Author: K. Rowe

K. Rowe is an experienced and prolific multi-genre author. She draws from over twenty years of active Air Force service. Kathy lives in eastern Kentucky with her husband and a zoo of farm animals. Among her many duties she finds time to offer services as a publishing consultant for new authors. Learn more about Kathy from Facebook, and her Amazon author page.

Fighting for Focus

Kathy RoweSummer’s almost over and I find myself languishing in writer’s hell. The kids here in Kentucky are getting ready to go back to school, and I personally feel I have little to show for it in a literary sense. Sure, the first six months of the year I was busy publishing three new books, but after June, things got blurry. Where had my focus gone? How could I get it back?

It’s hard juggling two very different careers. Farming requires a lot of outdoor work, while writing is usually reserved for the relative peace of my office—although having six dogs in the house means it’s never truly quiet! And then there’s a new other factor: my husband and I decided to expand the poultry side of our farm business. So I’ve spent the last three-plus months dealing with baby chicks, ducks, and turkeys. Oh, sure, they look adorable and everyone wants to cuddle them, but they are A LOT of work. Collecting eggs, checking incubators, feeding, cleaning, rotating into larger homes, and finally hoping the rest of the flock will accept them, is a time sucking task. I’ve spent more hours covered in feathers and poop than pounding out my next great masterpiece. Continue reading “Fighting for Focus”

Getting it Right: Military Small Arms

SoldierIn the last post we covered military service uniforms. Now it’s on to the shoot ’em up bang side of warfare: small arms. Man has been waging war for thousands of years. In the beginning it was with rocks and sticks. Over time it has become a race between countries and cultures to perfect instruments of death.

Why is it important to know something about firearms? Well, if you’re writing a period piece, oh let’s say about the American Civil War, you don’t want your Johnny Rebs engaging the Union troops with M4 carbines. That might work if you were doing a time-shifting/time travel story. A platoon of Confederate soldiers armed with modern rifles would lay waste to an entire company of Union soldiers. You could, in effect, change the course of history with that scenario. Continue reading “Getting it Right: Military Small Arms”

Getting It Right: U.S. Military – Service Uniforms

kathy rowe bdusOur last episode discussed combat uniforms. Today we move on to my least favorite uniform: service uniform. Okay, I joined the Air Force so I could wear camouflage. I’ve always thought it was cool looking. And in my 20 years, I wore it a lot — and loved it. But when it came time to “dress up,” I was less than excited. Military service uniforms have a reputation of being ill-fitting, hot, uncomfortable, and downright costly.

Most services have three variations: a service uniform, a service dress uniform, and a mess dress uniform. What’s the difference, you ask? It all depends on how formal you need to look. A service uniform is considered “office” type clothing. You wear this uniform when working in non-dirty jobs like personnel and admin, finance, and public relations. The basic uniform consists of a hat, shirt (short or long-sleeved), nametag, tie or tab (sometimes optional), slacks (trousers), belt, and dress shoes. Depending on the branch of service, you may be required to wear your ribbons on a service uniform. Most services other than the USAF call their service uniform “Class B’s.” Continue reading “Getting It Right: U.S. Military – Service Uniforms”

Getting It Right: U.S. Military – Combat Uniforms

Last month we covered personnel, customs & courtesies, and some drill. If you missed out on that post, you can find it here. This month we’re going to cover combat uniforms. There’s probably nothing more annoying (from a prior service standpoint) than reading a book where the author has obviously not taken the time to research the various uniforms the U.S. military has employed. Over the years, combat uniforms have changed. And the services have a multitude of clothing to suit just about every environment.

OD FatiguesSo, let’s say you’re interested in writing a Vietnam-era war novel. You know, something along the lines of Forrest Gump or Platoon. Most of your character’s time will be spent in the bush. So what did they wear during combat? Combat forces (all branches) were outfitted in what was called “fatigues.” They were simple OD (olive drab) uniforms that were intended to resemble foliage found in most temperate regions of the world. Soldiers would enhance their uniforms with dirt, soot, dust, mud, and sticks of foliage stuck here and there to help break up their outlines. These are the predecessors to what became BDUs (Battle Dress Uniforms). The OD duds were used in 3 wars until the BDUs replaced them. Continue reading “Getting It Right: U.S. Military – Combat Uniforms”