Time for Me to Come Home – Travis Thrasher and Dorothy Shackleford

Time For Me to Come Home Travis Thrasher Dorothy Shackleford
Time for Me to Come Home by Dorothy Shackleford, Travis Thrasher
Also by this author: Midnight
Published by NAL on October 29, 2013
Genres: Fiction, Christian
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

“It’s funny how going back can get you back to where you belong.It’s the difference between just a melody and my favorite Christmas song.”

Thirty-five-year-old Heath Sawyer has finally made it to the big-time as a country music star. After a year full of the kind of success he could only dream of, it’s December 23, and he’s headlining a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. It’s only as the lights on the stage go down and the Christmas lights outside come on that Heath realizes there’s just one place he wants to be for the holidays: back home in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.

But journeying anywhere on Christmas Eve is never easy, and with flight delays, inclement weather, and the unexpected company of a feisty young woman who’s about to become his traveling companion, Heath will need a Christmas miracle to make his way home in time to open presents.
Filled with touching anecdotes inspired by the real holiday memories of Blake Shelton and Dorothy Shackelford, Time for Me to Come Home is a sweet and funny story that celebrates the spirit of Christmas and the true meaning of finding your way back home.

After years of work, Heath Sawyer has finally made it big in the country music world. The year has been one long train of successes, culminating in playing a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden just two days before Christmas. He hadn’t planned on going home for Christmas, but a phone call from his mom changes all that and he sets out to make the journey from NY to OK.

It should be an easy trip, but a snowstorm turns Heath’s journey into Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as he makes a mad dash across the country to get home. In the midst of it all, he finds a new friend in Cara, a fellow traveler also trying to make it back to good ol’ Tulsa, Oklahoma. The two strike up a tentative and tenuous friendship that begins to solidify as their journey continues. Three guesses where that ends up, and the first two don’t count.

Like most inspirational books of its kind, Time for Me to Come Home is fairly predictable. That doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. It’s a beautiful Christmas story that’s told well. Travis Thrasher seems to have become the go-to guy for musicians to spin their songs into novels (Paper Angels with Jimmy Wayne,  Letters from War with Mark Schultz, Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not with Thompson Square). I’m certain that’s because Thrasher understands music so well. Fans of Thrasher’s will note an abundance of Easter eggs (and I’m certain he wrote himself into the story as well). Heartfelt, emotional, and enjoyable, Time for Me to Come Home is one for the Christmas shelf.

four-stars

About Travis Thrasher

Travis Thrasher

Bestselling author Travis Thrasher has written over 50 books, spanning genres in fiction, nonfiction and children’s literature. His inspirational stories have included collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, athletes, celebrities and pastors.

With the childhood goal of pursuing a writing career starting in third grade, Thrasher worked for 13 years at Tyndale House Publishers after graduating college. His experience working with as Author Relations Manager allowed him to understand the writing life as well as training him to work with a variety of personalities. This experience has proven to be invaluable with varied writing projects in the decade he’s been a full-time writer.

His novels are as diverse as the people he’s worked with, ranging from love stories to supernatural thrillers. Publishers Weekly said “Sara and Ethan are two of the most real and sensitive lovers to grace the genre” when reviewing his first novel, The Promise Remains. They also stated “Thrasher demonstrates a considerable talent for the horror genre” in a review for Isolation years later. His readers have enjoyed the unpredictability of his novels, whether it’s due to a unique style such as second person or a twist they never saw coming.

Thrasher’s storytelling ability has also allowed him to work with others on their books, from musicians like country musician Scotty McCreery and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain to the Robertsons of Duck Dynasty. He has also penned novels based on songs such as Paper Angels with Jimmy Wayne and novelizations for films including Do You Believe? and God’s Not Dead 2. Upcoming projects continue to expand his talents, with projects including The Black Auxiliary about the lives of the 17 American black athletes who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and Baby Don’t Hurt Me about comedian Chris Kattan’s life and time on Saturday Night Live.

Travis lives with his wife and three young daughters in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.