VBT – HUNGER WINTER
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Hunger Winter
by Rob Currie
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GENRE: MG Historical Fiction
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BLURB:
It’s the Netherlands in late 1944. Thirteen-year-old Dirk’s Papa left to fight with the Resistance. Then Mama died. When the Gestapo snatched his older sister and he learned they were coming for him next, Dirk left home in the middle of the night. He had his pockets stuffed with food, his little sister asleep in his arms, and his heart heavy with a dark secret.
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EXCERPT
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Dirk Ingelse’s eyes flew open, and he raised his head off the pillow. Who could be knocking on the front door? Gestapo? His insides turned to ice.
The pounding resumed, the sound carrying easily up the stairs into Dirk’s bedroom. It didn’t sound like the rap of knuckles—it was more like the thumping of an angry fist. Or the butt of a rifle.
It had to be the Gestapo. They had been doing more raids lately, and they often came at night. Who else would pummel the front door of the Ingelse’s farmhouse in the middle of the night and risk getting arrested?
Dirk rolled out of bed and crept to his bedroom window. Easing the curtain open a bit, he kept his face away from the window, like Papa had taught him. He couldn’t see a vehicle. But what if they hid their car? Dirk’s right hand shook.
He couldn’t hide. They would tear the place apart to find him. And he couldn’t run—they would have the place surrounded. He’d heard stories. His right hand shook harder. It had been doing that a lot ever since—
The assault on the door resumed, even louder this time. “Open up!” growled a deep voice.
Dirk turned from the window and crept down the stairs.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Life conspired to get Rob Currie to write Hunger Winter: A World War II Novel. His father is a World War II veteran and his wife is Dutch. An award-winning author, it was only a matter of time before he would focus his writing on World War II. Research for Hunger Winter included numerous books, interviews with Dutch WWII survivors, and three weeks in the Netherlands. His investigation revealed astonishing details about the Dutch experience of the war, which begged to be turned into a book.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, he graduated from Cornerstone University and went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from St. Louis University. He has taught psychology at Judson University since 1987. His hobbies include playing basketball, cooking, and writing poetry.
Author Web Site: www.robcurrieauthor.com
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Winter-World-War-Novel/dp/1496440358/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Rob Currie will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Author Interview
Tell us about you as a person. What makes you, you?
I enjoy being creative with words and one avenue of doing that is writing humorous poetry. I want to do with words what the Harlem Globetrotters do with a basketball. Here’s a sample.
There once was a hard-working poet
Who lacked talent but didn’t know it.
He worked to be witty. He tried to be terse.
But his poetry went from bad to verse.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
My person would be Corrie ten Boom. She survived a WWII concentration camp, yet her faith enabled her to forgive her captors.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
This book is like fusion cooking for me in that it combines multiple interests of mine. But instead of combining culinary styles, this book blends my love of World War II, books for kids, and action stories. It helps me be successful when I work at something I am passionate about. And for me, the key to being passionate is to pour my energy into a project that addresses more than one thing I love.
What is your writing process?
I get ideas for stories from just about anywhere. It’s like being in love and anything you see feeds into the way you relate to your sweetie. For example, I got a poignant plot idea for Hunger Winter from an article in the The Chicago Tribune about a young man who partially blamed himself for his mother’s death even though it wasn’t his fault. Most of my story is written by sitting and putting in the hard work and long hours. But some of the key elements come to me from things I experience or read when I’m not actively working on the book at that moment.
Tell us about your main character.
Thirteen-year-old Dirk has to hide from the Nazis, protect his sister, and find their father. His story is an action-adventure, a sort of junior James Bond or Indiana Jones. More than once he thinks he’s safe and the danger’s behind him, but he discovers the enemy has caught up with him again. He’s fiercely protective of his little sister and has a close relationship with his Papa.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why?
I’d pick Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed Harry Potter. Daniel has the ability to summon and display courage in the face of difficult situations.
What are you working on next?
I’m doing research for a sequel to Hunger Winter. I’m also taking time to read a variety of books, with a range of topics and styles. I believe authors have to replenish their minds with fresh ideas before writing the next book. We’ve all read novels where the sequel sounds too much like the prior story. I don’t want to do that.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Network with other people with the same writing interests as you. Devote yourself to be helpful to them even if you get nothing in return. In the end, it will come back to you as people will go out of their way to promote your work. Someone said, “She is always on other people’s minds because she never thought about herself. She was always focused on helping other people.”
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I enjoy opening the refrigerator, seeing what we have, and improvising a new recipe. It’s a little like creating a story. You have to think how the food ingredients interact and the planning process is similar to putting together the elements of a story.
You are given the choice of one superpower. What superpower would you have and why?
I would choose the ability to say things that always make people laugh. I have a lively sense of humor and I get laughs but not always. One of life’s greatest joys is to makes a friend or family member laugh.
List 5 things on your bucket list.
.Learn to speak Dutch
Have one of my songs performed at a concert
Visit more Civil War War Battlefields
Write a sequel to Hunger Winter
Perform a successful standup comedy routine
Build a simple cabin in the woods
Learn to count to five
