Judy Folger's Blog: Judy Folger: Lesbian Romance Author - Posts Tagged "veterans"

A few years ago, I was watching CNN. An interview with a female helicopter pilot came on the screen. She was attractive, articulate, intelligent, and witty. She was also doomed. A few months later, her helicopter was shot down in Iraq. There were no survivors.

I was never able to get that interview out of my mind. It seemed impossible to believe that the life of someone so promising had been snuffed out as casually as you or I might blow out a candle.

At about the same time, I began to hear about the high rate of suicides among veterans. I learned that as of 2014, 22 veterans were completing suicide each day. This number, while accurate, seemed tragically high. Imagine serving one's country with honor and, on one's return, finding nothing worth staying alive for.

After a time, I did what all writers do when we are troubled by the things I see around us. I wrote about it.

From my keyboard sprung the story of Shane Warner, a young helicopter pilot shot down in Iraq. Unlike the pilot in the interview, Shane survives her initial injuries, though she suffers a devastating above-the-knee amputation that turns her into little more than a desk jockey.

Shane is also nursing a broken heart. When she chose to enter the military, her childhood sweetheart, Pia Arnoni, turned her back on Shane. Pia wanted nothing to do with the closeted secrecy that defined military life at that time.

The two have not spoken in years when Shane's father dies suddenly. Shane returns home for the funeral and finds Pia living right next door. After a few false starts, Shane and Pia start talking again and even try to rekindle their relationship. But can their simple childhood love stand up to adult realities?

Pia is engaged to marry one of the most powerful female surgeons at the local hospital. Shane has developed post-traumatic stress disorder and an addiction to alcohol. And in the middle of the duo, fighting to make things work out for them, is Shane's longtime friend, Cody, a mysterious woman who catches Pia's attention.

Ripped from the headlines, CRASH LANDING is the story of a veteran wounded in her body and soul and of the sweet, long-ago romance that may not be strong enough to save her.

NOTE: If you are a veteran-or even if you're not-and you are considering suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. We've lost too many wonderful people to death at their own hands. We can't afford to lose you, too.