Author Spotlight week -Excerpt from Blitz

Enjoy this excerpt from "Blitz." Thanks Sue for being in the spotlight this week!
Smiles
Moderator Steph

*****

"What's the matter, love?"

For a moment Velma didn't speak. If she didn't talk about Jack leaving, maybe it wouldn't be true. Then the thought of the lonely months ahead overwhelmed her.

"Everything. Oh Gladdie, Jack's had to go back to camp. I don't know when I'll see him again."

"I'm so sorry, Velma." Gladdie sat beside her and put her arm around Velma's shoulders. "This doesn't mean the end of things, does it?"

"No. He's promised to write and asked me to write to him. He's going to tell his mother about me and arrange for me to visit her when Florence goes with her family. If we can work it, he'll be there at the same time. It's not far from Aldershot to Hayling Island so we'll have more time together."

"Well, that's good news isn't it? Come on Velma, chin up. Even though you've only known him a few days, Jack seems to be serious about you. How do you feel about him?"

"Oh, Gladdie. I love him. I didn't know I could possibly feel like this. Every time I see him it's like someone has let off fireworks. When he touches me my legs start to tremble and my insides feel like a volcano's erupting." Velma flushed as she confessed her feelings to her friend.

"Sounds like you've got it bad." Gladdie grinned. "I guess so." "Cheer up. It might not be too long before you see him again. I'd find out all you can about his mother from Florence. What she likes and dislikes, that type of thing. You need to be prepared in case she gets funny about her youngest son finding a woman to love."

Velma saw the wisdom of Gladdie's words. She should tell the truth as much as possible so she visited Florence on her way home from work.

"I hear you're not well and want help with Sam," she said with a weak grin as she walked into her sister's kitchen. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"You and Jack will get me in hot water making me part of your lies," Florence scolded. "Remind me to thank Mrs. Harris for her kindness next time I see her. Did Jack get off all right?"

"I think so." Velma ducked her head and took a deep breath. "Florence, I need your help."

"What, again? What is it now?"

"Jack says he's going to tell his mother about me and then he wants me to go with you, George and Sam next time you visit her. He's going to arrange for leave at the same time."

"That's right. He mentioned it to me. I think it's a wonderful idea. Does this mean youand I will be sisters and sister-in-laws?" "I hope so, but it will be sometime in the future. Jack and I have to get to know one another properly first." Despite her unhappiness, a surge of excitement raced through her at the thought of spending her future with Jack.

"I don't see how you need my help with any of that. You and Jack seem to have it all worked out."

"Except I have to meet a woman I don't know, who will probably think I'm not good enough for her son. I want you to tell me all about his mother and the rest of the family."

Florence's laugh rang through the kitchen. George came through the door from the hallway and looked questioningly at his wife.

"Oh, George. Listen to this." Florence completely ignored Velma's frantic hand signals to be quiet. "Velma is worried about meeting your mother. She thinks Ma will think she's not good enough for Jack."

George grinned.

"Now, Florence, it's not nice to laugh at Velma. She probably doesn't remember my mother." He turned to face his sister-in-law. "Don't you worry about a thing Velma. Ma will love you. All she's concerned about is seeing her children lead happy lives. You could be a hunchback with a squint and it wouldn't matter. She'll be so pleased Jack's found someone to love, she'll love you for his sake."

Velma still couldn't convince herself Jack's mother would like her.

Over the next few weeks she made Florence tell her everything she could remember about the elder Mrs. Stanley. Eventually Florence called a halt to the questions.

"Enough, Velma. You're working yourself into a state about meeting Ma. She's a lovely woman. Now stop pestering me with all these questions, I'm not going to answer any more."

*****

Over the following months letters from Jack came frequently. Velma treasured each one, putting them away in a wooden jewellery box she'd received on her last birthday. She replied with equal fervour. And then the letters stopped.

At first she told herself he'd been too busy to write. Everyone talked about the European situation and no doubt the armed forces were preparing for the inevitable. Unsure of the reason for Jack's silence, Velma waited several days then wrote one more letter to him. Days passed and she still didn't hear from him.

"Velma, whatever's the matter with you?" Gladdie sounded exasperated. "You're forever snapping my head off. You're so moody nowadays."

"I am not moody," Velma stated tersely. "You're just being oversensitive."

"You're doing it now." Gladdie looked suspiciously at her. The two women were in Central Park. The ocean of green grass provided a pleasant place for a Sunday afternoon walk in the sun. They'd stopped for a rest and were sitting on a grassy mound enjoying the sunshine.

"It's Jack isn't it? What's he done -- or not done?" Tears sprang to Velma's eyes and Gladdie put her arm around her. "Don't cry. It can't be that bad. What's wrong?"

"He hasn't written to me for over a week now Gladdie. He's changed his mind about me, I know he has." Now the words had been spoken at last, Velma allowed the tears to flow.

Gladdie pulled her close and patted her back until the sobs subsided to hiccups. "Silly goose." Her friend offered a clean handkerchief. "It's more likely he's busy and doesn't realise how long it is since he wrote." Velma blew her nose and then shook her head. She leaned forward and hugged her knees.

"I knew things were too good to be true when I met him. As soon as I saw him I knew he and I were meant to be together." Velma sniffed and dabbed at her wet eyes. "When he said he wanted to marry me I couldn't believe the man I loved had the same feelings for me. He's had second thoughts now, I know it."

*****

Author Spotlight week -Sue Perkins share her favorite authors

Author J Morgan

There are so many authors I love to read it’s difficult to choose only one. I think Terry Pratchett or Anne McCaffrey would tie for first place. The humor in Mr Pratchett’s books enhance the words and depth of the story. He has an uncanny knack of twisting words so they not only tell the tale but also make the reader laugh. Ms McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series have been on my bookshelves for many years. I also have her less well known books of Petaybee and The Ship Who Sang books. However there are several up and coming authors whose books have caught my interest. Some of them I’ve read, others I have on my new Sony reader to dive into when I have time.

One of these is J. Morgan. I love the quirky way he brings humor to his vampire series. It’s very cleverly done. Wish I could introduce humor like that. He makes it look so easy. Naomi Novik is another reasonably new comer to fantasy. I’ve read all but the last of her Temeraire series and found them fascinating.

Author Spotlight week -Sue Perkins share her favorite movies

Depends on how far back you want to go. My favorite movie of all time is “Gone With the Wind”. This romantic story shows the lengths a woman will go to for the man she loves. The background of the American Civil War provides a tugging of the heartstrings. Rhett (as played by Clark Gable) is gorgeous and although Scarlet drives you mad she is acting exactly as a woman who will do anything to get what she wants. Vivacious, maddening, everyone thinks she is tough but inside she is a scared little girl. I really believe this is the film that got me interested in romance, well that and Georgette Heyer.

As for recent releases - that would have to be Avatar. It’s amazing. The softness of love mixes with the hardness of the Pandoran warriors. The people have to save their planet from ravaging humans or they and the creatures who inhabit this fantastic world will perish. The military base and human side is a bit plain and utilitarian although there are a few out of this world machines. The marines protect a scientific team. Not the best place to find love. Some of the scientists and one marine inhabit Avatars to better communicate with the people of Pandora. The marine gets lost and is found by a Pandoran who believes the spirit of the planet wants him to help her people. I found the beautiful scenery (as seen through Pandoran eyes) to be absolutely gorgeous, fairylike and fantasy orientated. The love scenes are tender and romantic. Altogether an action based romantic film.

Author Spotlight week -Sue Perkins share her passion for writing early 20th Century Romance

I like reading romance and fantasy books so it’s only natural to me to write what I enjoy. Blitz is a 20th Century historical romance. Not really a suspense, more a tale of love during wartime. Set in England it reflects some of the hardship and strain put on relationships when the men were away fighting and the women were trying their best to “keep the home fires burning”.
I love writing about things I know. My knowledge for this book comes from my parents vague talk of the war. To be quite honest I found out more about my father’s wartime endeavors when he met my future father-in-law. They talked about the war and my father spoke about being at Dunkirk. I was twenty-one at the time and had no idea my father had been anywhere near Dunkirk during the evacuation.

My other contemporary romance books with Desert Breeze (Three Hearts and Broken Heart) are set in New Zealand. I have lived here for twenty-five years and love the country. The books are set in Timaru in the South Island. I used to live there and it seemed natural to set the story in a place I knew.

Fantasy on the other hand leaves me free to soar the heights. I can invent a world, a people, animals and anything else I desire to populate my new world. The stories for the fantasy books come to me as I write, no I don’t plot. I get the idea, write the first page and then let it stew for sometimes up to several months before I attack it again. Seems to work for me.

Author Spotlight week -Q&A with Sue Perkins

STEPH: I don't know about Blitz. What's it about?

SUE: Love that bloomed before the war and how the war affected that love. Couples meet, fall in love and plan their future together. What happens when that future is blown apart by events of the world? War affects not just those fighting, but those left behind to carry on as best they can. Individual lives are thrown into chaos and the best laid plans disintegrate in the face of two forces opposing each other. Love has a tough time surviving under these circumstances. Velma and Jack’s story is only one of many heartbreaking romances that had to come to terms with this disastrous environment and try to make the best of hard times.

STEPH: Where did the inspiration come for the story?

SUE: Blitz was inspired by my parents own romance. They fell in love but war came and they had to cancel their white wedding and rush through a registry office wedding instead. By the time they left this life they’d been married nearly 60 years so I know their love was the real thing. Blitz is fiction inspired by their personal experiences and the stories they told of their families and how they survived. Neither of them spoke much about their actual duties during the war. I realise they wanted to put their horrible experiences in the past and look to the future.

STEPH: How did you come up with the title to the story?

SUE: My mother survived the bombing of Plymouth in Devon. She was a member of the WRENS (Women’s Royal Navy Service) and they transferred her to Liverpool. She’d no sooner got there than this city was also bombed. These extreme bombing raids were called the blitz, hence the name. Mum always reckoned Mr Hitler was after her personally and that he followed her wherever she went.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

SUE: About four to six months. Unlike my fantasy stories I had to do a lot of research. I had to make sure things I knew as a child were there before and during the war. Also I hsf yo track where I wanted the hero Jack to go. This meant researching which battles took place and when. Then there were the spoken words. Some words came into England with the American GIs during the war. For instance “Okay” was not in popular use until after World War II. Even during the final edits I found the odd word that needed replacing.

STEPH: If you could cast the movie, who would be leads?

SUE: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I’m not really a fan of theirs but recent movies have shown how versatile they are and I think they’d be perfect for the plot. They’re big superstars who would make the film famous. The faces I see when I think of Jack and Velma are my parents. To me they were mum and dad who looked after my sister and I and brought us up to be responsible adults. Children never think of when their parents were young and what they had to go through. Writing this book has made me think more about their youth and survival.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

SUE: If you’d asked me this a month ago I would have said no. New Zealand is a bit behind the rest of the world. The only reader available was the Kobo. Amazon has now decided it will sell its digital devices to us via Amazon.com so I’ve downloaded the Kindle app for Mac. I’m visiting my children and other members of my family in England at the moment and have to admit I’ve treated myself to a Sony Ereader complete with cover and light. It is so brilliant. Some books I’ve had on my computer for ages and not gotten round to reading have now been read in an amazingly short time. Wonderful investment.


STEPH: Tell us about the place you live.

SUE: New Zealand? It’s the most beautiful place in the world. I know I’m biased, but honestly that’s the comment of most visitors to our wonderful country. We have everything from tropical to snowy mountains. Geysers to rain forests. The sky is a beautiful shade of blue which makes English skies look pale and washed out. I live at the top of the South Island near the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. Only 500 metres from the sea, our 3 acre block looks out on wetlands. My husband has planted all sorts of trees and shrubs. Most relaxing place to live. I love visiting my children in England but I also long to go back home.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

SUE: You’re going to laugh at this one. I have an office but I never use it. My husband bought me a Stressless chair complete with footrest. Along with this I have a computer table which slides in front of me and my laptop fits on there and off I go. As I’d have to deprive my husband of computer time if I worked on the main computer, it works out well. I toddle off to get the dictionary occasionally, but for actual writing when I lose myself to my surroundings, then my Stressless chair is where you’ll find me.

STEPH: For fun: What country would you like to visit that you haven't yet?

SUE: Does it have to be a country? I would really love to visit New Orleans, but I’ve already been to America. As a young mother I read a lot of Frances Parkinson Keyes books on the plantations and river boats of the late 19th century. Ever since then I’ve wanted to go and see what it’s like. If it has to be somewhere I’ve never been then Australia’s Murray River. Although New Zealand is close to Australia, I’ve never been there. Maybe someday soon.

STEPH: What's the last book you read?

SUE: That’s a difficult one. I’m trying to remember the last book I had beside my bed but it won’t come to mind. How about the one I’m currently reading? This is J. Morgan’s “Were Love Blooms” the first in his Southern Werewolf Chronicles. Once again he has brought humor into what is normally a horror situation. A modern southern belle falls for a gorgeous man. The result is that from that time forward Maddy takes a hairy form at the height of the moon. A year later her Romeo in hidden wolf’s clothing returns to her life to put money in her father’s failing business. Unfortunately he’s followed by werewolf hunters who are determined to wipe werewolves off the face of the earth. Well written and fun to read. I’m enjoying every minute of it.