When an aptitude test labeled her most suited for a career as a librarian or a member of the clergy, Rogenna joined the Navy. It was off to boot camp, followed by her first duty station, NAS Midway Island. She started in The Commanding Officer's Office and gravitated toward the chaplain's, where duties included operating the base library.
"You can see where I'm going with this," Rogenna says. "I loved working with the chaplain. We also traveled to smaller islands where personnel were stationed without support services. I've actually crossed the international dateline twice but have never stepped foot outside U.S. territory."
Other duty stations included The Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington, DC., Naval Intelligence Command in Suitland, Maryland, and the Naval Hospital in Orlando, Florida. Rogenna attended the University of Maryland Overseas Division and Southern College in Orlando, Florida.
Rogenna met and married her sailor while serving her country. According to Rogenna, "the best part was that brief period of time when I out-ranked him." After receiving an Honorable Discharge she continued to serve as a Navy Wife and admits to being jealous of her husband's travels.
"There's a reason for the slogan: 'Navy Wife, the toughest job in the Navy.' It's like being a single parent - at least part of the time. Jeff's been to 17 countries and was there for the filming of two major motion pictures aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise (Top Gunand Hunt for Red October). We have three boys, one for each deployment."
With their Navy days behind them, the family currently resides in Colorado, where Rogenna grew up. Before settling in to writing, she was a bookseller and a reviewer for several years. "The one constant in my life has been the need to surround myself with people and books. I always wanted to be a writer/adventurer, but that aptitude test had great insight into my personality. And now I go wherever I want, whenever I want, through my writing."
Rogenna loves to hear from her readers: Rogenna@aol.com
