Tag Archives: WWII

Location, Location, Location with Angela Petch.

Guest Post, Location!, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , ,
It is always a pleasure to have my lovely writing friend Angela Petch as a guest on my blog, so I couldn’t resist inviting her along to talk about the setting of her latest novel, The Girl Who Escaped. Over to you, Angela …

All my novels, bar one, are set in Italy. I love this beautiful country and am fortunate to live in eastern Tuscany for six months each summer. The setting is very important in all my stories and the way my characters interact with their locations is a way of delving into their personalities and anchoring them to a backdrop. “Everybody has to be somewhere,” said Spike Milligan.

I think it’s better to drop details in little by little rather than describing at length: as if the reader is noticing aspects of the setting from the corner of his or her eye.

Panorama of Urbino.

My latest book, The Girl who Escaped, is set mainly in Urbino, a compact Renaissance city in Le Marche region. I know it quite well because my Italian mother-in-law is from Urbino and I married in a tiny hamlet just outside the city.

Revisiting the hamlet of Castel Cavallino, where we married. 

Nevertheless, I still felt the need to walk about with my notebook and camera to record details.

Writing beneath the twin towers of Urbino’s palace.

The young heroine in my new book is Jewish and about to be sent away from her beloved birthplace to a camp. She has already suffered under Mussolini’s racial laws and denied her university place to study medicine. How to describe the places she will miss?

This is an excerpt from Chapter Six, when Devora is struggling to look after her twin brothers on her own, as her parents have been sent to an internment camp. Their children were born in Italy and so are exempt – at this moment – from being sent away, not being deemed “foreign Jews”.

“She was alone up at the Fortezza, the wind keener than in the city centre, cold air nipping at her cheeks. The clouds over the mountains were heavy with more snow, not unusual in the spring, and she swung her arms back and forth across her chest to warm her body. And then she threw her head back and screamed, howling at the sky like a wild animal, no longer able to contain her anger and frustration. On the rise opposite, the twin towers that had always seemed to her like an illustration from a book of fairy tales now looked menacing: portals to Hell, holding bands of evil, fascist warriors bent on destroying the hopes and dreams of her family: first her father’s livelihood, next her brothers’ schooling, her own medical studies and social life all snatched away simply because they were considered different and undesirable. ‘Idioti, all of you,’ she screamed over and over, her words snatched by the cold breeze.”

While my husband’s grandparents were alive, we stayed with them in Urbino but last year, we rented a small apartment in the old quarter and I spent hours tramping about the city to soak in the atmosphere.  We met the caretaker of the synagogue and she invited us back to her home and she shared more information about the war with us, which made its way into the book.

Me in her library. She is also a writer and was full of useful information.

If a writer can manage to visit the places they write about, it helps so much when painting the scenes. Visiting a location can help bring alive the imagination.

About The Girl Who Escaped:

Italy, 1940. The girl sobs and rages as her father tells her the terrible news. “Italy is entering the war alongside Germany. Jews are to be arrested and sent to camps. We have to be ready.”

As fascists march across the cobbled piazzas and past the towered buildings of her beloved home city, twenty-year-old Devora’s worst fears come true. Along with her Jewish parents and twin little brothers they are torn away from everything they love and sent to an internment camp huddled in the mountains. Her father promises this war will not last long…

When they are offered a miraculous chance of escape by her childhood friend Luigi, who risks everything to smuggle vital information into the camp, the family clambers under barbed wire and races for the border. But Devora is forced to make a devastating choice between saving a stranger’s life and joining her parents. As shots fire in the moonless night, the family is separated.

Haunted by the question of whether they are dead or alive, all Devora can do for their future is throw herself into helping Luigi in the Italian resistenza in the fight for liberty. But posing as a maid for a German commander to gather secret intelligence, Devora is sure she sees her friend one night, in a Nazi uniform…

Is Devora in more danger than ever? And will her family ever be reunited – or will the war tear them apart?

An absolutely devastating but ultimately uplifting historical novel about how love and hope can get us through the darkest times. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Rhys Bowen and Soraya M. Lane.

Purchase here.

Thank you so much for the wonderful insight, Angela. The Girl Who Escaped is my current read and I am greatly enjoying it. xxx

Discover more about Angela Petch’s novels: The Tuscan House | The Postcard From Italy |  A Tuscan Memory |The Tuscan Girl | The Tuscan Secret |

And, while not based in Italy, don’t forget Angela’s wonderful charity novel, Mavis and Dot. All proceeds from this novel go to vital research into Cancer.

About the author:

Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award-winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer, she moves to Tuscany for six months, where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack, she always makes sure to store a notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex, where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.

Angela’s gripping WWII, Tuscan novels are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.

You can discover more about Angela Petch and her writing here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Amazon | Apricot Plots

A Sense of Setting with Angela Petch.

Guest Post, , , , , , , ,

Welcoming Angela Petch to my blog as she shares the settings from The Postcard From Italy, her latest historical novel, released this week. 

Over to you, Angela …

In Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg states: “When you are not writing, you are a writer too.” 

My senses are constantly on alert and if a setting captivates me, I will use it. This happened in Puglia three years ago. I was enchanted by this beautiful region in southern Italy. As it was also where an uncle, my mother’s only brother, had been based with the RAF for a while during World War Two, I was further driven to use it as the background for a new book. Sadly, my uncle’s plane was shot down but I imagined Uncle Billy into a story where he survived.

The Apulian coastline around the Gargano peninsula, full of hidden coves, is where I had him arrive in The Postcard from Italy. He washes up like the driftwood and sea glass that my heroine scavenges. But she didn’t expect to find human flotsam.

I haven’t been faithful geographically: I’ve selected features that do not truly belong in Gargano and used artistic licence to transpose them. So, the trabucchi – or fishing platforms: strange wooden structures, have been moved further down the coast, but I absolutely needed them for my book.

Similarly, the characteristic conical stone buildings called trulli needed to appear in my story.

They are generally further inland, but I wanted my heroine to live in one. An ordinary stone house would not do.

In his chapter ‘What are you looking at?’ from The Creative Writing Course book edited by Paul Magrs and Julia Bell, he writes:

“As writers, we really need to slow down a little, take stock, and really think about why our direction is drawn in this direction or that.”

I use details that attract me to embellish my stories and to, hopefully, attract my readers too. Some might know Puglia really well and query my geography, just as some people do not like abstract art or a painter’s individual interpretations.

My husband and I have stayed twice in a particular B & B which I adore. The owner, Isabella, only has two rooms and I’d love to return (11) B&B Alla Canale, Guest House sul mare – Vasto – CH alone for a writing week when I can afford to. Hidden down a dirt track, it sits on the cliffs with an infinity view over the sea. The sunsets are spectacular and I feel emotional even thinking about it.  I used this setting for a particularly poignant part of the story.

Similarly, a converted masseria (fortified farmhouse) typical of the area is my main Apulian setting, which appears both in the past and contemporary timelines. I changed very little of the quirky décor and unusual details and I needed this setting to reflect a sense of mystery. Discover more here: Home – Masseria Barone Gambadoro.

I wrote The Postcard from Italy during both lockdowns, when we were unable to travel, but I travelled vicariously back there whilst writing. I hope my readers will lose themselves in my settings and escape for a while.

More about The Postcard from Italy:

Italy, 1945. ‘Where am I?’ The young man wakes, bewildered. He sees olive trees against a bright blue sky. A soft voice soothes him. ‘We saw you fall from your plane. The parachute saved you.’ He remembers nothing of his life, or the war that has torn the world apart… but where does he belong?

England, present day. Antique-shop-owner Susannah wipes away a tear as she tidies her grandmother’s belongings. Elsie’s memories are fading, and every day Susannah feels further away from her only remaining family. But everything changes when she stumbles across a yellowed postcard of a beautiful Italian stone farmhouse, tucked away in Elsie’s dressing table. A message dated from World War 2 speaks of a secret love. Could her grandmother, who never talked about the past, have fallen for someone in Italy all those years ago?

With Elsie unable to answer her questions, Susannah becomes determined to track down the house and find a distraction from her grief. Arriving at what is now a crumbling hotel by the sparkling Italian sea, she feels strangely at home. And after an unexpected encounter with handsome wine waiter Giacomo, she can’t tell if it’s his dark eyes or his offer to help solve her mystery that makes her heart race.

Together they find a dusty chest tucked in a forgotten corner of the building. The white silk of a World War 2 parachute spills out. And the Royal Air Force identity tag nestled in the folds bears a familiar name…

With Giacomo by her side, and before it’s too late for her grandmother, can Susannah discover the truth behind a shocking wartime secret at the heart of her family? Or will it tear her apart?

Discover more about Angela Petch’s novels: The Tuscan House | The Postcard From Italy |  A Tuscan Memory |The Tuscan Girl | The Tuscan Secret |

And, while not based in Italy, don’t forget Angela’s wonderful charity novel, Mavis and Dot. All proceeds from this novel go to vital research into Cancer.

Thank you so much for the wonderful post, Angela. It is always a pleasure to have you on my blog. xx

About the author:

Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.

Angela’s gripping, WWII, Tuscan novels are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best-friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.

You can discover more about Angela Petch and her writing here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Amazon | Apricot Plots

Chatting to Vicki Beeby on the release of The Ops Room Girls.

Author Interview, , , , , , , , , ,

Congratulations on your three book deal with Canelo and the release of The Ops Room Girls! I love the cover and as it has just landed on my kindle, I’m looking forward to reading it.

Thanks, Carol, and thanks for giving me a spot on your blog!

To get us started, please tell us a little about your novel:

When working class Evie Bishop must seek a new future for herself, she is inspired to contribute to the war effort and joins the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as an Ops Room plotter. Posted to a fighter station, Evie befriends two other WAAFs – shy, awkward May and flirty, glamorous Jess. The three girls band together to overcome challenges, navigate new romances and keep their pilots safe in the skies. But the German bombers seem to know more than they should about the base’s operations, and soon Evie, May and Jess are caught up in a world more dangerous than they ever imagined…

It sounds great. What was the inspiration behind the story?

I’ve always been a fan of old World War Two films, and often wondered what the women were doing in RAF films who could be seen in the background, placing blocks on a map. When I started researching for a novel about WAAFs, I remembered these women, and discovered that they were called ‘plotters’. Their role was to plot incoming enemy aircraft so that squadrons could be directed to intercept them. I immediately realised this was the perfect role for my maths-loving heroine, Evie, and so the story developed around Evie and her friends serving in an RAF fighter station during the Battle of Britain.

I do enjoy books about friendship and when I interviewed you previously, for VE Day, I was hooked when you mentioned the three women in your story. I’d love to know more about each of them:

I love books about friendship, too, and I’m having a great time writing about Evie, May and Jess who each have their own book in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force series.

Evie Bishop is a maths geek, quiet, serious and very independent. She’s also a rather driven character—she spent her childhood in pursuit of her dream of getting into Oxford and has never had any real friends. I really enjoyed writing about how she falls for a certain handsome pilot and blossoms under the friendships she makes in the WAAF. Which brings us to…

…May Lidford. She’s tall, awkward and shy. She joined the WAAF to escape her bullying father and was posted to the Motor Transport section. As a result of her downtrodden past, she suffers from a lack of backbone, and it’s going to take a lot of encouragement from Evie and Jess to get her to stand up for herself.

Finally, there’s Jess, who is very different from the other two. She was an actress before she joined the WAAF and is glamorous, confident and a complete flirt. While she says she joined up to meet pilots, she might have had other reasons, which will become apparent over the course of the series.

There’s a brief mention of romance in the blurb, how strong is the romance element? 

There’s romance for all three of my heroines, and I would say it’s a significant part of each book. However, your question has really made me think because I changed my mind about the prominence of the romance sub-plot during the progress of book one. I set out to focus far more on the romance, with May and Jess being only minor characters. However, I fell in love with the friendship as I wrote, and Jess and May took a more prominent role than originally intended. I would now say the friendship carries an equal weight with the romance storyline, if not stronger. I’d love to find out what readers think!

Writing about the past necessitates detailed research, have you discovered any surprises along the way?

It’s always the little details that I enjoy discovering. I was particularly amused to learn that the WAAFs were issued knickers as part of their uniform—enormous black (or navy—I’ve read conflicting reports) monstrosities with elastic at the legs as well as the waist. They were universally hated and called ‘blackouts’.

Oh goodness, they sound like my horrid high school PE shorts!

With the book out just yesterday (whoop whoop) I know it’s early days, but are there any early reviews you could share that have truly made you smile?

I’ve been blown away by the reviews on NetGalley and from other authors who were sent ARCs. One in particular that made me all emotional was from the author, Terri Nixon, this part in particular:

“I can’t say enough about the gorgeous writing – such a smooth, effortless style, allowing the reader to sink into the story of these girls and their frightening, but rewarding, new world. We live every moment with them, from the panic and uncertainty of a desperately important new job, to the crumbly, cinnamon-sweetness of a Chelsea bun, to the bone-trembling impact of an enemy shell.”

Wow, what a great review and here’s the blurb:

When Evie’s dreams come crashing down, she’s determined to still make something of herself in these trying times…

It is 1939 and working class Evie Bishop has received a scholarship to study mathematics at Oxford when tragedy turns her life upside down. Evie must seek a new future for herself and, inspired to contribute to the war effort, joins the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as an Ops Room plotter.

Posted to a fighter station on the Sussex Coast, Evie befriends two other WAAFs – shy, awkward May and flirty, glamorous Jess. Faced with earning the approval of strict officers and finding their way in a male dominated world, the three girls band together to overcome challenges, navigate new romances and keep their pilots safe in the skies.

But the German bombers seem to know more than they should about the base’s operations, and soon Evie, May and Jess are caught up in a world more dangerous than they ever imagined…

And those all important links to buy: Amazon | Kobo | Google | Apple

Thank you so much for stopping by Vicki and I wish you every success with The Ops Room Girls and the rest in the series. xx

About the author:

Vicki Beeby writes historical fiction about the friendships and loves of service women brought together by the Second World War.

Her first job was as a civil engineer on a sewage treatment project, so things could only improve from there. Since then, she has worked as a maths teacher and education consultant before turning freelance to give herself more time to write.

In her free time, when she can drag herself away from reading, she enjoys walking and travelling to far-off places by train. She lives in Shropshire in a house that doesn’t contain nearly enough bookshelves.

Discover more about Vicki Beeby ( who also writes as Tora Williams) and her work here: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Apricot Plots

Join me next week when author Gina Hollands shares a Feel Good Friday read! xx