Ponte Vedra Beach: Memorial Day has special meaning for Ponte Vedra resident

Ponte Vedra Beach: Memorial Day has special meaning for Ponte Vedra resident

St. Augustine Record

By Susan D. Brandenburg

05.25.13

On Monday, Memorial Day Americans pay tribute to the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

For Navy veteran and local author Heather Ashby, Memorial Day has a three-fold meaning: 1) honoring those who have lost their lives while serving in the military, 2) remembering her mother, who was one of the original Navy WAVES in World War II, and 3) thanking God that her son survived tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In gratitude for her son’s safe return, Ashby will donate half of the royalties received from her series of military romance novels to Fisher House (www.fisherhouse.org), an organization that helps wounded military soldiers and their families.

Married to a retired naval engineer, Ashby has experienced military life as a wife, daughter, member and mother and now combines her lifelong knowledge and her rich imagination into compelling, intense and exciting novels that echo reality.

Her first novel “Forgive & Forget,” takes the reader into adventure on the high seas that involves suspense, danger and intrigue, as well as forbidden love between Phillip, a handsome officer, and Hallie, a beautiful enlisted sailor. As the young couple struggle to control their strong emotions, their captain harbors an astounding secret, and a terrorist on board plots to destroy the ship.

A thrilling novel that more than meets expectations, “Forgive & Forget” is the first in a series by Ashby titled “Love in the Fleet.” “Forgive & Forget” officially launches on July 23, but can be pre-ordered at www.henerypress.com.