Tag: historical fiction

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Five Things I Learned After Writing My First Chapter

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With my cursor at the beginning of Chapter 1 of my WWII historical fiction novel, I hit Ctrl+Enter and sighed.

Beginning a book all over again isn’t pleasant sometimes.

I loved this chapter. I mean, really liked it, even though I knew all along something wasn’t quite right about it.

For several months when I first started writing all those years ago, I struggled to figure out why chapter 1 didn’t work as the beginning for my novel.

And now, I needed to start over and create a new Chapter 1.

A few contests, a writing conference or ten, a plethora of writing craft books, and two agents later, my intuition had solidified into a clear direction of where this novel needed to go. The feedback was abundantly helpful, and most of the readers enjoyed the few chapters I had submitted.

But the first chapter lacked … heart. The first chapter was missing the GMC (goal, motivation, conflict).

My chapter lacked a clear, immediate action.

Who are these people and why do you want me to care for them?? 

I can honestly say I’ve always been a writer who struggled to write beginnings. I’m sure I’m not the only one, and there are writers who dislike middles and endings too.

Here are a few things I learned about my now-improved chapter (the Chapter 1 that everyone liked but couldn’t connect with):

  1. Always introduce your characters early enough in the first page that gives the reader reason to continue to the second page and the third page and eventually the last page in as few sittings as possible. Maybe your character is afraid to drive over a bridge or wants to capture a rattlesnake. You want that first page to pop! off the page.
  2. Give your characters interesting, lively dialogue . You want to make your readers laugh and relate to the story, even if in a small way.
  3. Engage your readers. Don’t make them ask the kind of questions that drive them to set your story down and go do something that they had been putting off (like washing laundry or bathing the dog).
  4. Don’t overwrite. Less is always more.
    (This was hard for me at first because I like to describe things. But too much actually hurts your writing and may frustrate your readers. Readers want a quick read they can still enjoy.)
  5. Choose your words well. Your words can endear your readers, or cause them to run. Mark Twain said it best. It’s the difference between lightening and the lightning bug.

Taking an honest look at my first chapter, and based on my family’s and friends’ and judges’/agents’ comments, I’m glad I’m starting over. Last week, I spent four days pounding out a new Chapter 1 — a rough draft right now, but hopefully in the near future it will be a well-rounded opening chapter!

Now, excuse me while I read over this post and check to see that I’ve engaged you, helped you relate to it, caused you to want to read it, and that I’ve used my words well.

Oh, if you want to learn more about engaging your readers with that first chapter, I’ll be speaking about The Felt Need and How to Work with an Editor at two different writer’s events in Summer 2023. Check my socials for details!

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Christmas on the Home Front

 

i'll be home for christmas poster wartime 1940s tisha martin author editorIn 1943, the war was two years old; however, across the U.S., many homes were torn apart as fathers, brothers, uncles, and sweethearts and friends were drafted. For the duration, homes would be empty of loved ones during the holidays. To boost morale, Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” became the favorite Christmas song for the duration of the war. And for a handful of families who lived in Lincoln, Illinois, during World War Two, Bing’s song kept the home fires burning within the hearts of the small town of Lincoln’s wives and children.

Logan County Citizen Soldiers WWII newspaper photo tisha martin author editor

Logan County, Lincoln, Illinois, Citizen Soldiers in WWII.

In January 1944, a handful of men (“fathers and non-fathers,” Lincoln Illinois’ newspaper The Lincoln Courier put it) volunteered or were drafted. This group was the first citizen draft group to leave Lincoln and serve their country. Three men volunteered and seven fathers enlisted that bitter January, including Jim Adams, my main character Laurie’s father, from my WWII novel-in-progress.

wartime battle of bulge christmas 1944 tisha martin author editorSome of these men would experience landing on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944, or trudge through the harrowing Battle of the Bulge in Winter 1944.

While the men spent Christmas on the war front, the families celebrated a quiet Christmas on the home front, and even though there weren’t many presents under the tinsel tree, ration stamps had been saved up to purchase sweets and extra food for the holiday season.

santa_claus_christmas_overseas_gifts_poster-r59b50c844ae64cf3bc9ef70c0e7c1e07_aiqqc_8byvr_512Decorating for Christmas involved the idea of simplicity, mostly out of necessity because it gave families something to do together. Children would write Christmas cards to make Dad feel like part of the festivities. Mom and kids would send Dad large care packages, filled with cards, candies (M&Ms), cookies, pictures, and other treats.

Here are a few facts about the holidays on the home front during WWII:

  • Because all the men were off to war, there was no manpower to cut down the lush Christmas trees, and there was not room on the railroad cars to ship them to tree farms. Did that stop anyone from getting a tree? No. Americans rushed to buy American-made Visca artificial trees for seventy-five cents.
  • As if there wasn’t enough snow outside, Americans brought the snow inside. They mixed a box of Lux soap powder with two cups of water and brushed the concoction on the branches of their tree to give it a snow-covered appeal.
  • As soon as the war began, many Americans threw their German blown-glass ornaments and exotic Japanese ornaments in the trash. Soon, Corning Glass Company in New York produced Christmas tree balls using machines designed to produce light bulbs. Thus, came the Shiny Brite ornaments and other ornaments.
  • However, if Americans could not purchase new ornaments, the made do with what they had by making their own ornaments out of non-priority war items, such as paper, string, pine cones, or nuts. The shortage of materials—like aluminum and tin—used to produce ornaments led many people to make their own ornaments at home.
  • Electric bubble lights were created during the 1940s and are still popular.
  • July 1945, the film “Christmas in Connecticut” was released, and the song “Let It Snow” hit the charts.
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Peanut Butter and Pickles

(This blog post first appeared Feb. 16, 2017.)

I’ve often wondered what school-age students ate for lunch in the 1940s. Of course, they ate what we generally eat today (minus all the fast-food); but as I was perusing a cookbook from the 1940s, I was amused to see how precise each section was, and especially the chapter on “The School Lunch.” According to The American Woman’s Cookbook of 1940, published for the Culinary Arts Institute, a child’s school lunch should contain all of the essentials so that he/she will be able to prochildren-eating-lunchperly attend to schoolwork. On page 60, the American Woman’s Cookbook states:

  1. [The school lunch] should be abundant in amount for a hungry, healthy child. A little too much is better than too little.
  2. It should be chosen with regard to the nutritive needs of the child and in relation to the whole day’s food.
  3. It should be clean, appetizing, wholesome and attractive.

Each lunch item was individually wrapped in wax paper, with the heavier items on the bottom, and placed inside the lunch box in the order the food was to be eaten first. I wonder, did children know what to eat first?

What stood out to me was that this small chapter devoted to the school lunch emphasized the value of the meal, made “carefully and well” (60). Mothers packed one of every food group in each school lunch. Fruits and vegetables, the book said, “are not always easy to include in the school lunch, yet if the child is to be well nourished, some way must be devised to get them in” (61). Perhaps it was hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter time, but that’s why gardening and canning was vital to the American family. I appreciated the determination presented in this chapter to find a way no matter what.

It may seem strange to learn a lesson from reading a chapter about preparing a child’s school lunch, but I’m glad there was a time in history when people cared about even the smallest details.

Even though our lunches may not be wrapped in wax paper and placed in a tin box, I think we’re getting back to the organic way of eating, but would you want to try a peanut butter and onion sandwich? Or how about a peanut butter and pickle sandwich?

Photo Credit: Google.com/WWII+American+Schools

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How to Trust the Process

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(original post published in 2018)

Writers are often told that the best piece of writing advice is to write what you know, or build your platform . . . or anything related to writing that we strive to make better in our lives. However, the best piece of writing advice I have ever been told resonated with me in such a way that changed my thinking about my writing journey.

Trust the process.

That was the advice, plain and simple.

So many times we get caught up in our writing friends’ successes, how many books they have published, seeing how perfect their worlds seem that are so unlike our own clumsy path we’re trying to follow. And that’s discouraging. I’ve been there a time or two. When I started on the path to finding an agent, I was completely overwhelmed. What if I didn’t have enough “platform” numbers? What if my writing wasn’t good enough? What if no one would like what I wrote?

But I reached out to agents anyway and pitched my story to them. Some agents liked my story but it wasn’t a good fit for them. Other agents loved my story and wanted to work with me. Oh, now, that was exciting!

Then, just like getting a large papercut, I received some disheartening news. My platform wasn’t large enough. However, not to be discouraged, the agent encouraged me to do several things, and one of those things was to get a mentor. Now, I know what you might be thinking. Asking someone to be my mentor is super intimidating. But let me put you at ease. Even Stephen King and Francine Rivers had to start at the bottom, just like you and me. And writers are always helping other writers; that’s how we grow. So, asking an author you admire, who is further down the publishing path than you, to mentor you along is the best thing you could ever do.

I did that, and my mentor told me to trust the process, because I wasn’t sure how my platform would shape up. And for the past year, I have been (trying, praying to) trusting the process as I continue doing what works for me, whether it be writing blog posts, interviewing authors, sharing research information, or encouraging up-and-coming writers, because I know that if I continue to keep my pen sharp, my heart open, and my eyes on God, that this entire process of getting published will be well worth the journey.

God’s given you a process that only works for you, and no matter what your other writer friends are doing, He will never fail you.

Let’s Chat! I’d love to hear from you in the comments~

How have you seen your own writing journey blossom this year?

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Five of My Favorite Horse Scenes

Guest Post - Tisha Martin - 5 of My Favorite Horse Scenes

I’m very excited to welcome author and editor, Tisha Martin, to the blog today to talk to us about horses in fiction. This is the second in a series of posts Tisha is sharing with us. If you missed the first one, you can read it HERE.

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, Tisha! 

This blog post first appeared on Kathleen Denly’s blog, July 17, 2018.

Five of My Favorite Horse Scenes

by Tisha Martin

If a dog is man’s best friend, then a book is a writer’s or reader’s best friend. Do you have a favorite book that you have reread over the years? Maybe you have a few. Throughout my life, a few books have really made a difference in my life, especially books about horses, particularly when the horse has some major role in the story.

I grew up reading The High Hurdles and The Golden Filly series by Lauraine Snelling. When I was at library book sales, I’d sift through the piles and stacks of books for horses on the cover, the easiest way to pick out as many books without having the large chance to completely read the back-cover blurb and assess whether I wanted to drop it into my $1 Book-a-Bag deal. Once, I was at my friends Carla and Jim’s house because they had a computer and I didn’t, and I needed to learn how to type. Carla had a mound of books she was sending to the donation bin, but knowing I loved to read and liked to write, she let me browse through the books. I found a delightful horse book that would later inspire me to write historical fiction in the specific historic subjects listed on my website.

I’d like to share with you five of my favorite scenes from my four best-loved horse books during my early writing days.

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold was published first in 1949 by William Morrow & Co., then in 1953 by Enid Bagnold Jones through Scholastic Book Services.

I had watched the movie (starring Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor) first and didn’t know there was a book. But, nevertheless, that’s what library sales are for!

The blurb: Teenager Violet seems like any other girl who’s horse-crazy. But who else would dare chop off her hair, don jockey’s clothes, and enter the world’s toughest steeplechase? Here’s the story that made Elizabeth Taylor a teenage screen star … a story you’ll laugh over—cry over—and never forget!

My favorite scene:

“The Hullocks were blackening as Velvet cantered down the chalk road to the village. She ran on her own slender legs, making horse-noises and chirrups and occasionally striking her thigh with a switch, holding at the same time something very small before her as she ran. The light on the chalk road was the last thing to gleam and die. The flints slipped and flashed under her feet. Her cotton dress and her cottony hair blew out, and her lips were parted for breath in a sweet metallic smile. She had the look of a sapling-Dante as she ran through the darkness down-hill” (1).

Velvet Brown’s desire and love for horses is seen so vividly in this scene. Didn’t we do things like that at a much younger age, act out the things we enjoyed before we got the real thing?

Another set of books, For Love of a Horse and The Summer Riders, by Patricia Leitch captures the heartwarming story of Jinny Manders, growing up on the moors, where she rescues Shantih, an Arab, from being mistreated as a circus horse. Together, they become inseparable, until two city kids come to stay and threaten to ruin Jinny’s plans.

My favorite scenes:

“Jinny gritted her teeth. She wished that the circus was over and they could go back to the hotel. She was sitting close enough to the ring to be able to see every detail of the horses—their patient, watery eyes, the scarred legs and sunken necks. One of them was broken-winded, and the harsh sound of its breathing tightened Jinny’s throat. She hated the ringmaster, hated his pleated lips and beady, watching eyes. She flinched under the crack of his whip as if it stung against his own skin. . . .

“The horse was pure Arab. She came, bright and dancing, flaunting into the ring, her tail held high over her quarters, her silken mane flowing over the crest of her neck. Her head was fine-boned and delicate, with the concave line of the true Arab horse. Her dark, lustrous eyes were fringed with long lashes and the nostrils wrinkling her velvet muzzle were huge black pits. She moved around the ring like a bright flame, her prickled ears delicate as flower petals. Her legs were clean and unblemished and her small hooves were polished ivory. After the dull ache of the rosinbacks, she was all light and fire” (For Love of a Horse, pp. 23-25).

In these scenes, the pure beauty and intelligence of the horse is like seeing the rocks at the bottom of the ocean. I love the concept of the rescue horse, and I highly recommend these books for any horse lover, regardless of age.

The last book, Tall and Proud by Vian Smith, is a classic and close to my heart for its raw and emotional story and simple, compelling descriptions. It’s the book that inspired me to write.

The Chicago Tribune said of this 1968 title, “Vian Smith’s description of his native Dartmoor country and its people is rich in background for this story of a young polio victim who learned to stand as tall as the horse that helped her overcome the pain of recovery. The Britisher’s tale is a moving one. . . .”

My favorite scene:

“For awhile Sam [the horse] danced, not sure what was expected of him and showing his willingness to gallop. Then he settled to a walk, which was away from Gorse Blossom and up the hill, his head held high and interested because he had not gone this way before” (p. 139).

I like Sam’s attitude and his curious personality, but a little later in the story, he shows his frightened side when he thinks his owner, Gail, is going to mistreat him. And boy does he display a nasty force.

I’ve read these books nearly every year and always find something new to enjoy about them. Great books will do that. And they don’t have to be intricate. Sometimes the simplest story, if executed well, can have such an influence on your thinking, your writing, and hold a special place in your heart.

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Interview: Hidden History

Hidden-history-interview-tisha-martin-author-editor-historical-fiction-research

Happy autumn! I love this time of year when the weather cools enough to break out the boots and to gather around bonfires with friends. This weekend, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a wonderful resource of enjoyment, if you are a reader  . . .  and perhaps some intriguing bits of research, if you are a writer.

Samuel Johnson said, “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write: a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” ― Samuel Johnson, The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. Vol 2

Well, you may not have to turn over half the library quite as much. Hidden History, a free information service, is right at your fingertips!

Hidden History
Founder: Josh
Writers: Ryan and Micaiah

What is Hidden History and what does it offer readers?

Hidden History offers its readers a unique experience with history. Many history sites will simply provide you with stories based on what that site believes you should read. However, Hidden History seeks to gain insight from our readers by asking for post topics and suggestions. We reach roughly 450,000 people a month with our articles, videos, and informational blurbs and try to cater to everyone we reach. Hidden History’s aim is to inform readers on topics about which they desire. We take well-known topics and offer aspects or facts on the person, place, or event that most people never knew.

How can Hidden History be a resource for writers?

Hidden History can be broken down into three different divisions: Education, Video, and Research. Our Education Division comprises most of our work as it provides articles and blurbs on events, places, or people. It provides additional information on a topic that a writer, researcher, or historian could use in whatever they are doing.

Our Video Division aims to accomplish the same as our Education Division but through videos. While writers may not use these videos, educators may use them in classes or in presentations. Our newer videos are up on our YouTube channel and more will be added as they are completed!  

Hidden History’s Research Division is a paid option available to all with rates based on the research needed. We will provide a well-researched and cited report for writers that might need a paper fact-checked or a report done on a topic. If we cannot find what you are looking for, then our time researching is FREE to you!

The best part of our page is that we work for you as the reader, so we will post an article/video and do research based on what you are looking for when you need it.

What is the history behind Hidden History?

I started Hidden History for multiple reasons. I have always loved history, and I enjoy researching and learning about it. I also tired of certain history channels that stopped showing history series and started doing series on pawnshops or aliens.

At Hidden History we share knowledge on unknown historical facts and events with others who might not have otherwise known.

When I started Hidden History, I planned on it being a small, local page that I ran with only a few hundred followers. However, I changed how I was doing things on the page, added a new writer, and we quickly started to grow.

Today we have three writers, three divisions within Hidden History, and are currently the largest actual history Hidden History page on Facebook. We have partnered with several major Facebook history pages and we also have several politicians, writers, historians, and educators of all levels that follow and use our page.

We have grown fast and reach so many people every day. We have expanded to Instagram and YouTube and are working on our very own Hidden History website, which we hope will be up and running within the year! We are also currently working on saving a historical monument in Pensacola (Florida) and if it is successful, we hope to expand to a fourth division and help save monuments and historical sites with other preservation groups!  

Where can readers and writers find Hidden History?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hidden.history.hh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hidden_history_hh/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlXwuTE4fBmUOJv4szblqw

Website: Under construction

Writers, I hope this is a helpful resource for you in providing just that bit of intriguing information for your next book!

Readers, I hope this is an enjoyable, relaxing avenue for you to continue to glean tidbits about unknown history facts—you never know when sharing an unknown fact will open up an amazing door of great conversation with someone!

Happy Reading and Researching!

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How to Have the Right Perspective

This blog post first appeared September, 2017.

Since I enjoy researching and writing about the WWII American home front and polio, I’m delighted to introduce you to my friend, Starr. I met Starr through a Post Polio group and I was so inspired by her love for life and her beautiful heart. As I got to know her, it became apparent that a beautiful heart is all about having the right perspective. Starr, thanks for letting me interview you and for sharing your life with us.

1940s wheelchair
1940s wheelchair

My character, Laurie, contracts polio in 1943, a time when America was engulfed in the throes of a world war, but also, fighting a home front war, the war against this crippling disease. What is your polio story?

Starr — Where should I begin. I have thought about it for a long time. I became sick at age 6 months old. I was born to teenage parents, Mom was 16 and Dad 15. They did what all parents do and I was vaccinated on schedule. It was my third dose, which was the live virus which I contracted polio. I have had good times, bad times, sad and happy. But looking back I would not change a thing. It is what made the person I am. It got me to where I am today. I love my life and I feel very blessed.

I know hospitals are not fun, but you’ve talked about some fascinating stories between you and a boy you met while in the hospital. What is your favorite memory?

Starr — This is an easy memory for me. Christmas Eve, the hospital was empty just a few of us there. They would take us to the auditorium and show Laurel and Hardy’s March of the Wooden Soldiers. We had popcorn and laughed a lot. My husband and I were friends back then. We both were in and out of the hospital and it seemed it was always at the same time.

I’m sure being in and out of the hospital was a love-hate relationship, especially because your best friend became your husband. 🙂

How did you spend your summers after polio?

The Eye of the Mustang
Sister, the Paint Mustang

Starr — Well, I discovered early on that I was different. I didn’t go outside that often, most were spent indoors either at home or the hospital. But I found ways to enjoy the change of seasons. I watched the colors change, and saw life from a window. In my teens, my parents bought a horse, they thought it would be good therapy. And it was, because the horse became my legs. I was able to go where ever I wanted. I know this sounds strange but I would go to a grave yard with a pad of paper and draw nature. And talk to the graves as if they were old friends.

My character has a horse, too, and has to learn how to ride again. Riding is wonderful therapy for anyone.

How did you meet your husband?

Starr — We met when we were six. Both in the hospital for two different reasons. We were on mats in physical therapy waiting our turn. He and another boy were behind me laughing. They took turns pulling on my pig tails. I cried and they [nurses] had to take me back to my room. Yes, and I married him. But there were many stories between then and our marriage.

That’s funny and cute. I’m sure he’s glad you decided to marry him too.

What is your hobby?

Starr — I have many. I paint, draw, write poems, write short stories, crochet, cook, compose music and play many instruments. I sang and gardened prior to PPS.

Just so our readers understand what PPS is, PPS is called Post-Polio Syndrome.

I enjoy poetry and the hope it gives. You wrote a poem called “Whispers of Heaven.” I think our readers will love this section you wrote:

A life unvarnished, rattled with pain

And back to this life I did reclaim.

The time has since has passed seeming far away

But still I am here and will remain,

thinking of time and that I must stay

For all we are now, and all we’re to be

We must follow the path that leads to thee

I know not where nor do I the time

What life I now have alone it is mine

But knowing what waits beyond is not pretend

For each of us holds to love when it’s our life’s end.

From my research, I’ve learned that Post Polio is a syndrome where the challenges of polio come back after a 20-40 year span. What is your approach to PPS?

Starr — I deal with it day by day. I try to enjoy every day, and am very thankful that I am here. Because I know life can be gone in an instant.

Through your life experience, how have you become a better person?

Starr — I am more sensitive to other people’s feelings and am very patient.

Being patient truly is a gift. What are some things that make you happy?

Starr — Well right now it is being a grandmother. I have wanted to be one for such a long time.

Who was instrumental in shaping you into the wonderful person you are today?

1940s ApronStarr — I would have to say my Mom, because she pushed me. She was hard on me, but did it to make me stronger. And also all the staff at the children’s hospital I spent most of my life in.

What is your encouraging advice to others, and something that writers can infuse into their own characters’ lives?

Starr — Never be defeated, defeat the circumstance. Let go of pain, both emotional and physical. And the last is to forgive all those who have hurt you, and forgive yourself. It will lift such a weight off you. I have found that if you allow the sorrow to fill you with hate, you will never have the love you seek.

Thanks for sharing with us today, Starr! Your story is beautiful, inspiring, and a great reminder that we can have confidence no matter what we go through. We all have challenges in life, and I’m encouraged by your outlook on life.

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Author Interview: Grace Hitchcock + giveaway

Happy Friday, everyone! Cannot believe this is the last day of August … kind of makes me sad. But! I’m so glad to be able to introduce this month’s author interview and book giveaway! My good friend Grace Hitchcock (along with other wonderful author friends) have recently launched a new Southern Belle Brides collection from Barbour!! Grace is also gracious and giving away a signed copy of her latest story!

~ The Southern Belle Brides Collection ~

Miss Beaumont’s Companion by Grace Hitchcock
Baton Rouge, Louisiana—1892
When lady’s companion Aria St. Angelo is coerced into posing as her political employer’s absent daughter for the evening at the Louisiana Governor’s masquerade ball, she wasn’t planning on falling for Byron Roderick, the most eligible bachelor in the capitol.

~ Blurb ~

In the Old South, hospitality is king—and charm is queen! Using grace and gumption, seven determined women face chaotic life challenges on the way to personal peace and lasting love—from the 1850s marriage market to the 1918 flu epidemic. Will each bride eventually discover a safe place to call her own—and a husband to love?

~ Without further ado, the author interview ~

I love the mentions of all the books in your novel. Out of all of them, which one is your favorite and why?

Hi, Tisha, thank you for having me here! It’s so hard to pick, but as a young child, I would watch the BBC’s productions on practically all of the Charles Dickens works and Little Dorrit was one of my favorites. While I’ve never sat down and read that exact work of his, I felt that since I’ve read Dickens and watched Little Dorrit so many times, it would be fun to add it into a story that my heroine liked that book too!

So fun to see your characters enjoying coffee at a local coffee house. I know you prefer tea, so how easy was it to write about your characters enjoying coffee instead of tea? Did it make you cringe?

While I love a good cup (or three) of tea, I have to start my morning off with a steaming cup of café au lait, especially with having a baby. When I wrote those scenes, I usually had my morning cup in hand, but tea is my favorite go to hot beverage for the rest of my writing sessions and reading.

Mister Rodrick wears spectacles and Mildred shows her disdain. Was there a particular view against men wearing spectacles during this time and why would the ladies find this distasteful?

Mildred’s distaste stems more for her love for another man rather than a view point. In my research for the novella, I didn’t find a specific view on spectacles, but I’ve read in quite a few novels where glasses acted as a deterrent for the heroines, so I wanted to write a story where the glasses actually attracted the heroine, Aria, to the hero, Byron.

Why is Byron interested in law work? What drove him to decide that as his career?

Byron’s compassion for people drove him to excel in his law practice to help others and his father thought that it would be an easy transition for his son into the political realm. Byron’s vocation was inspired by my older brother, who is a lawyer and worked a lot of cases in the capitol of Baton Rouge. I had fun calling my brother up several times in the writing of the story to ensure that all of my law scenes/phrases were accurate.

Where did you get your inspiration for Aria marrying above her social class? Dickens or Jane Austen?

Jane Austen! Even though Aria is poor, she hails from a distant noble heritage, similar to Sense and Sensibility’s heroines. I love all of Jane Austen’s works and enjoy reading Austen influenced books. The heroine in my debut novel that releases in March, The White City, will be strongly influenced by Austen’s Northanger Abbey’s heroine.

Thank you so much, Grace, for sharing the day with us! Reading your story from The Southern Belle Brides was an adorable, compelling read. Can’t wait to read the other stories as well!

~ About Grace and How to Keep in Touch ~

Grace Hitchcock is the author of three novellas in The Second Chance Brides, The Southern Belle Brides, and the Thimbles and Threads collections with Barbour Publishing. The White City is her debut novel and releases March 2019 with Barbour Publishing. Grace holds a Masters in Creative Writing and lives in southern Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, and son.

Instagram: @GraceHitchcockBooks
Twitter: @grace_hitchcock
Facebook Page: GraceHitchcockBooks
Website: GraceHitchcock.com

~ The Giveaway and How to Enter ~

Be sure to answer the comment question for a chance to enter the giveaway too!!

Click the link below to go to enter the exclusive Rafflecopter giveaway:

Enter for a Chance to Win a Signed Copy of The Southern Belle Brides Collection

~ If You Don’t Want to Wait or Want to Buy as a Gift ~

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
ChristianBook.com

Enjoy your day!

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Christmas on the War Front

Recently, we looked at what Christmas was like on the home front. You can read about that here. I’ve also drawn names for the winners of two WWII Christmas-themed books! Announcing them a little later….

While there’s much about a home-front Christmas, it was a little more challenging to find war-front Christmas information in a way that was, shall we say, pleasant. There are many photos of soldiers receiving packages from home, celebrating tiny celebrations with makeshift trees, and greeting their loved ones on a furlough home.

A friend of mine, Russ Schaefer, who is in heaven now, served in Patton’s Third Army during Battle of the Bulge. He told me he remembers standing guard until his fingers and toes were purple; he suffered hypothermia. Yet, when he’d used to sit behind me in church and we’d shake hands in greeting, his hands were always so warm, so comforting.

But it was anything but warm or comforting during Battle of the Bulge in 1944. American soldiers were spread 75 miles down the Ardennes Forest, and there was really no hope in sight for setting aside the time for celebration. However, on Christmas Eve, the soldiers in Bastonge, Belgium had quite the experience. Upon opening a bottle of champagne, the blackened room the soldiers were in lit up with the affects of a screaming bomb as it dropped from an enemy plane. The unmarked hospital next door was in shambles, killing a total of 20 people, including Renee Lemaire, who had helped in the hospital. Below is a letter of commendation from the battalion surgeon:

SUBJECT: Commendation for Renee Bernadette Emilie Lemaire (deceased)

To: Commanding General 10th Armored Division.APO 260, US Army (Attn: Division Surgeon) Thru Channels:

As Battalion Surgeon, 20th Armored Infantry Battalion, I am commending a commendation for Renee Lemaire on the following evidence:

This girl, a registered nurse in the country of Belgium, volunteered her services at the aid station, 20th Armored Infantry Battalion in Bastogne, Belgium, 21 December, 1944.  At this time the station was holding about 150 patients since the city was encircled by enemy forces and evacuation was impossible.  Many of these patients were seriously injured and in great need of immediate nursing attention.  This girl cheerfully accepted the herculean task and worked without adequate rest or food until the night of her untimely death on 24 December, 1944.  She changed dressings, fed patients unable to feed themselves, gave out medications, bathed and made the patients more comfortable, and was of great assistance in the administration of plasma and other professional duties.  Her very presence among those wounded men seemed to be an inspiration to those whose morale had declined from prolonged suffering.  On the night of December 24 the building in which Renee Lemaire was working was scored with a direct hit by an enemy bomber.  She, together with those whom she was caring for so diligently, were instantly killed.

It is on these grounds that I recommend the highest award possible to one, who though not a member of the armed forces of the United States, was of invaluable assistance to us.

JACK T. PRIOR
Captain, M.C.
Commanding

Renee Bernadette Emilie Lemaire
Place du Carre 30
Bastogne, Belgium

Source: Battle of the Bulge Memories

Thanks for everyone who entered the giveaway! Now … Announcing the winners of two WWII Christmas-themed books:

  • Lisa H. — wins Ace Collins’s novel
  • Connie S. — wins Barb Warner Deane’s novel
  • Winners have been notified by email.

Photos depicting wartime celebration on the war front, receiving packages at mail call, soldiers greeting their family and girlfriends on a furlough, a wartime wedding, and many postcards that were sent to the men on the front. Oh, and chocolate! Must have chocolate!

 

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Christmas in July Book Giveaway

PeterSalm-Bookstore

I hope everyone’s having a great summer so far! July’s turned out very busy, but a lot of fun, as we’re enjoying the sunshine and the flowers, and perhaps the pool too.

Since we’re doing a Christmas theme this month—having missed these installments back in December—I’m happy to introduce these authors to you! There will be two winners, and both books have e-book option, so this giveaway is also for international readers!!

Here’s a little fact about books during WWII:

Publishers Gave Away 122,951,031 Books During World War II.

First Author + Book

ace collins bio photo tisha martin author editor historical fictionAce Collins

Citing his Arkansas heritage, Christy Award winner Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Collins has authored more than eighty books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith.

In 2017 new episodes from In The President’s Service continue to be released by Elk Lake Publishing. The most recent is The Cat’s Eye with another novel, The Red Suit Case, set to hit the market at Christmas. Others in this series include A Date With Death, The Dark Pool, Blood Brother, Fatal Addiction, The Devil’s Eyes, The Dead Can Talk, Bottled Madness, Shadows In The Moonlight, Evilution, Uneasy Alliance, The 13th Floor and The White Rose. 

Collins’ hobbies include sports, restoring classic cars, Wurlitzer jukeboxes and running. He and his wife live in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and have two grown sons.

The Book: The Red Suit Case

Red Suit Case lobby card

Second Author + Book

Barb-warner-deane-author-photo-tisha-martin-author-editor-historical-fictionBarb Warner Deane

Barb Warner Deane was born and raised  in the beautiful Finger Lakes area of New York. She graduated from Cornell University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. Barb, her husband, and three daughters have lived in the Chicago area for the past twenty-five years, other than two years in Frankfurt, Germany and two years in Shanghai, China. She draws a lot of writing inspiration from her experiences as an expat. On The Homefront, her historical women’s fiction novel, was inspired by a trip to Normandy, France. After giving up the practice of law, Barb has worked mostly as a mom, but also as a paralegal, bookstore owner, travel writer, high school library media guru, and IT tech specialist.  She has also volunteered for Girl Scouts, the American Women’s Club in both Frankfurt and Shanghai, as President of the Windy City Chapter of Romance Writers of America, and high school PTA president. In addition to writing, Barb is a genealogy and WWII buff, loves to read, of course, is a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory and Harry Potter, and is crazy for both U.S. and international travel. Now that she and her husband are empty-nesters, she’s making plans to expand on her list of having visited 47 states and 41 countries on 6 continents.

The Book: On the Homefront

On-the-home-front-barb-warner-deane-tisha-martin-author-editorIn 1941, WWII begins for the United States, and life will never be the same for three women as they send their husbands, brothers, and friends off to war.
Ruth, a young wife and teacher, Lilly, her teenaged sister-in-law, and Helen, a British war bride, learn to cope with rationing, change, fear, loss, humiliation, and brutality while they forge an impenetrable bond and grow to be stronger than any of them ever dreamed possible. They lean on each other for support, aided by the family and friends who surround them, but when one decides to go to the front lines as part of the American Red Cross Clubmobile program, how can they cope with her absence—and more telegrams reporting loss? 

Where to Find Barb:

Website – https://www.barbwarnerdeane.com

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/author/barbwarnerdeane
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/barbwarnerdeane/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/BarbWarnerDeane
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/barbdeane/
My publisher’s page – https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/2293_barb-warner-deane
Will you give away a paperback or ebook?
If the give-away is limited to US readers, I’ll send a paperback. If it’s international, an e-book.
Who is your favorite character from your book, and why?
Although I originally thought Ruth would be my favorite character, it turned out to be Helen. As a British war bride, who lived in London’s East End, but moves to a small upstate NY town, she is out of her element in many ways. She’s unwanted by her new in-laws, ashamed of her illiteracy, awkward, and alone, but so kind and genuine. When she makes friends with Lilly, she becomes a part of the Walker family in every way but blood and it changes her life, as well as theirs.

The Giveaway:

  • open to US and international readers
  • both books are e-book giveaways
  • you must have valid email address
  • you must be 18 or older to enter
  • no purchase necessary to win
  • giveaway not affiliated with any online entity or social media
  • giveaway ends Midnight, Thursday, July 26, 2018, and winners announced July 17, on the blog
  • to be eligible, you must click the link below and comment on the question
  • that is all!

Enter Here:

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Photo Credit: booksforvictory.com