Book Marks

Thanks to all those who have been faithfully reading Burn Down the Sky. The response has been fantastic! I work in a large office complex and posts from the book have apperently been circulating there. In the cafeteria the other day I overheard to people arguing over a part of the book. It was a real thrill. Tempted, I refrained from revealing that I was the author. But as the final chapters unfold, I'll be sneaking into a table near them.

For those who might have missed it, the story is based on a real life incident in my life on the frontlines of the war on terror. The story is far too dangerous to tell as non-fiction, so it will have to suffice as a novel for now. Hopefully the world, and human hearts will surrender themselves from the current insanity and murerous contention, and then the whole story can be told.

Meanwhile the clock is ticking to the spring publication of my first published novel.  Broken tells the story of a wounded Iraqi veteran's home to pick up the pieces of the life he left behind while struggling with the emotional scars of war. It is a rich and intimate story set along Upper Michigan's stunning and wild Lake Superior shore. Rich in vivid imagery, and Indian lore, Danny Yearman, the returning vet, struggles to cope with the death of his father, the suicide of a close friend and a daughter he has never met. When Danny encounters an strange drifter, who lives in the old Ojibwa ways, and claims to be a survivor of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, he sets out to solve the old man's mystery. The journey takes him to Canada and the shocking truth about the old man's story. 

Broken is the culmination of my own struggle with PTSD following my work in Bosnia and with a Rwandan Relief organization, and from conversations and research on PTSD with veterans from World War I through the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a return to my small town roots and a celebration of a part of this country all too often overlooked. More than that, the book is a primer, a bridge between the families of veterans and for veterans themselves. A must read for anyone struggling with PTSD, and those who love them. Hope to see you all there. I'll keep you updated.