CONTENTS: Once upon a Thursday (Robert Buckley); Half a Day from the Front (Skilja Peregrinarius); This is Me Holding You (Annabeth Leong); When He Comes Home (Di Topaz); Report on the Heart (Yvette Hines); A Problem with Authority (Lucy Felthouse); Comando Especial (Kimber Vale); Dutch & Lobo (Aliyah Burke)

An excerpt from the book:

Introduction

When people imagine what it might be like to be a soldier—or a sailor or an airman or a Marine—what often comes to mind is the picture of a highly-trained, self-sufficient, aggressive Type-A personality machine. This image, fed by Hollywood and shaped by years of headlines with foreign datelines, is only half the picture.

There is another side to the military man or woman. That is the side that wakes up in the morning missing someone. That is the side that pauses in the moment you put on your helmet, to let your gaze linger on the picture stashed within. That is the side that waits days, months, years to be with someone. That is the side that makes the soldier whole.

The stories in this anthology show that side of the soldier. First, we take a trip back in time to an ill-lit path in the woods, wherein lies a secret respite from the world, in Robert Buckley’s “Once Upon a Thursday.” Skilja Peregrinarius continues this theme with his “Half a Day From the Front,” in which a young woman gives comfort to those she can, and is in return comforted and protected.

Romance—bittersweet, hot romance—comes to the fore in Annabeth Leong’s story of a soldier leaving her husband and daughter behind as she returns to the combat zone in “This is Me Holding You.” Themes of love and reconnection, and the special challenges military relationships entail, are highlighted in Di Topaz’ “When He Comes Home,” and Yvette Hines’ “Report on the Heart.”

And yet, we shouldn’t forget that there is something about the warrior’s heart that places him or her outside the everyday. In Lucy Felthouse’s “A Problem With Authority,” two soldiers cross a few lines of military discipline to be with each other. Kimber Vale takes us deep into the South American jungle in “Comando Especial,” in which a dangerous mission becomes deadly personal. And in our final offering, “Dutch & Lobo” by Aliyah Burke, two warriors take on all comers—and each other—to save the life of Dutch’s fellow Marine.

Each of these stories presents a different facet of the military; each presents a different interpretation of the theme. These authors have come together to donate their stories to a cause that benefits yet another, often hidden, side of the military. A salute to them in thanks for their time and effort.

And last but not least, I want to raise a glass to our veterans, past, present, and future. Wherever you are serving tonight, I hope you wake up soon with the people who complete your picture.

~ Lady Grey

Find Coming Together: In the Trenches at All Romance and Amazon, and probably some more places if you look. 🙂

-Kimber