Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 281

Today in World War II History—Nov. 22, 1941

Werner Mölders, Jun-Jul 1941 (German Federal Archives, Bild 183-B12003)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 22, 1941: German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis is sunk in the South Atlantic by heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire after having sunk 22 Allied merchant ships.

Luftwaffe ace Werner Mölders killed in landing accident while a passenger on a German He 111 bomber, the first pilot in the world to achieve over 100 victories.

Title Brainstorm Game Giveaway Winner!

Thank you, everyone, for helping me brainstorm titles for my next WWII series – and the first book in the series! There were so many wonderful and creative titles, and many were sent to Revell Books with my title questionnaire.

I randomly picked one entry from the comments…and the winner is Haley J.S! Haley, I’ll contact you by email. You can have your choice of either Anchor in the Storm, When Tides Turn when it’s released in March 2017, or the soon-to-be-titled book when it’s released in early 2018.

But there’s also another way to win a book! If Revell Books picks YOUR entry as the official title for either the series or the book, I’ll enter you in another drawing, with one winner for the series title and one for the book title! These second winners will be announced with the title announcement early in 2017.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 21, 1941

British Crusader tank passing a burning German Panzer IV tank in North Africa during Operation Crusader, 27 Nov 1941 (Imperial War Museum)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 21, 1941: Australian garrison at Tobruk attempts breakout to meet up with British thrust across Libya.

Movie premieres of Shadow of the Thin Man, starring William Powell & Myrna Loy, and western They Died with Their Boots On, starring Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 20, 1941

75 Years Ago—Nov. 20, 1941: Japanese negotiators in Washington present final proposal—they will withdraw from Indochina in exchange for a free hand in China and relaxed trade restrictions with US.

Norwegian government-in-exile in London endorses Norwegian resistance group Milorg.

United States celebrates Thanksgiving on the third Thursday in November, according to Roosevelt’s 1939 decree. Read more: Thanksgiving in World War II.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 19, 1941

HMAS Sydney, 1940 (Australian War Memorial)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 19, 1941: Off western Australia, German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran sinks Australian light cruiser Sydney (all 643 killed); Kormoran also sinks (85 killed).

Today in World War II History—Nov. 18, 1941

Italian soldier surrendering to an Indian soldier in North Africa during Operation Crusader, Nov 1941 (public domain via WW2 Database)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 18, 1941: Operation Crusader begins as British launch offensive to relieve Tobruk, Libya.

Gen. Sir Alan Brooke replaces Field Marshal John Dill as British Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 17, 1941

Japanese Ambassador Adm. Kichisaburo Nomura and Special Envoy Saburo Kurusu with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Washington DC, 17 Nov 1941 (public domain via WW2 Database)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 17, 1941: British commandos raid German Gen. Erwin Rommel’s headquarters near Tobruk, Libya, but Rommel is away; only two commandos escape.

Japanese envoy Saburo Kurusu meets with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull in Washington, DC.

Gen. Ernst Udet, German Director of Air Armament, commits suicide, the second-highest WWI ace after the Red Baron.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 16, 1941

75 Years Ago—Nov. 16, 1941: Germans take Kerch, Ukraine, securing the Crimea except Sevastopol.

Today in World War II History—Nov. 15, 1941

Soviet troops fighting near Moscow, Russia, late 1941 (public domain via WW2 Database)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 15, 1941: Germans resume offensive on Moscow in -20 degree Celsius temperatures.

Free French pilots form Paris and Versailles squadrons to fly from Britain.

First Grand National Rodeo held in new Cow Palace in San Francisco.

Title Brainstorm Game and Giveaway!

It’s time to pick a title for my new WWII series – and for the first book – and you can help! I’m giving away books – winner’s choice of Anchor in the Storm (Book 2 in the Waves of Freedom series), When Tides Turn when it releases in March 2017 (Waves of Freedom, Book 3), OR this yet-to-be-named novel when it comes out in spring 2018.

Here are the rules of the game:

Leave a comment below with your idea(s) for the series title, the book title, or both. If you can’t leave a comment, send me an email with your suggestion. Contest ends Saturday, November 19 at 10 pm, Pacific Time.

There are two ways to win a book! First, I will randomly pick one entry from the comments – the winner will be announced here on my blog on Monday, November 21. Second, if Revell Books picks YOUR entry as the official series or book title, I’ll enter you in another drawing, with one winner for each title! These second winners will be announced with the title announcement early in 2017.

Series Title
One fateful night drove three brothers apart.
One fateful day thrusts them together…D-Day.

The three-book series follows three estranged brothers in the events leading up to D-Day. My working series title is Brothers of Liberation.

One fateful night of tragedy and betrayal drove the Paxton brothers apart. Now, as D-Day approaches, they battle the Nazis on the sea, in the air, and on the ground. Three women capture their hearts—a British naval officer striving for acceptance, a Red Cross volunteer searching for purpose, and a librarian longing for family. Will the battles they face lead them to redemption . . . or destruction?

Book Title
Betrayal as deep . . .
Love as mysterious . . .
As the sea before them.

Working Title: The Sea Before Us

Story blurb:

In 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France, determined to redeem himself with the brothers he has betrayed. Dorothy Fairfax serves as a “Wren” in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, striving for the love of her bereaved father and of the man she’s always adored, Lawrence Eaton. When Wyatt and Dorothy work together on Allied plans for D-Day, he hopes Dorothy will return his growing love. But will family secrets, misplaced affections—and the seas off Normandy—separate them forever?

Here are some guidelines:

No credit for using my working titles listed above – although you can tell me if you like them!

For the book title, I’d like to use the word “sea” or a similar word, so I can use variations of “air” for Book 2 (a pilot) and “land” for Book 3 (an Army Ranger).