Finding Peace in an Uncertain World by Eleri Grace

Without dwelling on recent national events, I think it's fair to say that many of us may feel a bit off-balance this month. As we begin to look ahead to 2025, we may feel unsettled or uneasy. Change, whether it's the change you hoped for or not, is destabilizing for all of us on some level. 

As I so often am -- bear with me y'all -- I am reminded of the WWII years. Plenty of historical parallels have been drawn between the global forces at work in the 1930s and current times, and that's not what I wanted to focus on here. I've been thinking more about a perspective my novels don't focus on much -- the home front. For as all-consuming and devastating as the news itself was for Americans tuning into the radio or reading in the newspapers, most people continued on with their day-to-day lives and found there was joy and even peace to be found.

Despite rationing and restrictions on sales of certain goods, many Americans had more money in their pockets since before the Depression. And they spent it and how -- at the movies, in diners and restaurants, and in the shops. Sure, films, music, books, comics, radio programming and other pop culture content had a heavily patriotic and pro-American slant, but it boosted spirits all the same. 

Maybe some of these photos of daily life in the 1940s will lift your mood, make you smile, and remind you that there's light and fun and joy to be found even when times seem particularly challenging or dispiriting. 

You can learn more about me and my writing on my website or through my Amazon page!  

13 Momentous Years by Eleri Grace

 Happy 13th Blog-O-Versary to Romancing the Genres and its wonderful founders Judith & Sarah!  

In thinking about all the changes in my own life over the last 13 years -- divorced, saw my two fabulous kids mature into young adulthood and pursue their own dreams with passion and energy, strengthened some friendships and made new ones, reentered the workforce, launched my dream of becoming a published author, and founded a thriving and growing entrepreneurial venture (my college counseling business) -- it occurred to me to wonder what the 13 year time periods around WW2 looked like for many Americans. 

The years spanning 1933- 1945 profoundly shaped our history and national spirit in so many ways. 

• FDR was President for just under 13 years during these defining years
• Hitler ascended to power in January 1933
• In March 1933, in his first inaugural address, President Roosevelt notably assured Americans that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. 
• By the end of 1933, FDR had launched the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Public Works Administration, and the Public Works of Art Project, formed the FDIC, and signed the Securities Act of 1933. 
• Notable accomplishments over the next few years included the Social Security Act, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Rural Electrification Administration, the National Labor Relations Act, the US Housing Authority, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and a host of federal programs aimed at preserving our national heritage and its cultural/artistic works
• Even as the American people finally began to feel some relief from the years of poverty and want, the winds of war are swirling around the globe, and by the end of 1941, the US, with the attack on Pearl Harbor, enters the war
• It will take nearly another 4 years and millions of lives lost before the war at last comes to an end in August 1945

Since we're all about books here, I also thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the bestselling books of this 13-year slice of time.

In early 1933, as FDR took office, the bestseller was Ann Vickers by Sinclair Lewis (interestingly, I just finished Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray, centered around the life of FDR's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins (first female Cabinet member). Perkins was a romantic interest of Sinclair Lewis at one time, and she was incensed when she learned of Ann Vickers, convinced their mutual social circle would assume the protagonist was based more on her own life than was strictly the case. 

Here's a sampling of a few more of the bestselling books during the Great Depression and WW2 years (not in any particular order):

I should also note that among my personal favorites are the Little House novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which were published from 1932 - 1943 (roughly corresponding to these dates)!

I hope you've enjoyed recalling the history and some of the bestselling books of another noteworthy 13-year era! 

You can read more about me and my WW2 novels on my website and purchase my novels on Amazon!

I Got the Sun in the Morning by Eleri Grace

Gotta admit -- this month's prompt threw me a curve ball. I frowned when I saw it and put off writing or even thinking about it for over a week. Obviously relationships/partnerships can cover a wide range of non-romantic relationships (as evidenced by some of the blogs already posted this month -- I loved Robin's humorous take on her love affair with her shoes). But as a divorced woman who would enjoy finding love again, my thoughts turned immediately to what I lacked. 

As is my habit with these blogs, I usually turn on some 40s music, seeking a catchy title and inspiration for my WW2-themed content. You can imagine that many of these songs relate heartbreak at wartime separations. That wasn't helping my mood at all! 

I turned to the 1945-46 songs, hoping for a song that conveyed that post-war optimism that parallels what we are feeling as pandemic conditions ease more and more here in the US.

The 1946 song "I Got the Sun in the Morning" from the Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun" spoke to my usual sunny outlook and refocused my energy on what I do have, not what I lack at the moment. 

Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't

What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied

. . . 

I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night

And with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening

I'm doing all right

Sometimes all we need is a reminder to look on the bright side and count our blessings. I may not have a spouse or romantic partner at the moment, but I have my kids, a close family, and numerous friends. I've got two careers I love, hobbies that bring me joy, and good health. There's so much to appreciate and enjoy in life -- thanks to Irving Berlin for the timely reminder. I'm doing all right.  

 

 

 

 

 

As Time Goes By - Eleri Grace

Congratulations to the Genre-istas of Romancing the Genres on their 10 years of providing fabulous content for romance readers the world over!

As all of you now know, I like to tie my blogs in with my WW2-era writing, so for this month's #10 theme, I thought it might be fun to visit some Top 10 lists for songs, books, and films of the era when my heroes and heroines were dancing cheek to cheek. 

TOP 10 SONGS

There are many "top songs" lists, but the following are both indisputably popular and on my personal Top 10 Songs of WW2 list.

1. Bugle Call Rag -- love the upbeat, fast tempo, particularly the Glenn Miller version

2. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy -- Andrews Sisters classic

3. Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer -- the lyrics to this song are so on target for my books where my heroes are often struggling to bring a plane safely home

4. In the Mood -- iconic Glenn Miller

5. Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey -- bluesy Doris Day version is my favorite

6. Accentuate the Positive -- I've always loved these optimistic lyrics

7. We'll Meet Again -- Vera Lynn was known as the "Forces Sweetheart" in Britain 

8. The White Cliffs of Dover -- another Vera Lynn classic

9. Straighten Up and Fly Right -- Andrews Sisters

10. G.I. Jive -- who can resist this one?

TOP 10 BOOKS

Rather than books published during the 1940s (of which I'm sad to say, I have read very few), I am sharing some of my personal favorite books set during WW2. 

1. Tanamera by Noel Barber -- Noel Barber's novels, written later in his life after a long career as a foreign war correspondent, inspired my desire to write WW2-era romances. This one is set in pre-war and WW2 Singapore and is a book I re-read every few years. 

2. A Farewell to France by Noel Barber - Barber takes readers to WW2 Europe in this one

3. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -- the biting satire and dark humor, along with the historical accuracy, make this one a stand-out among WW2 novels

4. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkins -- painstakingly detailed and accurate research and memorable characters

5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein -- strong characters and a gripping plotline that will stick with readers long after they've closed the book

6. The Winds of War/War and Remembrance -- a two-volume multi-generational saga, Wouk's work was among the first novels set in the era that I recall reading in high school

7. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah -- the story of the two sisters is breathtaking and heartbreaking

8. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn -- though not set directly in WW2, one of the storylines connects to events in war-time France

9. Goodbye Mickey Mouse by Len Deighton -- fabulous look at the experiences on an American bomber base in England during the war 

10. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn -- brilliant interwoven stories of three very unique young women thrown together at Bletchley Park during the war and the secrets that continue to affect their lives in the years following the war

TOP 10 FILMS

I again went with films set during WW2 rather than released during the war.

1. Band of Brothers -- HBO mini-series

2. Saving Private Ryan

3. Jewel in the Crown mini-series

4. Twelve O'Clock High

5. Darkest Hour

6. Dunkirk (2017 version)

7. The Pacific -- HBO mini-series

8. Schindler's List

9. U-571

10. Atonement

I hope you've enjoyed a brief tour of some of my favorites of the era! Enjoy the rest of this month's celebration of 10 years of Romancing the Genres!

You can learn more about me on my website or follow me on my social media accounts at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

You can find my Clubmobile Girls novels on Amazon. 

Be Careful - It's My Heart by Eleri Grace

The drama and larger-than-life grand love affairs of the 1940s was one of the things that drew me to write romance novels set during the pivotal years of WWII. Everything from the era's glamorous Hollywood stars and box office hits to the crooning ballads of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra sets the stage for epic love stories.

The war provides the perfect antagonist -- it cruelly separates, endangers, wounds, and forever shapes the character and life path of my heroes and heroines.

But in addition to the romantic love central to my novels, I think some of the most emotional depth in my work comes from the subplots relating to family and friendships that I weave into my Clubmobile Girls series.

In my first novel, there's the love Vivian has for her fellow Red Cross Girl and best friend Mabs, and the fierce love Jack has for all the men in his B-17 crew. There's the greater love of humanity that threatens to crush Vivian's spirit as she watches the mounting casualties among the bomber crews. She's terrified of losing Jack of course, but her heartache for all the Allied forces is genuine. In my second novel, Skip's heartbreak over the loss of his beloved older brother at Pearl Harbor drives him and colors all his actions, while my heroine Hadley wrestles with her own demons and the loss of a dear friend years ago.

Showing a range of love relationships in our novels adds power and resonates with readers. I read extensively in the genre of war memoirs as background research for each of my novels. I also read a few "big-picture" books for whichever locale I'm focusing on for that novel. For my debut novel, I started with "Masters of the Air," which remains one of my all-time favorite WWII nonfiction books. There are quite a number of similar books and combat memoirs written by the men who fought in the skies over Europe. I was particularly touched by the theme that cropped up again and again in these accounts by and about the bomber crews -- those ten men became an insular and tight-knit family.

They were truly brothers-in-arms and dropped all boundaries that military rank, education, race or social class might normally have divided them. They fiercely defended each other -- both up in the air in combat and on the ground in the give-and-take of life on a military base and on recreational leave trips. That's one of the love relationships I'm most proud of in my both my novels -- the bromance that was a bromance before it was cool, the love that was so prevalent among the valiant crews of our airmen.

Love is all around us, and I think our readers appreciate when we take advantage of our ability to show the range of human experience with love in all its forms in our stories. 

Learn more about me and my writing on my website or follow me on my social media accounts at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

You can find my Clubmobile Girls novels on Amazon. 

Villains Take All Forms by Eleri Grace

Like some of the bloggers who have posted this month, I don’t really read regularly in any genre that truly puts a villain on the page. When I saw this month’s prompt, my mind instantly went to Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. I also considered writing about the antagonist in Kristan Higgin’s most recent novel, Always the Last to Know, who, like Snape, is far more complex than she first appears. But then I read Barbara Binn’s blog featuring COVID-19 as a villain created by the 2020 writers’ room, I veered in yet another direction.

Barbara’s post spurred me to consider how I often use an external force as a villain in my own writing. War – WWII specifically in my case – is the overriding antagonist in my novels. It rips my characters out of their ordinary world, keeps them from their loved ones, is a source of loss -- loss of comrades, friends, loved ones, loss of liberty, loss of innocence. They all wanted to do their part. My heroines will maintain that despite the hardships and grief and separation from home and loved ones, they wouldn't have missed it for the world. Naturally, my combat veteran heroes might have more complex emotions on that point, though they too were proud to have been part of such an important undertaking.

Though I don’t show it on the page, it’s safe to assume that war leaves an indelible mark on my characters. My heroes and heroines get their happy ending, but as in any well-written romance novel, their evolution and personal journeys to resolve their inner conflicts and their relationship barrier are shaped in extraordinary ways by the war and its lasting effects.

Down the road, I plan to do a “reunion” of my Clubmobile Girls heroines, perhaps set in the 1970s, to explore some of the long-term effects. I know that my heroines, based on their historical counterparts, will have often enjoyed professional and career success while also raising a family (including their daughters, who are no doubt among the vocal feminists advocating for equal rights beginning in the 1960s). As with my heroes and other male veterans, my heroines will cite their wartime service as the most memorable and transformative experience of their lives. They left their overseas postings convinced that they could now do anything, anything hey wanted was within reach. Of course, that wasn't completely true, but their optimism no doubt helped them topple barriers that might have once stymied their progress. My heroes may have taken advantage of the GI bill to pursue additional education or start a small business after the war.

They might well have taken advantage of benefits that allowed them to buy a home with a low-interest loan. My characters returned home to a booming economy that bore little resemblance to what they had experienced during their childhood and adolescence.

Yet, there were surely negative effects from the war as well. Both my heroes and my heroines may have suffered from some residual PTSD, though it would be decades after the war before their struggles had a diagnosis and a name. Framed photos of loved ones who were lost in the war will long trigger grief and sadness. Some of my characters may have preferred to shield their children from later wars. 

War is definitely a non-traditional villain, but a villain or antagonist all the same. And as with human villains, its arc is neither simple nor a straight-line.

Learn more about me and my writing on my website, and you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

You can find my Clubmobile Girls books on Amazon.  

Accentuate the Positive by Eleri Grace

Celebration – celebrating yourself in particular – is our theme this month. Like Luanna blogged last week, I tend to indulge in rewards or treats when I reach goals I set for myself or achieve a special milestone, but as she notes, I’ve not really thought about it as celebrating myself so much as celebrating the achievement. Perhaps I really should try harder to give myself credit – get out of the “box-checker” mentality to borrow a phrase from Michelle Obama’s memoir and instead focus more on cultivating self-love.

One facet of finding self-love is practicing mindfulness – being fully present and not in a constant state of reaction and over-reaction to what’s going on around us. Heightened awareness of life’s small joys is one of the many blessings I’ve counted during these pandemic times.

Goals and milestones don’t have to be momentous or consequential to merit a celebration – a distinction that is more important than ever right now. I know I’m not the only writer or creative type struggling to find creativity within the chaos around us these days. But instead of berating myself for not using this time to storyboard or brainstorm my next novel, I’m trying to focus on what I am accomplishing rather than what I’ve not done.

I may not have plotted the next Clubmobile Girls novel, but I have done quite a bit of background reading. That novel is percolating, and its characters will burst to life any time now.

I may not have used this time to get into the habit of posting new and enticing content on my social media accounts on a regular basis, but I have done an online class relating to author advertising that I think will improve my ability to promote my new release later this month.

It’s worth celebrating the small things every bit as much as life’s larger moments. A positive mindset is one powerful tool toward truly experiencing gratitude, self-love, and living more fully. It's a habit I hope I will have cultivated enough to carry forward once we return to "normalcy" or more aptly the "new normalcy," whatever that may look like.

 As Johnny Mercer sang so memorably in 1944:

You’ve got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

And latch on to the affirmative

Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

And speaking of accentuating the positive, I have a new release coming out on May 22nd -- just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Pre-orders for the ebook version are live on Amazon here.

In love, as in war, truth can be the greatest casualty.

When her New Orleans editor refuses to grant war correspondent credentials to a woman reporter, Hadley Claverie finds another route to the front lines: overseas duty with the Red Cross. She wants nothing more than to carve out a career as a respected journalist, but a sexy pilot set on playing by the rules undermines her determination to expose truths about the war, no matter the cost.

Struggling to overcome emotional trauma linked to Pearl Harbor, once-freewheeling B-25 bomber pilot Skip Masterson longs to prove he is worthy to carry on his brother’s legacy. Duty compels him to avenge the horrors his brother and friends suffered aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, but all Skip really wants is peace on a quiet porch back home. His heart has other plans, in the form of an intrepidly curious Red Cross girl who threatens his resolve to fly straight and subvert his hell-raising past.

As Allied forces wrest control of the Pacific, one island at a time, and the military taps skilled pilots for a highly-classified and unprecedented bombing mission from which Skip may not return, Hadley’s journalistic fire places her squarely in an ethical drop zone where truth harms, secrets protect, and love just might be the most harmful weapon of all.

From the sunny beaches of Australia to the lush and oppressive jungles of New Guinea, Carry a Crusading Spirit is a sexy and thrilling continuation of Clubmobile Girls, a series that champions the trailblazing role of women in WWII.

Learn more about me and my writing on my website, and you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

You can purchase my debut novel through the links below.

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon CA  ~  Amazon AU  ~  Google ~ Nook  ~ Kobo

Capturing the Memories by Eleri Grace

Well, this month’s prompt definitely presented problems. My favorite first –writing or non-writing – experience. So many possible angles!

I wondered if I could highlight a “first” relating to one of my hobbies: reading, travel, scrapbooking, or genealogy research. And if you’ve been following me here, you’ve probably noted that I like to tie my blogs into my WWII-themed author brand.

Then I remembered that I created a scrapbook of my first visit to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans in 2016 and my first WWII travel tour a few months later.  The National WWII Museum graciously allowed me the opportunity to read through their holdings from one former Red Cross Girl while I was there. All told, I spent the better part of 3 days at the museum and still had the sense that I was rushing through parts of it. If you've not visited it, I highly recommend adding it to your travel bucket list!

Their exhibits, arranged thematically around the different theaters of the war in many cases, are incredibly immersive. In the Road to Berlin exhibit, one moves from the earliest battle scenes in North Africa and Italy to the reconstructed Nissen hut from an American bomber base in England,

to the hedgerow country of Normandy, and then through the icy forested environs of the Battle of the Bulge,

and on finally through the bomb-torn rooftops and crumbling ruins of Germany in the waning months of the war in Europe.

            This photo gives you a flavor of the Road to Tokyo exhibit.

Complete with audio of jungle sounds and clips of period movies on the movie screens, this portion of the exhibit vividly evokes the war experience in the Southwest Pacific. From a scrapbooking standpoint, I enjoyed the opportunity to play with textured embellishments and texture-themed background papers in this album.

            “Masters of the Air” by Donald Miller is hands-down my favorite non-fiction work on the Eighth Air Force in WWII Europe, and I’m still thrilled that I splurged on the Miller-led tour that took us from London to the old bomber bases in East Anglia, lovingly restored to their former glory by local villagers over the last few decades. At each base, we had a chance to meet and mingle with older locals who were children during the war. Their stories were captivating, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always related with a sense of awe and appreciation for the American boys who took the war to Germany years before D-Day and at such enormous cost.

            This bomber base was restored over the course of nearly 20 years, and I got a weird chill when I realized that I had attended a study abroad program not more than a few miles from this site in 1989, the year the local citizens began the restoration process.

Note the photos of original art that they were able to retain in the renovation. Living history is alive and well in England – at each bomber base, scores of re-enactors populated the base.

            The 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbotts had a fantastic display of photos and memorabilia from the Red Cross Girls who had served at that location. One of the curators at the American Military Cemetery in Cambridge helped me locate the grave of a Red Cross Girl who died in a plane crash in Ireland late in the war.

            I enjoyed pulling out this album and sharing some of the highlights with you. Both these trips were a memorable first for me, and though I’m years behind with some of my scrapbooking projects, at least this one made it to the top of the heap.

Learn more about me and my writing on my website, and you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

You can purchase my debut novel through the links below.

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon CA  ~  Amazon AU  ~  Google ~ Nook  ~ Kobo