A Writer’s Garden–A Cottage Garden from Gail Kittleson

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A Writer's Garden, cottage gardens, flowers, Gail Kittleson, WWII romance

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Gail Kittleson, talking about her cottage garden. Welcome, Gail!

It’s been interesting watching our cottage garden grow this year, especially since the hero of my novel-in-progress was growing one, too. 

A Nineteenth Century British woman, Clare Lucas Balfour, wrote:

“What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not the stars our flowers of heaven?” Forty Thousand Quotations: Prose and Political (1917)

What would the heavens be without stars? And we might echo this thought concerning the earth and flowers. The beauty stars and flowers bring to our world, though, cannot be measured in exactness.

            How often did glancing out the window at our cottage garden warm my heart this summer? How many times have your spring or summer or fall flowers lightened yours?

          I could add a few pages of quotes here—but this one from Joseph Addison will do. “There is nothing that makes its way more directly to the soul than beauty.”

When we’re really down, we need encouragement in the worst way. Sometimes we can barely hold our head up, and things like flowers and stars can make an enormous difference. The fictional hero who spent the summer with me knew this because he’d grown up with his grandfather’s garden.

And his grandfather patterned his gardens after…drum roll…writers! Check out the cottage gardens of Thomas Hardy and Beatrix Potter!

About the Writer/Gardener:

Gardening “grew” on Gail Kittleson, who writes World War II fiction. She’s always dabbled, but having lived long enough to see the consequences of planting a sprout or seedling, now spends more time thinking through her gardening decisions. Since victory gardens became so vital during the Forties, they play a role in several of Gail’s novels.

Follow Gail on social media at:

Gail Kittleson: Facebook: Twitter @GailGkittleson: @gailkittlesonauthor (Instagram)

You can check out Gail’s books on Amazon

Land That I Love

by Gail Kitteson

Set in the German Hill Country of Texas during World War II, Land That I Love is a sweeping literary novel of love and loss; friendship and animosity; fathers and sons; and coping during times of war and peace. Yet it is more than a love story. It is about the racism and bigotry that still exist in our world. As author Gail Kittleson’s characters struggle with the problems of everyday life, they teach us that we survive hard times by being good neighbors despite our differences and that hatred can be conquered by love, understanding and forgiveness.

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Catherine’s Comments–Five stars for Sally Brandle’s new book Sapphire Promises.

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5 star book review, Catherine's Comments, enhanced memoir of a POW survivor, Japanese POW, Sally Brandle, Sapphire Promise, WWII romance

I recently had the pleasure of reading author Sally Brandle’s new book Sapphire Promise. I must admit I’m a fan of Sally’s writing and have read a couple of her Romantic Suspense books from her Love Thrives in Emma Springs series books. So when I got the chance to read her newest book, which is an enhanced memoir based on the true story of a coming-of-age Dutch girl whose homeland was taken over by the Japanese during WWII, I was all in, and, once  again,  Sally did not disappoint. She deftly switched from her Romantic Suspense based books to a memoir-based book that kept me engaged in the story and devouring the pages when I should have been doing other things. A job well done on a book you don’t want to miss!

Sapphire Promise is a sweet WWII romance set in exotic Batavia, Java, in the Dutch East Indies colonial era. The heroine Annika Wolter is a young woman from a well-to-do family with dreams of becoming a nurse—dreams that will serve her well when the war comes right to her doorstep and turns her life upside down. Most of the stories I’ve read and films I’ve seen about WWII focus around the European war arena and the atrocities of Hitler. I found Annika’s story of loyalty, love and courage in the WWII Pacific war arena to be unique and informative. The author Sally Brandle weaves a love story that transcends the years and is suitable for a young adult or a more mature reader. You will not want to miss this beautifully crafted, inspiring and uplifting enhanced memoir of the romance, courage, loyalty of WWII  Japanese POW survivor Annika Wolter.

Sapphire Promise

By Sally Brandle

Loyalty to family. Trusting instincts. The will to survive. These virtues are deeply embedded in a mature Dutch teenager, Annika Wolter. Her attributes prove useful as she navigates typical coming-of-age insecurities and a blossoming romance with a handsome lieutenant in 1939 Batavia, Java.

Nothing prepares her for the distress of Hitler’s attacks on European countries followed by Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, toppling her idyllic life in the Dutch East Indies colonial society and separating her from the man she loves. Uplifting events from a true story showcase how determination, nursing basics, and language skills keep a young woman and her mother alive in the worst Japanese internment camp in the Pacific. If you admire clever women and unfailing love in a tropical wartime setting, you will be captivated by Sapphire Promise.

You can find Sally Brandle’s book Sapphire Promise on Amazon

About the author/reviewer Catherine Castle:

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, and quilting. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances and both of her books have won awards. You can find her award-winning books The Nun and the Narc and  A Groom for Mama on Amazon. Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Tasty Tuesdays–Iris’s Batavian favorite Gado-Gado from Sally Brandle

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clean romance, enhanced memoir, food blog, Gado-gado, Indonesian recipe, peanut sauce, Sally Brandle, Sapphire Promise, Tasty Tuesdays, vegetable dish, WWII romance

Iris’s Batavian favorite: Gado-Gado (Mix-mix in Malayan)

My Dutch-American friend, Iris (Annika in the story), grew up in Indonesia in the 1930’s. Their Indonesian cook knew gado-gado was her favorite dish and cooked it frequently using vegetables from their garden behind Mansion Iris. We often went to a Thai restaurant in Seattle where Iris could order something similar. The aroma, texture, and taste of food takes us back to favorite (in her case) memories. Iris’s story, Sapphire Promise, begins eighty years ago, where Gado-gado is mentioned several times. I hope you find the recipe timelessly appealing!

Yummy Peanut SAUCE ingredients

2/3 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 TBL Soy sauce

2 tsp honey

½ to 1 tsp chili paste or substitute ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper mixed in 1 TBL catsup

2 large garlic cloves diced very fine

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 cup water

2 TBL brown sugar

Veggies to steam/Blanch

2 bunches cleaned spinach-thoroughly washed and roots removed (reserve about ¼ of a bunch)

4 cups beansprouts*

2 cups green beans

3 red potatoes sliced thin (as if you were making fried potatoes) 

1 sweet potato sliced thin and cut into bite-sized pieces

Add ins from your refrigerator: sliced mushrooms, yellow snap beans, bok choy, Swiss chard

Fresh Garnish possibilities

4 or 5 boiled eggs, peeled and halved or quartered

1 cucumber, sliced thin on an angle

1 bunch of green onions, washed and diced from the white up an inch or so into the green stem.

Reserved fresh spinach, sliced radishes, tomato wedges or cherry tomatoes

Instructions for a meal that will serve four (ish)

PEANUT SAUCE made easy

Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir regularly and don’t let it come to a boil or it will break. Cook for ten minutes while you clean, chop, and dice. You should be able to drizzle it, so if it thickens, add little dabs of water or coconut milk. Keep it warm on the lowest heat.

BLANCHED VEGETABLES with one pot

Fill a kettle of water big enough to put a six-inch-wide metal strainer/colander in it to a depth of four inches. Bring the water to a boil. You are going to blanche the veggies in it and the colander helps.

Cook the potatoes for about six minutes or until tender but not mushy. Lift them with the colander, shake off most of the water, and transfer them to a platter. Broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, and thinly sliced carrot will take about three minutes, green beans a bit less. Test them to not overcook.

Cook the beansprouts in the same manner for 3 minutes or until just wilted. While still in the colander, press out excess water. *Our local stores do not have sprouts at this time….hopefully in the future.

Add spinach and push the leaves under to submerge them – they will instantly wilt. Remove them, leave in the colander and press out excess water. Bok choy, swiss chard, cabbage, and other greens cook in the same manner.

Dumplings

I pan-fried and then steamed Tofu Vegetable Dumplings (Organic -Vegan). The packaged voluntarily appeared in my Imperfect Produce box. The two resident carnivores liked them alongside the above meal! My son wonders if peanut sauce is the ranch dressing in other parts of the world!   Enjoy a taste of Java!

Sapphire Promise

By Sally Brandle

Loyalty to family. Trusting instincts. The will to survive. These virtues are deeply embedded in a mature Dutch teenager, Annika Wolter. Her attributes prove useful as she navigates typical coming-of-age insecurities and a blossoming romance with a handsome lieutenant in 1939 Batavia, Java.

Nothing prepares her for the distress of Hitler’s attacks on European countries followed by Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, toppling her idyllic life in the Dutch East Indies colonial society and separating her from the man she loves. Uplifting events from a true story showcase how determination, nursing basics, and language skills keep a young woman and her mother alive in the worst Japanese internment camp in the Pacific. If you admire clever women and unfailing love in a tropical wartime setting, you will be captivated by Sapphire Promise.

Available from Amazon in eBook, paperback, and Large Print  

About the Author:

Multiple-award winning author Sally Brandle weaves slow-burning romance into edgy suspense, motivating readers to trust their instincts. Growing up as a tomboy alongside brothers prepared her to work in a male-centric industry, raise sons, and create action-packed stories featuring strong women. She thrives on creating unintentional heroines who conquer their vulnerabilities and partner with heroes to outwit cunning villains. Penning Iris’s enhanced memoir presented a challenge to stay true to her life while portraying the colonial aspect of Sapphire Promise in a sensitive manner. Research and consultations with a variety of experts proved invaluable. Sally’s rescued Tuxedo cat, Shepherd dog, and Blue Heeler are her companions during long spells of writing or bouts of tormenting weeds in her garden. Afternoons she often spends riding on the wind with her thirty-one years young Quarter Horse.

Connect with Sally on her Website (EVENTS tab-offers for free Book Club zoom appearances): Facebook: Blog link

Wednesday Writers–The Hope of Christmas/A Doctor in the House by Linda Shenton Matchett

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Christmas romance, clean romance, Doctor in the House, historical romance, Linda Shenton Matchett, Sweet romance, The Hope of Christmas Collection, Wednesday Writers, WWII romance

 

Welcome to Wednesday Writers. Christmas is coming and there’s nothing I like better during the holiday season than a good Christmas romance (or movie). So, on Wednesdays and Thursdays I’m filling out the year with a variety of Christmas romance book posts. On Fridays look for some free Christmas romance book promotions. Today’s guest is Linda Shenton Matchett who’ll be sharing her Historical Romance from the The Hope of Christmas Collection. Welcome Linda!

 

 

A Doctor in the House: The Story Behind the Story

While investigating the various areas American women served during WWII, I discovered Margaret Craighill. No slouch, Margaret got her BA and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin (graduating Phi Beta Kappa), then received her Doctor of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. An impressive career followed, and by 1940, she was the Dean of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. However, as soon as President Roosevelt signed the Sparkman-Johnson Bill which allowed women to enlist in the Army and Navy Medical Corps, she signed up and became the first female doctor in the Army Medical Corps, and a third generation officer.

Dr. Craighill traveled more than 56,000 miles visiting war zones around the globe where she reported on the condition of the 160,000 Army nurses and WAC personnel. She successfully challenged the persistent idea that American women were unsuited to military roles. At the end of her service she was awarded the Legion of Merit.

I knew I had my heroine, or at least the inspiration for one.

Now, for my hero…I decided to make him highly uncomfortable. (Rubs hands together gleefully.)

Many of the English felt the American troops were “late to the last war, and late to this one.” In addition, feelings still ran high between the Irish and the British, so to give my heroine Irish ancestry with an appropriate surname would get under my hero’s skin. Last but not least, I took away my hero’s home.

Throughout the war in England, countless stately homes were requisitioned, acquired by, or lent to the war effort for all sorts of purposes: military command centers, barracks, hospitals, storage facilities for the nation’s art collections, listening, and monitoring centers, schools, orphanages, and even prisoner of war camps. Owners had no choice as to whether they would give up their home, and were often stuck in servant quarters or caretakers’ cottages. To add insult to injury, a considerable number of the homes suffered irreparable damage by their occupants.

This will be a Christmas Archie and Emma won’t forget.

 

A Doctor in the House (Part of the Hope of Christmas collection)

By Linda Shenton Matchett

Emma O’Sullivan is one of the first female doctors to enlist after President Franklin Roosevelt signs the order allowing women in the Army and Navy medical corps. Within weeks, Emma is assigned to England to set up a convalescent hospital, and she leaves behind everything that is familiar. When the handsome widower of the requisitioned property claims she’s incompetent and tries to get her transferred, she must prove to her superiors she’s more than capable. But she’s soon drawn to the good-looking, grieving owner. Will she have to choose between her job and her heart?

Archibald “Archie” Heron is the last survivor of the Heron dynasty, his two older brothers having been lost at Dunkirk and Trondheim and his parents in the Blitz. After his wife is killed in a bombing raid while visiting Brighton, he begins to feel like a modern-day Job. To add insult to injury, the British government requisitions his country estate, Heron Hall, for the U.S. Army to use as a hospital. The last straw is when the hospital administrator turns out to be a fiery, ginger-haired American woman. She’s got to go. Or does she?

 

Excerpt:

Chapter One

Squaring her shoulders, Emma O’Sullivan set off toward the nearest railroad car. It straddled the tracks and listed at a thirty-degree angle. Careful of the glass shards and twisted metal, she hiked across the uneven ground, her two-inch pumps sinking into the grass. When would the Army devise a woman’s uniform that was actually practical?

The bottom step was missing, so she grabbed the handrail and tried to hoist herself to the next tread. Her narrow skirt trapped her legs, and she grimaced. Glancing right and left, she confirmed no one seemed to be watching her, so she tugged the garment above her knees and pulled herself inside the train nearly losing a shoe in the process. Despite the chill in the air, perspiration broke out along her hairline.

Her gaze searched the dim interior. At the far end of the car a large, bearded man moved among the dozen or so passengers. His white shirt was torn in several places, and blood saturated his right sleeve. Gray tweed slacks that looked as if they were hand-tailored to fit were rumpled, and his highly-polished, black wingtips bore scuffs and gouges. Smudges of dirt on his swarthy face gave him an air of piracy. He knelt and examined the cut on a small boy.

There were other people to tend to, but the man seemed to be losing blood at an alarming rate. She threaded her way to his side and held up her bag. “Sir, it appears you may need stitching. I’ve got supplies here and could do that for you.”

He swung in her direction, and the gaze from his cobalt-blue eyes pierced her face. His forehead wrinkled, and his mouth was a thin slash. “I’m fine. I don’t need some nurse practicing her sewing skills on me. There are others more seriously wounded. See if you can do anything for them.”

She faltered. Why did every man she met assume she was a nurse? Not that there was anything wrong with nursing, but she was a full-fledged doctor and had the credentials to prove it. Graduating almost at the top of her class at Johns Hopkins Medical School had proved her detractors wrong.

“Sir, your arm needs to be tended to, and I’m quite capable–”

Looking her up and down, he sneered. “An American, are you? Listen, girlie, I don’t take orders from a woman, even if she is wearing a uniform.” He shook his head. “What was Roosevelt thinking when he agreed to allow you women in his Army and Navy?”

“He was thinking we could get the job done.” She stamped her foot and reached for his sleeve.

Batting her hand away, he rose to his full height. “Let me make myself clear. Push off and go do your nursing in another car. I do not need some upstart, Johnny-come-lately American girl to treat me or my fellow passengers.” He turned away and bent over an elderly man who held a scrap of blood-stained cloth against his forehead.

Emma pressed her lips together. Fine. Mr. Upper Crust was on his own. If he bled to death, it’d be his own fault. With any luck, the rest of England’s men wouldn’t be as infuriating. But without a doubt, few would be as good-looking.

Want to read more? You can find Linda’s story at  https://amzn.to/2ptGZga

 

About the Author:

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, MD, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library.

Website/blog: http://www.lindashentonmatchett.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett

 

Wednesday Writers–When Valleys Bloom Again by Pat Jeanne Davis

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Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers, excerpt from When Valleys Bloom Again, Pat Jeanne Davis, penicillin, When Valleys Bloom Again, WWII romance

Today Wednesday Writers welcomes author Pat Jeanne Davis to the blog. Pat will be sharing some research info that deepened her inspirational historical romance When Valleys Bloom Again. She also has an excerpt from the book for your reading pleasure. Welcome, Pat.

Thanks, Catherine.

While conducting research on penicillin for my novel, I came across fascinating information that added an element of depth to the story. I discovered a connection between my hero’s hometown and the production of this life-saving medicine.

In the partial scene below from When Valleys Bloom Again, our soldier, Jim Wright, awakens in strange surroundings with only a hazy memory of what happened to him. Gradually, it becomes apparent he has sustained a serious injury to his leg when he and his comrades came under heavy shell fire as they sheltered from German artillery. Jim, having scraped through that ordeal, now lies in a field hospital.

Jim and other allied soldiers who stormed the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944, struggled through enemy lines. Thousands died instantly or were severely injured. The prospects of recovery and rehabilitation were greatly enhanced with the use of penicillin.

The history of penicillin ranges from its discovery in 1928 by the Scot, Alexander Fleming, and its subsequent development in the 1930’s by British scientists Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain to a laboratory in Pennsylvania’s Chester County, “the mushroom capital of the world,” where it so happens our hero Jim lived and worked prior to his enlistment in the US Army.

Granville Raymond Rettew, a Pennsylvania chemist and mycologist (expert in fungi), followed with interest the research carried out in Britain during the early 1940’s. The barrier to date was the difficulty of stabilizing the drug and producing it in sufficiently large quantities. Through his experiments Rettew demonstrated the antibiotic properties of ‘spawn’ extracted from the mushroom. Later, in collaboration with the American pharmaceutical industry he pioneered a method for the production of penicillin on a massive scale.

By D-Day millions of doses of the drug were made available for the treatment of Allied forces, saving many from infection, crippling injury, and death.

 

When Valleys Bloom Again

By Pat Jeanne Davis

As war approaches in 1939 Abby Stapleton’s safety is under threat. Her father, a British diplomat, insists she go back to America until the danger passes. Abby vows to return to her home in London—but where is home? With her family facing mortal danger so far away and feeling herself isolated, she finds it hard to pray or read the Bible. Did she leave God behind in war-torn London too? Abby becomes friendly with Jim, a gardener on her uncle’s estate.

 Jim can’t get Abby out of his mind. Did she have a sweetheart in England? Was it foolish to think she’d consider him? He curses his poverty and the disgrace of his father’s desertion and drunkenness haunts him. Can he learn to believe in love for a lifetime and to hope for a happy marriage?

 Abby couldn’t know the war would last a long time, nor that she would fall in love with Jim—soon to be drafted by the U.S. Army—or that she’d have to confront Henri, a rejected suitor, determined by his lies to ruin her reputation and destroy her faith in God’s providence. Will she discover the true meaning of home and find happiness with Jim?

Excerpt from When Valleys Bloom Again

July 4, 1944

An evacuation hospital in France

 Dreamlike, Jim hovered between upper and nether space. He lay there, disconnected from time, place and self, and forced his eyes open. Daylight filtered through the canvas sides of a tent, stabbing his eyeballs. He tried to sit up, his head hurt and his lower body ached to beat the band.

Boxes of various sizes stamped with a bright red cross and heaped in untidy fashion, lined one corner of the room. A tall, white metal cupboard, piled high with bandages, stood in the opposite corner. He fell back on the cot, catching the familiar sound of truck motors revving in the distance, their gearboxes clanking, and muffled voices barking instructions. Where was everyone?

His only memory was of taking shelter in a forester’s hut during a battle. Two men from his platoon were hunkered down with him, waiting for the barrage to cease. On the hill overlooking their position, they’d encountered a German battery in a grove of trees. He could still hear the thud … thud … thud, as shells sought their range, and feel the pressure waves that engorged the tiny space in which he was crouched, compressing his chest, driving out his breath with a double gut punch. The nauseating, blood-taste sensation as myriad sharp, heavy blows beat about his back and shoulders. And the searing pain in his legs, as though they were being sliced into a thousand pieces. He remembered screaming, his motions slowing, then nothing.

Again, he tried to sit up and do an examination of himself, prodding the thick bandage on his left arm. He touched his heavily wrapped head and groped around his upper body. His clumsy investigation served only to increase his anxiety. He dare not look down at his legs, afraid of what he might—or might not—find. What would the pain be like when the anesthetic wore off?

Want to read more? You can find When Valleys Bloom Again at Amazon

 

About the Author:

PAT JEANNE DAVIS lives in Philadelphia, Pa with her British-born husband, John. They have two grown sons. She enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her husband. Pat has published essays, short stories and articles online and in print. She has a keen interest in mid-twentieth-century American and British history, particularly the period of World War II. Pat’s father-in-law served in the British Eighth Army during the war. When Valleys Bloom Again is her debut historical romance set in that era. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society. Pat loves to hear from her readers. Subscribe to her newsletter here http://www.patjeannedavis.com/

Connect with Pat on her Website:  Facebook: Goodreads:

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–Terri Wangard visits Powercourt Garden in Dublin, Ireland

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Japanese garden, Powersourt Garden in Dublin Ireland, Soar Like Eagles, Terri Wangard, WWII romance

 

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

This week’s guest is Terri Wangard who will be giving us a tour of A Dublin, Ireland garden she visited, and the surprise she found.

 

Silver Lining in a Japanese Garden

By Terri Wangard

 

I love flowers, but you’re unlikely to find any at my home. Give me a plant and within two weeks, it’ll be dead. It’s happened more than once. I definitely don’t possess a green thumb.

my marigolds

When I visited Dublin, Ireland, twenty-one years ago, I pored over the list of available excursions. Powerscourt was described as set in the graceful Wicklow Mountains, one of the most beautiful country estates in Ireland. “Visit this magnificent aristocratic garden, beautifully laid out with taste and imagination.”

Visions of gorgeous, colorful flower beds in geometric shapes lined with shrubbery danced in my mind. Maybe I pictured formal English gardens with walkways among the different plantings.

Maybe that should have warned me. I was going to Ireland and thinking of English gardens.

The June day at Powerscourt was gray and overcast. The grounds were lush and green―grass, trees, shrubs. But where were the flowers? The splashes of vibrant color?

Powerscourt Garden

My mood matched the weather. I’d come out in the Irish countryside for this? I could have toured Dublin and viewed the Book of Kells.

Then I entered the Japanese garden.

The Japanese Garden

When I was in second grade, social studies was my favorite subject, and the pictures of Japan in our textbook enthralled me. Today, the only picture I can recall is a room with sliding dividers and the family members not wearing shoes in their house; why that fascinated me, I’m not sure. Japanese architecture, however, has always drawn my eye. Pagodas, shrines, red bridges, curved eaves extending from the roofs.

I’ve never been to Japan, but here in Ireland was a minimalist Japanese garden with bright red bridges bringing needed color. I spent time on those bridges, watching the water in the creek below.

And there were palm trees! In Ireland? Are there any in Japan?

With few people around, I could spend the allotted time wandering about unimpeded. The simple garden went a long way toward alleviating my disappointment. Walking around the quiet, peaceful grounds proved to be a restful day. Beauty in simplicity.

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Terri Wangard’s gardening efforts usually consist of a pot of scraggly flowers. This year’s pot of daises may actually have sprouted weeds instead.

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, Terri lives in Wisconsin where she is writing inspirational historical fiction. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorTerriWangard

Soar Like Eagles

by Terri Wangard

She wants to do her part for the war, but struggles to maintain her ideals.

He joins the air force, hoping to find peace.

            Carol volunteers with the Red Cross to serve doughnuts and coffee to GIs and boost their morale. Believing wartime romances are doomed to disappointment, she attempts to avoid entanglements and transfers to France, away from Chet, the airman she’s falling for.

Chet’s father always belittled him. Now a well-regarded B-17 navigator, he longs to prove him wrong. After he’s ditched in the North Sea, parachuted into France, and been called before a review, his focus changes to staying alive, and winning the Red Cross girl he keeps crossing paths with.

Buy link: http://amzn.to/2dMEDNJ

 

 

Women of the Heartland series by Gail Kittleson on Wednesday Writers

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Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers blog series, Gail Kittleson, In Times Like These, With EAch New Dawn, Women of the Heartland series, WWII fiction, WWII romance

Today I’m welcoming Gail Kittleson back to Wednesday Writers. Gail, who has been a guest on several of my blog series, is the author of The Women of the Heartland series. Gail likes to write about not-too-distant bygone eras, specifically WWII. Today she’ll be talking about the roots of her just released book, Each New Dawn. By the way, Gail, I love each one of your covers with their WWII flavor.

Thanks, Catherine.

We don’t often reflect on the forces molding our childhood experiences until much later in life. Here I am in my sixties, finally considering how much World War II affected my parents, and therefore, my siblings and me.

The Women of The Heartland Series, I realize now, found its roots in my parents’ moorings. Dad served four years in the war, and Mom anxiously awaited her two brothers’ return from the infantry. Her barefoot singing in the kitchen surrounded us as children, and what did she sing? World War II tunes, of course. There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover …Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe … I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places … I’ll be with you in apple blossom time …

So when the heroines of In Times Like These and With Each New Dawn, came to me, those songs danced in my memory bank. Not consciously, of course. Actually, I didn’t “get it” until someone at a book signing asked, “So, did you pattern your heroines after anyone?”

“Nope,” I blithely stated. But then I had a flash about how much certain characters resemble my mother, a hard working, mid-western make-do woman from humble circumstances. So I backtracked and shared the epiphany.

Katherine Anne Porter wrote, “The past is never where you think you left it.”

Ah, isn’t that the truth? We’re products of our past, and orphan Kate Isaacs, the heroine of With Each New Dawn, proves this point. Her longing for information about her parents drives her right into danger.

With Each New Dawn

By Gail Kittleson

In war-torn London, American Kate Isaacs grieves her husband, awaits their child’s birth, and welcomes her best friend Addie. But after her miscarriage, another meeting with mysterious Monsieur le Blanc launches her into Britain’s Secret Operations Executive(SOE). In late 1943, Kate parachutes into Southern France to aid the Resistance.

Domingo, a grieving Basque mountain guide-turned-saboteur, meets her parachute drop, tends her injured ankle, and carries her to safety. Reunited a few months later, they discover the injured Monsieur le Blanc who, with his dying breath, reveals a secret that changes Kate’s life.

In the shadow of the Waffen SS, Domingo’s younger brother Gabirel is missing. While Domingo seeks Gabirel, Domingo’s parish priest, Père Gaspard, creates a new identity for Kate.

As Kate and Domingo subject their mutual attraction to the cause of freedom, can mere human will and moral courage change the war’s tide and forge a future for them?

Buy link for Each New Dawn

About the Author:

Gail Kittleson lives in Northern Iowa with her husband of 38 years. In winter, Arizona’s Ponderosa pine forest provides another setting for her historical women’s fiction. She instructs creative writing classes and facilitates women’s workshops on spirituality, creativity, and memoir/fiction writing.

Connect with Gail at:

http://www.gailkittleson.com/

www.facebook.com/GailKittlesonAuthor

http://amazon.com/author/gailkittleson

www.twitter.com/GailGkittleson @GailGkittleson

To read more about Gail on this blog check out her other posts: Wednesday Writers, A Writers Garden, The Writers Block, Home for the Holidays