Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 171
July 31, 2020
A Wing and a Prayer by Julie Lessman
A Wing and a Prayer by Julie Lessman
Orphan Gabriella (don’t dare call her that!) “Gabe” O’Connor has grown up with the loving, boisterous O’Connor family, but at her heart she’s still a streetwise, heartbroken little girl. When the US enters World War II, Gabe decides to put her piloting skills to use in the WASPs. But her trouble-making tendencies get in her way.
Flight instructor Lt. Alex Kincaid sees Gabe’s potential – and the danger her freewheeling ways present. An extreme attraction grows between Alex and Gabe, forbidden not only by regulations but by Alex’s own common sense. When Gabe pulls one too many stunts, Alex is faced with a decision that endangers their relationship and Gabe’s dreams.
A Wing and a Prayer by Julie Lessman is a fun and wild ride. Gabe’s outrageous behavior is nicely balanced by Alex’s steadiness. The story explores the WASP training program, air evacuation, and the life of war correspondents. Gabe’s road to redemption is long and frustrating, but her story is ultimately uplifting. Enjoy the ride!
Note: this is only a review, not a giveaway.
July 29, 2020
Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes
Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes
In modern times, Lucy Clairmont and Dash Greene grow up together in England, inseparable friends, united over a love of books and of Lucy’s father’s storytelling. But when they grow up, they grow apart, Dash pursuing a career in forensic astronomy in his native America and Lucy chasing after her late father’s most elusive tale, the story of a traitor and a lost sailing ship.
Two hundred years earlier, Frederick Hanford grows up with privilege but without love, drawn to the daughter of a shepherd – who blames him for her beloved father’s death. When both Frederick and the boy the shepherd’s daughter loves are impressed into the Royal Navy, a deep and unlikely friendship develops, laying the foundation for an act of great sacrifice and love.
Sigh. Some books come along and leave you…dreamy. Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes is such a book. The writing is ethereal, the story wondrous. There’s something magical about the book that pulls you in as stories did when you were little and anything was possible. But the message, the heartbreak, and the depth of the symbolism elevates this above a simple tale. I feel bereft of words and yet overflowing with words, all at the same time. All I can say – read this book.
July 27, 2020
The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt
The White Rose by Amanda Barratt
When Anneliese Brandt comes to Munich in 1942, her only purpose is to have one year of relative freedom, studying at the university until she has to marry the man picked out for her by her father, an officer in the SS. Resistance was rare in Nazi Germany and ruthlessly put down, and although Anneliese chafes at the restraints put on her by the Nazi regime, she would never consider resisting.
Then she meets fellow student Sophie Scholl, Sophie’s brother Hans, and their friend Kirk Hoffmann. The circle of friends revolving around the Scholls is different. Kind. Free-thinking. Risk-taking. Kirk and Anneliese are drawn to each other, but Kirk is the son of a pastor in the illegal Confessing Church, and their romance seems doomed.
As Anneliese gets to know these friends, her interest in joining them in doing something against the regime increases. But can they trust her? And dare she take the risk?
The real-life story of the White Rose Resistance Group fascinates many, and with good reason. We all like to believe that we would be as brave and principled as these university students who risked their lives – and many gave their lives – for the sake of truth and freedom. Or would we? Would we choose to stay silent to save our lives, our homes, and the lives of those we love?
The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barratt brings this dilemma to life through the eyes of the real-life members of the White Rose and the fictional eyes of Anneliese and Kirk. Having researched Munich and the University of Munich for my upcoming novel, When Twilight Breaks, I was impressed by the depth and accuracy of the author’s research. However, the intriguing characters and the beautiful writing made an even deeper impression. This novel drew me in and made me ponder. This is not an easy book to read, nor should it be. But it is a good read, a necessary read. And a highly recommended read.
July 6, 2020
When Twilight Breaks Cover Reveal – Giveaway Winners!
Thank you to all of you who joined me for the cover reveal for When Twilight Breaks, coming from Revell Books, February 2, 2021! When Twilight Breaks is now available for pre-order at Baker Book House, Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and BAM, and will be available on other sites soon. Pre-orders for the e-book will be available at a later date.
For the ten-book giveaway, we had 844 (!) people enter! Wow! Thank you, everyone, for your enthusiasm and for spreading the word!
Here are the ten winners, who will be notified by email. The books will be mailed in late January. Winners, please check your inbox! If a winner does not respond by July 10, 2020, a new winner will be chosen.
Kelly Wagoner
Amanda Trumbull
Barb Dawson
Rebecca Lare
Sarah Steele
Jeanette Fallon
Amanda Compagner
Becky Litton
Ruth Schmeckpeper
Wendy Newcomb
Thank you again, everyone! And I hope you all enjoy When Twilight Breaks!
July 1, 2020
Cover Reveal – When Twilight Breaks
Today I’m pleased to reveal the cover for my upcoming novel, When Twilight Breaks, which is scheduled to release from Revell Books February 2, 2021. This is the first of three standalone novels, each following Americans living in Nazi Europe before and during World War II.
When Twilight Breaks is now available for pre-order at Baker Book House, Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and BAM, and will be available on other sites soon. Pre-orders for the e-book will be available at a later date.
Today I’m giving away TEN copies of When Twilight Breaks, to be mailed in late January.
When Twilight Breaks
Munich, 1938.
Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country—or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she’ll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed—and wake up the folks back home.
In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party—to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can’t get off his mind.
This electric standalone novel puts you right at the intersection of pulse-pounding suspense and heart-stopping romance.
Cover Reveal Video
Today, July 1, at 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern, I’ll be on Facebook Live video sharing more about the story and the history behind it. Here’s the video on YouTube:
Giveaway
To enter the giveaway, please make sure you’ve already subscribed to my email newsletter, then enter the Rafflecopter below (US mailing addresses only, please). Giveaway ends Sunday, July 5, 2020 at 11 pm Pacific Time. I’ll announce the ten winners here on my blog on Monday, July 6, 2020 and by email.
May 25, 2020
Remembering the Fallen
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: 4,435
War of 1812: 2,260
Mexican-American War: 13,283
Civil War: 498,332
Spanish-American War: 2,446
World War I: 116,708
World War II: 407,316
Korean War: 33.651
Vietnam War: 58,168
Gulf War: 293
War on Terrorism (Source: icasualties.org): 4582 in Iraq, 2448 in Afghanistan
On this Memorial Day, take a moment to remember. And take a moment to thank God for freedom and life.
May 18, 2020
V-E Day 75th Anniversary Giveaway Winners!
Thank you to all of you who participated in the V-E Day 75th Anniversary Book Giveaway! Julie Lessman and I enjoyed “meeting” all of you!
Now to announce the winners…
GRAND PRIZE (copies of Julie Lessman’s A Wing and a Prayer and Sarah Sundin’s The Land Beneath Us, a $50 Amazon gift card, and memorabilia from the National WWII Museum)…Stacey Ulferts!
SECOND PRIZE (copies of Julie Lessman’s A Wing and a Prayer and Sarah Sundin’s The Land Beneath Us)…Megan Lakner!
Winners have been notified by email.
Thank you again!
Today in World War II History—May 18, 1940 & 1945
Destroyed Belgian A.C.G.1 tank, Antwerp, Belgium, 19 May 1940 (German Federal Archive, Bild 146-1971-040-60)
80 Years Ago—May 18, 1940: Germans take Antwerp, Belgium.
In a radio address, aviator and isolationist Charles Lindbergh accuses President Roosevelt of creating “a defense hysteria” and states, “If we desire peace, we have only to stop asking for war.”
US Marine running through Japanese fire at ‘Death Valley,’ Okinawa, Japan, 10 May 1945 (US National Archives: 41607-FMC)
75 Years Ago—May 18, 1945: An RAF Lancaster is the first plane in history to fly over both true and magnetic North Poles.
US Marines secure Sugar Loaf Hill on Okinawa after heavy fighting.
May 11, 2020
Spring Cleaning Giveaway Winners!
Thank you to all of you who entered the Spring Cleaning Giveaway! I’m happy to say I’ve found homes for all the books! And here are the winners…
Blue Skies Tomorrow large-print edition – Kara AND Alyssa Tillett
The Land Beneath Us CD audio book – Amy with the “perky” email address
With Every Letter CD audio book – Natalya Lakhno
The Sky Above Us large-print edition – Lori Smanski
Wings of Glory Portuguese edition – Mimi
Wings of Glory Dutch edition – Kim Peterson
Wings of Glory German edition – Jennifer Hibdon
All winners will be notified by email – so check your inboxes! Thank you again!
May 8, 2020
V-E Day 75th Anniversary Giveaway!
Today is the 75th Anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), which marked the end of World War II in Europe, on May 8, 1945. To celebrate, author Julie Lessman and I are teaming up with an amazing giveaway! Julie and I both have recent releases of novels set during World War II.
Prizes:
GRAND PRIZE: signed paperback copies of Julie Lessman’s A Wing and a Prayer and Sarah Sundin’s The Land Beneath Us (winner may also choose a CD audio version of my book or an early copy of my 2021 release), a $50 Amazon gift card, and memorabilia from the incredible National WWII Museum Store, including V-for-Victory earrings, Women of WWII sticky notes, and a Women of WWII zipper pouch!
SECOND PRIZE: A paperback copy of A Wing and a Prayer (or an e-copy of both A Wing and a Prayer and Julie’s award-winning Isle of Hope series in e-book) AND a paperback copy of The Land Beneath Us (winner may also choose a CD audio version of my book or an early copy of my 2021 release).
How to Enter:
To enter to win the GRAND PRIZE, read the posts on Julie’s blog and mine (see below) for clues to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the blog. Additional optional Rafflecopter points can be earned by following Julie and me on various social media sites (per the Rafflecopter options) and by watching our Facebook Live videos (links and times below). Note: both videos will be available for viewing at any time after they go live.
SARAH SUNDIN’S FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO
May 8, 2020 at 9 am Pacific Time/noon Eastern
JULIE LESSMAN’S FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO
May 8, 2020 at 8:30 am Pacific Time/11:30 am Eastern
To enter to win the SECOND PRIZE, go to the Facebook Live video links above and leave a comment on both Julie’s video AND mine.
Giveaway Details:
Giveaway runs May 8-16, 2020. US mailing addresses only, please for the paperbacks and the grand prize – but international addresses are eligible for Julie’s e-book. Winners will be notified by email.
Victory in Europe
Since Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the free world had been longing for this day. On May 8, 1945, it came. Victory in Europe Day.
For years, the Allied forces had been pushing back Hitler’s armies. On April 29, German forces in Italy and Austria officially surrendered, effective May 2. On April 30, Hitler committed suicide. On May 4, German forces in northwest Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands surrendered, effective May 5. And finally on May 7, Germany officially surrendered, in Reims, France, effective May 8. The western Allies proclaimed May 8 to be V-E Day. The Soviets demanded a second surrender ceremony in Berlin on May 8 and celebrated V-E Day on May 9.
ColGen Alfred Jodl signing the documents of Germany’s surrender, Reims, France, 7 May 1945. (US Army Signal Corps photo)
For the Allies, V-E Day was a day of celebration. Spontaneous parties and conga lines and parades broke out in cities throughout Britain and France and Canada and the USA. People went to church and prayed. American Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and the new president, Harry Truman, addressed the nation. To read text from their speeches, please see this excellent post on V-E Day on the US Army Center of Military History website.
A jubilant American airman hugging an English woman at Piccadilly Circus, London, England, celebrating Germany’s unconditional surrender, 7 May 1945 (US National Archives: 111-SC-205398)
US Army personnel on top of l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France watching the celebration in the streets over the war in Europe coming to an end, 8 May 1945 (public domain via WW2 Database)
In London, the Royal Family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace before a jubilant crowd. 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.”
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)
But V-E Day was also a day of solemn remembrance. Tens of millions had been killed in battle. More tens of millions had been murdered and starved in concentration camps. And tens of thousands had perished as civilian casualties of bombing. Many of Europe’s great cities lay in heaps of rubble.
On Okinawa, men of the US 77th Infantry Division listen to the radio report of Germany’s surrender on May 8, 1945. One minute after this photo was taken, they returned to their combat posts. US forces on Okinawa celebrated V-E Day by training every ship and shore battery on a Japanese target and firing one shell simultaneously and precisely at midnight. (US National Archives: FA 41224- FA)
And World War II was far from over. In the Pacific, Allied forces were still fighting the Japanese in the East Indies, in the Philippines, in China, and on Okinawa. US forces on Okinawa commemorated V-E Day by simultaneously firing artillery and naval shells at midnight. Then they got back to the battle. V-J Day (Victory in Japan Day) wouldn’t arrive for three more months, on August 15, 1945, with the official end of World War II on September 2, 1945, six years and one day after it had begun.
But for now, the free world rejoiced, and rightly so. Hitler and the Nazis had been defeated, and democracy would return to western Europe. They deserved to celebrate.
Ground crew on a RAF Bomber Command station in Britain return the ‘V for Victory’ sign to a neighboring searchlight crew. Silhouetted is the nose of a Lancaster bomber. (Imperial War Museum)
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY:
