I’m pleased to announce Solace, my first novella, the first in a series that I’m planning for a 12 novella series. Each book will be about a different Vietnam Vet who faces struggles as he returns home from war and, of course, finds love. Since all of the stories in this series are not written, it could always be more than 12. We’ll see.
A few facts about this novella:
Solace is available for pre-order and will be released October 27.
Solace is written in the Vietnam War era, a time I was not born in (I was born in the mid 70s, so it was almost over by then) but a time that has always infatuated me. Maybe because I was born so close to the time it was over and grew up hearing about it, watching movies about it, and seeing it on the news as I grew older? I’m not sure.
Solace is different from my other novels, because there is no harsh language or sex (What?), it is not romantic suspense, and it is about half of the length of my novels (hence being a novella).
Solace is a story that I had to tell, and since I’m having a hard time explaining why, I will defer to the author’s note I wrote and included at the front of this story:
Welcome to Brooklyn and Leath’s story! The first in a novella series set in the fictional town of Chapman Springs, Texas, during the Vietnam War era. Chapman Springs is a town not unlike many others in that day. Although I wasn’t born during this period, I’ve always been infatuated with the history of that era. Even still, I remember in the 80s some of the small towns in Texas and how brutal they seemed against differing opinions or different race.
Forgive me for any inaccuracies, as they are my own. Because I did not live in this era and everything I know is via research, it’s possible I made mistakes. I have talked to many Vietnam Vets, some who recall the horrors of, not what they faced in Vietnam, but what they faced when they came home. I’ve done a lot of research, and what I’ve learned tells me America is not proud of how they treated those soldiers. Still, we made it through and, hopefully, learned from our mistakes.
Sharing Brooklyn and Leath’s story was not an easy journey. They were two of the first characters I’d ever met when I first started writing, but the story I planned for them was not the right one, and they became silent for years. Once I finally figured out the story I was supposed to tell, it took me many more years to get up the nerve.
I have many people to thank for helping me on this story’s journey. But especially Teri French, who isn’t a lover of romance but helped me with the logistics, and Alexander Johns, for her careful critique and inspirational words; I wouldn’t have gotten this far without those inspiring words. Thanks for comparing me to Nicholas Sparks. That couldn’t have made me happier.
I loved writing this novella, and I hope you enjoy it, too! Please be sure to leave a review at Amazon, GoodReads, or other places to share your thoughts of the story and help other readers find me. Also be sure to look for more in this series set at Solace Ranch, a haven for war-torn soldiers who have returned from Vietnam. Feel free to join my newsletter, or find me on Facebook or Twitter to keep up-to-date with what’s coming next.
Thanks again! I’m excited to share Leath and Brooklyn’s story, so let’s get on with it!
The characters in Solace are the first ones I ever created when I started writing, but they’ve definitely taken a different journey than the one I had originally planned. I hope to tell you more about that later, but for now, I’ve got to go find dinner!