Stories of WWII heroism and sacrifice

Hello! I am Nancy Cavin Pitts, the author of When You Come Home.

When-You-Come-Home-eCover

When You Come Home is a novel about my mother’s life during and right after WW II. I got the idea after Mom was contacted to do a nationwide interview on the NBC Nightly News, and then included in a chapter of Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation. Actually, Mr. Brokaw wrote the forward to When You Come Home!  The book has been out on Amazon since October of 2011, and now my publisher Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, has decided to come out with the audiobook version of When You Come Home.

It is a pretty exciting time for me!

I hope you enjoy my blog about why I chose to write the story of my mother, Daphne Cavin, and her first husband, Raymond Kelley. It was, at times, heartbreaking to write. But  it was also cathartic and exciting to take a walk back in time with my mother and revisit her past.  A past filled with love, pain, sorrow, and triumph.


I was recently contacted by a lovely woman who had read my book. She said she and her husband planned to travel to France and visit Raymond’s graveside. They are now home safe and sound, but were kind enough to write to me about their travels. By clicking here, you can read about their travels, how they got in touch with me, the reaction of my family, and the act of kindness that  was shown to  my family before we even knew her.


Have you read When You Come Home? I would love to hear from you!

My family and I have been so blessed by the many people who have come forward since Tom Brokaw first interviewed my mother on the NBC Nightly News … people who knew my mother, men who served with Raymond in France, and those who are interested in American and WWII history and were touched by my mother’s story. We thank each of you for the support you have given us.

8 thoughts on “Stories of WWII heroism and sacrifice

  1. Listened to the Audible version and it was just wonderful. Searched the Internet for pictures from your Mom’s scrapbook and found only her wedding photo. Any chance you would post some pictures from the original scrapbook? Thank you for sharing her beautiful story….

  2. Are you going to write a sequel to this book? I would love to hear the next part of her life. This was a wonderful love story. Thank you so much for sharing.

    • Hi Louise! Thank you for taking the time to read my book and post on my web page. I’ve had so many people ask about the remainder of my mother’s life after the war. I am seriously contemplating writing a conclusion to add to the end of When You Come Home or as a separate book. If you have specific questions that you would like to have answered about my mother’s life, please let me know. I am gathering material right now and want to answer everyone’s questions. Again, thank you! Nancy Pitts

    • Louise, I am sorry for the slow response. I typed a response to your comment, but I don’t see a copy of my reply, so it must not have gone through. I am in the process of writing an ending to my book that tells what happened to my mother after the war. Your thoughts or suggestions on questions you would like answered would be welcomed! Thanks for your comments! Nancy Pitts

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