Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself . . . by Eleri Grace

Since I don't write horror, suspense, or paranormal, my novels don't have scary scenes per se, but my characters, like all of us, typically have fears or even phobias. My WWII characters often take to heart the words they heard as teens when newly-elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt intoned in his 1933 Inaugural Address that Americans had nothing to fear but fear itself. While his words were meant to inspire fortitude and resilience in his countrymen mired in the Great Depression, those same words would invoke courage in the men and women who served our country during WWII. 

For my debut novel, Courage to be Counted, it suddenly dawned on me in the early stages of writing that my hero Jack was deathly afraid of heights. This is not an uncommon fear, but Jack is a pilot. I wondered how a pilot might cope with a fear of heights -- what would even draw someone with a fear of heights to become a pilot in the first place? It seems counter-intuitive, but it turns out (yes, Google it) that a very large number of pilots experience acrophobia, a significantly larger number than would be true of the general non-piloting population. My son is studying to become a pilot, yet he turns green on a ski lift or in the nosebleed sections of sports arenas. When I asked him how he copes with this fear in the air, he immediately responded that it's a control issue. In the cockpit, he feels completely in control and has no fear of heights. He also confirmed that most of his pilot friends also experience a fear of heights outside aviation. The control in the cockpit is the solution for most pilots. 

But, a pilot in combat faces far more threats than usual to his or her ability to feel -- and be -- in control of the plane. And that was the stuff of nightmares for my hero. He was, naturally, forced to confront that fear head-on when he had no choice but to bail out of his fatally wounded B-17 in the waning days of the European war. 

Skip, hero in my 2nd novel, Carry a Crusading Spirit, had a fear of being below-decks on a ship. This puzzled the heroine Hadley, especially when she learned that Skip initially served in the Navy. He clearly knew his way around a ship, but was equally clearly uncomfortable spending much time on one. It's much later before Hadley pieces together that Skip's brother died on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attacks and that Skip carried significant survivor's guilt. He'd argued with his brother and taken shore leave the night before the tragic attacks. Like all good heroes, Skip eventually confronts his demons and conquers his fears. 

My Red Cross Girl heroines are also no stranger to fears and worries. As I'm writing my novels, I often try to put myself into their shoes -- picture it, it's 1942, and the US is newly involved in the war, now being fought in multiple theaters all over the globe. You've signed on with the Red Cross, initially certain that you want to "do your bit" and something more than rolling bandages or working in the defense plants. It sounds patriotic and yes, a bit glamorous, this whole serving with the military near the front lines. At least until you realize you're in it for the long haul -- you're as bound as those boys, obligated to serve "for the duration." You don't have a crystal ball to realize that "the duration" means 1945 would be the next potential Christmas season with your folks. For all you know, the war might never end. My heroines struggle with what they've signed on to do, and, once they're in the thick of it, what it all means for them and those they love. What it means in the short-term and more importantly what it means from that point forward -- the nightmares many will suffer for the remainder of heir lives. 

You can read more about me and my Clubmobile Girls series at my website and can buy my novels on Amazon.