Professional Writing Services

Bryan (NBLW Founder) has a way of bringing words to life. Attention to detail brings the story to fruition in the readers head. His own joy is incorporated into the writing! Continue changing lives!!!

Evan - Indiana

★★★★★

What others are saying

★★★★★

Bryan's ability to reach inside my soul and mind is remarkable.

Ken - North Carolina

A Life Story Example

An Excerpt from The Soul Messenger - by Bryan Michael Hughes

The next morning at dawn, Michael reported as Airman 1st Class to the assigned hanger. The days were long, but being wartime, there was much latitude given for levity through practical jokes and shenanigans. No matter how many hours he worked on reconnaissance equipment, he always kept his promise to Lizabeth. Because of the delay in mailing, she began receiving his recordings and letters around two weeks after he had left. Once they started, they came every day.

Working at a local pharmacy to help distract her from his being so far away and also to help make ends meet, Beth would rush home and immediately go to the mailbox. The highlight of the day was hearing his voice, reading his words, and even smelling his musk left subtly on the paper. The tape had everything from cover songs to songs he had written for her to ramblings about the minute to minute of his daily activities. Some were upbeat, while others were filled with homesick heartache. She smiled when he smiled and cried when he cried. After listening, she would record her message over his. In a perfect world each tape would be new, and messages wouldn’t be lost, but the young couple did only what they could afford. Reusing those tapes was all that they could manage.

One particular day a few months into his deployment, the reality of where her husband was in the world became frighteningly clear. Michael had debated whether to tell her at all, but they had promised to be honest in all things.

She pressed play.

“Hello my love. As always, I miss you with all of my being, but particularly today. I do not have it in me to share any music as my nerves are completely frazzled.”

Through the tape she heard him sigh. He was searching for the right words to tell her something.

“My stupidity got me in a bit of trouble this afternoon during lunch break.”

Figuring he had crossed the line in a joke, she began to grin.

“Me and some of the guys decided to let off some steam, so we hijacked one of the base’s laundry trucks.”

Just as she thought. He’d probably gotten his wrist slapped or even been written up for something like this. The next words made her blood run cold.

“Before I tell you the next part, I want you to know that I’m okay. Anyway, I was hanging off the back being ridiculous with Tommy. We were out on the edge of the base near the perimeter fence when we heard it. Honey…it was close. A sniper was in the trees just beyond the fence where we were. Seven shots hit the truck. I honestly don’t know how I wasn’t hit. I was so exposed.”

The fear was still present in his tone.

“The CO decided not to write us up. He said for us to go clean out our shorts and not let it happen again.”

Michael spoke nothing for nearly a whole minute.

“I am sorry. I wasn’t careful. My mind can’t let go how close I came to leaving you alone. It won’t happen again. I love you darling. I love you so much.”

It was the shortest recording he had sent since the beginning. Wartime calls were rare, even when on a base. She hadn’t talked to him person to person in a few weeks. Although Beth knew this had happened at least a week previous to her hearing him confess it on the tape, she broke into an open cry from the panic it brought to the surface. This was a potential reality she had pushed away from her mind. She fell asleep happy to know her husband had survived.

Michael from The Soul Messenger (USAF 1969)