Guest Blogger, Mary Tod-Please visit her blog at www.awriterofhistory.com

Today, I am excited to announce the first guest to my blog, Mary Tod. She has been gracious enough to share with us her fascinating background and experience as a writer and give us a sample of her work. Please not miss her terrific blog as well.

 Mary Tod has written three novels set in the world wars. Her blog, A Writer of History (www.awriterofhistory.com), discusses many aspects of historical fiction and includes interviews with top authors and bloggers of this genre. In 2012, she conducted a comprehensive survey of historical fiction readers and plans to expand the survey in 2013.

A Passion for WWI                                                                     

At the age of seventy-five, my grandmother died on the way to her second wedding.

I often thought this would make an amazing ending for a story and in 2005, living in Hong Kong as an expat with lots of time on my hands, I decided to try to fictionalize her story. She was a wonderful woman, dearly loved by many, and her life had the usual ups and downs of marriage and children. But a novel requires drama, a plot with twists and turns, characters going through change, and conflict. Clearly I would have to embellish.

My first step was research. To create a story about a woman like my grandmother, I would have to understand WWI, the Depression and WWII. Not being a student of history, I felt the need to begin at the beginning. What caused WWI? Who were the players? What did soldiers experience? What happened on the home front?

Happily, the Internet offered reams and reams of information on military and political events as well as maps and photos and stories of individual experiences of war. I found soldiers’ diaries lovingly transcribed by relatives or perfect strangers intent on preserving and honoring long ago sacrifice. I found regiments maintaining information about those who had fought in WWI, the weapons used and uniforms worn, the rations eaten and songs sung. A world of chaos and bungling and death emerged and I was utterly captivated.

“But what about the story?” you ask.

My mother provided raw ingredients by telling me that my grandfather fought at Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 and went on to be part of the Army of Occupation in Germany after WWI ended. She spoke of my great-grandparents and what she knew of my grandparents’ wedding, a few memories of the Depression and more substantial memories of living through WWII. On a visit home one summer, she gave me a box of old photos and newspaper clippings and told me that my older brother had my grandfather’s scrapbooks. Mom also relayed the story of my grandfather’s involvement with Camp X, a place where espionage agents were trained in WWII. My grandfather and espionage – who would have imagined?

Gradually a story emerged. Edward Jamieson brought nightmares back from WWI and left a French lover behind. With a wife named Ann, two young children, and a successful career, the novel opens when Edward receives an invitation to attend the Vimy war memorial dedication in France on July 26, 1936. Like a nest of snakes, his memories stir prompting consequences neither Edward nor Ann could have imagined. The novel spans the years from 1936 to 1944. The tag line for Unravelled is Two wars. Two affairs. One marriage.

Below is a flashback Edward experiences not long after receiving the invitation. To write such a scene, I read many stories about Vimy Ridge and two non-fiction books. I examined maps showing the layout of British and German trenches, objectives set for each battalion, and diagrams of underground tunnels built to bring thousands of troops forward in preparation. I familiarized myself with the duties of men in the Signals Corps, the kind of weapons used in WWI and the sounds and smells of war.

A burst of light in the distance. Edward checked his watch. At five fifteen, a still-hidden sun smudged the black of night. After hours of random machine-gun fire, the Germans were quiet. Through stinging sleet, shapes in no man’s land were barely visible. A cart, lopsided in the mud, the carcass of a horse, a lightweight howitzer damaged beyond repair, remnants of a large wooden barrel. The massive ridge loomed four hundred yards away.

Five twenty-five. He scanned his unit.

“Tell Robertson to keep alert,” he whispered to the soldier on his left.

The reminder was unnecessary but he could not restrain himself. Time ticked away as hordes of men held their collective breath.

At five thirty, the ripple of light was strangely beautiful, spreading like an endless wave in that instant of calm before the fury of one thousand guns erupted. Though Lieutenant Burke had described the battle plan in detail, nothing could have prepared them for such brutal vibration. Shockwaves compressed Edward’s chest, his ears distinguished nothing but pain, his legs braced to remain upright while he fought for breath. Death crooked its finger.

In the distance, flames erupted over German trenches followed by a continuous line of red, white and green SOS signals. Edward’s platoon sprang into action as messages poured in.

Night receded inch by inch, revealing the field of battle. German artillery stuttered, then replied with more conviction, deadly shells flashing against the clouds. Reaching for his earphones, Edward saw a red light mushroom beyond enemy lines, followed by a boom that scattered bits of clay across his makeshift table.

“Christ, that felt close,” Eric Andrews said.

“Ammunition dump?”

“Probably. But theirs, not ours.”

Edward grunted at the friend who had been with him since the beginning, then cocked his head as another message came through. He hunched forward, a gas mask around his neck, rifle propped against a wall of sandbags. His job was to keep information flowing, whatever the cost.

By six a.m., sleet had turned to drizzle while thirty thousand infantry advanced in three waves of attack.

“Snowy,” Edward used Eric’s nickname, “get a runner for this message.”

“Fitz is ready. Just back from the sap.”

“He’ll do.” Edward tore the message from his pad as the telephone rang. “Wait a minute till I see what this is.” He scribbled a few words. “Yes. Yes. Got it.” He held out the second message. “Tell Fitz to take this one too.”

Another member of Edward’s team staggered in covered in mud. “It’s hell out there but we’re advancing on schedule.”

Edward twisted around to look at his linesman. “What about casualties?”

“Hard to say. Germans are getting the worst of it. Their shelling is weak compared to ours.”

“Good news, Arty. I need you to head back out. The line from here to Duffield crater is down. Take Simmons and Tiger with you and get it repaired.” The telephone rang again. Edward turned back to his desk without waiting for a reply.

Hours passed like minutes. Duties swept Edward and his men from forward trenches to command posts stationed up to five miles behind the lines. Twice he was blown off his feet by the concussion of exploding shells. His mind quivered with the unceasing flash and rumble of guns. Falling shrapnel screamed overhead.

As they worked to install new lines and roll out signal cable behind advancing troops, shells roared liked angry beasts and confused men stumbled to find their way. Silent prisoners filed by. Edward heard bagpipes and sudden shouts and the anguished moans of wounded men. All the while, British planes buzzed overhead, swooping low to assess the damage.

Websites and posts you might find interesting:

Browsing my Bookmarks – a few of the websites I’ve found useful from music to military campaigns (http://wp.me/p29Qar-cp)

Excerpts from a WWI Diary – quotes from the diary of Alistair Munroe Mackenzie (http://wp.me/p29Qar-5A )

WWI Fashion – A Time of Change – photos and description of how fashion changed during WWI (http://wp.me/p29Qar-4u)

The Productivity Burden of Historical Fiction – the effort required to research in order to write historical fiction (http://wp.me/p29Qar-2z )

Many thanks to Amanda for inviting me to guest post on her blog. Unravelled will be published in the summer of 2013.

Thank you, Mary and please come back again after Unravelled releases!

The Leatherstocking Tales-James Fenimore Cooper

For years I avoided James Fenimore Cooper, not being interested in Colonial America or frontier adventures. Maybe it was because of all the poorly done Disney serials from the 1950s and 1960s about Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. They always seemed to be geared to boys not girls and presented such a wholesome, patriotic stereotype of the brave frontier scouts and warriors that it was enough to make you wanna gag.
Little did I know that years later, a movie based on one of Cooper's novels would take me by storm and influence the direction of the rest of my life. Michael Mann's film "The Last of the Mohicans" did what well done movies should do, entertain, educate and inspire people to revisit the classics. This is just what happened to me and a multitude of other fans who saw this movie and fell in love with this action packed drama made in the 1990s (Daniel Day Lewis' machismo had a lot to do with it too).
Last of the Mohicans is the second or third book in a series about Nathaniel Bumbo aka Hawkeye and and his adventures on the American frontier. The first book was my favorite, entitled The Deerslayer and is about a young Hawkeye and his relationship with a ship's captain and his daughter who live on a large raft in the middle of Lake Glimerglass in Upstate New York. It is filled with action and some graphic violence and even a bit of romance.

Like every other book written in the early 19th Century, The Leatherstocking Tales are not easy reads and frequently you will see gargantuan differences between the movie screenplays and the books, but if you enjoy the action and adventure of a frontier setting, these are the novels for you. The Leatherstocking Tales are wonderful bits of Americana and fascinating chronicles of life on the Appalachian frontier.

Jane Austen

Jane Austen is "big" right now but I cannot jump on the band wagon in adoration of her books. I think they are difficult and tedious. I LOVE her stories. She is a master at drawing room dialogue and comedy, but I think her work translates better for me onto the silver screen. I am sure many people would say the same of Charles Dickens which I totally "get". He too is difficult to wade through, but I take my time with Dickens and enjoy savoring his lengthy descriptions.

With Jane Austen, I get confused about who is speaking, and the formal writing style of the day overwhelms me. I have not read Pride and Prejudice, in maybe twenty five years, so maybe it is time give it another shot but until then I will stick the wonderfully romantic and witty adaptations by Hollywood.

Life on the Mississippi-Mark Twain

Sometimes a writer becomes so a part of our culture and everyday existance that it is hard to step back and effectively evaluate his or her writing. Samuel Clemens is the quintessential example of this phenomenon. I would not attempt to review Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn because I cannot step back and give an objective opinion. I read these novels so many years ago that all I can say is that I like them.
Life on the Mississippi is another matter. Recently when I was researching my next novel, I decided to read this work. I was able to see with fresh eyes why Twain is considered our finest American author. Although he writes in a folksy Southern voice, as if he is just "one of the boys" working on the riverboat, he is indeed no yokel chronicling his adventures on the great river. This is not really a novel; it is more of a memoir.

Clemens brings to life the stories and the characters from his youth when he was an apprentice pilot on a Mississippi steamboat in the mid 19th Century. Some of the people we meet are seedy, some dangerous but every one of them was humorous. Probably the funniest character of all was Twain himself. He poked fun at himself throughout the book and his mishaps trying to learn the complicated and ever changing navigation of the mighty river.
Life on the Mississippi gives the reader an intimate look at life along the river and how it changes over the years from a great commercial trade route to a river mainly for pleasure boating due to the coming of the rails.
Life on the Mississippi is very different from the adventures of Tom and Huck, but this book gives you great insight into the great American author and humorist, Mark Twain.

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

Portnoy's Compliant is the humorous monologue of  Alex Portnoy, a neurotic and self absorbed Jewish American male living in New York City in the 1960s.

The entire book in a candid and funny confession to a psychiatrist about Alex's Oedipus Complex and sexual obsessions. I found it a quick light read which reminded me of a Woody Allen movie, although I am unsure why it made my Librarian's List of Most Influential Novels of the 20th Century. Perhaps it was because of it was one of the first sexually explicit and honest explorations of masturbation? Yoiks! I didn't hate it, but I would much rather watch Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall.

Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Ann Porter

I love short stories. They are the perfect fix when you cannot devote time to an entire novel. Early on I cut my teeth on the quick reads of O. Henry, but wow, this collection of short stories by Porter was anything but light and fluffy. Each story included in Pale Horse, Pale Rider deals with death and disappointment. As explained in the forward of the book, the title is borrowed from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Noon Wine, but I suggest you read all three and compare them. Her writing is beautiful, rich and thought provoking. With very few words, Porter gives life to her characters and you understand and care about them immediately, a skill difficult to accomplish in a short story. She writes in that early 20th Century style that I love, and if you too enjoy books of that era, do read Pale Horse, Pale Rider.

The Pale Rider representing death. Katherine Anne Porter has included in this collection three gripping tales of people driven to the brink of despair. The characters reactions differ from story to story, ranging from denial, to quiet resignation to suicide. My favorite of the three was Noon Wine.