Today I'm excited to welcome guest author Marilyn Turk as she shares about an upcoming release. Read all the way through to enter into a random drawing for a free ebook.

When my husband sent me the true story from his West Point email list, he said, “This would be a good story for you to write.” The story was indeed interesting, but I wondered how I could make it fit into a novel, particularly with a romance angle. I prayed about it and did some research, and the idea came together. I told my writer friends about my idea, and they said, “You have to write this book because I want to read it!”

I was thrilled when Barbour Books accepted my proposal, then I began the hard work of writing. Since this story is based in 1941 England and also in a Nazi POW camp, there was a tremendous amount of information I needed to know in order to show the reader the place and setting. For all my previous books and novellas, I’ve visited the settings in person and since I write historical, my research focused on the history of the place.

However, for The Escape Game, I had not visited either England (especially in WW2) or a POW camp. Thank God, there have been many books written about the subjects. I have a bad habit of buying research books when writing a book, so I bought several for this one. Many of the books focused on life in England during the war. For the British, the war began in 1939, two years before the United States entered the war. Rationing had already begun, although the items rationed changed during the war, so knowing what people normally ate was a challenge.

Another important aspect of England’s experience is that there were many places where civilians could serve and were in fact, expected to. Even when one had a day job, they were expected to also have a volunteer job that supported the country’s efforts. Single women were encouraged to join the Land Army or military auxiliaries that required them to live away from home. So my main character Beryl Clarke has a day job and a volunteer job with the ARP (Air Raid Protection), but lives with her mother since her father was killed during an air raid. Her brother is in the Royal Air Force (RAF), so Beryl needs to stay home to help care for her mother.

My male protagonist, Kenneth Bordelon, is an American that has volunteered to fight for England in the RAF. When he and Beryl’s brother end up in a POW camp, I had to find out what their lives were like. I’ve read many accounts of escapes, both successful and unsuccessful, so the ones in my story actually happened at some time. In addition, I was fortunate to know a man at our church, James Crooke, who had been a former POW in WW2. Thankfully, he wrote a book about his experience which has been a great asset to me. He’s in heaven now, so I hope he knows how much I appreciate his help.

In addition, I’m blessed to have a reader in England, Julia Wilson, whose father was a child during the war, so she was able to provide me with some information and sources as well.

How did the characters connect? How did a romance happen? Sorry, but I can’t tell you the whole story! However, the book is now available for preorder at Amazon! I can’t wait to find out how you like Beryl and Kenneth’s story!

https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Game-Heroines-WWII/dp/1636095089/

For a chance to win a copy of my last book, Abigail’s Secret, leave a comment about why you’d like to read The Escape Game. Cleverly disguise your email address so we can notify you if you win. For example, Donna AT livebytheword DOT com