Frequently Asked Questions
Sarah w/parents at a military homecoming
Can Sarah read and review my manuscript?
The short answer is no.
The long answer is also no.
But it isn't because Sarah doesn't want to.
Can Sarah sign my copy of Going Overboard or Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul?
Sarah would love to sign your book, but you'll have to catch her at a book event/signing. Unfortunately she can not accept and sign books via mail.
Is it true Kelsey Grammer is making a TV show out of Sarah's book?
Kelsey Grammer's company, Grammnet, and Paramount Pictures are currently developing a half-hour sitcom for CBS based on Going Overboard on Sarah's columns.
My book club is reading Going Overboard. Are there discussion questions we can follow?
You can find a reading group guide and discussion questions at ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Why doesn't Sarah post her columns online?
Shore Duty is syndicated in newspapers throughout the United States. Sarah does not publish her current columns online to ensure the exclusivity of her work in printed form. (If Shore Duty isn't in your local newspaper, please call your editor and request it.) Occasionally Sarah uploads previously published columns onto this site, but to see the most recent columns, please view Where Can I Read Shore Duty?
Where can I read more Shore Duty?
Shore Duty is a syndicated column currently appearing in the following newspapers and magazines: (This list is not complete and changes regularly. For a complete list, please contact admin(at)sarahsmiley.com)
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Pensacola Magazine, Pensacola, FL
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JaxAirNews, Jacksonville, FL
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Times Record, Brunswick, ME
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Soundings, Virginia Beach, VA
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The Herald, Sarasota/Bradenton, FL
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Colorado Springs Military Newspaper, Colorado Springs, CO
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Fort Leonard Wood Patriot, Missouri
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Military Spouse Magazine, National
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Connecting at Home Magazine, National
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Military Money Magazine, National
Sarah's work has also appeared in:
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USAA Magazine
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Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul
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Chicken Soup for the Mother of Preschooler's Soul
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Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul
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U.25, USAA's magazine for young adults
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Mothers Know Best, by Small Potatoes Press
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Chicken Soup for the Father and Son's Soul
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Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Tribute to Moms
Some archived columns can be found at Military.com, and sample columns can be found here.
Don't see your paper listed? Write your Editor and request it.
I think I went to school with Sarah. What's her maiden name?
Sarah's maiden name was Sarah Rutherford. She grew up in Hampton Roads Virginia and went to Kingston Elementary, Lynnhaven Junior, and First Colonial High School. For college, Sarah attended Virginia Wesleyan in Norfolk, VA, and Samford University in Birmingham, AL.
How did Sarah get her start writing a newspaper column?
To learn more about Sarah and her writing career, please visit About Sarah Smiley.
You can also read an interview by Tim Bete, director of the Erma Bombeck Writing Workshop.
Can I reprint Sarah Smiley's columns?
Copyright guidelines are found here.
Does Sarah not like being a military wife?
Depends on the day.
"I get this question a lot, and I always respond, 'Please don't read Shore Duty without your sense of humor in tact!' Humor is my coping mechanism. I poke fun at my husband and sometimes the military lifestyle, but it is all in jest. I honestly couldn't imagine any other life." - Sarah Smiley
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Did Sarah Smiley really meet her husband when she was a baby?
Yes, Sarah Smiley and her husband Dustin met when they were babies. Their father, both Navy pilots, flew together in the same squadron and their mothers were both members of the same Navy Wives Club.
(Photo of Dustin and Sarah, 1979)
For more on the story, click here.
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How long has Sarah been a military dependent?
Sarah has been a military dependent since she was born. In fact, there have only been six weeks (between her college graduation and wedding) when she did not have a military ID card in her wallet.
Sarah's father was a career F14 fighter pilot, and she grew up in and around the military bases of Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Va. The year Sarah turned 22-years old, her father had been at sea a total of 11 years -- half her life. (Photo: Sarah with her mom and dad at a military homecoming sometime in the 1980's)
Sarah has been married to Dustin, also a Navy pilot, since 1999. Together they have lived in San Diego, CA.; Jacksonville, FL; and Pensacola, FL. Dustin has served two deployments so far, one during Operation Iraqi Freedom (in which he and his shipmates were some of the first to respond after 9/11). During Dustin's most recent deployment, he had the honor of performing 3 successful search and rescues at sea.
Sarah has served as president and vice president for Navy spouse clubs. She has also done volunteer work for the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. Dustin is a '97 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Sarah, for obvious reasons, is not. (Let's just say waking up at 5am and wearing her hair in any style other than that suggested by her hairstylist sends waves of panic down her spine.)
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