Tethered Kites

Energy can neither be created or destroyed, but families can do both.

Eleanor Turenne built a beautiful life and family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. When her life is cut short by a tragic accident, she finds herself abruptly set adrift from her husband Neal and daughter Jo. To her surprise, the afterlife proves to be a compelling place to explore, and without the anchoring force of her living family, Eleanor struggles to maintain a thread of connection to her living loved ones, especially as she forms a strong connection to her long dead father-one that unearths deeply buried family secrets of adultery, suppressed sexual identity and a relentless pursuit of the appearance of perfection.

When Jo becomes the target of a violent predator, Eleanor fears a tragic family history may repeat itself. With the help of a medium turned friend, she reveals truths that could tear her family apart. Ultimately these revelations set them on a course of exploration into the nature of family and connections formed across generations. Will death form a bridge that brings them closer to the truth or become a torrent of pain that washes this family off course forever?

Tethered Kites is a family saga with a speculative twist that offers a glimpse at death not as an end, but as a potential catalyst for growth and greater connection. It is an intimate look into the lives of a family dealing with the flood of grief after death, while facing the everyday struggles of life. Tethered kites combines the shifting narratives and ghostly encounters of Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward with the setting and tone of Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.