Hannah Byron's Blog, page 14

Read the first chapter of “The Norwegian Assassin” for FREE

Coming 8 February 2022

Are you curious who Esther Weiss aka Gunhild Helber aka Jeger is? She is the heroine in my upcoming 4th book in The Resistance Girl Series.

In the The Norwegian Assassin Esther changes from sophisticated & engaged Jewish girl to an ice-cold murder machine in the Norwegian Resistance movement during WW 2.

Oh yes! She has her reasons.

In the first chapter “The Engagement Party” all is still peace & harmony in Esther’s life.

But is it really?

Read the first chapter here…

First chapter The Norwegian Assassin

“In Picardy’s Fields” has 100 ratings!!

A milestone for my Historical Fiction debut

Thank you so much for 100 ratings for In Picardy’s Fields. It may seem peanuts to very successful authors who gather 1000s of ratings/reviews for their books, but this is my first book to ever reach such a milestone! One year since her publication my Historical Fiction novel on the trench war in WW1 has reached 100 ratings with an average of 4.4. out of 5 stars. It doesn’t mean the book has as many reviews, because Amazon readers can now just rate a book and do not have to leave a review anymore.

I hope she will accumulate many more stars in her life. Here’s to at least another 100 in her second year of publication!

This was In Picardy’s Fields’s review with the 100th rating and though you may think I’m disappointed with it, I’m not! It’s exactly what I had hoped for: 3 stars means GOOD, satisfactory, upheld quality. And the review is positive though somewhat short and cryptic.☺️

More info here

Introduction to the Norwegian Resistance during WW2, Part II

Resistance fighters on skis

When on 17 June 1940 France surrendered, hope that a strong Western Front had an answer to Hitler’s insatiable imperialism quickly evaporated in Norway. It was a black day for the Norwegians, who’d hoped for more battle power from their Allies despite their own defeat on 10 June.

Louder became the voices from within the country to seek a peace agreement with Germany and thus keep the hopes of an independent government. King Haakon and the government-in-exile in London should be removed from office for that matter. In the next three months Norway hovered on the brink of becoming Hitler’s proud Northern Star. If only the Germans had known how easy they could’ve realized this and had acted accordingly, the course of WW2 might have looked very differently.

But they hesitated due to the ease with which they’d taken possession of the “neutral country” and friendly Quisling licking their Nazi boots. Note: there had been some tough fighting during the Norwegian Campaign, such as the Battle of Hegra Fortress.

The press was gagged, workers were pressured to join the Nasjonal Samling and the first threats to critical voices emerged.

But both Quisling and the occupying force had not reckoned with the tenacity and independent spirit of the Norwegians. The young kingdom was proud of its King who refused to abdicate. It soon led to illegal appeals to support the King and the democratically chosen government. Small seeds of resistance were sown but in September 1940 a new blow awaited the opposition.

Some party groups refused to have a Nasjonal Samling member installed as Minister of Justice. That decision led to the Germans breaking off all negotiations and on 25 September Reichskommissar Josef Terboven (who would turn out to be one of the cruelest Nazis ever) took complete control of the government. All other political parties were banned and the tone was set for repression instead of collaboration.

However, it would take Vidkun Quisling until 1 February 1942 before he would become the honorary ‘Minister President’ though behind the scenes Terboven continued to call the tune all through WWII.

Repression inadvertently leads to rebellion. The voice of the Resistance could no longer be squelched. The fight would be hard and relentless and ultimately cost the lives of thousands of Norwegian patriots.

to be continued…

The culprits from left to right: Quisling, Himmler, Terboven and Von Falkenhorst

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Free book selection! Don’t miss!

Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books. Available for a limited time, namely 30 September 2021.

This is your time to expand your library for free with a great selection of a Historical Fiction and Historical Romance novels. Make your choice today.

For this special promo I’ve combined my two Agnès novellas (Miss Agnès and Doctor Agnès) into one namely The Agnès Duet and they’re amidst a variety of other books set in the past.

Here’s just a small selection. For all the books, click the link at the bottom.

Happy Fall Reading! Fill 'r Up

My one-year anniversary as a Historical Fiction author

I’m celebrating In Picardy’s Fields’s 1-year existence on 24 September!!

A year flies by and so much has changed in 365 days! In the world and in my personal life. I could never have dreamed that when I came back to the world of books and self-publishing in September 2020, it would be both so exhilarating and so exhausting. What a roller-coaster, a never ending year of highs and lows.

I’ve said goodbye to my website designer, two assistants, an editor and a cover designer. I’ve learned to find new people with new skills and I’m doing an increasing amount of all the business things myself: the website, my newsletter list, advertisements, graphics, trailers, promos, formatting, uploading books, social media, ARC team.

While all the time writing The Resistance Girl Series and doing the WW2 research. Oh, and did I mention I have a demanding day job? Well, such is life at 65 for me!

It’s been a year of crazy hard work, sometimes up to 100 hours a week, but the fun is in the growing sales and the happy reader reviews. I’m so very grateful for every small success that trickles in. It’s been worth all the toil and money spent, so I will definitely continue on this path.

Some 500 days until retirement before I call myself a full-time author. My return to the world of books happened at exactly the right time. Now it may still be alongside the day job, but by the time my writing career really takes off, I can spend all my attention and love on this great passion.

In Picardy’s Fields has turned out to be my lucky charm, so I’ll always cherish my first historical fiction novel! If you want to be part of the growing readership that loves this WW1 book, you can purchase it on all the Amazons in paperback and eBook. And yes, an audio book version is on the charts!

Thank you everyone who has supported me this year!

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Introduction to the Norwegian Resistance during WW2, Part I

Source: United States Military Academy

The Phony War is over, Norway attacked by Germany

Between now and 8 February 2022 when my next book in The Resistance Girl Series comes out, titled The Norwegian Assassin, I’ll be posting a series of blogs on the Norwegian Resistance movement.

Norway may not be the most well-known country to resist Nazi-Germany because it was governed by one of Hitler’s puppet regimes, Vidkun Quisling’s Nasjonal Samling (NS), but in the course of the war, the Norwegian Resistance developed into one of the toughest and most successful anti-Nazi movements, just because of the hated home regime. It is also one of the most interesting of the entire WW2 period, at least from the standpoint of a historical fiction author.

Not really fun fact, but still worth mentioning: the term “quisling” has become synonymous for “collaborator” or “traitor” in a number of languages and symbolizes the contempt for Quisling’s conduct. And to start with the final outcome right at the start: yes, the villain was found guilty of high treason and was executed in 1945. But in the 5-year occupation of Norway, Quisling’s fascist government facilitated the extremely cruel and relentless Nazi regime. He’s co-responsible for the death of thousands of his countrymen and -women.

The Norwegian Campaign

The occupation of Norway happened in the same way as the Blitzkrieg tactics that the German army would employ in Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France one month later. The Campaign ultimately lasted from 8 April – 10 June 1940, in which the Norwegian military forces were helped by Allied forces from Britain, Poland and France.

Planned as Operation Wilfred and Plan R 4, the HMS Renown set out from Scapa Flow (Orkney Islands) for the Vestfjorden (Norway’s West Coast under the Lofoten) with twelve destroyers on 4 April. The German attack on Norway had been expected with fearful anticipation. It would signal the end of the Phony War that had begun with Hitler’s invasion of Poland and Great-Britain and France’s subsequent declaration of war on 3 September 1939. Seven months had passed without real warfare but that period was over as an ally was under threat of attack.

British and German naval forces met at the first Battle of Narvik on 9 and 10 April, and the first British forces landed at Åndalsnes on the 13th. The main strategic reason for Germany to invade Norway was to seize the port of Narvik and guarantee the iron ore needed for critical production of steel.

A British, French and Polish expeditionary force of 38,000 soldiers landed in the north. Together with the Norwegian army they had moderate success at first. However, a rapid strategic retreat took place after Germany’s overwhelmingly quick invasion of France in May. It demoralized the losing armies in the North. The campaign ended with the occupation of the entirety of Norway by Germany on 10 June 1940. Some of the Norwegian forces managed to escape and fought on from overseas.

Norway had two tactical advantages when it came to escaping both the Quisling Regime and the Gestapo. A long coastline for fleeing across the sea and an equally long borderline with neutral Sweden to escape over land. Both turned out to be crucial during the occupation and partly explains the successes of the Norwegian Resistance movement, especially after 1943.

The campaign lasted until 10 June 1940. Meanwhile King Haakon VII, his family and the Norwegian government had sought exile in London.

More soon…

Source: Wikipedia

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Booktrailer for the Anniversary Book

I created this book trailer for my first historical fiction novel “In Picardy’s Fields”. It’s not perfect but it was great fun putting it together.

September 2021 is “In Picardy’s Fields” month for me as on 24 September, the book will celebrate its first-year anniversary. 24 September 2020 was my comeback to Indie publishing after a break of several years. With a new pen name and in a new genre.

I’ll always cherish “In Picardy’s Fields”. It is my lucky charm. To date this WWI novel has had over half a million page reads and sold hundreds of copies.

3 cheers for “In Picardy’s Fields”, the prequel to my World War II series “The Resistance Girl Series.”

Read In Picardy's Fields

I’m on TikTok

The Magic of TikTok for Authors

In recent months the author community has been buzzing with excitement about the video-based platform Tiktok, and in particular its book-related part called BookTok.

One of the success stories was the author Colleen Hoover who hit the NYT bestseller list due to her engagement on the platform. And she wasn’t the only one.

There are readers there, voracious, multi-genre readers in all ages and for all content was the triumphant trumpet tune.

High time to check it out.

What? At 65? And as a clean-romance, historical fiction author? Doesn’t really seem like a good fit, huh? Would I find my 50+ audience there, or was I embarking on another rather crazy hit-and-miss marketing tactic? 🤪

Well, I had to try it out as I try out everything when it comes to book marketing. 🤷‍♀️

I prepared my grande entrance - 😜 - by following an intensive & amazing TikTok course taught by two bestselling romance authors, Jayne Rylon and Lila Dubois. They helped me see the magic of TikTok. Now I’m diligently employing all their methods and tips.

Et voilà!

What do you think of this lovely video? For me it is priceless! Finding & connecting with (young) readers from all over the world. That makes me so happy!

@mariamslibraryy In Picardy's Fields by Hannah Byron @authorhannahbyron #booktok #giveaway #historicalfiction #fypシ #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Mariam

So yes, I’ve fallen hard for Tiktok as I’m seeing traction and sales and I’m meeting readers I wouldn’t have found elsewhere. If you’re considering to join TikTok, or are already on there but don’t know what to do, I’d suggest taking Jayne & Lila’s course TiktokSellsBooks! It’s offered again in October.

Here’s one of my own videos. And if you happen to be on TikTok, do come and follow me. I follow back.

@authorhannahbyron Character confession #hannahbyron #historicalfiction #booktok #bookrec #romancebooks #reading ♬ original sound - authorhannahbyron

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Thank you for new review for “The Parisian Spy”

Authors crave reviews so I was very happy with this new review on Amazon this week.

“I really loved “The Parisian Spy” by Hannah Byron. It is truly a great read. It is set within the historical background of WWII France and is incredibly accurate.

In wonderful story, we experience pain, patriotism, human drama and lots of thrills.

The main character, Océane has many challenges on her hands. For example, she is a medical student who is drafted to work as a physician and later o works with the French resistance.

The book is extremely well written with fantastic characters and the pace is steady to where I read the book in one day.

I highly recommend.”

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Trying my hand at Booktrailers

They say practice makes perfect. Well, we’ll see! I’m totally crazy about the promo material options that BookBrush gives us authors so I’m currently making all sorts of graphics and Instareels. Next step was trying my hand at Booktrailers. They’re far from perfect but heyho! I’ll get there!

Here’s the one I created for the first book in the series…. In Picardy’s Fields