Wartime Friendships by Eleri Grace

 Our theme of relationships this month -- as it so often does each February -- brought me up short. I'm divorced and haven't even been on a date since before the pandemic. Sure, I could focus this blog on non-romantic relationships -- my relationships with my young adult children, with my wide circles of friends, with the larger writing community, and on and on. But I was not particularly inspired, nor sure how to tie those potential angles in with my writing. 

So I'm revisiting a theme from several years ago in February and putting a slightly new twist on it. In that blog, my focus was on how my Red Cross Girl heroines marched to the beat of a different drummer than their contemporaries in so many respects and how I, as a writer, have created novels that don't fully follow the standard tropes of historical romances or historical mainstream fiction. 

The Red Cross recruited extraordinary and accomplished women for overseas assignments. Marked not only by higher education and far more professional experience than most women of that era possessed, the Red Cross recruits possessed some or all of the following attributes in some measure: poise, charm, conversational skills, self-assurance, independence, ingenuity, adaptability, stamina, and creativity. Even in the earliest days of WWII, the Red Cross realized they needed self-starters who could draw on a range of varied life experiences to do unprecedented work. 

Because they were all so exceptional and at least somewhat out of step with the times, Red Cross Girls formed very strong bonds with one another. Fast friendships formed -- in the weeks of training stateside, on the voyage overseas or on location. One Red Cross Girl writing back to her training instructors from Europe noted: "Some fellas think we're brave, but we really don't know enough to be scared. Some think we'd be better off at home, where a woman's place used to be . . . about 200 years ago." I think most of us probably find it astonishing that a 1940s woman viewed the housewife trope to be an outdated norm. For some of these women, the war presented them with yet another opportunity to break free of strictures imposed back home. Based on many of the memoirs these amazing women wrote later in life, many of them went on to start or continue a successful career outside the home, whether they married or remained single. 

Yet, it took no small amount of courage to take such a leap of faith in signing on for destination unknown, duration unknown, and dangers unknown. The women frequently didn't know where they were assigned until they were out at sea (although they could make educated guesses based on whether they were shipping out from the east coast or the west coast). They didn't have a crystal ball to know the war would end in 1945. Most importantly, they had no idea what they would be called on to do or face in the course of their duties for the Red Cross, though most were smart enough to assume it would involve a lot more than serving coffee and doughnuts! 

Their unique qualities didn't shield them entirely from fear or from experiencing profound anxiety, stress, and war-weary despair. And in those times, they leaned on one another. The Red Cross friendships forged in wartime continued on after the war in many cases, with the women often remaining in touch for decades after their service. And like their male combat soldier counterparts, the women recalled their wartime service as the most significant years of their lives. The relationships they formed during those years, whether they continued on after the war or not, left their mark in so many important ways. 

You can find my Clubmobile Girls novels on Amazon, and you can learn more about me and my writing on my website or through my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

It Might as Well be Spring by Eleri Grace

As we round the corner on another spring, having cycled now fully through all the seasons under pandemic conditions, I'm reminded of the hopeful 1945 song "It Might as Well be Spring." The hit song from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical film "State Fair" really didn't have much to do with the impending end of WWII -- in fact the war was over by the time it was recorded and released as a single in the fall of 1945. Yet to my mind it is symbolic of the fresh new springtime start that the end of the war would bring for so many and could be equally meaningful in current times as we begin to climb out of the pandemic slowly but surely. 

I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams

I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing

I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing

But I feel so gay in a melancholy way

That it might as well be Spring

One of the things I always keep in the forefront of my mind when writing my WWII era novels is that no one had a crystal ball. My Red Cross Girl heroines faced the prospect of "for the duration" along with the servicemen. When they were packing up at home and in Washington after completing their training, they had no idea how many seasons would come and go before they experienced the familiarity of a hometown seasonal change once again. Many served in a climate quite unlike what they had experienced in their lifetime up to that point.

The holidays that mark the passage of the seasons were something our forces overseas observed however possible. The Red Cross Girls quashed their own homesickness in order to put on a happy face for holiday parties and dances. They knew it was important that these seasonal rituals carry on -- it was a spot of normalcy in what were extraordinary times. 

And so it goes with us. I know we're not there yet. That was true for the men and women serving overseas in 1945 -- feeling happy and hopeful "in a melancholy way," for by then everyone knew it was a matter of time. It's a matter of time on this pandemic too. Spring is in the air -- let's remain vigilant but hopeful!

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. 

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. 

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

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.

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.