Thursday, August 1, 2019

#66 Inside the Emotion of Fiction's "THE CORPSMAN'S WIFE" by Sabine Chennault



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****Sabine Chennault’s The Corpsman’s Wife is #66 in the never-ending series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION where the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC) focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre and how that fiction writer wrote that specific excerpt.  All INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links are at the end of this piece. 

*****All images are given copyright permission by Sabine Chennault for this specific CRC Blog Post only unless otherwise noted.

What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I started The Corpsman's Wife four years ago. The characters are fictional but all the historical events are fact. I interviewed around 80 combat corpsmen and spouses for this novel. I spend a year on interviews, a year on research, and then started writing. Reading through all those combat stories was not easy and therefore the writing has been slow going.

Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work?  And please describe in detail.  And can you please include a photo? I work either at home or at Starbucks here in Silverdale, WA.

What is the summary of this specific fiction work? Lance and Susi meet at his graduation from Navy Boot camp. They have an instant connection. Lance is at Great Lakes and Susi returns to Arizona where she works and lives. Two months after their meeting and spending the night together she finds herself pregnant. Not something she wants to tell him during their weekly phone calls. Two months before the baby is due they get married. Lance is an FMF Corpsman, in December 1990 he is deployed for the first time to Desert Storm. He spends three deployments during that conflict and Susi begins to notice changes in him. The book follows the couple over 20 years of Navy service, a plane crash, two wars, alcoholism, PTSD, attempted suicide and retirement. The main point is the perceptions of the wife and how she handles the changes in her husband and what she does to help him. 

Can you give the reader just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt? Susi and Tracy are headed to San Diego to see Lance and Tony, Tracy's brother. She has complications and they have to return to Mesa. This is 1990, there are no cell-phones yet so communication is still a little more difficult. She missed her flight to Great Lakes at the end of December for his graduation from A-school, due to an accident on the freeway and now she is not going to make it again. She is afraid that she might lose him and still has not told him about the baby. Something she'd hoped to do in person. 


Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference.  This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.  It seemed like hours before Doctor Miles popped back in. When he pushed the curtain aside they could both tell from the expression on his face he was coming with bad news.
“I’m really sorry Susi but we are going to have to keep you here for a few days.” Tracy could see how much he hated telling her this news. “Is everything ok with the baby?” She wanted to know.
“Yes, the baby is fine but for some reason, Susi’s blood pressure is really high causing the baby a lack of oxygen. We need to get this under control to make sure your little one continues being fine.” He saw the tears welling up in her eyes. “Susi one thing I need you to do is stay as calm as you can, any spike in your blood pressure can cause more problems.” He squeezed her hand, “I know this is not what you wanted to hear but I know that your main concern right now needs to be your health and that of your child.” She nodded. “I will have a nurse come in to get you admitted and take you upstairs. I will check on you in the morning. We will give you a mild sedative tonight and see how things are tomorrow.” He added.
Susi couldn’t speak. Doctor Miles gestured Tracy to follow him out so he could speak to her without Susi.
“I’ll be right back sweetie ok?” Tracy hugged her friend and then followed the Doctor. Several steps away from Susi’s room Doctor miles turned to face Tracy.
“This is not an uncommon condition, but we need to get it under control. If the placenta is deprived of oxygen for too long, it will create big problems for the baby and could result in a miscarriage.”
Tracy looked shocked and held her hand in front of her face. “This is an actual condition, not just a fluke thing?”
“Yes,” Doctor Miles nodded, “It is known as preeclampsia. We can control this with medication and most of all avoid all forms of stress and travel. She only has three months to go, the baby is showing no signs of distress, so everything should be fine”
“Oh great,” Tracy rolled her eyes, “It’ll be fun explaining that to her.”
“I am counting on you!” He squeezed Tracy’s shoulder and walked away. Tracy stood in the hall staring at the curtain that hid her friend. She’d dealt with enough guys in her life to know that no one would believe a mishap twice. Once maybe but twice? No way. She had no idea how she was going to pull this off. As she made her way back to Susi’s bed her feet seemed to feel like they got heavier with each step. She pulled the curtain aside and smiled.
“You suck a faking it you know, that right?” Susi asked as she smiled back. “It’s bad isn’t it?” She didn’t wait for Tracy to answer the first question.
“You’re not going to be able to travel,” Tracy played with the edge of the blanket and avoided Susi’s eyes. “He says you cannot travel until you have the Baby and you must, and I mean YOU MUST avoid stress.”
“Lance is not going to believe that I am standing him up again,” the tears were welling up in Susi’s eyes. “Maybe we aren’t meant to be together. Maybe I’m just meant to be a single mom.” The tears silently rolled down her cheeks and she looked so sad that it made Tracy cry as well.
She moved to her friend’s side and hugged her.
“Do you want me to call him?” Tracy whispered.
“And tell him what? Susi’s in the hospital and oh by the way she’s six months pregnant?” Susi mocked, “I’m sure he’ll hop in his car and come right our here.”
Tracy backed away a step “At least let me try. Neither of us really knows what he’ll do.”
“All right,” Susi wiped her sleeve across the bottom of her nose. “His number is my purse.”
Tracy grabbed the purse as the nurse came in to move Susi to an upstairs room.
“Why don’t I go home while they get you moved”, Tracy smiled, “I can make that call and grab some things you’ll need.”
“Well there’s not much choice is there?” Susi looked as hopeless as she could. Tracy hugged her and gave her a kiss on top of her head, “I love you, little Mommy.”
She walked out and headed down the hall to the door, made her way to the car and sat in the seat for several minutes before turning over the key, she knew one thing she could not do was tell him about the baby. - I don't have page numbers for reference since this is out of the manuscript. 

Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write?  And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? This is important to me because the two of them meeting is actually how my husband and I met in 1989. I was married at the time and then met the love of my life. My husband at the time was an alcoholic and drug addict and was very abusive.     
         
We had not been intimate for nearly a year and I had just found out about his most recent affair. Tracy invited me to Great Lakes and I went. I met Lance the way Susi and Lance in the book met and ended up pregnant. Since I missed my flight at the end of December due to an accident I was going to tell him on the phone. We both had something important to share and I told him to go first. He told me he was getting married, I did not tell him that I was pregnant. We continued talking on a regular basis when he wasn't deployed or on a ship. Helped each other through failed marriages and grew closer and closer as time went by. In 2009 he retired from the Navy and more less disappeared.  (Left:  Lance and Sabine)
          My kids had talked me into joining  match.com, I hated it. I called to cancel my account and 4 days before my subscription was up Lance showed up in my daily 5 match suggestions. He literally only lived 4 miles away from me. (Lance And Sabine's wedding day.  Their daughter Sam is second from left)
         
          We met for coffee the next day but it still took me a while to confess that my youngest daughter was his. We did a DNA test to put both of their minds at ease. Lance figure it out about a year or so before we told Sam. She was beyond thrilled when she got the result and went to court the next day to change her last name. We celebrated our 6th anniversary this past April and have been best friends for 29 years. 

Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. There were no deletions from this excerpt, at least not yet. I may change minor things when I have it finished and start editing.

Other works you have published? A Leap of Faith in 2007; Sam and the Pixie - Finding Faith in 2009

Anything you would like to add? . It is my hope that The Corpsman's Wife brings an understanding to people in general about the consequences on the psyche of a combat survivor. Especially to new military wives or those hoping to become a military wife. Being a wife and mother is already a hard, full-time job. Being a military wife means you take on a much higher responsibility. You can be faced with being a mom and dad at the same time for months on end. You have to understand that just because your spouse might not have physical wounds after being deployed to a war zone, it is highly likely that they will have mental damage. When you marry someone in the military you have to be aware of the commitment and understand that running when things don't go your way is not, and should not be an option unless your spouse is violent and will not get help. You have to understand that your spouse belongs to the military, they tell him what to do and when and no argument in the world will change that. 

         
          I came to America from Germany in 1981 when I was 20 with my then husband and daughter Jenny. In 1983 my son Jesse was born. I worked for an Optometrist for 16 years and then went to culinary school. In 1990 my baby Samantha was born. In 1995 I divorced my first husband. His drug use and drinking had killed everything I had felt for him and some point and my heart belonged to someone else. Sadly he'd gotten married not knowing that Samantha was his. After culinary school, I worked as an executive pastry chef for several years and spend a little time at Starbucks and Borders before marrying the love of my life and moving to Washington State. I went back to school and got my BA in American literature and am currently working on my MA in marriage and family counseling. 

INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links

001   11 15 2018 Nathaniel Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John Hunter – The Veteran

002   11 18 2018 Ed Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The Antiquities Dealer 

003   11 23 2018 Janice Seagraves’s
Science Fiction Romance
Exodus Arcon

004   11 29 2018 Christian Fennell’s
Literary Fiction Novel
The Fiddler in the Night

005  12 02 2018 Jessica Mathews’s
Adult Paranormal Romance
Death Adjacent

006  12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Ruby the Indomitable

007  12 12 2018  Adair Valerez’s
Literary Fiction Novel
Scrim

008  12 17 218 Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy

009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road of a Thousand Tigers

010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary Romantic Fiction
The Other Twin

011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To Death

012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second Story Man

013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full Attention

014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED:  AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA

015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced

016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy Lost

017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest Begins 

018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel Moscow

019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional Fiction
Alligator Alley

020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul Collectors

021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist Novel
The Nowhere Man

022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream Novel
Silk And Ashes

023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story Collection
There Is No Other Way to Worship Them

024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story Collection
Pasture Art

025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical Fiction
Beloved Mother

026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical Mistletoe

027  03 25 2019 Faith Gibson’s
Paranormal Romance
Rafael

028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The Bones

029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal Romance
Veiled Visions of Love

030 04 05 2019  Marianne Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go see

031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream Fiction
The Exile


032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative Fiction
Rabid Dogs

033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical Novel
The Baker’s Secret

034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis: Prophecy Book

035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance

036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary Fiction
Watch Me Go

037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science Fiction/Horror
The Whispering House

038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical Fiction
Murder By Any Name

039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The Woodstock Paradox

040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies In Wait

041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo At The Palace:  An Annie Oakley Mystery

042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel Romance
Follow Me

043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational Christian Romance
Rosa & Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles

044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial Romance
On The Edge

045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul of Cole

046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last Collection:  A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and
Coco Chanel

047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The Graceland Conspiracy


048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic Suspense
The House on Fire

049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No One

050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/ Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River

051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical Fiction
The Fourteenth of September

052  06 20 2019 Nona Caspers’s
Literary Novel/Collage
The Fifth Woman


053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s
Paranormal Romance
Shadows in the Mist

054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s
Horror
The Devil’s Woods

055 06 29 2019
Epic Fantasy
Wings Unseen

056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s
Mystery Novel
Criminal Misdeeds

057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s
Mystery Novel
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#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s
Domestic Suspense
Her Secret Son

#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s
Contemporary Women’s Literature
The Allspice Bath

#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s
Romance Suspense Serial
Blind Luck

#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s
Literary Fiction
Winter Kept Us Warm

#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
Literary Fiction-Short Stories
I Love You I’m Leaving

#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s
Dark Paranormal Urban Fantasy
THE ORPHANS BOOK ONE:  THE LOST RACE
TRILOGY

#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s
Historical Fiction
NECESSARY SINS

#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s
Literary Novel
BITTER WATER

#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
Historical Novel

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