SOLOMON'S JUSTICE: A PTSD SHORT STORY Now Available on Kindle

SOLOMON'S JUSTICE: A PTSD SHORT STORY is now available on Kindle — click here to see this — and I am hoping that an entertaining fiction story can do what nonfiction often cannot do: encourage people suffering from PTSD to recognize their possible symptoms and seek help.

While this story is definitely fiction, it is composed of research (including at the LA County Veterans Court) and true anecdotes shared with me.

In addition, although this short story focuses on PTSD induced by combat experiences, PTSD can be brought on by non-combat trauma of all kinds.

(I write about non-combat trauma PTSD in the cozy mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE — click here to check out this novel on Kindle. I also write about PTSD before it was labeled as such in the YA short story PINKY SWEAR — click here for this short story on Kindle.)

Here is part of the Amazon review for SOLOMON'S JUSTICE written by Middle Grade children's author Jerrye Sumrall:

After reading this story about the triumphs and tragedies of helping veterans suffering from PTSD, I have gained a new understanding of a tragic disorder that forever changes the lives of men and women who have risked their lives to protect our freedom!


The author has presented the issue in such a simple story form that you don't have to be in the military or even know anyone in the military to understand the far-reaching effects of PTSD.

I hope that you will read the PTSD short story SOLOMON'S JUSTICE and share it with your friends. You never know when a fictional story — that I hope is also entertaining — may help others.

(This ebook short story also contains an excerpt from my women's friendship novel MRS. LIEUTENANT.)

P.S. For those of you who have wanted to read my romantic suspense spy story but don't have a Kindle, click here to see the novel now available as a paperback on Amazon.

And, as this post talks about military subjects, I want to add that CIA FALL GUY was inspired by my experiences living in Munich, Germany, when my husband was a U.S. Army intelligence officer stationed there.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

In Honor of Memorial Day: PINKY SWEAR, SOLOMON'S JUSTICE and PTSD

While honoring this Memorial Day the men and women who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, we should also remember the veterans who carry both visible and invisible scars from their military service.

One of the most debilitating invisible scars is that of PTSD.

Some of you may know that I am working on a fiction project to attract more attention to the need for people suffering from PTSD to get help — www.SolomonsJustice.com

(The image above is for the cover of the Kindle short story SOLOMON'S JUSTICE, which I hope to publish very soon.)

And in honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to share a scene from my new YA short story PINKY SWEAR. The story takes place in 1964 — before the term PTSD was used — but the aftereffects of combat still took their toll as the excerpt below demonstrates:

Ft. Knox, Fall 1964

That afternoon, after their high school classes were over for the day, Donna and Laurel were in Laurel’s room listening to “Under the Boardwalk.” From the next-door quarters sharing a wall with Laurel’s family’s unit came the sound of a man screaming.

“What’s that?” Donna asked.

“Sgt. Stewart.”

“Why is he yelling like that?”

Laurel shook her head. “He served in Korea and his wife told my mother that he has been like this since then.”

“Why is he still in the Army?”

Laurel started the record again. “He manages okay most of the time. Just sometimes things get to him.”

“Can we do anything?”

“He has young kids. Let’s go next door and see if we can take them to the park.”

Next door Mrs. Stewart, a black woman in her mid-30s, opened the door and beckoned Laurel, followed by Donna, inside. Two small children hide behind their mother.

Laurel coaxed one child into her arms, and Donna bent down and picked up the other child.

“I’m sorry for the ruckus,” Mrs. Stewart said. “The post hospital gave him some new medication today and it doesn’t seem to agree with him.”

“This is my friend Donna,” Laurel said. “We came over to see if we could take the kids to the park for you.”

Donna saw the relief flash across Mrs. Stewart’s face. Mrs. Stewart said, “If you would walk them over there and watch them, I would really appreciate it.”

Still holding one child, Donna followed Laurel out and watched as Laurel gestured to the little red wagon leaning against the outside wall. The girls plopped the kids into the wagon and Laurel grabbed the handle.

Donna tagged along beside Laurel, thinking about Sgt. Stewart. He had come back from Korea, but what had happened to him there? She asked Laurel about this.

“He was in one of the first integrated Army units. President Truman integrated troops during the Korean War. No one says what he’s suffering from.”

Donna hesitated before speaking. “If our fathers get sent to Vietnam, do you think they might become like Sgt. Stewart?”

Laurel looked back at the kids in the wagon. “No way of knowing.”

“How long is he like this?” Donna asked.

“He should be better soon,” Laurel said. “We’ll just keep the kids in the park for an hour.”
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If you want to read the entire YA short story PINKY SWEAR for FREE now, you can download the Kindle format at www.booksicals.com/books — SCROLL DOWN the page until you come to PINKY SWEAR and then click on “Special FREE Ebook.”

Don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can get a FREE Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at http://budurl.com/freeKindleapp

(The Donna in this short story is the same Donna — one of four new U.S. Army officers' wives — featured in the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, which takes place at Ft. Knox in 1970. Click here to read about this novel and two other military fiction novels written by former military spouses.)

And do share this post and the link to the short story with people you think will appreciate it.

© 2013 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

PINKY SWEAR: A YA Short Story Prequel to Novel MRS. LIEUTENANT

The novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, which takes place at Ft. Knox in the spring of 1970, is told from the POV of four newly married officers' wives.

One paragraph in a flashback scene from the point of view of Puerto Rican Donna led me to write a short story set in the fall of 1964 when Donna enters 10th grade at the Ft. Knox post high school.

This time period of the fall of 1964 is an interesting historical period because it is right after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed by Congress. (This resolution gave President Johnson the right to send more troops to Vietnam without a formal declaration of war by Congress.)

Donna and her classmates are not immune to the U.S. fighting in Vietnam. And it is against this backdrop that the short story deals with teen concerns.

If you enjoyed the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, I hope you will read the YA short story PINKY SWEAR. Click here to buy it on Kindle.

Again, I want to give a special thanks to AuthorShout.com for choosing me as the April author of the month — click here to see this honor now with the new cover of MRS. LIEUTENANT clearly displayed.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

New Cover for Novel MRS. LIEUTENANT

In celebration of five years since the publication of my novel MRS. LIEUTENANT -- inspired by the nine weeks I spent as a new Mrs. Lieutenant at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, in the spring of 1970 -- I have a new cover for the book.

My business partner Yael K. Miller designed the new cover based on my decision to emphasize the women's friendship angle of the story.

Why did I make this decision?

An online contact of mine told me her book group would not consider reading MRS. LIEUTENANT because it takes place during the Vietnam War. This reaction bothered me greatly because the spine of the story is the friendship of four women who are "thrown together" when their husbands go on active duty.

I have been very pleased with the reviews on Amazon by military spouses who talk about how accurately I have portrayed the military life. This was one of my goals in writing the book -- I wanted to "introduce" the military life to the majority of Americans who have no connection to this life.

I am hoping that this new cover will encourage more readers. And I would appreciate it if you would help spread the word about the novel, which was a 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist.

Click here to buy the Kindle ebook on Amazon.

Don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can get a FREE Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at budurl.com/freeKindleapp

Click here to buy the paperback on Amazon.

If you enjoy the story, I hope you will write a review on Amazon.

And find me on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/pzmiller
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

Novel MRS. LIEUTENANT Free on Kindle in Honor of Women's History Month

Women's friendship novel MRS. LIEUTENANT is FREE on Kindle on March 6 and 7 (4.6 out of 5 stars on 50 reviews). Download now: viewBook.at/B0019V2HFK

(And if you do not have a Kindle, get a free Kindle app for other devices at http://budurl.com/freeKindleapp)

March is Women's History Month — a very appropriate time to offer my novel MRS. LIEUTENANT for free on Kindle.

The story is inspired by my own experiences as a new Mrs. Lieutenant in the spring of 1970 right after the Kent State shootings. I experienced friendship with women whom I never would have come in contact with had my husband not gone on active duty at Ft. Knox with the U.S. Army.

This particular time was a very interesting slice of women's social history, right at the beginning of the women's liberation movement. But for those of us who were new Mrs. Lieutenants, we had very specific expectations to be met.

Here is a quote from the “Mrs. Lieutenant” booklet we had to follow:

It has been said that when a man acquires a commission, the government has gained not one, but two — the officer and his wife.

Another piece of advice from the same booklet:

If the wife is well informed as to what is expected of her, the probability is greater that the officer will have an easier and more successful career.

MRS. LIEUTENANT was selected as a 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist. I hope you will click here to download a copy and enjoy the story.

And after reading MRS. LIEUTENANT, click here to check out two other women's military fiction novels.

© 2013 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at viewAuthor.at/PhyllisZimblerMiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

INSIDE COMBAT RESCUE and Inside the Life of a Mrs. Lieutenant

Vietnam-era novel MRS. LIEUTENANT is FREE on Kindle on March 6 and 7 (4.6 out of 5 stars on 50 reviews). Download now: viewBook.at/B0019V2HFK

I watched an amazing episode of National Geographic Television's documentary TV series INSIDE COMBAT RESCUE. Elite Air Force pararescuemen fly off into harm's way at a moment's notice to rescue Coalition forces in Afghanistan.

While watching the episode, I found myself comparing the action to battlefield rescue during the Vietnam War. As my novel MRS. LIEUTENANT describes, the American public watched nightly news footage of wounded and dying men on stretchers being rushed to rescue helicopters under attack.

Then the grim task of triage set in. While perhaps with vastly improved battlefield medicine these wrenching decisions are not needed as much today, here is what one character in MRS. LIEUTENANT says about triage during the Vietnam War:

The medical personnel in Vietnam practice triage — giving priority to those who have the best chance for survival. When an evacuation helicopter sets down at a field hospital, the medics run with their litters. A doctor or a nurse or even an orderly has seconds to make these decisions.

(This does not mean the most critically injured are treated first but instead those who have the best chance of survival.)

In the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT, the evacuation scenes from Vietnam writ large are part of the life of a Mrs. Lieutenant in the spring of 1970 right after the Kent State shootings. Four very different women in the novel struggle to cope with their new roles.

And in the episode of INSIDE COMBAT RESCUE, what came through most clearly was the total chaos that rescue helicopters have to fly into, and how incredible are the paramedic life-saving techniques performed in a bouncing helicopter.

The series is airing on Monday nights here in Southern California. Check your local listings for when you can watch these tremendous acts of heroism.

© 2013 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at viewAuthor.at/PhyllisZimblerMiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

In Honor of Black History Month

I wrote my novel MRS. LIEUTENANT — which was a 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist — to preserve a very specific slice of women’s social history in 1970.

And part of that social history concerns the African-American experience in the U.S. because MRS. LIEUTENANT takes place six years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

MRS. LIEUTENANT is inspired by my own experiences as a new Mrs. Lieutenant at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, in the spring of 1970. The main African-American character in MRS. LIEUTENANT is a composite of people and researched information. (In fact, I wrote one part of the novel to answer a question in real life that was never answered.)

While equal rights may seem the norm today, in 1970 when my husband and I drove south from Chicago to Ft. Knox, we were concerned that we were driving into the South. In Louisville, for example, we half expected to see blacks (the correct term then) seated in the back of the bus.

Perhaps most interesting at that time (as the novel portrays) is that the U.S. Army, which had only been integrated since the Korean War, was more integrated than other places in the U.S.

In honor of Black History Month, check out MRS. LIEUTENANT on Kindle at http://amzn.to/TKTk4B

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

Introducing the Museum of the American Military Family

Here is a guest post from Circe Olson Woessner, executive director of the Museum of the American Military Family:

The Museum of the American Military Family came into being one winter night as I sat watching the news, thinking about my Army son deployed overseas. I tried to imagine being in his circumstances, and ended up scaring myself more than anything else.

Like so many military moms, I hoped my son would serve his country proudly, carry out the mission successfully and come home safe, sound, in one piece —- and soon.

It occurred to me, at that instant, other military moms were having the same thoughts as I. In fact, millions of other military mothers, military spouses and children, regardless of nationality, or where they were located on the globe, were having similar wishes and hopes for their loved ones.

And I thought: we military families are tough. We hold it together for the sake of our kids, for our spouses, for our parents -- and for ourselves!

If we fall apart, it affects our troops and, indirectly, the mission. So when the chips are down, we grit our teeth, brace ourselves and keep on going. Ever since there have been armies, there have been families supporting them -- and supporting each other.

That’s when I got the idea: someone should dedicate a museum to the military family!

And then the second thought: Maybe I should dedicate a museum to the military family.

And so the Museum of the American Military Family was born.

Our mission is this:

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center brings together people with shared experiences showcasing and honoring those who also served -- America's military families.

Right now the museum is in its infancy. We incorporated in March 2011, formed a board of directors, created our mission and vision statements, wrote bylaws and business plan, and got our 501 c 3 status.

In April 2011 we launched the virtual museum, and in May 2011 we created our Facebook Page.

Since then we have joined Twitter, Tindeck, Pinterest, and other social media. We have partnered with the National Museum of Nuclear History and Science to do a variety of programs, leading up to a major exhibition in 2014.

We are marching forward toward our goal of having a physical museum space in the Albuquerque area by 2013.

How can you help?

Because currently we are a virtual museum, all of our collections are online at http://museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/

To keep the museum site dynamic, we need to add posts continuously to our Facebook Page, our photo galleries and our blogs. We have many blogs, including We Served Too, Passports and Pedagogy, and the American Military Family.

We’d like you to send your photos and memories to us and we’d like your digital media: photos, videos, audio recordings as well as your written memories.

If you’ve made a YouTube video or have been interviewed for topics relevant to this museum, please let us know. If we feel that they are appropriate, we’ll post them. (Please make sure you have clear rights/or the permission to distribute the media.)

Submissions can be sent to militaryfamilymuseum@comcast.net

Please visit our Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/MuseumoftheAmericanMilitaryFamily/

Sign our guest book at:
www.museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/GuestBook.html

And, most of all -- spread the word!

Some people ask if they can give us uniforms or other memorabilia, and the answer is “yes — soon.” We are in the process of locating physical museum space. But until we have funding and support, we cannot move into a permanent location.

Please hold on to your treasures for a little longer. We have posted a donation form on our website to help us raise money for our building.

We have designed a modest building, which looks like a military housing unit, and we are considering purchasing a small building near Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Either building will cost less than $300,000 to obtain.)

Please join us on our journey -— one that spans 200+ years -— from the Revolutionary War into the future. Help us tell the story of the American Military Family!

Blog note: My guest post "The Impact on My Life of Being Stationed in Germany From 1970 to 1972" for one of the museum's blogs can be read at http://budurl.com/lifeimpact

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Update on PTSD Help for Veterans

As a member of the Department of Defense's Bloggers' Roundtable, I participated in a presentation in honor of Veterans Day featuring three speakers, including retired U.S. Army Major Ed Pulido, whose story is told in the above six-minute video.

The good news is that the VA and numerous other organizations are making available more and more resources for veterans suffering from PTSD and their families.

The bad news is that getting the information to those in need of it still lags.

One concern brought up by another blogger is that veterans, when they realize there might be something wrong, are unsure where to start the process of getting help for possible PTSD.

One such place is RealWarriors.net -- which lists this information on the website's home page:

DCoE Outreach Center
For Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Information and Resources

866-966-1020

Military Crisis Line
For Crisis Intervention for Service Members, Veterans and Families

1-800-273-8255, Press "1"

When I asked about services for veterans who need help with possible PTSD, I was told about a new VA program called "Coaching Into Care."

Here is a statement from the program:

Coaching Into Care provides a “coaching” service for family and friends of Veterans who see that their Veteran needs help. Coaching involves helping the caller figure out how to motivate their Veteran to seek services. The service is free and provided by licensed clinical social workers and psychologists. The goal of the service is to help the Veteran and family members find the appropriate services in their community.

Click here for more information on the "Coaching Into Care" program.

And finally, because of a mention two episodes in a row on the USA Network's show COVERT AFFAIRS, I learned about Operation Proper Exit, which takes wounded veterans back to Iraq in order to help the healing process.

Here is the followup interview of a soldier suffering from PTSD who went back to Iraq on Operation Proper Exit.

And here is the longer video, a segment of CBS's 60 MINUTES, on an Operation Proper Exit trip to Iraq.

P.S. I just published on Kindle a cozy mystery, CAST THE FIRST STONE. I was able to weave into the story a subplot about PTSD in the hope that people suffering from PTSD not brought on by combat would be encouraged to seek help.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Jon Stewart Uses Humor to Demonstrate Economic Gap for Returning Veterans

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Economic Reintegration for Veterans
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Watch this 12-minute video to better understand the challenges facing returning veterans as they attempt to transition into the civilian job market.

I say “attempt” because Jon Stewart demonstrates how difficult this can be.

And perhaps what is most interesting (and can be fixed the quickest) is not the question of certification.

It is the time it takes to receive a form that you must request in writing that will then allow you to request form DD 214 that lists what you have done in the military (good for showing to prospective employers). When requesting the form to request the DD 214, returning veterans are told they must wait 10 to 90 days for a response.

Jon Stewart goes through the telephone transfer calls you would experience if you tried to call the VA to get the form to request the DD 214. While an hilarious sequence on the show, it is a very serious impediment to returning veterans.

Is there someone in the military who watches this video and can:

1. Have the first request form automatically given to military personnel as they exit the military.

2. Allow the completed request form to be emailed and then receive the completed DD214 within 10 working days.

Better yet, give veterans a completed DD 214 as part of the discharge process!

(Yes, this might eliminate some civilian jobs with the military. But those people might be better employed doing real work rather than “make work.”)

Simple, right? Then how come this isn't already being done?

I do hope someone watching this video here or elsewhere on the Internet can do something about this NOW!

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a former military spouse as well as the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including the military fiction MRS. LIEUTENANT: A Sharon Gold Novel.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com

Department of Defense Offers Safe Helpline Mobile App for Sexual Assault

In the premiere episode of the new ABC TV drama LAST RESORT, there is a very brief “sexual assault” check with some of the women on the nuclear submarine.

While the questioned woman assured the interviewer that everything was okay, in real life this is not necessarily so.

Now the Department of Defense has a Safe Helpline Mobile Application that will enable military personnel transitioning to civilian life to have access to resources assisting in managing the effects of sexual assault.

Click here to go to the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website to learn more about the available resources.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS Free on Kindle Sept. 3 & 4

The technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS will be free on Amazon’s Kindle on Sept. 3 (U.S. Labor Day) and Sept. 4 at http://amzn.to/NUpy9o

LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS is for military technothriller readers who enjoy a fictional female character in a traditionally male role.

Written by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, a member of the Military Writers Society of America, and Mitchell R. Miller, a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, the novel goes from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific to the port of Los Angeles to the Arctic and the hotly contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

“A real page turner” according to a 5-star Amazon review from an aircraft carrier-based U.S. Navy veteran.

If you do not have a Kindle, you may get a free Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC or Mac at http://amzn.to/NBoSGU
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Vets With PTSD Face Driving Challenges When Back Home

Lee Woodruff's August 9th CBS News article "Auto anxiety: Some returning veterans struggle with driving" describes how terrifying a drive back home can be for vets suffering from PTSD.

Trained to anticipate attacks while driving, these vets can become panicked by "simple" traffic maneuvers.

Read the entire CBS News article now to learn more.

ANNOUNCEMENT: On August 20 and 21 the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT will be free on Amazon's Kindle. Download it at http://amzn.to/OXrBhh

And if you do not have a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle app for almost any electronic device here amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

P.S. If you are interested in a post about the second chance publication saga of MRS. LIEUTENANT, see http://budurl.com/2ndchance
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Help Our Heroes: Removing Barriers for Military Families Struggling With Hunger

This is a guest post from Emily Dingmann, communications manager of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger:

“Survival was supposed to be about getting home from the conflict. But now survival is about getting fed and having dignity.” (New York study on veteran hunger)

One out of four veterans struggles to put enough food on the table every day.

We at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger are shocked that so many of our heroes are risking their lives only to return home and find themselves struggling to feed their families.

Our veterans gave us their best and we should do the same for them. We must address the growing problem of food insecurity among veterans and other military families. That’s why we are launching a new program called Help Our Heroes.

Through Help Our Heroes, MAZON will identify the primary barriers military personnel and veterans face in qualifying for federal nutrition programs. Then Mazon will challenge our policymakers to eliminate those obstacles.

In this way the men and women who valiantly represent our interests can get the support they so desperately need. Help our Heroes will fix what is broken in our current system so our returning heroes get the help we can all agree they have earned.

We invite you to get involved in our important work today.

Click here to learn more about Help Our Heroes and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Return to Civilian LIfe Helped by Open Mindset

My guest post at Military Success Network begins this way:

My mother saved the letters from September 1970 to May 1972 that I wrote home when my husband Mitch and I were stationed in Munich, Germany, with the U.S. Army. (We met at Michigan State University as undergrads where he was in R.O.T.C.)

When reading those letters, I am surprised by how much worrying I did about what would happen after Mitch served his active duty commitment. My fears centered on how we would be behind our friends who had not put their lives on hold – who had not left good jobs to serve and now needed to start back at square one.

While my worries are from many years ago, the same concerns exist today with military personnel and their families returning to civilian life.

The more I think about this transition, the more I realize a core value of military service may be hindering successful transition.

Read the rest of this guest post now.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the eBook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.

Military Romance Novel Co-Authors to Give Away a Kindle Fire on July 1st

(This is a guest post by Bonnie Bartel Latino.)

YOUR GIFT TO ME, a new military romance novel by Bonnie Bartel Latino and Bob Vale, shares the subtle but central theme of the transformative powers of love and laughter to triumph over grief found in TOP GUN and STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

The male and female co-authors are a unique collaboration. Bonnie and Bob met online in 1996 in CompuServe's military forum. Although they have never met in person, their CompuServe correspondence evolved into a professional writing team that has lasted for over a decade.

The ability to seamlessly blend their individual points of view results in a single captivating voice with broad appeal. YOUR GIFT TO ME, their debut novel, is the culmination of that collaboration.

An award-winning writer and former freelance columnist for Stars and Stripes newspaper in Europe, Bonnie is a correspondent for the Mobile (AL) Press-Register Living Arts book page. She lives in Atmore, Alabama, with her husband, retired Air Force Colonel Tom Latino.

Bob Vale is an award-winning graphic designer, writer, and photographer. He founded and is president of Graphic Word, a full-service creative agency on the East Coast. He and his wife Janice live in New Jersey.

Bonnie and Bob are members of the Military Writers Society of America.

Brief synopsis: Nearly a decade after Emily Meade’s husband died in a fiery Special Operations helicopter crash in the 1991 Gulf War, she moves to Hawaii, clinging to her vow never to get involved with another man committed to a dangerous profession … until she meets charismatic F-16 pilot, Colonel Ted Foley.

However, he is assigned to a fighter wing that recently lost two pilots in unexplained air crashes.

Lowering her emotional barriers, Emily discovers a man who makes the ordinary feel sublime. Healing in shared confidences solidifies their relationship. As she becomes the vivacious woman she was before her husband’s death devastated her spirit, her fears resurface. Ted’s squadron suffers another F-16 crash.

Emily must find a path through her emotional minefields or risk never discovering that she's rejecting the only type of man to whom she is genuinely attracted, a man whose life could be in danger!

Kindle Fire Give Away: To promote the launch of their novel, the authors will give away a Kindle Fire to one lucky reader on July 1. Entering is as simple as sending a brief email about YOUR GIFT TO ME to 10 friends. Easy contest details may be found at www.yourgifttome.net/blog
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the fiction books MRS. LIEUTENANT and CIA FALL GUY as well as the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Click here to read about her books on her Amazon author page.

Phyllis is also the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which builds websites for clients and works with them to use online marketing. Read her posts at the company's online marketing blog.

Compelling Documentary “The Invisible War” Deals With Rape in the U.S. Military

The documentary “The Invisible War” shown at Sundance 2012 is a powerful film about the high incidence of rape in the U.S. military -- rape that often goes unchallenged and unpunished.

While there are numerous chilling statistics in this compelling documentary, for me perhaps the most disturbing statement is this:

Women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who've been in combat.

According to the article “Military Rape Documentary ‘Invisible War’ Leads to Policy Changes Before Its Opening” by Steve Pond in thewrap.com:

In April, Secretary of Defense Panetta viewed the film -- and two days later, according to [documentary producer Amy] Ziering, he held a press conference to announce changes in the military's policy toward the prosecution of rapes.

But while the filmmakers welcome the change, both Ziering and [director Kirby] Dick say it isn't enough. “By moving the decision up but leaving it in the chain of command, a lot of the problems that you get at the unit commander level still exist,” Dick said.

As many of you know, in the last four years I have written extensively about PTSD suffered by our military personnel. Given that the attacks on these women (and men) were perpetuated in many cases by personnel in their own units, the sense of betrayal can make the PTSD even more overwhelming.

Read the entire thewrap.com story now -- and then consider how you might help right this terrible wrong.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC. Click here to visit Phyllis' Amazon author page.

Solomon's Justice, PTSD, Suicides, and CIA FALL GUY

Author Theodore Knell, who spent 22 years as a British Special Forces soldier, has written a compelling post about my proposed TV drama project “Solomon’s Justice.”

Theo’s post begins:

As a nation we routinely ask our military to do things that only the bravest few of us would dare to do, to see things that no one should have to see, and to watch their friends, colleagues and innocent men, women and children die in horrific circumstances. Then we ask them to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

Why are we then surprised when the lives of these very courageous souls begin to unravel?

The morning after this post appeared The Wall Street Journal carried this news blurb in the front-page “What’s News” section:

Suicides among U.S. troops are surging, averaging nearly one per day this year, the fastest pace since America began a decade of war.”

The small article insides include the information that there were 146 suicides in the first 148 days of this year. “That is 17% more than at the same point last year and 24% ahead of the 2010 pace.”

I met Theo via the Internet when his nonfiction book FROM THE CORNERS OF A WOUNDED MIND was published. It is an amazing story written in narrative and poetry of the effects of PTSD brought on by the experiences our soldiers must endure to protect us.

Visit (and “like”) his Facebook Page for his upcoming book A HELL FOR HEROES — www.facebook.com/AHellForHeroes

Then read his entire post in connection with my proposed “Solomon’s Justice” project.

And consider what you can do to help active duty military personnel and veterans survive and thrive despite being damaged mentally and physically by their service. Perhaps you know someone who would be interested in furthering the “Solomon’s Justice” project. If so, email me at pzmiller@millermosaicllc.com

P.S. Read the lovely publication announcement of my novel CIA FALL GUY on Mary Elliot Raynor's military retro blog.

© 2012 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books. Her newest fiction book is CIA FALL GUY (on Kindle Select at http://amzn.to/L38eiP ) — the idea for which came from a May 1972 bombing of the U.S. Army’s Officers Club in Frankfurt, Germany. (Read the blog post about this bombing.)

Memorial Day, PTSD and Solomon's Justice

(Reprinted from www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com)

I finished the first draft of the TV drama script for my proposed project “Solomon’s Justice” just before the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. began.

The script channels the information and true stories I have heard in the four years in which I have been active online (BlogTalkRadio, websites, blog posts, etc.) supporting U.S. troops, their families and veterans, including focusing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The May 26-27 Wall Street Journal carried the front-page article “One Taliban Bullet, Two Lives Lost” by Michael M. Phillips:

On Jan. 18, about halfway through his first combat tour and shortly before a scheduled home leave, the 27-year-old soldier sat in his room at an Army base in the snowy mountains near the Pakistan border. He held a 9mm pistol, the weapon medics carry to protect their patients in battle. He put the muzzle to his head and pulled the trigger.

He left behind a two-word note. "I'm sorry," it said.

For many in the military, some of the toughest blows aren't from battle but its aftermath. In the field and at home, many troops wrestle with depression, trauma, anxiety and substance abuse. Sometimes, combat veterans struggle to overcome the guilt of outliving their friends.

The article is a compelling story of one medic’s desperate attempt to save the life of a fellow soldier shot in a Taliban ambush -- and of that medic’s suicide four months later.

As the Journal article reported, “self-inflicted deaths among active-duty Army personnel [21.8 per 100,000] … surpass[ed] the civilian rate in the U.S. for the first time in 2008.”

The May 24 Pasadena Weekly carried the article “Warrior Justice: State courts ease up to help war veterans in trouble readjust to life at home” by Logan Nakyanzi Pollard:

Started in Buffalo, NY, in 2008, veterans’ courts have been established in several states around the country, including California, which has nine such courts statewide, most located in Southern California.

There are approximately 23.4 million veterans, 1.7 million of whom served in Iraq or Afghanistan. As much as one-third of the nation’s homeless population has served in the armed forces, according to estimates from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Nearly half of all homeless vets suffer from some sort of mental illness, and 75 percent struggle with substance abuse.

But, unfortunately, many vets don’t know they have that option available to them, says Judge Michael Tynan, who presides over the veterans’ court established in the Los Angeles County Superior Court system.

According to this article, Judge Tynan is seeing many vets from earlier wars such as Vietnam rather than vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.From what I have learned about PTSD, this may not be as surprising as it at first seems because PTSD can take a long time to manifest itself.  (See info on PTSD and post about my visit to Judge Tynan’s veterans court.)

The proposed TV drama “Solomon’s Justice” is a long shot.  But it is one possible way to help spread the word about the veterans court option as well as encourage the establishment of more such courts.

And there is much more that needs to be done to better understand PTSD and how to reduce its effects in combat veterans.    

© 2012 Miller Mosaic, LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of nonfiction and fiction books, including the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT.  

DoD’s DIB CS/IA Voluntary Program Now Open to More DIB Companies

On a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable today, Eric Rosenbach, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, and Richard Hale, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity, spoke about the four-year-old program launched to better protect DOD data in Defense Industrial Base (DIB) companies.

Until now this voluntary program has been capped at 36 companies, and there are currently 36 companies participating. 

The program has now opened for other DIB companies, who can learn about the requirements at http://dibnet.dod.mil/

As the website says:

DoD’s DIB CS/IA program is a voluntary program to enhance and supplement DIB participants’ capabilities to safeguard DoD information that resides on, or transits, DIB unclassified information systems.

This program, and an expanded portion of the program started a year again that involve ISP providers, is an important component of keeping DoD information and companies' intellectual property secure from cyber attacks.

Check out the requirements now to see if your company qualifies -- http://dibnet.dod.mil/
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the online marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to utilize the Internet to attract more business. Visit her author Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor