When Marcus and Matthew Manning are drafted after graduation, they are sent to the jungles of Viet Nam. But they’ve both left some unfinished business back home in Iowa.
Matt’s fiancée takes up with his best friend, and Marcus’s girlfriend sends word that she’s expecting a baby, conceived on prom night. For the first time in their lives, the twins don’t share everything—even in the heated war zone of Viet Nam.
When Marcus is killed in the heavy fighting at Hamburger Hill, Matt must unravel the mystery of what came between his brother and the young woman who bore his child—and he suspects an old flame of Marcus’s is to blame for the heartache he uncovers.
On the verge of finally laying his personal demons to rest over his guilt about Marcus’s death, Matt finds his own love—sweet and unexpected. But what would his brother think if he knew Matt had fallen for the mother of Marcus’s child?
Bio
B.J. Betts. was born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She married her high school sweetheart Don Betts. They did therapeutic foster care for years and adopted the last four placements which increased their number of children to 7. Over the years with marriages and children being born they had more than a full house.B.J. has been an avid reader her whole life. Where other women would go shopping for a new dress or a pair of shoes, she headed to the book sections.
Her first book, Saigon Moon, will be re-released this coming August through Tornado Alley Publications. Her grandson had enlisted in the Army with a promise from his recruiter he would never be sent to Iraq. He did two tours and B.J. and her husband are so proud of him for serving. But memories of being a teenager during the Vietnam War whirled through B.J.’s mind. She sat down and wrote Saigon Moon. Echoes in the Night was inspired by a photo of a man carrying a fellow soldier on his back away from a battlefield.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Romance Authors of the Heartland.
Excerpt
The June air was balmy as Matthew Manning stepped out of the Eppley Airport terminal. He hefted his duffle bag up on his shoulder as he whistled and yelled, “Taxi!”
A yellow cab rushed to the curb. The cabbie stepped from the cab and took the bag, stowing it into the trunk.
“Where to, Mack?” he asked as he slid into the front seat of the cab. He peered into the rear view mirror at the soldier sitting in the back seat.
“330 Manning Lane.”
Even to his own ears, the address sounded foreign to him. It had been so long since he’d said it out loud.
The taxi wove in and out of the five o’clock rush hour traffic. Matthew sat silently in the back seat, looking out of the passenger side window. Nothing much had changed, he thought as the cabbie drove over the bridge into Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The taxi continued down Broadway, passing all the fa-miliar sights. He looked a little closer as they passed Ewald’s Drive-In, hoping to catch a glimpse of a face he might recognize as the carhops walked out in their short shorts to deliver an order to the waiting cars. But he didn’t know any of the girls.
Memories of being a kid and watching westerns with his twin brother, Marcus, flashed through his mind as they passed the Strand Theater. John Wayne movies had been their favorites while growing up. You knew the good guys were always going to win in the end. He shook his head sadly. If only that were true in real life…
Beautiful cover and sounds like an interesting book. Having lived through those years, it's tough still to read about them but it sure was a turbulent time in which to live or put a story.
ReplyDeleteBarb, I agree with Rain--sometimes it's hard to read about those days and remember them, but we must never forget. Thanks for bringing them to life for us again in your writing!
ReplyDeleteCheryl
Hello Cheryl. Oh, thank you. I hope my books give a glimpse to those who did not grow up during that time period of what sacrifices were made by our generation.
DeleteThank you Rain. It was a turbulent time in our country's history for sure. So many stories of lost lives or life interrupted. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I just wanted to come over and say thank you. I won this book and I'm looking forward to reading it. I know I'm going to really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteA big shout of THANK YOU, to all of you who joined my blog. It has been a great day. One that I will always remember. I did choose one winner from those of you who posted here on TAP. Our winner is Rain Trueax. Congratulations Rain. I hope you enjoy reading Echoes in the Night as much as I enjoyed writing the story.
ReplyDelete