May All Your Christmases be White

It may have been a white Christmas in 1944, but it certainly wasn't merry and bright.

This was especially true in western Europe, where the Germans had launched a last-ditch counter-offensive, now known as the Battle of the Bulge. Bitterly cold temperatures and heavy snow storms added to the miserable conditions endured by Allied forces.

(Library of Congress)

Our troops weren't the only Americans trapped by the wintry battle. Four Red Cross clubmobile crews were out serving units when the Germans attacked and were themselves trapped behind enemy lines. One Red Cross Girl, Peggy Henry, had been working at a Red Cross club in the resort town of Clervaux, Luxembourg and escaped under fire with a tank battle raging in the streets around her. In my novel Courage to be Counted, my heroine Vivian's experience is a dramatized composite of the harrowing ordeals of these Clubmobile crews and Peggy Henry's daring escape from Clervaux. Henry was later awarded the Bronze Star by President Truman for her bravery.

By Christmas Day 1944, most of these women were out of immediate danger. The women of Clubmobile Group B joined soldiers of the 1st Division to sing Christmas carols in the streets of Herve, Belgium on Christmas Eve, and though mixed with flashes of tracers and artillery fire in the sky, the brilliant stars brought a sense of peace and joy. The women of Clubmobile Group E later reported that they spent Christmas morning near Spa, Belgium diving into foxholes and serving doughnuts and coffee to the soldiers between alerts.

(National Archives)

It was Clubmobile Group F, however, who experienced the most dramatic Christmas of all, for they had been based at Bastogne in December and it was their Clubmobile crews who were most in peril at the time the Germans attacked. The crew of the Clubmobile named the Cheyenne were trapped at Vielsalm. One of Cheyenne's crew members, Jill Pitts, learned that her twin brother Jack had been killed in an early skirmish of the Battle of the Bulge, mere days after she had last seen him. Though she grieved for her brother, she had little choice but to carry on, especially given her own predicament. The town mayor of Vielsalm presented the women with an incendiary bomb: "To blow up your Clubmobile if the Boche should come." By the 21st, the US Army's 82nd Airborne had moved in, and the battle drew nearer. Early the next morning, the women were awakened and told they had a narrow window in which to escape. They loaded their Clubmobile with their Christmas gifts of nylons, perfume and food treats, bags of mail for the troops, and as much doughnut flour as they could carry. Following close behind a Jeep assigned to guide them out of Vielsalm, the women waved to the American soldiers lining their withdrawal route from this embattled village. In a bid to prevent German units from following, GIs threw up roadblocks as the Clubmobile roared past.


Still struggling to escape later that night, the Jeep guiding them ran into another vehicle. The women moved the injured men into the back of the Clubmobile, pushed the Jeep off the road, hitched the Jeep's trailer with its crucial supplies to the Clubmobile and drove on. An MP directed them around a tank battle, and they spent the night in an aid station. It took them until Christmas Eve to connect up with their main group at Charleville, France. They arrived in time to share some spiked Christmas punch and fruitcake with the other crews. While singing Christmas carols with the GIs that night, a German bomber dropped a bomb that shook the building. "When the ceiling didn't come down, they resumed singing."

After a day of serving crews and dodging bombs on Christmas Day, the crews of Clubmobile Group F received a hand-delivered message from their pals in the 101st Airborne, then mired in the Battle of Bastogne (immortalized in HBO's "Band of Brothers"): "Still here and pitching. Don't worry about us - we're doing okay. Thanks for the doughnut flour. We captured it from Jerry, and we're making pancakes from it every day. . . . See you soon - and have the doughnuts ready!"

Central Illinois WWII Stories, a video project of Illinois Public Media, created a stirring documentary tribute to Jill (Pitts) Knappenberger and her crewmates Phyllis and Helen and their dramatic escape from the siege at Vielsalm with the help of the 82nd Airborne.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday season, however and wherever you may celebrate!

You can 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.

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I’ll be Home for Christmas By Eleri Grace

Many classic Christmas songs, stories, and films date to the 1940s, to WWII in particular, and with good reason. Almost half the popular Christmas tunes performed and played today were written and originally recorded in the 1930s-40s, with the majority of the remainder dating to the 1950s-1960s.

Why such an outpouring of creativity in celebration of Christmas? Homesick American soldiers, together with their lonely sweethearts, wives and mothers on the home front, spurred a nostalgic idealization of the holiday. These Christmas tributes sound universal themes of love, fellowship, hope and resurgence, presenting a stark contrast with the harsh realities of war. Through the vehicle of popular culture, artists united Americans in common purpose and camaraderie. 

Christmas Eve will find me

Where the love-light gleams

I’ll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams.

                         

Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, and Buck Ram (1943)

This beautiful Library of Congress compilation of photographs, essays, magazine articles, journal entries and other reminiscences is the perfect way to step back in time to the bygone era of WWII this holiday season. It captures the spirit of the men and women serving overseas, as well as the hopes and fears of those who kept the home fires burning, who longed for the safe return of their loved ones.

The heroines of my Clubmobile Girls novels helped alleviate the acute homesickness experienced by so many young soldiers as Christmas neared. Suppressing their own longing for the comforts of home, the Red Cross Girls threw themselves into creating innovative holiday decorations, procuring gifts, and hosting holiday parties. Wherever possible, American soldiers were anxious to spread Christmas cheer to locals, particularly to area children. Red Cross Girls worked with the military to plan and pull off these festive celebrations that brought so much joy to the young men fighting the war so far from home.

 

In my debut novel Courage to be Counted, my heroine Vivian experiences an intense longing for her sweetheart and for home while singing “Silent Night” at a party the Red Cross and men of the 305^th Bomb Group hosted for village children in England. The party she and her friend Mabs plan would have looked something like this photograph from the 379th Bomb Group in Kimbolton, England.

379th Bomb Group (National Archives)

Photo ID: 342-FH-3A-14449-65542AC.

Meanwhile, her hero Jack wishes desperately that he could introduce her to his family as he shares what he knows will be his last Christmas dinner at home for a long while. Two years later in 1944, huddled under blankets in a freezing billet in Belgium with the Battle of the Bulge raging all around her, Vivian recalls with a pang of nostalgia the previous Christmas, when she and Jack spent holiday leave in London.

Making Christmas cards from Chinese currency in December 1944 (National Archives)

Inventive Christmas tree near Buna, Papua New Guinea, 1942

As you can see from the photos I’ve included here, the Red Cross Girls called on no small amount of ingenuity to replicate Christmas traditions for American soldiers serving all over the world. They made paper chains, used aluminum cans, cigarette cartons, and the metal strips known as chaff that the air forces released from their planes to jam radar defenses, strung popcorn, and made use of recycled Christmas cards.

The subtitle of I'll be Home for Christmas is The Library of Congress Revisits the Spirit of Christmas During World War II. The spirit of Christmas was especially strong in these tumultuous years, leaving us all with a lasting legacy of treasured Christmas music, stories and films. 

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

Extraordinary in the Ordinary By Eleri Grace

A “superhero” is a fictional character with extraordinary or superhuman powers or an exceptionally skilled or successful person.

Rather than paying tribute to the numerous actual people who populate my life and have exceptional or superhuman perseverance, strength, and empathy for others, I decided to write today about a group of women who straddle both worlds in a sense.  The heroines of my Clubmobile Girls novels are fictional, yet they are rooted firmly in our documented history. Based on the thousands of women who answered the call to wartime service with the American Red Cross, my heroines have a strong sense of duty and patriotism, resilience, an adventurous and independent streak, and exceptional courage.

Courage is the first word in the title of my first Clubmobile Girls novel, and it is the attribute my heroines call forth more than any other. As all good fictional characters do, my heroines must summon their mental strength to withstand and extricate themselves and others from dangerous situations. But my heroines evidence mettle from the beginning, way before they are in any sort of perilous situation. Indeed, they have built up and drawn on an enormous reservoir of tenacity before my readers meet them. Of course, most American women served in some capacity during WWII, whether working in a factory or defense plant, enlisting in one of the auxiliary military service units, volunteering with the USO, the Red Cross, or a local hospital, or tending a victory garden and economizing in her household. But the women who secured overseas assignments with the American Red Cross evinced particularly exceptional spirit and drive.

Well before the first women shipped out, before their overseas work was operational, the Red Cross intuited that the women who would organize and staff their clubs and mobile units all over the world must be self-starters with stamina, confidence, and adaptability.

Most of the women who applied (only one in six would be successful) were poised, charming, and accomplished professionals who could draw on a varied life experience. They were good conversationalists who could hold their own in a male-dominated environment, who could laugh at a dirty joke but retain “girl next door” respectability, who could offer comfort and stability to both the homesick and shell-shocked soldiers. But it was her inner fortitude that likely won her the job, and it will be that same strength that will see her through it all.

Stand in her shoes and close your eyes. It’s 1942, and you’ve just signed on for the duration.

You don’t know where you will be posted (a bomber base in southeast England or in the large cities of southeast Australia, a club in Algiers, Calcutta or Chungking, a train serving men working in the deserts of Persia, a naval base in Iceland or Cuba) or what your day-to-day work will entail. You don’t know when you might next see your parents or family and friends. Tied to that, of course, is the dawning realization that you don’t know what the “duration” actually means. You have no crystal ball that shows a return to normalcy by 1946. You don’t know yet how the war years will shape and change you profoundly, how those years more than any others will stand out as having been the most meaningful of your entire life. But you know one thing for certain: you wouldn’t trade this opportunity to serve your country with courage for anything.

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

20th Century Historical Romance's Allure by Anna Brentwood

What draws me to the time periods in my books? There is no one answer. I am drawn by the characters where they lead, compelled to weave their truths with real history.

Because my first published book percolated years through career and raising a family, I had ample time to develop a passion for research. Getting immersed in the times I write about is one of my greatest pleasures. This makes me a thorough writer but a rather slow one.

Anna Brentwood and her Flapper Collectibles

Even before I know the entire story I want to write; I create a history timeline.

When the story begins and when it will end, place, I note things that may affect my characters life be it local, national, what newspapers they read, music they listen to, popular or not places they might go, people they might see or be influenced by…even weather conditions. 

Early on, pre-internet, my research involved studying and reading countless books and magazines, libraries, museums, eBay, antique shops, correspondence and interviews. Today, while I still study quite a bit, visit museums and talk to people, I rely heavily on the internet and Pinterest.

For example, if I need to know what music people listened to in 1930, I google, YouTube or iTunes it. If I need to see what women wore in 1940, or the kind of hats available to men in the 1920’s, I pull up images from Pinterest or Google images. Instead of having to dig, I can immediately see and describe it from actual visuals.

The Sapphire Songbird Series evolved from one book, The Songbird with Sapphire Eyes (TSSE).

TSSE takes place from 1918 through 1928, through Pre-Prohibition and the roaring 1920’s. It came to me in a series of dreams, so real, so enticing and accurate, it prompted me to investigate and develop a passion for the time and quite a collection of memorabilia.

Mermaid’s Treasure (MT), a prequel, happened differently, from an assignment to develop a story based on my book and incorporating a holiday theme. I didn’t think I had another book in me, but I wrote it in six months to deadline and it follows an object—a brooch with mystical properties that is one of the threads now tying all the characters and books in the series together. It takes place between 1893 to 1921.

MT ties to several countries and cultures and three main, real historical events; the sinking of the Russian battleship, Rusalka, the Decembrists (Russia) and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Descended from mostly Russian immigrants myself, I was attracted to that idea and country and I plan to revisit this backstory in the future.

My current work-in-progress, Anthony’s Angel (AA) takes place from 1929 through 1949.

Compared to the roaring 1920’s, before researching AA, I considered the 1930’s drab, the 1940’s and the war years dull, but Bee’s Knees, was I a dumb dolly—it is anything but dull.   

AA weaves in characters and situations from both books, history of life at home in Brooklyn, New York during the war years to overseas; the brave men who flew into danger, the ladies who left home to join the workforce. Let me just say, it’s not called the greatest generation for nothing and Rosie the Riveter doesn’t have a monopoly on riveting…

If I have learned anything from the characters that I take these journeys with, human life is brief and every time, every era, every living creature has a unique story to tell. History can repeat itself and that’s not always good, but reading about it and gaining a better understanding, is.

About Anna: Anna Brentwood grew up in Philadelphia amidst a large family of interesting and colorful characters-think Godfather, Yentil, the Sopranos or Meet the Fockers. Her childhood home was noisy; televisions were always on and annoying-at-the-time, neighbors, friends, family and various younger cousins abounded. Her mother forced her to play the piano, pledge a sorority and be a girl scout. As a child, Anna had to hide in the closet to read or she would get in trouble for being anti-social. As a young woman, she had to dodge her mother’s relentless matchmaking attempts and she once sent a potential suitor to the gym where Anna worked out to spy on her.

After graduating University of the Arts where she majored in graphic arts and illustration, she moved to Southern California. Anna enjoyed working in publications in Marina del Rey and Venice and being able to read to her heart’s content in her own studio apartment in Orange County, CA, spending many weekends gorging on chips, diet coke, tuna sandwiches and romance novels.

Anna and spouse at Speakeasy Event

She especially enjoyed meeting and marrying her former Navy Seal, country boy husband of now thirty-six years because not only did he save her from her mother’s diabolical attempts at matchmaking, he gave her two beautiful, now grown up children. They share two amazing grandchildren and several pets and he fulfilled many of her greatest dreams. Anna had a successful career as an illustrator, graphic artist, publications director and more and with her husband’s early encouragement and support, she moved to Oregon with her family and turned her passion for reading into writing. 

For more about Anna Brentwood and her books, go to www.annabrentwood.com or email annabrentwood@ymail.com

Please like me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Brentwood/447346295303805

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Maggie's Journey to 20th Century Historical Mysteries and Romance

It’s a delight to be here on the release day for my second Lady Adelaide Mystery, Who’s Sorry Now?

More about Addie later, but I thought I might start with…the start. Like so many romance authors, I began my career writing Regency historicals, because who can argue with Georgette Heyer? I wrote two series, the Courtesan Court and London List books, although technically George the IVth was on the throne in the third Courtesan Court although he hadn’t had his coronation. J

And then, I came across a photograph of my grandmother and her sisters, known collectively as “the beautiful Miller sisters.” She was the youngest of eight siblings, and the seventh sister (her poor brother), born in 1887 or 1889. The discrepancy results from all the sisters changing their birthdates in the family Bible, the minxes.

Seeing them in their Edwardian finery around the turn of the twentieth century inspired me to write the Ladies Unlaced series, all featuring young women anxious to embrace societal changes. Telephones! Cars! Jobs! Suffrage! All of the Miller sisters save for my grandmother were redheads; some never married, and those that did were either very late to do so, or wound up scandalously divorced. I believe they must have been forces to reckon with.

After a brief foray into the Victorian era (the Cotswold Confidential novels), I turned again to the twentieth century, only this time I decided to try a mystery—quite a challenge for a writer who loves research but does not plot.

At all.

Thus came Lady Adelaide Compton, a widowed marquess’ daughter in possession of seven automobiles. It would have been eight, but her late husband crashed it, along with his French mistress, into a stone wall. There’s a strong vein of romance in the series, because Addie is a pretty, rich widow—who wouldn’t want to be husband number 2? Well, except for Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter from Scotland Yard, an ambitious Anglo-Indian fully away of society’s constraints. Will Addie break him down? TBD.

I’ve discovered the 1920s were an absolute golden age of music. As a little girl, I saved my allowance to buy a 45 of Connie Francis’ Who’s Sorry Now, loving her voice. Who could imagine it was written in 1923? And who could imagine it would be the perfect title for a mystery set in 1925 amongst the Bright Young People in London, whose only goal was to have to no goal but lots of fun?  The more things change, the more they stay the same, with apologies to the French.

And here’s my grandmother, as a young mother during the Great War, and as a gay divorcee sometime in the late twenties or early thirties. I think she’d be tickled to know how she’s inspired me. Do you have favorite old family photographs?

Maggie Robinson is a former teacher, library clerk, and mother of four who woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely compelled to create the perfect man and use as many adjectives and adverbs as possible doing so.

A transplanted New Yorker, she lives with her not-quite perfect husband in Maine, where the cold winters are ideal for staying inside and writing historical mysteries and romances.

A two-time Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice nominee, her books have been translated into French, German, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, Thai, Dutch, and Italian. Maggie is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Romance Writers of America, and Maine Romance Writers.

You can find Maggie's website at www.maggierobinson.net. She's also on  Twitter @maggielrobinson  and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggie.robinson.165

Canadian Bestselling Author Sharon Page

I'm Sharon Page, author of over 20 Regency historical romances and now two 20th century historical women's fiction novels—An American Duchess and The Worthington Wife, both published by Harlequin HQN.

Research Trip to England

I’ve had many fun experiences as an author, but taking a research trip through England was one of the most enjoyable. My plan was three-pronged: to see Regency settings in London, the streets where Jack the Ripper prowled (for a future book idea), and the moors of Dartmoor.

My research on Dartmoor would lead to my first major self-published book, Escape with a Rogue. (The gorgeous cover is by Croco Designs.)

 Here's one of my first views of the moors:

Here's the blurb for Escape with a Rogue:

Can a gently bred young lady prove that a notorious gaming hell owner who escaped from prison is innocent of murder? Wrongfully convicted, Jack Travers has spent two years in jail, first on a dismal prison hulk, then in isolated Dartmoor Prison. Can Lady Madeline Ashby heal his wounded heart and troubled soul?

In the story, Lady Madeline is determined to prove Jack’s innocence and she helps him escape Dartmoor Prison. At that time, local farmers brought in their goods for market days, a fact that allows Madeline a chance to sneak in.

Above is the entry gate to the prison. I stayed in a lovely inn that was the former prison governor’s house. I was able to walk in my character’s shoes—even following a track across the moors that I use for their escape route. All went well until I found a fork in the trail. Desperate, I even asked the sheep for directions and they weren’t impressed. In the end, I made a choice—fortunately it was the right one.

The moors are still remarkably desolate. There are many dangerous bogs.

Back in London, I toured Mayfair and even went up to the front steps of White’s Gentlemen’s Club on St. James’s Street, a setting I have used in many Regency England-set romances. A friend and I took our pictures there (though the doorman came out and told us it was for members only).

It was a dream trip. I took hundreds of photographs to have for reference (including the ones here). And the research came in handy for my latest book, The Worthington Wife, set in the 1920s in England.

Thanks so much for having me here.

Sharon

About the Author

Sharon Page is a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller of historical romance. She has also penned two romantic women’s fiction titles, An American Duchess and The Worthington Wife. A mother of two, she lives in Canada.

See all of Sharon's novels on her website www.SharonPage.com. 

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Wayne Jordan’s Promise Me A Dream: Heartache and Heroism

Promise Me A Dream by Wayne Jordan is the seventh book in the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance series. This series consists of 12 books, each set in one of 12 decades between 1900 and 2010. Each story focuses on the romance between African American protagonists, but also embraces the African American experience within that decade. Join the journey on our Facebook page, http://bit.ly/2z9sMrd.

The 1960s was the decade in which I was born (I was born in 1962), and although my memories of that time are vague, that decade has always intrigue me.  So, it was only natural that when I conceived this project, I chose the 1960s.  With each of the books in this series, I wanted to give readers, not only a great love story, I also wanted to give them a glimpse of the decade – the good, the bad and the ugly. And there was much about this decade that was bad and ugly.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement are synonymous with the decade. It was only in my late teens that I remember my heart breaking, bit by bit, when I discovered what blacks in the United States had continued to endure and suffer during that decade, despite the abolition of slavery. I lauded the courage of those individuals who fought for respect, equality and justice. Although I lived in Barbados, the impact of Dr. King and The Movement reached our shores. Ironically, it was during this turbulent time, that many Barbadians sought a better life in the Big Apple, as my grandmother did and as you will see my heroine do.

But all about the 1960s was not bad and ugly. There was much good. Blacks were continuing to excel in sports, the arts, education, politics, in all areas.  Most important was the sense of pride in being black. These themes will all play an important part in Promise Me A Dream.  I hope you will enjoy my story as much as you have enjoyed the others. Below is the blurb of the story.

Chandra Williams’s dream of becoming an actress carries her from her home on Barbados to the bright lights of Broadway. But it’s the 1960s, and her goal of gracing the stage is obstructed by the limited opportunities for black actresses. Driven to help end discrimination and inequality, Chandra joins the Civil Rights movement.

Joel Donovan doesn’t understand the need for the Civil Rights movement. His life of privilege has sheltered him from the struggles of the black community. However, he’s intrigued by the courage and commitment of the beautiful immigrant from Barbados. Their attraction is immediate and powerful, and Joel is persuaded to join the movement.

When their efforts result in Joel’s freedom being challenged, Chandra gives him her unwavering support, but can their growing love survive the racial tensions and conflicts of the times?

About Wayne Jordan

Wayne Jordan is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. He’s also high school teacher. He lives on the beautiful tropical island of Barbados, the settling for several of his romance novels. His 11^th romance novel, Promise Me A Dream, is a July 2018 release, and will be available for preorder in print and ebook in June 2018.

Website: http://www.waynejordan.net

Facebook: facebook.com/wayne.jordan.94695

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorwj

Authors Tammy J. Palmer and Mercer Addison, Oregon Originals

Hi, I'm Sarah Raplee, author of BLINDSIGHT, Book 1 in the Psychic Agents Series. This month we Genre-istas are sharing some of our favorite “local” Romance Authors. Since I live in Oregon, I’m talking up two awesome Oregon Authors. Both are immensely talented.

Tammy J. Palmer is one of those rare authors who debuted with a wonderful, unique voice and quirky characters. Her novella, Cousin Q, is a gem of a story!

Cassie Anders is struggling to make rent and keep her antique store afloat when her cousin shows up looking for work and a place to lay down his sleeping bag. With his history of depression and suicide attempts Quinton isn't likely to be any more reliable than her last employee-- her lying cheating ex---but Cassie has always had a soft spot for her younger cousin and is willing to give him a chance. She soon finds herself fighting an attraction that, for the sake of family harmony, must be resisted.

Ms. Pamer followed her Cousin Q tour de force with a novel, Playing House, which promises to be equally entertaining.

Pierce Vaughn, poker –playing, motorcycle-riding, business owner is done with women who want him for the wrong reasons. He doesn't want to be used, even for sex. But this is no ordinary situation. Ginny is asking for one night with the sole purpose of losing her virginity. He's too nice of a guy to turn her down. Besides, she's cute, and it's been awhile.

TAMMY J. PALMER

Ginny Cotton, bike- riding, chess- playing, loan processor must overcome anxiety and risk a panic attack in order to achieve her goal: have sex with the hot guy she met on a dating site. She's convinced that this is the way to finally get over her best friend, the guy she's been saving her virginity for---the guy who is currently dating her sister.

When things don’t go as planned, Pierce invents a game to help Ginny overcome her fear and achieve her goal. It’s a simple game until emotions get involved, the rules become harder to follow, and neither is sure anymore that winning will be enough.

Tammy J. Palmer lives in Oregon’s rainy Willamette Valley. Visit her website for occasional posts on Life in the Express Lane, free flash fiction, and other random ramblings. 

www.tammyjpalmer.com

Mercer Addison’s historical romances feature unforgettable characters that walk right off the page and stories that bring history to life. My 5-Star Review of Even Nectar is Poison follows:

This sweeping story of love, betrayal, tragedy and happy endings takes you on an emotional roller coaster from the Irish slums to the homes of New York City's rich upper class. Ms. Addison's characters will walk off the page and into your heart - and they'll never leave.

Stalwart Irish family man Donald seeks to raise his family from poverty by emigrating to the United States. But when he is able to send for them, his wife and children go down with the Titanic. Mired in grief, Donald travels to Nova Scotia to identify his wife's body, but discovers another woman was carrying her travel papers - a woman who was strangled before the ship sank.

What became of his wife, his children?

Meanwhile, rich suffragette and Titanic survivor Olivia becomes guardian of a mute little girl who was thrown from the sinking ship. When Donald rescues Olivia from a riot, their lives become entangled as they each try to get to the bottom of seemingly unrelated mysteries - mysteries that center around one ruthless and elusive killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Ms. Addison's characters stole my heart! She writes children exceptionally well. Her meticulous research made her settings come alive and shone a bright light on the injustices that prevailed in society during this time period. On top of all this, she has written a love story that will remain in your heart forever.

MERCER ADDISON

Five O’Clock Whistle takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression.

This love story is set in a rural southern community decimated by poverty, dealing with racial issues, but determined to hold onto their dignity and their souls.

When Mae Jameison's husband is killed, she is left to keep their cotton farm producing, raise their small child and fight to survive the Great Depression hammering the country. Two men enter her life and vie for her love, the local cotton mill owner, and a stranger, a hobo riding the rails (whom she shoots when she catches him raiding her henhouse.) Mae must come to terms with the loss of her husband and build a future with the right man. One offers comfort and security, the other integrity and determined grit—and a second chance at true love.

Mercer Addison has authored fiction stories set in time periods from the medieval era to the Great Depression, as well as contemporary romantic comedies. She and her husband live near Portland, Oregon. Their little Shih Tzu, Gracie, manages their home with a firm bark.

Visit her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mercer.addison.9

Website: http://www.merceraddison.com/about.html

I hope you will give these two amazing authors a try. Don't forget to check for more recommendations from the Genre-istas throughout June! ~Sarah Raplee