer, currently deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Abby Carlton has just escaped from the man who held her captive for a year. Abducted while travelling in Paris, she was given to an Arab man as a gift, until one night she makes her desperate escape.

While on patrol one morning Captain Eric Hamilton discovers a dinghy floating aimlessly. Abby is found, battered and in an advanced state of pregnancy, lying in the bottom of the dinghy. From the moment she lay on the deck of his ship her innocence finds a way to penetrate his hardened heart. But time is running out. Eric is falsely accused of sexual assault and the CIA wants Abby and the baby for bait to flush out her captor.

Excerpt: The Captain’s Lady

“We have no reports of a ship in distress in the area, Captain.”

“What about fishing boats?”

“No, sir, no reports.”

Looking once more at his first officer, Eric issued curt orders, the harshness grating in his voice. “Send a rescue team to check it out.”

Handing the binoculars off to one of the crew members, he strode with determination off the bridge, heading directly to the ship’s launch. His well-trained crew scurried about. Joe appeared at his side and they watched from the rail as the small rigid hull sped off in the direction of the dinghy. His pulse rose and the dampness on his back soaked through his short-sleeved shirt.

“So what do you think?” Joe leaned on the rail, uncertainty clear in the crinkle of his brows.

“Don’t know, dammit.” Eric focused on the scene unfolding in the distance. Again he commandeered the binoculars from Joe and scrutinized the three-man team approaching, then securing the boat to the dinghy.

His senses were keen; over the years, he’d learned to trust them. The uneasiness that crept its way into his gut, the hairs now standing up on the back of his neck and the racing of his heart; this unshakable feeling was telling him that things were about to change—drastically. Puzzled, he felt the mounting frustration build inside, along with something else he could not quite put his finger on. Shaking his head, he realized it was not a feeling of dread.

The crackle of the radio interrupted his speculation. A voice from the rescue team came over the line. “There’s someone in here, a woman, and she’s in bad shape.”

My sincerest apologies to Lorhainne, but I didn't have access to a computer today and my situation was just resolved. ~ Margay