We are so excited to have fellow milspouse, Emerson Ford, with us this month as our first Author Spotlight! She is a creative writing and literature teacher, but she also loves to hike with Miso, her labradoodle, to enjoy the outdoors. She took a few moments with us to share more about her life as an author and milspouse!
What branch of the military are you affiliated with?
- My husband is currently active duty Army, though he did have a stint in the Air Force Reserves for six years.
How long have you been a military spouse?
- I’ve been a military spouse twenty-four years and counting.
What is your favorite part about being in a military family?
- Hands down, it’s the community. There’s no going around it—the military life has its challenges for the entire family, challenges that only fellow milspouses understand and will help you through.
What would you say is your biggest challenge being in a military family?
- Deployments are rough, but that’s when the military community shines its brightest. I became family with the spouses in my husband’s units during these times, and we pitched in together to make things work. But the stress of constant moves adds up. I entered the military life with an adventurous spirit, and I’m leaving with a yearning to put down roots somewhere.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with our current military families?
- Don’t go it alone. Reach out to others in the same boat and let them come beside you. We’re in this together.
How or why did you decide to become an author?
- I love uncovering accounts of heroic people and bringing their stories into the light of day. It’s also important to me to write stories that both men and women enjoy. My books are both Band of Brothers and Far and Away.
What book has been your favorite that you have written so far?
- My first book, What the Silent Say, is being published by Storm Books and will be released on January 29, 2025. The book of my heart, it’s what started my journey as an author. It’s the true story of brothers, heroes, loves, and a unit who did the miraculous in Okinawa.
The only thing that mattered when I started writing was getting the story of these men and their families out there. It was tragic to me that they’d been forgotten, their lives relegated to fragile documents buried in scattered archives. My greatest desire is to give them life again as examples of courage, perseverance, and hope in the darkest of times.
Do you have more books planned for the future?
- My second book is based on the true story of a Revolutionary War heroine who saved her sons from the British. Barring any complications, the book will be released in July.
What author inspires you?
- Authors from before: Tolstoy, C.S. Lewis, Keats, Dickens, and Herbert. Authors from today (just a few of many): Laura Hillenbrand (as someone who has overcome a lot of adversity to write), Stephen Ambrose, Tosca Lee, Marcus Brotherton, Nancy E. Turner, and Donald Maass.
What’s a random fact about you we should know?
- This may be familiar to some of you: As happens with many military couples, my husband and I have been married twice—once before a judge, followed by a ceremony with family and friends four months later. My husband’s commander suggested it to him as a way to obtain military health insurance for me by the time we were actually married, red tape being what it is. We thought it would be just a matter of filling out paperwork. Come to find out, in order to be legally married, you have to actually be married, ceremony and all. (Ahh, young, naïve love.) It was a laughable ceremony before the judge, with me borrowing a nearby man’s ring (that hung on my finger like a donut on a string) and the judge eyeing us with a skeptical brow. But the vows were beautiful enough that we left feeling truly hitched.
Book Titles:
- What the Silent Say, comes out on January 29, 2025, is available in paperback, eBook, and audio book formats.
It is such a great opportunity to get a glimpse into a fellow milspouse's life! We appreciate Emerson for sharing with us! We can't wait to get our hands on her debut novel!
Explore More with My Military Lifestyle and Our Book Nook!