The time has come for Peppermint Mochas, Christmas decorations, and holiday music!
As we enter this holiday season after a very difficult year, I feel my spirits lifting. In the face of holiday cheer and kindness, I feel lighthearted for the first time in 2020–every sorrow swiftly floating away on a sea of sweet anticipation for this season of giving. And I’m particularly enjoying my morning Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks. 😉
I’m also anticipating the release of the first book of my World War II series, A League of Extraordinary Women. Having these books releasing soon has lifted my spirits in so many ways! These stories mean so much to me, especially since I have thrown so much of myself into them. While they may be fictional, they echo with truth. My desire for this series was to write about strong, courageous, extraordinary women–and the men who love them, because I apparently can’t write anything without a little romance–who fought back in the only ways they could between the years 1941-1945.
From the horrors of Auschwitz II – Birkenau, to the devastated streets of Stalingrad, to Japanese-occupied Manila & Nazi-occupied Poland, and finally to the gates of Treblinka, you will follow five women who have already captured my heart. Some already have endings to their stories, others are still in the works, but they are as much a part of me as if their stories were complete. Their experiences taken from the many hidden stories of World War II that I discovered during my research, I have explored the dark corners of this war and the many extraordinary, forgotten women who walked these treacherous paths.
The first of these five women you’ll meet is Margot Raskopf! She’s strong, brave, artistic, and defiant. She wants to pave the way to a better life for herself, her family & friends, and the children she nurtures with a love of art. But her whole country is fighting her efforts and Margot soon finds herself trapped in the most horrible place on earth. I’m so excited for you to meet her!
The second woman you’ll meet is Katya Rakovich. I don’t want to say too much about our heroine in book 2 of the series, The Red Bird in the Tower, but I will let you know that I am working on her story. It’s been a bit slow-going for poor Katya, but the further I move through her story, the deeper I fall in love with her and the two heroes who claim her affections. Her heart is an iceberg about to be melted by an American paratrooper in the wake of World War II’s end, but can she forget the Russian journalist who claimed it first? You’ll just have to wait and see. 🙂
If you want to learn more about Margot and her experiences in The Good German Girl (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1)–not too much, because I don’t want to give away too many spoilers!–then be sure to join me on Facebook next Saturday, December 12th at 3PM! I’ll be going live to talk about Margot’s character, the in depth research I did on Auschwitz II – Birkenau, and a woman who survived the concentration camp and was a huge inspiration for the scenes about Auschwitz in my book.
Also, don’t forget to add The Good German Girl to your to-read list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55674241-the-good-german-girl
AND if you’re still looking for one last gift for Christmas to someone who loves to read, check out my debut novel, The Lost Generation: A Novel of World War I HERE! I love receiving books for Christmas, especially Historical Fiction novels, so head on over to Amazon and see if The Lost Generation is the perfect gift for someone you know. 🙂
I hope you all have a beautiful, blessed, & merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Coffee, Chocolate, & Romance 