We’ve got a dual war story book for our readers this month! Welcome Michelle Shocklee to the Index!
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She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it. 1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for. 1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her. In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them. |
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Questions about Michelle’s Story
What inspired this story?
My dad is a WWII veteran, so I’ve always had an interest in WWII and wanted to write a book set on the homefront during those turbulent years. When I began to research WWII in Tennessee, I discovered that German Enemy Aliens and German POWs were interned at Camp Forrest in Tullahoma during the war. My imagination took that historical nugget and ran with it, eventually coming up with a story about the friendship between a war widow and one of the enemy aliens.
Which scene is your favorite, the one you never tired of working with? Give us a reason to look forward to it.
My favorite scene is actually all of Chapter 2. It’s the scene where Gunther is arrested in his New York City apartment after Pearl Harbor is attacked. The research that went into that chapter was fascinating and new to me. I hadn’t realized Germans who were in the US were arrested after the events of December 7, 1941. I knew about Japanese Enemy Aliens, but I wasn’t aware that Germans and Italians were also rounded up and held in internment camps throughout the country. I found a book that described the arrest of several German citizens who were in the United States when war broke out, including what happened when FBI agents arrived at their home, questioned them, and ultimately put them behind bars. Their stories are what I based Chapter 2 on.
Why did you choose the year in which your book is set?
Because I write split-time novels, I wanted the WWII story to be juxtaposed with the Vietnam War. I grew up in the 1970s and remember seeing news stories on television about protests, flag burning, and scenes from a war taking place on the opposite side of the world. The atmosphere in our country at that time was completely different than it had been during WWII, and I explored those feelings through Mattie’s character.
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Questions about Michelle’s Reading
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What Christian Historical Novel did you reread last, and why did you reread it? Every couple of years, I reread Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly. From the first time I read it as a teenager in 1979, I’ve loved the sweet romance between Marty and Clark. I didn’t know it all those years ago, but that book would plant a seed in my heart that would one day grow into a desire to write stories that point readers to the hope and healing found in Jesus Christ. |
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What was the last Christian Historical Novel you read, and what was your favorite thing about it? I’m captivated by the idea of time travel, so when I heard about Gabrielle Meyer’s Timeless series, I knew I would have to read them. I’m in awe of how Meyer’s kept the two time periods separate, because I think I would have had myself very confused trying to keep the stories straight. I thoroughly enjoyed reading When the Day Comes and look forward to the next books in the series.
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What Christian Historical Novel are you most excited to read that hasn’t yet come out? I am extremely excited to read Janette Oke’s new book The Pharisee’s Wife that releases March 11, 2025. My mom was a huge fan of Janette’s, so we had all of Janette’s books. Mom’s been in heaven several years now, but she’d be tickled to know that Janette is still writing and publishing books at the young age of 89 years!
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Michelle is giving away either a paperback (USA Only). Enter the Rafflecopter below!
**If you don’t want to enter the Rafflecopter, tell me in a comment below: “I’m not entering the Rafflecopter, but please throw me in the hat” so I can manually put you in there for a chance.**