Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 165
June 8, 2021
Until Leaves Fall in Paris – Cover Reveal!
Today I’m pleased to reveal the cover for my upcoming novel, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, which is scheduled to release from Revell Books on February 1, 2022. This is the second of three standalone novels, each following Americans living in Nazi Europe before and during World War II.
Until Leaves Fall in Paris is now available for pre-order at Baker Book House , Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, and will be available on other sites soon. Pre-orders for the e-book and audiobook will be available at a later date.
Today I’m giving away TEN paperback copies of Until Leaves Fall in Paris, to be mailed in late January 2022.
Until Leaves Fall in Paris
As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.
Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.
Come to the streets of occupied Paris to discover whether love or duty will prevail.
Cover Reveal VideoHere’s a video sharing more about the story and the history behind it.
Pre-Order FormIf you pre-order Until Leaves Fall in Paris, fill out my Google form, and you’ll automatically be entered in the pre-order goodie giveaway that will officially open in January 2022—no need to enter twice! You can also order bookmarks, postcards, and bookplates, which will be mailed in January 2022. By pre-ordering, you’ll receive the book first—and you create interest in bookstores that helps the book succeed.
GiveawayTo enter the giveaway, please make sure you’ve subscribed to my email newsletter, then enter the Rafflecopter below (US mailing addresses only, please). Giveaway ends Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 11 pm Pacific Time. I’ll announce the ten winners here on Monday, June 14, 2021 and by email. You must respond to the email within one week to receive the book.
The post Until Leaves Fall in Paris - Cover Reveal! first appeared on http://www.sarahsundin.com.
May 31, 2021
On This Memorial Day
US poster, WWII
On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives in defense of our country.
We live in freedom because they fought tyranny.We live without fear because they faced danger.We live in comfort because they gave up all comforts.We live because of their sacrifices.
Let’s never take these gifts for granted. They were purchased at high cost.
Over 1 million Americans have given their lives in war (Source: English, June A., Jones, Thomas D., Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States at War, New York NY: Scholastic Reference, 1998).
American Revolution: 4,435War of 1812: 2,260Mexican-American War: 13,283Civil War: 498,332Spanish-American War: 2,446World War I: 116,708World War II: 407,316Korean War: 33.651Vietnam War: 58,168Gulf War: 293War on Terrorism (Source: icasualties.org): 4586 in Iraq, 2452 in AfghanistanOn this Memorial Day, take a moment to remember. And take a moment to thank God for freedom and life.The post On This Memorial Day first appeared on http://www.sarahsundin.com.
May 19, 2021
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
On the eve of World War II, Grace Bennett and her best friend, Viv, move from Norfolk to London on a lark, fulfilling childhood dreams, and they room with Grace’s mother’s friend, Mrs. Weatherford. A force of nature, Mrs. Weatherford gets Grace a job with curmudgeonly Mr. Evans at Primrose Hill Books – despite the fact that Grace has never been a reader. Determined to do her best, Grace sets about cleaning and reorganizing the store, and she immerses herself in reading, with help from handsome customer George Anderson.
But war is declared. Viv joins the ATS, George joins the RAF, and bombs begin to fall on London. After work, Grace does her bit as an air raid warden. Then tragedy hits, and Grace is shaken by the death and devastation caused by the Blitz. However, when Grace overcomes her reserve and begins reading out loud in the Underground station during air raids, something amazing happens in her community.
Charming and uplifting, The Last Bookshop in London shows the beauty of what happens when people reach outside themselves and help others. With excellent research, Madeline Martin brings World War II London to life, and her characters are rich and varied. This novel has become a New York Times and USA Today bestseller with good reason. For my more sensitive readers – please note this is a clean read – enjoy!
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April 21, 2021
The British Royal Family in World War II
In honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday and in memory of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, I’m highlighting the pivotal role of the British Royal Family in World War II. Their example of service and grit shone as examples in Britain – and throughout the world.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at Buckingham Palace on the king’s coronation day, London, 12 May 1937 (United Kingdom National Archives)
During World War II, King George VI sat on the throne of England, with Queen Elizabeth at his side, the woman better known to modern generations as the “Queen Mum.”
King George VI was crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 12, 1937, at the age of 41, after the controversial abdication of his older brother King Edward VIII. King George VI was born in 1895, Queen Elizabeth in 1900, and they were married in 1923. Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) was born in 1926 and Princess Margaret in 1930.
King George VI of the United Kingdom delivering his radio address announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, 3 Sept 1939 (United Kingdom National Archives)
On September 1, 1939, World War II began when Germany invaded Poland. The United Kingdom declared war on September 3, and the king addressed the nation that evening. Children were evacuated from London in anticipation of German bombing, and the princesses stayed at Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the first few months of the war and at Windsor Castle for the majority of the war years. However, the king and queen refused to leave London and refused to send the princesses to Canada as many urged. Queen Elizabeth stated “The children won’t go without me. I won’t leave the King. And the King will never leave.”
From the beginning, the Royal Family aided the war effort. In November 1939, Queen Elizabeth urged British women to contribute to the war effort, and she published The Queen’s Book of the Red Cross, with contributions from fifty British authors and artists, with the funds aiding the Red Cross.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit the East End, the site of the last V-2 to fall on London on 27 Mar 1945, visiting on 4 Oct 1945 (United Kingdom National Archives)
When the German Luftwaffe began bombing London in September 1940, the impoverished East End was devastated. The queen visited the ravaged neighborhoods but was poorly received at first. On September 13, bombs hit Buckingham Palace for the first time. Queen Elizabeth stated, “I’m glad we’ve been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.” Quickly, the king and queen’s insistence on staying in Buckingham Palace, their strict adherence to rationing and other restrictions, and their compassionate visits to victims of the Blitz won over the population.
On May 20, 1941, the king and queen visited Plymouth, and missed a bombing of that city—planned by the Germans to coincide with their visit—by only hours. The queen’s fortitude and her extremely positive impact on morale caused Adolf Hitler to call her the “most dangerous woman in Europe.”
King George VI with Gen. Bernard Montgomery at British 21st Army Group Headquarters in the Netherlands, 13 Oct 1944 (Imperial War Museum)
King George VI visited the troops in England, including the many American troops who would be stationed on British soil. He also made frequent trips to visit the commanders and troops overseas—to France in December 1939, North Africa and Malta in June 1943, Normandy in June 1944, Italy in July 1944, and the Netherlands in October 1944. His willingness to visit so close to the front lines endeared him to the troops.
Princess Elizabeth with B-17G Rose of York of the US 306th Bombardment Group, Thurleigh, England (US Army Air Forces photo)
While no royal weddings occurred in England during World War II, the seeds of a romance were sprouting. At the age of 13, Princess Elizabeth became infatuated with a naval cadet who gave her family a tour of the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, and they began exchanging letters in July 1939. That naval cadet? Her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the uniform of a Commander, Royal Navy, takes a Royal Salute during his visit to Malta in 1952 (Imperial War Museum: A 32405)
Prince Philip served with distinction in the Royal Navy during the war. In 1940 he was assigned to the battleship HMS Ramillies in the Indian Ocean, then to the battleship HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean. There he participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan on 28 March 1941, and earned a commendation for his command of a searchlight crew. After a return to Britain for more courses, he served on destroyer HMS Wallace, escorting convoys on Britain’s east coast and participating in the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943. In 1942 at the age of 21, he became first lieutenant of the Wallace, one of the youngest men to hold that rank. In 1944 he became first lieutenant of the brand-new destroyer HMS Whelp, which served in the Indian Ocean. The Whelp – and Prince Philip – were present for the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip married in 1947, and the prince remained in active service until his wife took the throne in 1952.
Princess Elizabeth, 2nd Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, April 1945 (Imperial War Museum: TR 2832)
During World War II, the young princesses stayed in Windsor Castle most of the time. They aided the war effort through the Girl Guides and the Sea Rangers. On October 13, 1940, Princess Elizabeth gave her first radio broadcast, on the BBC’s Children’s Hour, to encourage child evacuees far from home and family. And in 1943, at the age of 16, Princess Elizabeth began more public appearances.
In February 1945, despite her parents’ objections, Princess Elizabeth enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s auxiliary of the Royal Army. She was the first female member of the Royal Family in history to serve as an active member of the armed forces. Trained as a mechanic and driver, she became proficient with a number of military vehicles. It is said she loved having dirt under her fingernails and still has a fondness for driving.
Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill, King George VI, and Princess Margaret on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, 8 May 1945 (US Army photo)
On May 8, 1945, the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe Day. Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, with permission from their parents, anonymously joined the rejoicing crowds in London, “swept along on a tide of happiness and relief.” The Royal Family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace before a jubilant crowd.
Without a doubt, the indomitable spirit of the Royal Family helped the people of the United Kingdom through their darkest times.
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March 22, 2021
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Winners!
Thank you to all of you who joined the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! Over 1000 people collected all the clues and entered the drawing!
Here are the grand prize winners – who are all being notified by email. You can still follow the trail and read all the fascinating articles by the 30 authors who participated, starting at Lisa Tawn Bergren’s site. My article on The American Experience in 1930s Germany talks about the background behind my new novel, When Twilight Breaks.
Pam KelloggCelia WalkowiczWanda McKenzieMary SaltzmannMelaine Sprigler TatgenhorstAlso, I gave away one copy of winner’s choice of either When Twilight Breaks or my 2022 release, set in Paris in 1941. And the winner is…
Brianna Peterson!Brianna, I sent you an email, so check your inbox!
Thank you again, and congratulations to all the winners!
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March 17, 2021
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #3
THIS HUNT IS NOT YET LIVE. WE’RE STILL WORKING OUT OUR LINKS. WE GO LIVE AT NOON (MST) on 3/18. PLEASE RETURN AFTER THAT!
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
The hunt BEGINS on March 18, 2021 at noon MST (11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern) with Stop #1 at Lisa Tawn Bergren’s website .Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, March 21, 2021, at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way. Our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site .Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way (like me)!
I’m Sarah Sundin, and I write historical novels set during World War II. My novel The Sky Above Us received the 2020 Carol Award, and The Land Beneath Us was a finalist for the 2020 Christy Award! My husband and I have three all-grown-up children, and we enjoy hiking the California hills with our adorable new rescue dog. You can learn more about me and my books here on my website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My latest novel, When Twilight Breaks, released in February and received starred reviews from both Booklist and Library Journal! Here’s the story blurb…
Munich, 1938. American foreign correspondent Evelyn Brand is determined to prove herself in her male-dominated profession—and to spotlight the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. Working on his PhD in German, fellow American Peter Lang is impressed by Germany’s prosperity and order. But when the Reich’s brutality hits close, he decides to use his connections in the Nazi Party to feed information to Evelyn, pulling them deeper into danger as the world marches toward war.
The American Experience in 1930s GermanyIf you or I visited Nazi Germany in the 1930s, we know exactly how we’d react. We’d be appalled by the persecution of the Jews. We’d feel the oppression of living under a police state. We’d see the rising danger of Hitler and his militarism.
Or would we?
My grandfather, John F. Ebelke, the textbook he co-wrote, and the record of his voyage from Hamburg to New York in 1936.
A few years ago, we visited Ellis Island, and I put family names into their computer. I found the records of my grandfather’s trip home from Hamburg, Germany, after his junior year abroad in Munich. In 1936.
I knew he’d studied in Germany – he was a professor of German – but I’d never realized he’s studied in Hitler’s Germany! That sparked a question that inspired When Twilight Breaks – what was it like for Americans living in Nazi Germany?
German tourism poster, 1935
And yes, thousands of Americans and British lived in Germany before WWII, and in 1937 alone, almost 500,000 Americans visited Germany. As tensions rose, Americans began heading home, especially after Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939. By December 11, 1941, when Germany declared war on the United States, 132 American diplomats and foreign correspondents remained and were interned in a hotel until they were repatriated in May 1942.
As for those Americans in Germany in the 1930s? They were diplomats and foreign correspondents and businessmen. They were students and writers and tourists. And they were divided. This was during the Great Depression, a time of massive unemployment, upheaval, riots, strikes, and instability worldwide. It was a time of great extremism and division in the United States.
German tourism poster promoting the Autobahn, 1930s
Some Americans in Germany saw the uniforms and parades as sinister militarism, marching toward war. But others saw renewed national pride and appreciated Germany keeping the threat of Soviet Bolshevism at bay.
Some saw censorship and loss of freedom of speech. Others saw an orderly society where dangerous elements weren’t allowed to disrupt life for law-abiding citizens.
Some were appalled at the antisemitic laws slowly pushing Jews out of all forms of employment and public life. Others saw it as an internal matter – or harbored antisemitic attitudes themselves.
Some felt the oppression of the Gestapo always watching. Others saw full employment, clean streets, and construction of new buildings, museums, and the famous Autobahn.
Some felt the pressure to tell the folks back home of the dangers of Nazism. Others believed the negative reports in US newspapers were sensationalism designed to pull America into yet another unwanted war.
So how would we have reacted? Something to ponder. And in When Twilight Breaks, I was able to explore these attitudes through daring foreign correspondent Evelyn Brand and dashing graduate student Peter Lang.
If you’re interested, you can order When Twilight Breaks at your local bookstore or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or ChristianBook.com!
Here are the Stop #3 Basics:
Clue to Write Down: spring
Link to Stop #4, the Next Stop on the Loop: Jocelyn Green’s site!
Before you leave, I’m offering an additional copy of When Twilight Breaks or if you prefer, my next WWII novel, set in Paris in 1941, to be mailed when the book releases in early 2022! All you have to do is sign up to get my email newsletter (box in top right corner of this page) or note that you’re already a subscriber. US mailing addresses only, please. Please enter the Rafflecopter below. The winner will be announced here on my blog on March 22, 2021, and will be notified by email.
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March 10, 2021
The Curator’s Daughter by Melanie Dobson
In 1940, German archaeologist Hanna Tillich is forced to marry an SS officer and leave her work in the field, searching for artifacts that will bolster the Nazis’ prized theories of racial superiority. Consigned to a job in Nuremberg cataloging artworks being placed in storage, Hanna comes to realize the art comes from Jewish families – who are disappearing. Meanwhile, Hanna’s husband suddenly brings home Lilly, an adopted little girl with a past she can’t speak of.
In modern times, Ember Ellis works for the Holocaust Museum, speaking out against the rise in hate speech and hate crimes. Having come out of the neo-Nazi commune where she was raised – and which stole all she loved – the work is deeply personal. When Ember learns Mrs. Kiehl, her beloved high school teacher, is the daughter of a German woman reputed to have stood up to the Nazis, Ember returns home to Martha’s Vineyard. But connecting with Mrs. Kiehl also means connecting with her grandson, Dakota, responsible for a humiliating incident in high school.
As Ember digs deeper into Mrs. Kiehl’s past, she goes on a journey toward courage, honesty, and forgiveness.
Melanie Dobson is a master. The Curator’s Daughter unravels an intricately woven web of secrets and shame, of courage and truth. With great insight into racism in the past and in the present, the novel brings up deep questions about what risks we would take to stand up for what’s right. Exceptional research shines on each page, but the intertwined stories of Hanna and Lilly and Ember are what kept me flipping those pages. A gem of a novel.
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March 5, 2021
Today in World War II History—March 5, 1941
Postcard: Presenting Colors, Camp Forrest, Tullahoma, TN, c. 1941-44 (public domain via Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection #69994)
80 Years Ago—Mar. 5, 1941: US 33rd Infantry Division becomes the first unit activated at Camp Forrest in Tullahoma, TN. (To see photos of my research trip to Tullahoma and the site of Camp Forrest, please see “The Land Beneath Us—Tour of Tullahoma.”)
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February 24, 2021
Shadows of the White City by Jocelyn Green
Sylvie Townsend has a full and busy life, running the family bookstore in Chicago and raising her adopted daughter, Rose. When the World’s Fair comes to Chicago in 1893, Sylvie also takes on the role of tour guide. But seventeen-year-old Rose begins pushing Sylvie away and seeking answers about her background.
Violinist Kristof Bartok boards in Sylvie’s building and barely manages to conceal his affection for her. When Rose suddenly goes missing at the World’s Fair, independent Sylvie has no choice but to accept the help only Kristof can give her, with his quiet strength and knowledge of many languages.
As Sylvie and Kristof search for Rose among the many immigrant communities in Chicago – and in the city’s darker districts as well – their feelings deepen. But is Sylvie too set in her ways to make room for Kristof? And what if Rose simply ran away – can Sylvie let her choose her own path?
From the opulence of the World’s Fair to the grittiness of the city’s underworld, Jocelyn Green paints a fascinating picture of 1893 Chicago. Sylvie and Kristof are endearing characters, each seeking significance through the lives of their loved ones – and when those loved ones fail them or reject them, who will they be? Their romance is warm and gentle, and may I say how refreshing it is to read a romance between characters with streaks of gray in their hair! There’s a reason Jocelyn Green is one of my favorite authors – Shadows of the White City is historical fiction at its best!
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February 16, 2021
The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
When the Nazis occupy Paris, high-fashion dressmaker Lila de Laurent finds work designing gowns for the girlfriends of Nazi officers staying at the Hôtel Ritz – and finds much information to pass on to the resistance. The last thing she expects is to be thrust back into the company of her former love, René Trouliard, heir to a fortune and on the run due to his part-Jewish heritage.
Meanwhile, Sandrine Paquet works at the Jeu de Paume, fending off the advances of a German officer as she catalogues art looted by the Nazis and helps Rose Valland make secret copies of the records, in the hopes of returning the treasures to their rightful owners. Sandrine’s husband disappeared in the invasion of France in 1940, but she’s convinced the father of her little boy is still alive. One day, an exquisite Chanel gown arrives at the Jeu de Paume, and Sandrine discovers a hidden cryptic message.
As these two brave women brave the deprivations and dangers of the occupation, their lives aim on a collision course that could cost them everything.
Rich with evocative descriptions of Paris and harrowing details of life during the German occupation, The Paris Dressmaker satisfies on all levels. Kristy Cambron deftly weaves multiple timelines to craft a story as complex and romantic and beautiful as a couture gown. In addition, Lila and Sandrine’s strength and courage in a troubled world inspire us to live likewise. Tres magnifique!
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