photo by
Mary Noble Ours
Interested in particular eras of history? Me too! You'll see on the timeline above that I've written multiple titles for some time periods -- including a series for one set of characters who seemed to especially captivate readers' hearts. Often these novels came about because I spotted a "hole in coverage"—hidden history, people and events entirely forgotten or little discussed.
WORLD WAR II (1944-1945)
A “trilogy” about Henry Forester, a downed B-24 pilot saved by the French Resistance, inspired by the experiences of my father and other aircrews and the brave civilians who risked all to help them. Henry’s odyssey of escape and redefinition begins with UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY (which is coming up on its 25th year of publication!). His journey continues with a sequel A TROUBLED PEACE , set in post-liberation France where Henry returns to look for those who saved him. Readers’ continuing questions and fondness for the characters prompted me to also add a companion Home Front narrative, ACROSS A WAR-TOSSED SEA, the story of Henry’s hometown girl and two young British evacuees who brave crossing the Atlantic, fleeing the Blitz, to seek safety with her family. (Click on cover icons above.)
A fourth WWII novel was spawned from “saving string” -- holding onto a surprising discovery when researching Henry’s trilogy that just didn’t fit into already jam-packed plots. LOUISA JUNE AND THE NAZIS IN THE WAVES is a portrait of a young teen dealing with the little known but deadly Nazi U-boat attacks along the Virginia coastline, trying to help her family survive sudden loss and unexpected dangers.
Surviving the often heartbreaking challenges of THE GREAT DEPRESSION so steeled the young men and women who fought in WWII. I was honored to encapsulate their formative resiliency in BEA AND THE NEW DEAL HORSE, set on a Virginia horse-farm during the devastating drought of 1932. A young teen and a formidable older trainer try to prep a volatile jumper for a horse show, where winning could help save the drought-stricken farm.
THE COLD WAR (1954-1973)
Three docu-novels exploring fraught political decades and the dangers of disinformation, polarization, and censorship. SUSPECT RED (1953-54 McCarthyism); WALLS (1960-61 Berlin when the infamous Wall goes up) and TRUTH, LIES, AND THE QUESTIONS IN BETWEEN (1973's shocking Watergate hearings and the simultaneous battle for the Equal Rights Amendment). These “docu-novels” are nonfiction/fiction hybrids. Each chapter begins with images of that month’s factual news events that then affect characters’ thoughts and actions. The unique format provides an evocative synopsis of a pivotal year in American history and gives readers the experience of absorbing current events simultaneously with the characters. All three works feature characters from opposite sides of the political spectrum learning to trust and care about one another -- despite stereotypes and preconceptions they've previously been fed -- before it’s too late in a personal crisis they face that mirrors the nation’s overarching upheaval.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1774-1778)
Two titles: GIVE ME LIBERTY is a look at the earliest moments of the Revolution through a young fifer in the 2nd VA Regiment and his best friend, a runaway slave who must seek his freedom with the British -- the two coming face-to-face at the Battle of Great Bridge. Plus, HAMILTON AND PEGGY! A REVOLUTIONARY FRIENDSHIP, a biographical novel about the whip-smart, “wicked wit” Peggy, the youngest of the Schuyler Sisters made famous by the musical Hamilton. Her rather stunning story SO demanded its own telling.
Check out the timeline for single works delving into other ground-shifting historic moments like the Italian Renaissance. I particularly LOVED exploring its rich culture through the young poetess in Leonardo's first portrait, the only work by da Vinci in all the Americas! Title: DA VINCI'S TIGER, playing off the only remaining line of her poetry: "I beg your pardon, I am a mountain tiger."
Click on the thumbnail covers above on the timeline to learn more about each.
