WHAT’S HAPPENING? Coming home from combat can be a challenging transition for many veterans. But one local author aims to explore that trauma through his new psychological thriller. (Photo by Nicole Withers)

Returning home after experiencing the brutality of combat war is rarely easy, and the same can be said for Eau Claire author Joshua MacMillan’s character Corey Loflin.

Trauma-fueled nightmares consume his mind every night, only for his paranoia to heighten with the arrival of a cryptic note. “What’s happening? Who is after me? Who is after my family?”

These mind-consuming questions fuel the character’s desire to decipher these thoughts – even with his nightmares getting worse, and a job that stokes his insomnia. A

s more notes arrive and he runs out of time to solve the mystery, MacMillan leaves readers wondering: Who intrudes Loflin’s home? Or is he the stranger in his own home?

The Best of Intentions is MacMillan’s debut novel, published through indie publishing house D&T Publishing. It grapples with the stress and psychological toll that veterans face when they come home from combat.

Set in Wisconsin, the story takes on a local (or more regional) perspective, with references to changing weather and getting gas at much loved gas station, Kwik Trip.

Texas-born MacMillan is an avid fan of the horror genre, and – though this novel is steeped in psychological thriller – it retains elements of horror within the main character’s nightmares. 

Check out the book on Amazon in paperback and hardcover, download it for Kindle, or snag it from The Local Store soon.