Wartime Wednesday: Wunschkonzert

Wartime Wednesday: Wunschkonzert

Early in the Third Reich, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels realized that radio would be extremely effective in disseminating Nazi messages on a wide scale. Citizens were already addicted to radio’s ability to broadcast music, news, drama, and comedy directly into their homes. However, not everyone owned one. They were expensive, and people were struggling under the economic depression. Luxuries like radios took a back burner.

Not one to be beaten, Goebbels worked with manufacturers to invent an affordable product, and within a short time the Volksempfänger was created. The “people’s receiver” was constructed with Bakelite (an early, low-cost plastic), cardboard, and cloth and cheap enough for even the poorest German to purchase. No one seemed to notice or care that the national arms in the form of an eagle and swastika on either side of the tuner unmistakably identified the unit as part of the Nazi’s advanced propaganda machine.

Even while the war was going well for them, Nazi authorities knew it was important to maintain the morale of people on the home front. Their brothers, fathers, sons, husbands, and others were away in combat. Food and other day-to-day necessities were either heavily rationed or unavailable. Media reports stressed the frightening aspects of war to say nothing of the actual bombing raids, the general public experienced. Uncertainty and fear hung over the country.

Thus began the Wunschkonzert (“wish concert,” or better “concert by request”) first transmitted on October 1, 1939. The program featured messages from soldiers at the front for their loved ones back home, interspersed with songs that listeners, whether at home or at the front, requested. The day after the broadcasting house put out an appeal for letters more than 23,000 arrived.

When the war began to go badly for the Germans, the program’s content changed to include a higher percentage of propaganda than music and entertainment. During bombing raids, the program would be interrupted by a two-tone signal that indicated Allied planes had been spotted. Music would resume, then then after another call, the announcer would provide locations of the air-raids. When Russian troops swarmed Berlin in April 1945, the program ceased.

Mystery Monday: French Crime Novelist Léo Malet

Mystery Monday: French Crime Novelist Léo Malet

Much has been written about the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, and the most often referenced materials include the American writers Dashiell Hammett, S.S. Van Dine, Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. British authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Anthony Berkeley, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie also get quite a bit of press. As part of the research for my upcoming release, Love’s Rescue, which is set in Paris, I wanted to find out what sort of fiction was published in France during the 1930s and 1940s.

To my surprise, I discover a genre closely tied to detective fiction called Roman Noir. Closely related to hardboiled crime, the genre’s distinguishing factor is that the protagonist is either a victim, suspect, or perpetrator. Wikipedia goes a bit further and says, “A typical protagonist is dealing with the legal, political, or other system, which is no less corrupt than the perpetrator…”

Author Léo Malet is considered to be the father of French Roman Noir, and his first novel 120, Rue de la Gare, was published in 1943. The second book in the series was not published until after the war (1948), with the remaining thirty-one stories coming out primarily in the 1950s. The final book was published in 1983.

Anti-hero Nestor Burma is an ex-Anarchist, fluent in argot (French slang), and can’t commit to a relationship to save his life. Cynical but streetwise, he explores a different area of Paris in each book. According to one scholar, Malet had planned to cover twenty unique municipalities, but he was unable to do so before his death.

Despite being written and published in the midst of WWII, the story takes place afterwards, with former private detective Nestor coming home from a POW camp in Germany. When he arrives at the train station in Lyon, he runs into an old friend who is shot in Nester’s presence. Before he dies, the victim mutters “120 Rue de la Gare.” Having heard the words from another shooting victim, Nestor decides to investigate. It becomes apparent the perpetrator is a serial killer, and Nestor must discover his identity before falling prey to the murderer.

The good news is that several of the author’s books have been translated into English. And for those of you who know French, head over to YouTube where you can watch episodes of Nestor Burma produced by French TV producer DEMD from 1991 through 2003.

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back, Sheila Ingle!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome back, Sheila Ingle!

Linda:  Welcome back to my blog. Thanks for joining me today. Your book Tales of a Cosmic Possum is a biography of your husband’s family. Why did you decide to write the book, and how did you come up with the title?

Sheila: John and I have been married 39 years, and I believe this book has been in the works that long. His heritage is the Appalachia mountains of Tennessee. When his grandfather left his holler, he moved to South Carolina to join the work force at a cotton mill. The family brought their customs and traditions with them. Growing up in the city, I knew nothing about life in a mill town. When we met, I quickly learned the differences. Listening to the dialect, being introduced to country music, and listening to their stories truly expanded my horizons. 

The book Christy by Catherine Marshall came alive to me when John and I drove to Cutter’s Gap/aka Morgan’s Gap where we met the son of the woman who took Christy’s place as the school teacher. I finally realized it was time to tell the stories of the Ingle women. In one of Sharon McCrumb’s books, she writes of a cosmic possum, and Jane Hicks defines it in her poem, “How We Became Cosmic Possums.” When I read both of these, I realized I was married to a cosmic possum. John is one of those whose roots are Appalachian, but who has gone on to become educated without losing his mountain heritage.

LM: Research is important in any writing, but especially for non-fiction. How did you go about finding the information you needed?

Sheila: Interviewing John, his brother, and his cousins was my primary source; their memories of their growing up in Ingle Holler is still phenomenal. I learned about the different jobs in the mills through videos, the Greenville Museum, who has dedicated space to this lifestyle, reading descriptions of the mill villages and books of this era. The mills themselves are no longer in use, but their stories are still being told. Newspaper articles also were a help. Yes, to viewing the Pacolet River that flooded and refurbished, four room mill houses. 

Our public library was a solid source of both photos and text. Also, choosing to have the setting for each story to be part of one day in a particular year helped with choosing what history details to include. e.g. Annie Mae owned the boarding house during the Depression, and the family talked about how she reached out to hoboes. Since I knew nothing about hoboes or their lives, I was fascinated to research them.

LM: On your website, you indicate the Revolutionary era is your favorite. What draws you to that time period?

Sheila: Because of my grandmother’s enthusiasm for genealogy and family history, she became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as several other lineage societies. She enjoyed telling my brother and me about those early settlers and how they fought for our freedom. I caught this time as being important to my history. As an English teacher, I taught literature from an historical perspective, including information about the government, music, lifestyles, etc. I am/was convinced that we learn well through immersion into a period, not by memorization. 

After joining a DAR chapter here in Spartanburg, I went to visit Walnut Grove, an historic home built before the Revolution. It was in walking where the heroine walked and listening to the docent that I realized that there are few stories about the heroines of the American Revolution. So I decided to fill that gap with a book about Kate Moore Barry, a 18^th century woman who lived less that five miles from where I grew up. From then on, I was hooked by this time period. Visiting reenactments and watching the reenactors live out the lives of those years, touring houses, plantations, churches, and civic buildings in my state of SC kept me learning, also. 

The fact that most of the heroines were unknown filled me with a quest to share their stories. This time is the beginning of our nation, and we need to pass down to the next generations the importance of that. And, I am a descendent of Martha Washington which also intrigues my curiosity in wanting to learn all I can about our first First Lady.

LM: How did you get started as a writer, and how did you decide to seek publication?

Sheila: As a teacher, I taught composition and started writing for some of our church publications. I mulled it over often and even did some ghost writing. It wasn’t until I visited Walnut Grove that I had a story that I was compelled to tell. It was a wonder that a local press agreed with me, and a year later, Courageous Kate was printed. What followed were four other biographies, including Tales of a Cosmic Possum, all written and published in eleven years. It has been an unreal journey, and I have enjoyed every minute.

LM: You live in a beautiful area of the world, a place many people visit. If money were no object, what is your idea of the ultimate vacation?

Sheila: I believe I would like to go on a jaunt that included Williamsburg, Mt. Vernon, Boston, and Philadelphia. Of course, there would be a few day trips along the way, like the childhood home of George Washington at Ferry Farm, Plimouth Plantation, and several days overnighting at the City Tavern. The ultimate part of this vacation would be that time would not be an issue. Both times I visited Mt. Vernon, I was plagued by a clock for only one day’s stay. Oh, I need the owners of Carter’s Grove, my Carter family, to reopen the house to the public once again. Watching the wild horses on the Outer Banks would also be a must, and in the evening a front row seat at The Lost Colony play in Roanoke. And one more thing would be watching a performance of Hamilton on Broadway. Probably this would take care of my bucket list!

LM: What is your next project?

Sheila I have almost completed research on Judith Giton Manigault, one of the first Huguenots to immigrate to South Carolina in the 17^th century. On January 22, I will share part of her story to the South Carolina Historical Society, and maybe their response will guide me toward telling her story.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

Sheila: Blog: http://www.sheilaingle.com

Author Page on Facebook: Sheila Ingle, Author

Twitter: @sheilaingle1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/583797.Sheila_Ingle

Book Blurb: 

Tales of a Cosmic Possum is a group of short stories based on the history of eight women in my husband’s family who worked in the cotton mills of SC. They worked together in the mills, shared their gardens, attended church, and enjoyed the playing and singing of the songs from the Grand Ole Opry. When five of the brothers went off to war, those who couldn’t fight took care of their families. The Ingles stuck together, just like they were taught in the Appalachia.

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B073NSCPPY 

Wartime Wednesday: War Brides

Wartime Wednesday: War  Brides

Ever since there have been wars, there have been war brides. World War II was no different. One source I found indicates that between 1942 and 1952, approximately one million American soldiers married foreign women from fifty different countries. About 100,000 brides were British with another 150-200,000 from continental Europe. Somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 servicemen married women from the Far East and Germany. Remember these numbers are just American troops!

Why were these women willing to marry and leave the country of their birth? Some would say proximity—the “Yanks” were available. Native men were not. Others might say it was the generosity exhibited by American soldiers. To the women of war-torn countries where deprivation and the struggle to survive were a way of life, the food, personal items such as stockings, and money, offered by the Americans had to be tantalizing. Perhaps these women simply want to raise their children without threat of war.

In anticipation of this issues, soldiers, sailors, and airmen were issued a 38-page handbook instructing them on how to handle being guests in the various countries (whether it was ally or foe). The rules encouraged friendliness, but discouraged “special relationships.” An article in Yank Magazine touted “Don’t Promise Her Anything – Marriage Outside the U.S. is Out.”

The story’s title may not have been officially correct, but the process for American servicemen to marry foreign wives was complex, requirement up to fifteen forms, and it could take up to a year before permission was granted or denied. A regulation from the War Department required overseas troops to obtain permission to wed, on threat of court-martial.

Until Congress passed the War Brides Act in 1945, these women were part of the limited number of immigrant aliens allowed to enter the U.S. each year, potentially leaving them stuck in their home countries for months or years. Six months later, Congress enacted the Fiancées Act which granted fiancées of servicemen three-month visas as temporary visitors. If the couple didn’t marry during the ninety days, the fiancée would be returned home.

The women were eligible for free transport to the U.S. via former troop or hospital ships, but were told the ships might not be available for a year or more. Protests were conducted in front of the U.S. Embassy in June 1945. Then upon hearing that former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was in London that November, a group of brides gathered outside her hotel carrying placards that read “We Demand Ships” and “We Want Our Dad.”

The pressure worked, and by January, the first shipment in Operation War Bride was on its way across the Atlantic. The ladies were met with excitement by the press and suspicion by some American women who declared them nothing more than gold-diggers. Many of the brides formed social clubs that served as emotional support as they adjusted to their new home.

Traveling Tuesday: Berlin

Traveling Tuesday: Berlin

Brandenburg Gate

My current work-in-progress, Love’s Belief, is set in Berlin during 1943. A large portion of my father’s heritage is German, but very little was made over that while I was growing up, so I don’t know a lot about the country. In hindsight, I realize that was perhaps because I was born only fifteen years after the end of the war.

Situated on the two-hundred-and-fifty mile long River Spree, Berlin is one of Germany’s sixteen federal states. In existence since the 13^th century, the city is filled with lakes, canals, gardens, parks, and forests. With the exception of 1949-1990, Berlin has been the country’s capital since 1417. At over 11,000 square miles, it is three times the size of Los Angeles county.

Oberbaum Bridge

Home to countless universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues, and sporting event, Berlin was the location of the 1936 Olympics. The Nazi party already had a firm grasp on the country, and initially forbid the participation of Jews. However, many of the other nations threatened to boycott, so Hitler backed down on his stance, with the exception of barring German Jewish athletes.

In a desire to outdo the 1932 games held in Los Angeles, Hitler had a new 100,000-seat track and field stadium built as well as six gymnasiums and other smaller arenas. The games were the first to be televised, and the radio broadcasts reached forty-one counties. With eighty-nine medals, Germany won the most awards. The games would not be held again until 1948 in Switzerland.

Here is a virtual tour of some of the places my characters would have seen:

Brandenburg Gate: An 18^th century monument, the Gate was built by King Frederick William II of Prussia after the successful restoration of order during the Batavian Revolution. Constructed on the site of a former city gate, it is one of the best-known landmarks in Germany and is located in the western part of the city center.

Reichstag Building

Reichstag Building: First opened in 1894, the building was used to house the parliament of the Weimar Republic. Partially burned in 1933 by unknown causes, the facility became a military installation and housed propaganda presentations. It was never fully repaired and bombed in 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.

Oberbaum Bridge: A double-decker bridge, Oberbauam Bridge was initially wooden when constructed in 1732. With the advent of the U-Bahn officials realized the bridge was no longer adequate and order modifications. After two years of construction, the new bridge built of brick and stone in the Gothic style opened in 1896. Six years later the U-Bahn opened and carried nineteen passengers from Stralauer Tor to Potsdamer Plaz. In April 1945, the Wehrmacht blew up the middle section of the bridge in an effort to stop the Red Army from crossing.

Bellevue Palace

Bellevue Palace: French for “beautiful view,” Bellevue Palace is located in Berlin’s Tiergarten district on the banks of the River Spree. The Palace was constructed in 1786 as a summer residence for Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia (King Frederick II’s younger brother). Featuring Corinthian pillars and wings on either side, the style is Neoclassical. Used as a museum in the 1930s, the Palace was renovated as a guest house for the Nazi government in 1938 before being damaged in 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.

Talkshow Thursday: Meet April Smith

Talkshow Thursday: Meet April Smith

Linda:  Thanks for joining me today. Congratulations on your debut novel Loving Grace. What was your inspiration for the story?

April: Thanks for having me! I’m happy to be here. As far as inspiration goes, I knew I wanted to write Christian fiction for teens pretty much from the start of my writing adventure. That part was easy. Figuring out where I wanted the story to take place was also a pretty easy choice for me to make. All of these one liners (mostly said by Grace) kept popping into my mind. And because most of the things were in some way related to a watermelon farm or a watermelon queen, I knew where Grace’s story would take place. So in some ways, the inspiration came from my time working in my best friend’s family watermelon farm during the summer and my time as a watermelon queen.

LM: The age old question for writers – are you a planner or a “pantster,” and what is your favorite part of the writing process?

April: For the most part I’m very much so a planner. I have a color coded outline and each scene is mapped out. I use a notebook for each manuscript, and I record things that I might need to remember or pictures I see that inspire me for a particular scene. I like to see where the story is going and know what my ending will look like too. But with that being said, it’s very important to leave yourself room as a writer for inspiration.  Even with Grace’s story, entire scenes got switched around from their original outlined order. Some scenes were not even in the original outline, but I’m thankful that I allowed myself a little bit a “pantster” attitude so that when inspiration hit I was free to go with it. This is also one of the things I like most about writing—getting an idea and seeing where it takes the story.

LM: How did you get started as a writer, and how did you decide to seek publication?

April: Well, it really started in high school when my high school English teacher saw something in my writing. And then again in college when one of my professors mentioned it. And then as a middle school English teacher myself, writing is pretty much a large part of my day—every day. But as far as writing my manuscript, it started a couple of years ago when I was reading a book, and it inspired me, that maybe I could do this too. I knew I wanted to write Christian fiction, and that I wanted to write for teens. So I wrote a manuscript, went to a conference, had the manuscript critiqued, and most excitingly of all, the person doing the critique liked it! That gave me the courage to submit it, and to begin the road to publication.

LM: Other than being a watermelon queen, is there any part of yourself in Grace?

April: I wouldn’t say there is any particular part of me in Grace. I do always try/hope to create characters that people can identify with though.

LM: Here are some quickies:

April:

Favorite childhood book: The Secret Garden.

Favorite food: Watermelon salsa…it’s the truth, that stuff is so good.

Favorite vacation place: The beach! Warm sand and the sound of crashing waves is my favorite way to relax.

LM: What is your next project?

April: I’m working on two right now. One that is also set in the world of watermelons. There are some new characters as well as old characters in that one. The other one is about two totally different people who have to work together to achieve their separate but equally important goals.

LM: Where can folks find you on the web?

April: You can connect with me on Instagram (aprilsmith_books) and Twitter (@aprilsmithbook). I also have my website: www.aprilsmithbooks.com or my Facebook page.

Book Blurb:  Loving Grace

Grace Summer lands herself in a melon load of trouble when she becomes torn between the boy of her dreams and the boy almost next door. As the newly-crowned watermelon queen, she is thrust into the spotlight, meets the dreamy Warren Hartley, and continues trying to get oven an accident that rocked her world. Mix in working with Beau Baron who Grace happens to fight with just about as much as breathing and the metaphorical sparks fly.

Like most things in life, Grace must learn to take the good with the bad. While the good is the handsome and fun Warren Hartley, the bad is Beau Baron—or at least being around his annoying and rude self way more than she would like. For Beau, Grace is nothing more than aggravating and an irritating reminder from the night of the accident. Tensions soar as Grace and Beau fight to love themselves and maybe, just maybe, each other.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P56KDT

Wartime Wednesday: Lucie Aubrac of the French Resistance

Wartime Wednesday: 

Lucie Aubrac of the French Resistance

As often mentioned, for my book research I read memoirs and autobiographies and watch interviews of oral history reports. Over and over again, I’m stunned by the stories of ordinary people performing extraordinary deeds.

One such person was Lucie Aubrac (nee Bernard), a bright woman who obtained the “aggrégation” in history, the most prestigious higher degree in France. She obtained a job teaching history at a school in Strasbourg. In 1939, she met and married Raymond Samuel, an engineer who had recently returned from a year abroad at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After the Germans occupied the northern portion of France, the couple moved south to Lyon. Recruited by journalist Emmanuel d’Astier de la Vigerie, Lucie joined the resistance movement in Free France and with her husband was one of the four founders of Libération-Sud (Liberation-South). The following year, the group performed two sabotage attacks at train stations in Perpignan and Cannes. Shortly thereafter, they distributed 10,000 propaganda flyers, but one of the distributors was caught, leading to the arrest of d’Astier’s niece and uncle.

Libération-Sud decided to lie low, and perhaps this was when Lucie and Raymond decided to take on the nom de guerre Aubrac which they would retain after the end of the war.

It wasn’t long before the group was active again, one of their activities to create an underground newspaper, Libération. In May 1941, Lucie gave birth to her first child, and later stated that being the mother of a baby was an excellent cover to divert suspicion from the Germans. Her memoirs share an anecdote about a meeting between Samuel and de Gaulle’s envoy, Jean Moulin, in a Lyon public garden where her presence with the baby “proved particularly useful.”

Fast forward to March 1943. Samuel was arrested, so Lucie marched into the office of the local Vichy public prosecutor and managed to get him released. Two months later he was arrested again. This time, she went straight to the top and visited Klaus Barbie. She claimed to be Samuel’s fiancée, and that he had been caught as an innocent bystander. She asked to marry him because she was pregnant with their child. Barbie showed her the file of pictures he had on her, that included a photo of her with her first child, then threw her out of his office.

Days later, she made another attempt…this time with a lower level Nazi prosecutor who didn’t know about her conversation with Barbie. Later she would say, “This guy was a collaborator, and therefore, a coward. If I spoke louder than him, I was sure to win.” Whether it was her words or her bribe, he granted the request. After the ceremony, Lucie led armed Resistance members in an attack on the convoy of cars and rescued Samuel and fifteen other prisoners.

Needless to say, it was now time for Lucie and Samuel to go into hiding. It was a long eight months. They were not able to secure passage to London until February 1944. Three days later, Lucie gave birth to their daughter, Catherine.

In 1984, she published a semi-fictional version of her wartime diaries that would be made into a movie in 1997.