A Story of Family Bonds, Resilience, and the Joy of Reunions
I am a military spouse. My husband was a flight surgeon, and we were stationed at MCAS Cherry Point with the Marine Corps. We experienced deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and this book was inspired by our homecoming celebrations. Deployments and homecomings are such a common experience in the military, and each special homecoming day is filled with so many stories. I wanted to highlight this unique military tradition. I hope the book resonates with families in the military, but I also really want it to bring attention to military families from those outside the military who have little knowledge about what military families experience.
I usually write inspirational or funny stories that draw on my experiences as a mom. This is my first book that shares my own experience even though it is narrated by Sara, a 7-year-old girl. I remember waiting hours at the hangar until we received word that my husband's squadron was about to land (we were in a prowler squadron and he would ride back with the jets).
Some of the key things about this book that we will highlight in materials and to bookstores include:
Highlights Military Children’s Experiences. Explore the unique challenges military children face during a parent’s deployment, and comfort families in similar situations.
Promotes Themes of Reunion and Family Bonds. Beyond military reunions, this story resonates with families experiencing separation, highlighting the joy and emotional depth of reconnecting with loved ones.
Reinforces Empathy. Use as a tool for introducing children to military life, the book encourages empathy and understanding from those outside of the military.
Addresses Underrepresented Voices. Offer more visibility to military children, who are often underrepresented in children's literature.
Highlights Aviation and Community. Set on a military airfield, the story touches on aviation and community, appealing to readers interested in these themes.
A Gift for Military Holidays. A thoughtful gift especially during holidays like Veterans Day (Nov), Month of the Military Child (April), National Military Appreciation Month/Armed Forced Day (May), July 4th
Challenges During the Writing Process
We tried to be pretty accurate with the uniforms and F35B plane that we highlight in the book (since it is flown across several branches). This required a little bit of learning by our illustrator who is not from America or used to the different military branches and labeling on planes, etc. Interestingly, Tim Deberd, the illustrator, is from Uzbekistan which borders Afghanistan. He was amazing to work with and tried so hard to accommodate all of our edits.
Impact on Military Families
I hope this book brings comfort to some families who are experiencing deployments and also offers non-military children a small window into an event commonly experienced by their military peers. I hope it is a conversation starter in classrooms.
Publication Date
We want to build awareness of this book early and within the military community. To this end, we will be working with a PR firm long before the book launches in May 2025 to help highlight why Sara's (main character's) voice matters (this story is 100% a celebration, but not all homecomings are so positive). We look forward to discussing the book on podcasts and in articles as well as visiting elementary schools on military bases. We are open to additional collaborations.
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