The Homecoming

SYNOPSIS:  Having grown up in a military family, Raven knows how to make the most of a bad situation while her husband is deployed.  She doesn’t mind handling her job, the house, the dog, and their new baby by herself because she knows Daniel will soon be back at her side.  As far as she’s concerned, not time zones, not miles, not oceans, not the Marines, and not even death can come between them… even if he dies three times on two continents in one week.

Anticipating that her husband – the perpetual prankster – fibbed about his true homecoming date to surprise her for their anniversary, Raven pulls a prank of her own by showing up at the airport the day before he told her he’d arrive.  Soon after the couple sees each other for the first time in six months, they’re in an accident so horrendous, it’s a miracle anyone survives.

Crippled by the crash and stranded in a canyon, Daniel must lay motionless in their makeshift camp while he instructs Raven how to survive.  Raven, having never been the outdoorsy type, is tested to the limits as she cares for her husband and baby.  But worst of all is her feeling of helplessness as she watches Daniel’s life ebb away while she prays for help to arrive before it’s too late.

However, upon their rescue four days later, the police tell Raven that Daniel was killed on impact, and his body is, in fact, still strapped in the passenger’s seat.  Yet while Raven recovers in the hospital, a Marine chaplain comes to tell her that her husband was actually killed the previous week in Afghanistan.

If it wasn’t for their daughter, Raven isn’t sure if she’d want to carry on without Daniel.  But it isn’t long after his funeral that she regrets making him promise he’d never leave her.

Hold on tight as you travel with Raven through the twists and turns of this psychological thriller, and see just how powerful true love can be in THE HOMECOMING.

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Word Count: 95,000
First Draft: October 5, 2013 – October 19, 2013
Status: Coming Soon
Genre: Psychological Thriller

HISTORY:  In October, 2013, I’d already written the first drafts of two intense psychological thrillers that both had a strong theme of domestic violence.  This time, I wanted something different and lighter.  I wanted a true love story that left the reader with a happy heart and wanting more, yet still fell under the umbrella of adventure and suspense.  With so many of our nation’s young men and women currently serving in the military, I hoped everyone could relate to welcoming a loved one home.  Surprisingly, the most difficult part of my research for this story was getting accurate information about the Marines.  The internet did little to answer the types of questions I had, so I went straight to the source and asked a real Marine.  This novel has a “Twilight Zone-esque” feel to it, and if I had a muse for this one, I’d say it was definitely Rod Serling’s ghost.

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QUICK PITCH:  Despite Daniel’s long stints being deployed, he and his wife, Raven, are still as close as two people can be.  Even though he’s a world away, not time zones, not miles, not oceans, not the Marines, and not even death can come between them… even if he dies three times on two continents in one week.  As Daniel’s life ebbs while he attempts to help his wife and their daughter survive a harrowing ordeal, Raven makes him promise he’ll never leave her – a promise she soon regrets making him keep in this psychologically thrilling tale of Shutter Island meets The Sixth Sense.

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