Editing, blurbs and new books
Mar 06, 2022 1:01 am
Hi
It’s been a while, and I’ve been busy editing Out of the Ashes, which heads off to my editor in a couple of weeks. It’s always a slightly nerve-wracking time – fingers crossed he doesn’t find anything too major that needs changing! I’m quietly hopeful, and the book should be ready for release late in June – I’ll keep you posted.
As I finished writing it, I realised there were a couple of other stories buried within the pages that should also be told – other characters who are given no more than a mention in Out of the Ashes, but who have interesting tales of their own to tell. So Out of the Ashes will become the first in a trilogy of inter-related stories. Both of them require a lot more research (of course) so they’ll be a while in the making but I’ve already begun researching the first, and I’m really excited about it!
Anyway – here’s the first draft of the blurb for Out of the Ashes. I hope it piques your interest. It’s not the final version but it’s a start. Like most authors, I struggle with blurbs! What do you think? Does it sound interesting? Any feedback would be welcome.
"When a young war widow meets an enemy prisoner of war in the final days of World War II, old certainties are put to the test. An enthralling novel of love, forgiveness and second chances.
England 1944. Amongst the ruins of the Second World War, an illegal and tentative friendship begins.
War widow Clare Chapman is still grieving for her husband when the first German prisoners of war arrive at the camp near the village. Horrified by the presence of the enemy so close at hand she does her best to avoid them. But as the men start working on the surrounding farms, she knows it is only a matter of time until she is forced to face them.
After five years of war, German soldier Max Peterson has all but forgotten how it feels to be at peace when he arrives as a prisoner in England. All he wants is to go back to Berlin to find the family he hasn’t heard from for almost two years. Then a chance meeting with Clare Chapman changes everything.
But trouble looms when others begin to notice their connection. Shunned by family and friends for illegal fraternisation with the enemy, Clare risks losing all she has, and when long held secrets come to light and she must face a devastating choice.
In a world that has changed beyond recognition, can they find a way to build a future together, or will their happiness be destroyed by the burdens of the past?"
Book of the Month
The Temple by Stephen Spender
When I was at university a long time ago, I loved Spender’s poetry, so when I came across this semi-autobiographical novel by chance, I had to read it. What I didn’t realise until I’d finished it, is that when I was at university the book was still banned in the UK.
Set in Weimar Germany just before the rise of the Nazis, it stands alongside the novels of Christopher Isherwood (whose writing inspired the muscial Cabaret) as a fascinating and insightful depiction of a bright but brief period in Germany’s history, just as the storm clouds started to gather. I loved it.
CONTENT WARNING: While not sexually explicit, it is frank in its depictions of homosexual love.
Till next month,
Happy Reading!
Samantha Grosser
https://www.samgrosserbooks.com
