Of Another Time and Place by Brad Schaeffer

I got to talk about one of my favorite genres on Episode 129 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast: WWII Historical Fiction. I spoke with Brad Schaeffer about his book Of Another Time and Place.

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She wondered if he was the man she was searching for. How many men after all could have that name, and be both a retired musician and a former Luftwaffe ace? She had so many unanswered questions. How would he explain the violence, the many deaths by his own hand? How had he survived when so many of his comrades perished under the guns of the Allied air armadas? And most important, had this man somehow found redemption? Or was he just another grizzled old Nazi living out his last days in undeserved anonymity, still unrepentant for the horrors his people inflicted upon the world, and her people in particular.

Rachael Azerod, a New York reporter, flies to London to interview Harmon Becker, the former German WW II hero whom Hitler himself awarded the highest honors—but she has her own reasons for meeting. Was he just a soldier? Or did he do something so astounding that not even he was willing to remember it…until now.

Of Another Time and Place is a novel about love, redemption, and two young lovers separated by war and desperate to survive the unparalleled violence consuming their war-torn nation. It is the story of a country gone astray, mesmerized by their mad Fuehrer, and the artist-turned-warrior and his courageous bride who vow to break his spell and make a difference, even it if means dangling at end of a Nazi rope. (Source)

This story is told from two different time periods. As Rachel interviews Harmon in the modern area he tells her the story of his experience. I liked that the relationship between Rachel and Harmon evolved as the WWII story unfolded. I also really liked how Amelia, Harmon's girlfriend and eventual wife, while a secondary character in many ways, is really the driving force behind much of what happens in the story in terms of Harmon's choices and decisions. She was my favorite character. Most of the WWII novels I've read have been from the perspective of the allies, and while this isn't the first or only story told from a German perspective, I really appreciated how Brad showed a realistic picture of a German citizen during this time. Harmon is a product of his environment, not completely brain-washed by Nazi propaganda, but not completely against the Nazis as a political party, either. It's not black or white and Harmon is a human character who has to examine his life, his choices, and what is happening to his beloved country. This is a well-written, multi-faceted, and enjoyable historical fiction book. 

If you want to know more about Brad and this book you can go to the following places:

• Facebook: Brad Schaeffer Author Page
• Amazon Author Page: Brad Schaeffer

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Brad Schaeffer is an historian, author, musician, and trader. His eclectic body of writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, and a variety of well-read blogs and news outlets. Of Another Time and Place is his first novel. He lives in New Jersey with his family. (Source)

Sunday Rewind: The Michael Airlie Mystery Series by Mitchell F. Jones

On Episode 24 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I got to interview a friend! Mitchell F. Jones is the author of the Michael Airlie mystery series. He is also a friend and colleague from my time in Missoula, MT. Mitch has always been a writer and has written both fiction and nonfiction. He is also a scholar who loves to learn and challenge himself, speaks fluent Japanese, grew up partly in Scotland, partly in Pennsylvania, and has an international, multi-lingual family. There are currently 2 books in this series:

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This wasn't right. Mike had started teaching to get away from seeing dead bodies. Now there he was, staring at the corpse of a colleague slumped at his desk. All the signs point to Gil, a nervous undergrad with a bone to pick with the late Dr. Clerkwell, but something doesn't add up. When a stack of blank diplomas goes missing, Mike realizes there's much more going on at his quiet rural university than he could ever have imagined. Pushed from his peaceful sanctuary, he's forced to call on the military training that he had hoped was all behind him.

Full of twists and turns, Murder in Old Main is a thrilling whodunit full of pride, greed, and lust for money that will keep you wondering if anyone can really be trusted...(Source)

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At 10 AM, Tom Coleman saw a man he knew was dead. By 10 PM, he was dead and the man walked free.

When Mike Airlie, former colonel in the army and Vietnam vet, arrived at the dorm, Tom’s body was hanging cold from the rafters. He wouldn’t be the first or last soldier to take his own life after the horrors of ‘Nam, but something didn’t add up. As Mike picks apart the clues, he realizes that the death is not at all as it seems. To complicate matters, he also has to fight a pervasive stigma against suicide in the veteran community. Racing against the clock before the killer strikes again, he draws on all of his law enforcement connections, but the deeper he digs, the more dangerous it becomes.

Dead Men Can’t Murder is the gripping second story in the life of Mike Airlie and the sequel to Murder in Old Main. (Source)

Mitch learned to read early in life and was reading Hardy Boys mysteries at a young age. He has always known that he wanted to write mysteries, and now that he is retired he is fulfilling that dream. This was the second time since starting the podcast that I got to interview a friend, and I really love it. I love speaking with all of the authors I interview, for the record, but being able to see friends who are living out their dreams is truly wonderful. 

Genres:

• Mystery
• Suspense and Thriller
• Historical Fiction

What I enjoyed:

• The books are historical fiction, but they aren't set that far in the past (1980s) so it was really fun to see the differences and the similarities to now. I also enjoyed remembering certain technology or situations from my childhood.
• There's a character named Sara! She's not actually named or patterned after me (otherwise there would be an h on her name) as Mitch created the series before we met, but there are a few similarities, so I like to pretend I'm sort of in a book. :-) I do also think there are some interesting story lines involving Sara and the other secondary characters that we will learn more of as the series goes on.
• Mike himself is a really interesting character who has a lot in his past that he is still working through. He doesn't want to investigate murders, but those investigations actually help him resolve or come to terms with some of his issues.

Quotes:

• "Shock swept over Mike, his muscles in his neck and back knotted. He was unprepared to experience the raw spectacle of death again. Yet here it was, an elderly retired professor, butchered in his office." -Murder in Old Main
• "He looked at their photos and could hear his father's soft west coast Scottish accent speaking. 'Michael, me boy, concentrate on the now and the past will come into focus.; It was advice he habitually heard in his head." -Dead Men Can't Murder

Where you can find Mitch online:
Facebook: @mitchellfjonesauthor
Amazon Author Page: Mitchell F. Jones

Author Bio:

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I was born in Scotland and came to the US in the late 1940s. Both my parents were born in Scotland but my mother had come to the US in the late 1920s and became a US citizen so when I was born in Paisley Scotland she registered me as a child of a US citizen, therefore I have dual citizenship, US and UK. My wife and daughters and I lived in Japan for several years and my wife and two daughter as well as myself all speak Japanese. We are a multilingual as well as multicultural family. One daughter's husband is Swiss and speaks four languages the other daughter's husband lived in Puerto Rico during high school and speaks Spanish also studied Japanese. Our grandchildren are all bi-lingual or learning to be. French is the other main language in the family. Because I was sick and bedridden as a small child I learned to read by age 4 and was reading 'Hardy Boy' mysteries very early. I learned to love mystery stories and read all of the Sherlock Homes stories by third grade. I love to read Dorothy Sayer, Agatha Christie, and many more classic mystery authors. A good mystery is the best place to read about everyday life in the era it was written. To be convincing the world the book is set in must seem real. (Source)

To hear the interview with Mitch please click here.

The Debutante Queen by Angela Breidenbach

I was so excited for the interview on today's GSMC Book Review Podcast because that interview is with a good friend of mine, Angela Breidenbach.  Ang and I know each from my time in Missoula, MT many years ago.  We both attended Atonement Lutheran Church (which is, coincidentally, where I also know Mitchell F. Jones from as well...talented place!) and I got to know her and her family.  She is one of the kindest and most positive people I know, so it was wonderful to chat with her again and to have her on the podcast.  You can tell we know each other, though, as we might have gotten a tiny bit chatty during the interview, and that doesn't count the 45 minutes we spent before the interview getting caught up!

Moving on to Angela's books. We spoke about her Montana Beginnings series, specifically the first book, The Debutante Queen.  

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Calista Blythe enters the first Miss Snowflake Pageant celebrating Montana statehood to expose the plight of street urchins left behind by the Orphan Trains. But hiding an indentured orphan could unravel Calista’s reputation, and her budding romance with pageant organizer, Albert Shanahan, if her secret is revealed. Will love or law prevail? (Source)

The book takes place in 1889, the year Montana became a state, so for me especially it was fun to read because I got to learn a few things about my home state that I hadn't known before. For instance, the orphan trains are something that I am familiar with and have read several books on, but for some reason it never really thought about the fact that they would have gone through Montana as well.  It was fun to read a story set in a place I am familiar with and then to learn something new about that setting.

It was purely coincidence that our interview was the week before Christmas and that the book takes place around Christmas.  It is a very sweet story, but still highlights the plight of orphaned children.  In addition to being historical fiction it is also Christian fiction, and the faith of the characters plays a role in how those characters make decisions and live their lives.

The Debutante Queen is the first in the Montana Beginnings series, and there are currently 5 books in that series with more to come.  Angela also writes non-fiction, which you can find out more about in the interview and on her website.

Genres:

• Historical Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance

What I enjoyed:

• The Montana setting.  Obviously it holds a special place for me, but it's also a great setting for Historical Fiction.
• The relationship between Calista and Lea, the indentured orphan whom Calista rescues and befriends.
• The sweetness of the story.

Who should read The Montana Beginnings Series?

• Fans of Historical Fiction (especially in Montana!)
• Fans of Christian Fiction
• Fans of Romance
• Fans of all of the above that also come in a series.

Quotes:

• "Celebrate your personal success of facing a fear and overcoming it.  That's a much bigger success." -Calista's mother
• "For a person who never wanted to speak in public, Calista delivered the longest speech in her entire life - and lived."

Where you can find Angela online:
Website: http://angelabreidenbach.com/
Blog: http://angelabreidenbach.com/category/a-muse-ings/
Facebook: @angbreidenbach
Twitter: @angbreidenbach
Instagram: @angbreidenbach
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AngBreidenbach/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AngelaBreidenbach

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Breidenbach/e/B00460W4F4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1513978292&sr=8-1

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Author Bio:

Angela Breidenbach is a bestselling Montana author and the host of Lit Up! with Angela Breidenbach, Grace Under Pressure Radio, and Historically Speaking (Along Came a Writer Network on Blogtalk Radio). Angela serves nationally as the Christian Author Network’s (CAN) president. With a volume of appearances online, television, stage, and radio Angela loves to share her knowledge to help others. She’s spoken and trained nationally for organizations and groups such as the Christian Booksellers Association, UNITE, the Christian Authors Network, and a myriad of writing conferences including Mount Hermon, RWA, ACFW, the Munce Group, Colorado Christian Writing Conference, Philadelphia Christian Writing Conference, etc. on platform, marketing, online marketing, social media, creating book club/special events using Google Hangouts, Youtube, Skype, Facebook, as well as the craft of writing, family history as inspiration, and speaking for women’s events on becoming a woman of confidence, courage, and candor. Angela Breidenbach is often asked to speak on her experience as a professional book judge of nearly 1,000 books to help authors understand contests and judging expectations. She has one foot in researching history and genealogy and the other as a 21st Century techie enthusiast. Her passion is researching family genealogy and writing those love stories into novels and now screenplays. (Source)

For the interview with Angela please click here.