Home Again is about two young boys who go off to war. The premise has been around a while, but these two, Luke and Zach, were very special young men who distinguished themselves during the course of the Civil War.
As my writing of the story progressed and each character developed, I fell in love with both. I certainly didn’t love them at first, I had no idea who they were, but they grew on me. Zach was big and mature and not easily intimidated by anybody. Not that he was cocky. . .he had that quiet self-confidence that easily carried him through scenes that severely tested him. Luke, on the other hand, was the opposite. More slight in build, he just wanted to prove he was worthy. He was also impulsive, never thinking his actions out in advance, always jumping into the fray with a ‘devil-may-care’ attitude. It was his wonderful free spirit that made him appealing.
In the end, both Zach and Luke go home damaged. Zach goes home with what we now call post traumatic stress disorder and Luke goes home with physical wounds that prove to be fatal. While writing the last scene with Luke, I had trouble finishing the final scene. I dearly wanted him to make it, but it wasn’t in the cards for him. Each time I reread the end my throat would swell up and tears would come. I even tried rewriting the ending so Luke could survive. But the back story of the book centers on the North returning to normal after the war, the South was literally destroyed. Luke returning to his destroyed home was the manifestation of the whole plight of the South.
Even readers took exception to the ending. They couldn’t believe Luke was gone. One reader suggested I write another book revealing that Luke wasn’t really dead, but was nursed back to good health by his girl friend, Carol. I always appreciated those kinds of comments because they proved the emotional attachment readers felt and, to me, that was the best compliment of all.
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