Officer by day, novelist by night Published Aug. 8, 2011 By 2nd Lt. Jennifer Painter 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A tall, attractive woman sits at a desk with the sunlight filtering through the blinds of the window behind her, illuminating the computer monitors and iPad where she does most of her work. At first glance, you would never guess this youthful looking Air Force captain to have 15 total years of military service. Nor would you think that she is a published paranormal and contemporary romance novelist by night. Captain Kerrin Caldwell, 47th Operation Support Squadron Weather Operations Flight commander, admits that nobody would look at her and guess that she was prior enlisted as a maintainer, able to turn a wrench and apply lip gloss at the same time, which is just the way she prefers it. "I've fought against stereotypes my whole life. I signed up for maintenance because I wanted to do something that few females would do," said Caldwell. She has fought to stand out all her life. Her various accomplishments, including a degree in meteorology with minors in physics and mathematics, four published novels and recent induction into the Romance Writers of America, attest to her success in doing that. Currently, she is working toward completing Squadron Officer School and a master's in heliophysics on top of her duties as a weather officer. Her beginnings were less than glamorous. "I grew up poor in South Florida and reading gave me a chance to provide dinner for my family," said Caldwell. Caldwell's elementary school participated in BOOK IT!, an incentive program that rewards children for reading with a free pizza. Caldwell took advantage of this program by reading a book every day, earning a personal pizza at the end of the week. It was enough to feed her and her older brother. She continued this program all through middle school until she was able to work at age 15. Through her diligent reading, she developed a passion for books. To this day, she tries to read at least three books each week. This passion for reading eventually led to her passion for writing. "I started writing poetry and short stories in high school, then eventually full length stories. Everything is a story. I carry my iPad with me and when I see or hear something that would make a great plot, I write it down. Every story that I've written is somebody's life or something that they've done," said Caldwell. She attributes a lot of her opportunities to the Air Force. "I didn't pay a dime for school, I have traveled the world for free and I have met thousands of people. Writing gives me a chance to give back to the military by painting a positive image of the Air Force, provides a stress release and enables me to empower those who inspire my stories by broadcasting their messages," said Caldwell. Instead of using a big name literary agent to sell her books to well-known publishers, Caldwell opted for an independent publisher. While the independent publisher doesn't promote her work, they do allow her to publish only what she wants without pushing her to include "the stuff that sells" like bigger corporations insist on. "I wanted to write something for everyone. I wasn't willing to sell myself out; I wanted to remain true to my own writing. The independent publisher won't change anything I write. This way, I know I have a book that I'm not embarrassed to talk about over dinner and would be comfortable having my niece read," said Caldwell. To juggle her responsibilities, she maps out each day by the hour and is sure to set aside time for the important things in life. "If the Air Force has taught me anything, it is time management. Friday and Saturdays are for family, Tuesday and Thursday nights are for writing and Monday and Wednesday nights are for school. And that is that," said Caldwell. Military life may not seem ideal for an author even with the disciplined schedule. True to form, Caldwell resists falling into set parameters and finds a way to wear the Air Force uniform by day and the novelist role by night. For example, when she was recently deployed to Tyndall Air Force Base as part of the mobile team she devoted the time spent traveling to their various destinations to writing and was able to finish a book. You may or may not make time to read three books a week like Caldwell, but if you are interested in reading the work of one of Laughlin's own, you can check out her website www. krcaldwell.net.