Literary Fiction / Military Fiction
Date Published: January 13, 2018
Molly Monroe had her future planned out for her. When she makes an impulsive decision to join the Marine Corps, her boyfriend breaks up with her, her brother bears the burden of guilt, and her mother feels betrayed. The people in Molly’s life have always tried to protect her, but she wants to protect herself.
As a Combat Camera Marine, Molly observes and records her environment from behind the lens, where image shapes day-to-day life. After she is wounded during a combat deployment, her dreams are frightening, and her memories are a kaleidoscope of scattered and chaotic scenes; a collision of past and present, real and unreal. Snapshots in time. Glimpses of war. Fragments of love: lost and found.
This story unfolds through multiple perspectives and as the negatives and positives develop, an image of the Model Marine is sharpened into focus.
Interview with Sondra Sykes Meek
Can you tell us a
little bit about the characters in Model
Marine?
There are several characters in this story. The main
character is Molly Monroe, and she grew up in Tampa, Florida. Her mother,
Donna, had her in beauty pageants since she was a child. Her brother, Nick, was
very protective of Molly because their father died when they were young. The
siblings spent a lot of time with Beth, Molly’s childhood friend. Nick and Beth
began dating when the girls were in high school, around the same time that Nick
began bringing his best friend from college (John) around. Molly and John began
dating, and the foursome imagined they would be two happily married couples one
day. Unfortunately, things changed quickly after one disastrous night out,
shortly after the girls graduated high school.
That’s what leads Molly to join the Marine Corps. In boot
camp and beyond, she meets several different personalities and creates close
bonds with these Marines. Her best friend in the Corps is Lance Corporal
Vanessa Ramirez, a tough, witty Latina who keeps Molly on her toes. As Corporal
Monroe, Molly is constantly trying to prove herself, and live up to the ideals
taught to her in boot camp. Readers get a sense of whether she is doing that or
not through the eyes of several of the story’s Marine characters. The narrative
flows through the observations of all of the characters in this story.
Can you tell us a
little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
That’s a tough question for me to answer. I have had several
readers mention that they would like to read a sequel to this book, and I
recognize that series have a significant appeal these days. I have several
ideas of how I could continue the Model
Marine story, but writing the series wouldn’t be my first choice for what
is next. Since I am a retired Marine myself, there is significant pressure on
me to get the story right. While writing Model
Marine, I had to balance my writer self that insists I tell truth through
fiction, with my Marine self that doesn’t want to share anything about my
beloved Corps that readers could find distasteful. Because I was an active-duty
Marine, I worry that veterans may hold this story, and me as a writer, to a
higher standard; and civilians may believe every word written is based on a
past experience, which isn’t the case at all. (My characters and setting are
based on my experiences, but the majority of events in the story are completely
fiction.)
Having said that, I have several short stories that have
nothing to do with the military that I would like to turn into novels. I don’t
think I’ll know which one I’ll begin working on until the day I decide to
start. For right now, since I have a very demanding day job, I don’t have time
for much more than marketing Model Marine.
How long would you say it takes you to write a book?
It took me ten years to get from the
conception of Model Marine to
publication. But I wasn’t working on
the book the whole time, and I agonized over every scene because of the
aforementioned pressure to get it right. I think if I dedicated myself to just
writing a non-military novel, I would give myself six months to write, and
another six to get through multiple rounds of editing and pre-publication
marketing. Depending on the story, and how much research was needed for it, it
may take less time than that.
What is your favorite childhood book?
I have been an avid reader for
most of my life (excepting the times when I have simply been too busy to read),
so picking a favorite from my childhood or otherwise is difficult. I recall
reading the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series quite a bit when I was young, so I
would say they would fall in the favorite category.
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from Model Marine who would it be? Please
tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what
you would do.
If I had to pick one, I would
choose Sergeant Brian Price. He is one of the most endearing characters, in my
opinion, with his country-boy charm. I would want to hang out with him in his
hometown, watching him in his element. I think this would be my choice because
I am not country at all. I don’t care for the music, and I don’t participate in
activities that would be considered “country” (such as mechanical bull riding, hunting,
fishing, etc.). I think being in that environment with someone like Brian Price
would give me a better understanding and appreciation for that lifestyle.
What was the hardest scene from Model Marine to write?
There were several hard scenes to
write. In some of them, I knew for a long time what I needed to write, but I
resisted because I didn’t like what was going to happen. There are a couple
scenes set at Arlington National Cemetery, and I was a wreck writing them.
What made you want to become a writer?
I have always believed that I
communicate better in writing than verbally. I have been writing technical
documentation in my day job for years. Writing fiction is the passion that I’ve
always had, but never seem to have time for. It’s become my goal to make more
time for it.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: Imagine Dragons, “Whatever it Takes”
(And, “Believer,” “Thunder,”
and “Warriors”!)
(b Favorite book: There are so many I love! Recent favorite: Outlander.
(c Favorite
movie: The
Matrix
(d Favorite TV
show: None. I don’t watch TV often. If I
do, I’m probably binge-watching a Netflix original.
(e Favorite Food: Eggplant Parmesan
(f Favorite
drink: Red Wine
(g Favorite
website: Amazon
Thanks so much
for visiting with us today!
About the Author
Sondra Sykes Meek is originally from Florida, but she has lived in several locations in the United States and abroad. She is a wife and mother of two, a retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant, and a Project Manager in the Defense Industry. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and has several stories in various stages of progress. She hopes to write full-time one day, but for now, she writes in the spare, quiet moments of her life.
Sondra wrote and published Model Marine: A Novel to reveal the courage and sacrifices of Marines and their families. She wanted to offer readers another kind of hero: someone who is not supernatural, immortal, or from the future. Although the events of this story are fiction, the setting and characters are influenced by her experiences as a Marine. The narrative is as authentic as it can be without excluding civilian readers. The protagonist is named after a Marine Corps icon, “Molly Marine.” This is especially relevant now, as 2018 marks 100 years since the first woman joined the United States Marine Corps.
Sondra hopes all readers enjoy this emotional journey of love, loss, and sacrifice. There are real heroes hidden within the pages of her debut novel. She invites you to meet them, love them, and remember them.
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