Well, given the locale of my
third Clubmobile Girls novel, my heroine might more readily exclaim: “Cobras
and Tigers and Elephants, oh my!”
Yes, we are headed to exotic
and mystical India in my next WWII romance novel. Many readers won’t remember
that Americans fought and died in India during WWII (or why), so I’m composing
a prefatory note to set the stage. Trying to distill the high points into a
succinct summary has impressed on me just how complex a situation my hero and
heroine will face. Nationalist protests, riots and strikes roil the country
during these waning days of the British Raj, famine results in suffering and
starvation on a mass scale in large swathes of the country, intrigue abounds as
the Indians, British, American, and Chinese jockey to advance their favored
military and post-war strategic interests, guerrilla forces battle the enemy
and the environment in the steamy jungles of Burma and northeast India, and
Hump pilots making daily trips over the Himalayas in the worst airspace on
earth face untold hazards to keep China supplied with vital food and military
supplies. 
My heroine is delighted and
enthralled from the moment she catches sight of Bombay from the harbor. India
is as far away from her small hometown in Missouri and her troubled past as it
is possible to imagine. And while she initially focuses on the potential for
adventure and a fresh start, she must all too quickly confront a myriad of
challenges to her worldview of India and to her goals and plans.
By contrast, my hero wants
nothing more than to escape India at the earliest possible opportunity. A son
of American missionaries to Burma who attended boarding school in northwest
India, he is anxious to return to America and his future in the ivy-covered
halls of academia. He had, after all, already done his part for the war, flying combat
missions with the Flying Tigers in the earliest months of the war. But escaping
the lure of this labyrinthine land he had called home most of his life, not to
mention a call of duty he is uniquely qualified to offer, proves difficult. The
bright and brave young woman he cannot evict from his heart complicates things
all the more.
I would
love to say that this more sequestered and slower paced life I’ve been leading
has translated into huge daily word counts. Alas, that has not been the case.
But I am nearing the end of my research process, have a good solid start in the
early chapters, and have committed to start meeting that 1000-1500 word count
daily goal again this week. I know I’m not the only author who has had
difficulty with overall focus and productive habits in these challenging times.
And the research required to corral the myriad competing potential plot points
for this vast and complex setting has been an enormous undertaking. So that’s a
long way of saying I am trying to give myself permission and space to let this
story bloom gradually, rather than second-guessing whether I ought to have more
to show for such an extended period of being largely housebound!
I hope all of you continue to
take care of yourself and your loved ones and stay in good spirits as we
continue to adjust to a new normal.
You
can learn more about me and my novels on my website, and you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
You can purchase my first two Clubmobile Girls novels on Amazon.
4 comments:
I didn't know American soldiers and Clubmobile Girls were in India in WWII. The research you mentioned is a gold mine. You may have to set more than one story there.
I didn't know this either. I can't wait to read this story!
Judith -- yes, I do think I probably will circle back to this locale and create a story that is more Burma-based or perhaps looks at India/Burma from a different angle. We had soldiers and Red Cross Girls in Europe, Aus/NZ, New Guinea, most Pacific islands, China, India, Burma, Iceland, Greenland, Aleutian islands, Panama, Brazil, Iran, N Africa -- I have lots of settings to choose from!
There is so much about WWII most people don't know. Even those who specialize in it. My husband wrote books for Time/Life about WWII. So, I count him as an expert. Yet, we occasionally find a documentary on TV that teaches him something new.
As for me, most of it is new because a grew up in a conservative place in California where there was no history taught except that that showed the U.S. as the saviors of all countries. Also the role of women in the war at all was never spoken.
Interested in taking a look at your stories, especially if they are so well researched.
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