Sabine, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s twin sister, remembered their family’s happy Christmas Seasons before her eldest brother was conscripted into WWI in 1916: “ On the Sundays of Advent we all assembled with her (their mother, Paula Bonhoeffer) round the long dinner table to sing Christmas carols; Papa joined us too and read from the fairy tales of Andersen . . . …
Planning for Courage
Karl Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s father, recalled that in May 1933–shortly after Hitler came to power–the Nazi Minister for Cultural Affairs spoke at Berlin University, pressuring the university to dismiss immediately all Jewish doctors. Even the Dean tried to persuade the faculty to join the Nazi Party. Dr. Bonhoeffer later regretted that neither he nor his colleagues “had felt sufficient courage …
Behind Saving Amelie
Before I began writing Saving Amelie, I knew that Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf detailed his early determination to judge who is worthy and who is “unworthy of life”—from conception to birth to old age to grave. But, I was surprised to learn that the drive to create a master race did not originate in Nazi Germany. And I was astonished …
Classic Christian Works for a New Generation
My life has been changed through stories—especially the stories of Jesus, and writers who, Divinely inspired, penned on parchment the very breath of God. I never worry that the Bible, essential and timeless, will go out of print or vogue—it’s the bestselling, essential Book of all time. But, I’m concerned that new generations will lose or miss some of the …
WWII 75th ANNIVERSARY BLOG TOUR
Welcome to the WWII 75the Anniversary Blog Tour! Eight authors of Christian World War II novels are remembering the beginning of the war–Hitler’s invasion of Poland, September 1, 1939. Thank you for joining us as we remember the war that changed the world. Our novels illuminate different aspects of the war—from the Holocaust to the Pacific to the US Home Front. …
Writer’s World Blog Tour
Dear friend and author, Carrie Turansky, invited me to join her on a Writers World Blog Tour—perfect, since Carrie and I recently traveled together touring faraway England and Scotland to research new books! Carrie writes moving historical and contemporary Christian romances, rich in faith and character development. She’s currently immersed in a compelling Edwardian Brides Series similar in setting and …
Who Knows What When–A Writer’s Challenge
Information affects the motivations and actions of every character writers create. But, not every character is in the know at all times, nor do they have access to the same knowledge. The exact moment (when) and way (how) they discover or receive information determines motivation and action. This is true in any novel, but the consequences heighten in historical fiction …
Saving Amelie
While writing Saving Amelie, my mother-in-law lay dying. I learned what it means to care, day and night, for another human being in the most intimate ways. And despite my love for her, I grasped how the ideologies of the me-first eugenics movement—which was not confined to Nazi Germany—had insidiously infiltrated our world. But I also learned the truth beyond …
D-Day 70th Anniversary Blog Tour–The Passion of Christ and the Third Reich
Welcome to the D-Day 70th Anniversary Blog Tour! Ten authors of Christian World War II novels are commemorating the brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Thank you for joining us as we remember their heroism and sacrifice. Our novels illuminate different aspects of the war—from the Holocaust to the Pacific to the US …
SAVING AMELIE — RELEASE
In the life of a writer there are books . . . and then there are books. Saving Amelie was, for me, a rite of passage and certainly my most challenging book to write to date. Multiple points of view written from multiple walks of life and set during the early days of Germany’s WWII sweep of Europe—a time and …