Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 181
May 7, 2019
The Courage Chronicles
Welcome to Day 2 of The Courage Chronicles!
What a joy to partner again with my author friends Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, Karen Barnett, and Joanne Bischof. In the past, we’ve brought you the Hope Chronicles, the Christmas Chronicles, and the Trust Chronicles. This time is very special, since we’re also celebrating the release of Amanda’s absolutely lovely debut novel, Whose Waves These Are (read my glowing review here). We’re giving away copies of each of our books, plus a painting we all did together.
Since we’re talking about courage, we decided to do something new and challenging—we created a collaborative painting! We used a kit from Let’s Make Art and took turns with the watercolors, mailing the painting from person to person over the course of a month. This week we reveal our work!
Here’s some of my portion of the painting… Thrilling, isn’t it?
On each author’s blog, you can watch a video and enter the giveaway for the complete painting and a copy of all five books. To enter you’ll need to answer a question that’s answered in the video. You only need to fill out one form from one author to enter the giveaway, but you can earn up to five entries by visiting all five posts and filling out all five forms!
The event runs May 6-10, 2019, with the giveaway closing May 17, 2019 at 9 am EST. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. The posts are located at:
Tues. May 7: Sarah Sundin
Coming Weds. May 8: Amanda Dykes
Coming Thurs. May 9: Karen Barnett
Coming Fri. May 10: Joanne Bischof
Here is my video. Listen closely for the answer to my question! Then enter your answer in SARAH’S COURAGE CHRONICLES GIVEAWAY ENTRY FORM!
I’d also like to share an excerpt from my latest novel, The Sky Above Us. In this scene, American Red Cross worker Violet Lindstrom needs a bit of courage to know when to keep silent—and when to speak. And she’s also giving fighter pilot Lt. Adler Paxton courage to do what he most desperately needs to do…own up to his past and face his family again. Enjoy!
Adler opened a case and pulled out a trumpet.
Violet sat on the piano bench with her back to the keys. “Do you play?”
He fingered the three valves in a practiced manner, but his expression drifted far away.
Holding her breath, she watched. Waited.
Before long, he plopped onto his backside, leaned back against the wall, and dangled the trumpet between his knees. “Not for”—he let out a dry laugh—“three years. That night.”
The night his fiancée died? “Is that so?”
He frowned at his fingering. “We had a party for Wyatt’s college graduation, big Mexican barbecue. Wyatt on the guitar, Clay on the violin, me on the trumpet. The Gringo Mariachis, we called ourselves.”
She studied his wistful expression. “You were all close once?”
His lips clamped together. “Wyatt and I—we struggled together, like Jacob and Esau—but we got along for the most part. But Clay and I were inseparable. Then I ruined it all. They’ll never forgive me.”
Violet’s chest crushed at the thought. “But your parents? Surely they want to hear—”
“No. Trust me, they never want to hear from me again.” He pushed up to squatting and set the trumpet back in its case. But he lingered and stroked the silver instrument.
Words stirred inside her, and she released them. “Would you like to borrow the trumpet?”
One sharp shake of his head. “The valves stick.”
“Oh!” She darted across the room to a little case on the floor. “This has a bunch of vials and things to care for the instruments. Here we are—valve oil.”
Adler stared at the vial, then at her. “You have a cure for everything, don’t you?”
She laughed. “Only for the valves. Sorry.”
He took the oil. “Don’t suppose this would work on my family, do you?”
Violet smiled down at him. “No, but apologies are remarkably effective at greasing squeaky relationships.”
Thank you for joining me today! Make sure to visit Amanda Dykes’s blog tomorrow for more words of encouragement!
Be strong and courageous, my friends! The Lord will go with you!
Today in World War II History—7 May 1944
Poster for US Army Signal Corps, WWII
75 Years Ago—7 May 1944: Countdown to D-day: US Signal Corps holds “Exercise Pigeon” D-day training exercise.
US Eighth Air Force launches over 1000 bombers in missions to Berlin, Münster, and Osnabrück, Germany.
May 6, 2019
Today in World War II History—6 May 1944
Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi at All-India Congress Committee, August 8, 1942, when the “Quit India” resolution was adopted, calling for the immediate dissolution of British rule. (Public domain via Wikipedia)
75 Years Ago—6 May 1944: Off Cape Verdes, destroyer escort USS Buckley and TBMs & Wildcats from escort carrier USS Block Island sink German U-boat U-66; Buckley’s sailors use small arms, hand grenades, and coffee mugs in the battle.
In India, British release Gandhi from prison on medical grounds.
Kathleen Kennedy (daughter of US ambassador to Britain Joseph Kennedy) marries the Marquis of Hartington.
May 5, 2019
Today in World War II History—5 May 1944
The Benz Patent-Motorwagen of 1888, used by Bertha Benz for the first long-distance road trip, 106 km by automobile. (Public domain via Wikipedia)
75 Years Ago—5 May 1944: Adm. Soemu Toyoda takes command of Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.
Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz and the first person to drive an automobile over 100 kilometers, dies in Ladenburg, Germany, age 95.
USS Comfort is commissioned, the first hospital ship staffed by both Army and Navy personnel.
May 4, 2019
Today in World War II History—4 May 1944
Exercise Fabius, Slapton Sands, England, May 1944. US infantry descend into an LCVP during D-day invasion practice. (US Army Center of Military History)
75 Years Ago—4 May 1944: Countdown to D-day: In Exercise Fabius, a full-scale rehearsal for D-day, Allied troops who will land on Sword, Juno, Gold, and Omaha Beaches make landings on English beaches in the largest amphibious training exercise ever.
Movie premiere of Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Charles Boyer, and Angela Lansbury in her screen premiere.
St. Louis Browns baseball team drops segregation policy that restricted black fans to the bleachers.
May 3, 2019
Today in World War II History—3 May 1944
US poster about meat rationing, WWII
75 Years Ago—3 May 1944: Movie premiere of Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald as Catholic priests.
US Office of Price Administration ends meat rationing, except for steak and choice beef (rationing is tightened again later). Read more: “Make It Do—Meat Rationing in World War II.”
May 2, 2019
Today in World War II History—2 May 1944
Ted Williams being sworn in to the military, 22 May 1942 (US Marine Corps photo)
75 Years Ago—2 May 1944: Countdown to D-day: British teacher Leonard Dawe publishes crossword puzzle in Daily Telegraph using Operation Overlord code word “Utah”; over the next month his puzzles will also contain the words “Omaha,” “Mulberry,” “Overlord,” and “Neptune”—he’s placed under MI5 investigation but is cleared.
Baseball player Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) earns wings & commission as Marine Corps pilot.
May 1, 2019
Whose Waves These Are, by Amanda Dykes
Annie Bliss is called back to a small Maine town when her beloved great-uncle, Robert Bliss, falls sick. Many of the townspeople welcome her back, but some are leery, especially Fletch, the secretive harbor postman who seems far too close to her “GrandBob.” When Annie and Fletch discover a stack of rocks and a partially completed tower on Robert’s property, they are propelled into Robert’s past, his stories of love and family and grief stretching back to World War II. And how his simple words had helped bring comfort and healing to the nation.
I simply can not say enough good things about Whose Waves These Are. Just get it. Read it. Savor it. Ponder it. Let the beauty of Amanda Dykes‘s words resonate. This is the book everyone will talk about all year—lyrical, lovely, full of heart and heartache, secrets kept and revealed. These characters, this town, and their stories will seep into your soul and leave you wanting more. A novel of hope and reconciliation you won’t forget for a long time, probably not forever.
ALSO – stay tuned for The Courage Chronicles, coming next week, May 6-10, 2019! Amanda Dykes and I are joining authors Karen Barnett, Joanne Bischof, and Regina Jennings for a special giveaway. We’ll be sharing a special project and thoughts on courage from our novels.
Today in World War II History—1 May 1944
B-24 Liberator of the 705th Bomb Squadron over Orly Airfield, Paris, May 14 1944 (US National Archives)
75 Years Ago—May 1, 1944: Countdown to D-day: US Eighth Air Force flies first major pre-invasion bombing mission to marshaling yards and rail centers in the Pas de Calais and Normandy areas in preparation for D-day.
First Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference opens, with prime ministers of Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa in attendance.
Mackenzie King, Jan Smuts, Winston Churchill, Peter Fraser, and John Curtin at the first Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference, London, 1 May 1944 (Library and Archives Canada)
April 30, 2019
Today in World War II History—April 30, 1944
Japanese naval base at Truk in the Caroline Islands after US naval air attack, 30 April 1944 (US National Archives)
75 Years Ago—April 30, 1944: US Naval Task Force 58 strikes targets in the Caroline Islands.
