Hunger Winter
by Rob Currie
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GENRE: MG Historical Fiction
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BLURB:
It's the Netherlands in late 1944. Thirteen-year-old Dirk's Papa left to fight with the Resistance. Then Mama died. When the Gestapo snatched his older sister and he learned they were coming for him next, Dirk left home in the middle of the night. He had his pockets stuffed with food, his little sister asleep in his arms, and his heart heavy with a dark secret.
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EXCERPT
“Your sentence has been determined,” he said.
Wrapping her tattered blanket around her shoulders, Els trudged down the hall, following other prisoners. Outside, the chilly breeze flapped her blanket, and she clutched it tighter. Guards formed the captives in a row, in front of a brick wall. More guards stood on the opposite side of the courtyard with rifles.
“Nooo!” cried a man next to Els. “They’re going to—”
“Halt die Klappe” a soldier shouted. A light rain fell. Els put her hand on the shoulder of the man who had cried out. His weeping intensified. “Noo!” he cried, looking around as if appealing to some unseen authority.
“You are all guilty of crimes against the Third Reich,” an officer announced. “You have been sentenced, and now you will pay for what you have done.”
He looked at the soldiers. “Ready,” he shouted above the din of prisoners begging for mercy. The soldiers clutched their rifles.
Els cleared her throat and sang as loudly as she could in her weakened condition, “Grant that I may remain brave, your servant for always,” she began. Several prisoners joined her in singing the national anthem. “And may defeat the tyranny which pierces my heart.”
“Ready!” the officer shouted again.
Thunder boomed and the rain fell harder. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The Gestapo was supposed to realize Els would never talk, and they’d release her. And then she’d somehow find Dirk.
“Aim,” the officer said. The soldiers raised their rifles.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Life conspired to get Rob Currie to write Hunger Winter: A World War II Novel. His father is a World War II veteran and his wife is Dutch. An award-winning author, it was only a matter of time before he would focus his writing on World War II. Research for Hunger Winter included numerous books, interviews with Dutch WWII survivors, and three weeks in the Netherlands. His investigation revealed astonishing details about the Dutch experience of the war, which begged to be turned into a book.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, he graduated from Cornerstone University and went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate in psychology from St. Louis University. He has taught psychology at Judson University since 1987. His hobbies include playing basketball, cooking, and writing poetry.
Author Web Site: www.robcurrieauthor.com
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Winter-World-War-Novel/dp/1496440358/
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A Word From the Author:
Tell us about the publication of your first book
Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
What's the best part of being an author? The worst?
Did you always want to be an author?
I’ve enjoyed writing ever since I took a creative writing class in high school, but for a long time it was just a fun hobby. Looking back, I was developing my writing skills for publication, but I didn’t know it. Now my writing credits include three books, two writing awards, and articles in a variety of magazines and newspapers including The Chicago Tribune Online, The Detroit News, The Daily Herald, and many others.
Tell us about the publication of your first book
That book snuck up on me. It started out as a series of speeches about characters that fascinated me. I was pretty far into the work before I thought about turning into a book. The situation was like a man who has a close female friend. He enjoys her company and her sense of humor, but for a long time doesn’t consider her a possible love interest.
Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
I like Gary Paulsen, who also writes write action-adventure novels for kids. He puts a likeable kid in a tough situation and makes the youngster grow to meet the challenge. His best-known book is Hatchet. I learned from his books the importance of an imperfect main character. As a result, my main character, Dirk, who does many courageous things, also makes mistakes and blames himself, sometimes unfairly. When written well, vulnerability draws readers to the main character.
For children and teens, Hunger Winter is a compelling can’t-put-it-down experience. Adult readers tell me for them it’s a fast reading book that pulls them in with needing to know what’s going to happen next. A ten-year-old boy read the book and asked his mom if I’d written any other books. A mom with four kids told me that Hunger Winter is the first book she has read consistently since her youngest child was born 18 months ago.
What's the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part is the feeling you get after working hard on a passage and nailing it. You crafted a gripping scene or a phrase that comes out the way you want it to. Here are examples from Hunger Winter.
“Her mind grasped for a memory at the edge of her awareness, like a desperate swimmer who flails to reach a rescue line.”
“These questions gnawed at her like a swarm of rats which chew the only rope holding a ship to the dock.”
“He had to escape! He pushed as hard as he could to open the stuck window. ‘Unnhh!’ a low-pitched growl rose from his throat, like the rumble of a diesel engine revving for power.”
The worst part is getting rejection or no response from publishers. I sent a story to a publisher and they lost it because a flood wiped out all their files.
Links:
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Rob Currie will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteDid you go to school to become a writer?
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you, Bernie. I went to school to study psychology but discovered along the way that I love to write.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you again, Rita. Thank you for checking in. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds likje a fascinating book! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove your description of how your first book snuck up on you! So cute. How about the second?
ReplyDeleteThe second book (Hunger Winter is my third) also snuck up on me. I wrote some articles to try to get someone to publish my first book. One of those articles went in a magazine that had a circulation of 1 million readers. Then as I got more ideas, I extended it into a book. Thank you for asking.
ReplyDelete