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SYNOPSIS

BENEATH THE VELVET SKIES by Rusty Van Reeves is the story of four beleaguered children coming of age in a small Mississippi town in the early 1970s. On the surface, the town seems like any other rural town, but within its city limits lies a fair share of resident evil. Life in Good Hope is all about overcoming the deficits of one�s birth and upbringing.

We follow the four as they learn to trust each other in the face of murder, abuse and self-discovery. The main characters are all very different, yet linked in many ways.

Tucker is a young man pushed by his father to become a prize athlete. Dooley, his best friend since grade school, is struggling with a secret he feels he must keep or risk losing everything he holds precious. Twila has a secret of her own that is so horrible it is slowly destroying her. Rosa, a beautiful, kindhearted girl who cares deeply about everyone is being stalked by her drug-crazed ex-boyfriend.

As adolescence changes them, they each seek to find themselves and their place in the world until everything that was once seemingly quiet and normal is spun into a tornado of revelations and crises. The characters are slowly drawn together as Twila's secret comes to light when a ghastly murder is discovered.

Young Twila McCormick has endured years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of her sadistic father. Her attempts to escape his torture finally culminate when the town makes the shocking discovery of skeletal remains in a shed at the back of the McCormick house, and Twila�s father ends up briefly behind bars.

Tucker Williams grew up next door to Twila. His friendship with her never faltered, but as he grows older and she slides into depression his eye invariably wanders to another girl in the neighborhood, Rosa Dawson. As they enter high school, Tucker and Rosa finally find their friendship becoming serious, and the danger to Rosa from her jealous ex increasing.

Dooley Morton knows the hardship his mother has faced raising him alone, but he is certain they were much better off without his derelict father. As he enters his teen years, Dooley must hide the secret that he is gay. When his father (an ex-con) abruptly reenters Dooley�s life, he learns the truth about his boy, and would rather kill than have an "imperfect" child bearing his name. In a fit of rage, he kills Dooley�s lover and seriously injures his son.

Rosa and Tucker are now a couple dealing with the issues of sex and intimacy. Dooley slowly recovers from the loss of Jess. For Twila, even darker secrets about her past, about her father, abound. The recently unearthed bones of her mother and brother spark nightmares. Her willingness to assist the police puts her life in jeopardy, as her deranged father stalks her, following her and her friends all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

In the end, Twila finds the inner strength to stop her fanatical father from killing her. Despite the consequences, Dooley finds the courage to reveal his sexuality to his closest friends. Tucker and Rosa commit themselves to happily ever after. In a tribute to the remarkable resilience of the human spirit, each character ultimately rises to meet and exceed their own dreams and expectations.

This manuscript is an emotional voyage into a time not so far ago. Sandwiched between the death of John F. Kennedy and the Reagan 80's this slice of Southern Americana is the perfect setting for four unassuming children to emerge from their seemingly innocent worlds.

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This is an extensive rewrite of Velvet Sky - my first novel. Many little things nagged me about my original novel. I have since gone back and ironed out the kinks.

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