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My WW2 Christmas Novella ‘A Soldier’s Italian Christmas’ was inspired by a special Christmas Eve in Italy and me getting kicked out of the convent by Jina Bacarr

December 11, 2025 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , ,

‘I regret to inform you, but your daughter is no longer enrolled here,’ the Mother Superior announced to my parents on a cold, winter day in Bethlehem, PA. I was thirteen.

I hung my head, sad for my parents, but still not understanding what the hullabaloo was all about. It wasn’t like I was a longtime student at the convent school. I’d only been there a short time. Very short.

When my poor father asked why I wasn’t staying, the stern nun said in a crisp, clear voice: ‘She reads comics.’

Really?

True, the Sisters of Mercy catered to young girls thinking about joining the Order and with my sassy poetry writing and short skirts I was borderline — below borderline — but comics stashed under my hard pillow with my missal and rosary beads was the last straw for the pious woman. She knew I wasn’t nun material. I wanted to travel, meet cute guys, dance, eat chocolates at Ladurée in Paris…

And so I did. I had wild adventures up and down the Continent and spent Christmas with the troops in Italy. Yes, that’s me in the photo reading comics — I was with US Army Special Services on a trip with soldiers and their families to Abetone in the Italian Alps for a skiing trip. I found an Uncle Scrooge comic book in Italian and devoured it. I often read comics in different languages to learn the vernacular, slang, everyday expressions.

Not the catechism required at the convent.

But the good Sisters taught me about humility, giving, discipline. Traits that kept me out of trouble and helped me become a writer. So even though I wasn’t a good ‘fit’ to take the veil, I will always be grateful to the Sisters behind the revolving door of parochial and convent schools I attended. Sometimes the nuns uttered a sigh of relief when I left, others hugged me and cried over me leaving. They ‘got’ me with one nun giving me time during study hall to write my ‘Paris mystery novel’ when I was fourteen.

I often wondered if I should have entered a life of religious service since I have a strong need for detail and strict discipline to finish what I started, along with my fanatical dive into deep research mode for my stories, and my love of teaching children. Qualities needed to take that path and I just didn’t see it. That question prompted me to write a WW2 Christmas novella about a young woman who hides from the Nazis by becoming ‘Sister Angelina’ in charge of a motely group of orphan boys… then she meets Captain Mack O’Casey, an American Army captain who tests her faith…

Add to it a Christmas Eve memory at the service club where I worked in Livorno, Italy (we hosted a Christmas party for orphan boys and the nuns and how the EMs Enlisted Men helped me locate a lost little orphan named Daniele), and you have ‘A Soldier’s Italian Christmas’.

I hope you enjoy my video posted below near the end of this post! Merry Christmas!!

Jina xx

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My time travel back to WW2:

HER LOST LOVE:

Enjoy a trip back to Posey Creek, PA during WW 2 on the home front as Kate Arden prepares for the holidays… until her world comes crashing down when her fiancé ships overseas in ‘Her Lost Love’.

Available at e-tailers everywhere… print and audio book, too.

Find out more in HER LOST LOVE E-book links:

US Amazon https://amzn.to/2pcz2eN

UK Amazon https://amzn.to/31rF4pZ

Follow me on BookBub for new releases and promo deals!

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Time travel back to Christmas 1943 on the home front with my holiday Women’s Fiction novel HER LOST LOVE

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On a cold December day in 1955, Kate Arden got on a train to go home for Christmas. This is the story of what happened when she got off that train. In 1943. In 1943 Kate Arden was engaged to the man she loved, Jeffrey Rushbrooke. She was devastated and heartbroken when he was called up for wartime duty and later killed on a secret mission in France.

But what if Kate could change that? What if she could warn him and save his life before Christmas? Or will fate have a bigger surprise in store for her?

Her Lost Love is a sweeping, heartbreakingly romantic novel – it’s one woman’s chance to follow a different path and mend her broken heart…

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HER LOST LOVE

Thank you for stopping by! If you like WW 2 romance, check out my holiday novella that takes place in Italy on the road to Rome on Christmas Eve during the cold winter of 1943: A Soldier’s Italian Christmas.

December 1943 Italy

He is a US Army captain, a battle-weary soldier who has lost his faith.

She is a nun, her life dedicated to God.

Together they are going to commit an act the civilized world will not tolerate.

They are about to fall in love.

Winner in the Novella Category in the I Heart Indie contest A Soldier’s Italian Christmas is available on Kindle ~Jina

Also, my Civil War medical drama: LOVE ME FOREVER is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited  Liberty Jordan travels back to 1862 as an re-enactor– I love the Christmas scene with Liberty tending to the wounded from both the North and the South…

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Featured Image -- 2069

If you love Civil War romance and time travel and TWO hunky military heroes, check out my Kindle Scout winner: LOVE ME FOREVER  

She wore gray.

He wore blue.

But their love defied the boundaries of war. And time.

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On the Home Front and Overseas during World War 2 for this Veterans Day by Jina Bacarr

November 11, 2019 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , ,

Happy Veterans Day!

I can’t wait to see the new PBS series ‘The World on Fire‘ about different people’s lives during World War 2 — the series begins in 1939 and ends in 1940. We can never forget those times. Especially at the beginning of the Holiday Season. So on this Veterans Day, I want to highlight what December 1943 was like for two veterans. Whether they were on the home front getting ready to report for dangerous duty overseas and saying goodbye to their girl at the train station… Or caught up in a fierce winter storm in Italy fighting to advance the Allies to Rome… ————- Posey Creek, Pennsylvania December 1943 In CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN we meet Kate Arden saying goodbye to her fiancé at the train station…he’s off to join the Army Air Force. Months later, he’s killed in action…or was he? Years later she has the chance to travel back in time and warn him about a mission gone wrong… ‘All she wants for Christmas is to save the man she loves…’ Amazon Buy Links (also available at e-tailers everywhere!) US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V1QT9Z6 UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V1QT9Z6 ————- Italy December 1943 Two days before Christmas, Captain Mack O’Casey gets separated from his unit during battle. He makes a wrong turn and finds himself in a small bombed-out village called Monte D’Oro Rose. It appears to be deserted. It isn’t. A beautiful young woman is watching his every move… Who is she? Excerpt from Chapter 1 ‘A Soldier’s Italian Christmas’ He is a U.S Army captain, a battle-weary soldier who has lost his faith. She is a nun, her life dedicated to God. Together they are going to commit an act the civilized world will not tolerate. They are about to fall in love. ————- Amazon Buy Link: A Soldier’s Italian Christmas http://amzn.to/1bcVMwG Holiday Novella for 99 cents! ————- Bonus: Audio Book Sample CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN narrated by Laurel Lefkow Amazon Audio Book Buy Link: US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YL6KG3W  UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YL4Z593
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Goodbye Kindle Worlds . . . or why I need a hug by Jina Bacarr

July 11, 2018 by in category Jina’s Book Chat tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Even the biggest bag of Godiva chocolates from my favorite warehouse club store doesn’t last forever . . .

Such a fate has also befallen Kindle Worlds.

As of July 16th, all Kindle Worlds books will no longer be available on Amazon Kindle.

It’s a sad time for those of us who fell in love with the worlds created by some great authors.

I wrote six Kindle Worlds books — five for “The Royals of Monterra” and one for “Vampire Girl.”

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On July 1st, I checked my KW books and they had already been taken down — or so I thought.

Then I discovered they were back up!! I have no idea why this happened, but I’m certain that by July 16th, the Kindle Worlds program will be closed across the board.

The authors get their rights back — but in order to republish them, we have to remove the “world” from our stories. Not always easy . . .

I’m not sure when I’ll do this — I’ve started another story in the same line as my Italian prince billionaire submission for a publisher. It will take a while to re-do six books, so as a tribute to the worlds I participated in, I decided to post the videos for five of my books and a graphic for the sixth.

Here they are.

Thank you, KW, for the opportunity to participate in this program! And yes, I could use a hug. It’s always sad to see your characters ride off into the digital sunset . . . but they’ll be back!!

Jina

PS — I’m excited to be a Featured Author this month!! Check out my other books, too, especially in you love Civil War time travel romance and my WW 2 time travel romance3.

The Royals of Monterra series:

Twisted Tiaras: Princesses with a Past

Book 1: Royal Dare http://bit.ly/1sAkoKJ

It ain’t easy getting clean . . . even for a princess.

Book 2: Royal Bride https://amzn.com/B01N3U44OH

Can a sexy prince give a girl a second chance at love?

Book 3: Royal Kiss http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY91GBM

Even a goody two shoes princess can get lost down the rabbit hole.

Book 4: Royal Noel http://a.co/65GYfHH

A pretty con artist risks everything when she falls for a handsome duke

Fairy Tales & Magic:

Royal Magic https://amzn.com/B01I21TIF6

The magic is in his kiss . . . a Philly girl falls in love with a royal magician.

Vampire Girl series:

Princess Moonglow http://a.co/7MGyUqz

Can a girl with a weird superpower find happiness with a hottie vampire?

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Royal Magic and The Road to Monterra: Part 2 by Jina Bacarr

July 11, 2016 by in category Jina’s Book Chat tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is magic what we see or what we think we see?

 Find out in ROYAL MAGIC, my next The Royals of Monterra Kindle Worlds story.

 I had a time of it getting all the magic tricks down, making sure I walked the characters through the steps without giving it away to the reader. The real magic was creating a girl from South Philly with an ache in her heart to make something right in her family that caused so much pain years ago…and not give the surprise away! 

I loved creating this world within Sariah Wilson’s world — I was inspired by what was magic to me when I attended La Biennale...here’s what happened:

I love it when art imitates life. When something so unexpected happens to you that you know someday it will become a story. The inspiration for Royal Magic, showed up in an email from the cultural arts committee in Venice, Italy.
Italy! Carnevale, gondolas, and pizza. 
And to think I almost deleted it. What fools we authors be. They were asking me to speak and then perform at La Biennale, a celebration of art, music, dance, film, and architecture begun in 1895.  
I had written a nonfiction book and a novel about Japanese culture and they wanted me to be on the panel with a performance artist and dancers from Japan.
Before I could say, Mama mia, I was on my way to Venice. The festival committee treated me like a princess, arranging my airfare on Air France and setting up my accommodations in a century-old hotel near Piazza San Marco with all the trappings of a grand palazzo. They even assigned me a bodyguard to make sure I got to my hotel okay. 
I’ll never forget wandering the cobblestone streets of Venice, checking out the gondolas, the exquisite shops, and so many bookstores I lost count! It soothed my romantic soul, while the people of Venice warmed my heart.
And I had the best pizza ever.
My trip to La Biennale inspired me to create my own festival in Monterra. Magic, music, and Monterran cuisine seemed a natural fit for a kingdom located so close to Italy. And so my series within The Royals of Monterra Kindle Worlds, “Fairy Tales & Magic,” was born.
In the first book, Royal Magic, you’ll meet Afton, who performs on the aerial silks, and her sister Emma. Sparks fly when Afton meets a handsome magician who isn’t what he seems. We also meet four other American girls who come to Monterra to perform at the festival . . . each hoping to find her prince and live her own fairy tale!
I hope you enjoy Royal Magic. Ciao!
Jina

Royal Magic is available on Amazon Kindle

PS — here’s a video I made about my trip to La Biennale in Venice, Italy!


Royal Magic inspired by La Biennale, Venice, Italy from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

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Blog: www.jinabacarr.wordpress.com
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A Soldier’s Italian Christmas Video Debut by Jina Bacarr

December 11, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,
UPDATED: A full 11:32 minute excerpt from Chapter ONE of A Soldier’s Italian Christmas!


A Soldier’s Italian Christmas: Excerpt from Chapter One from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

A web debut: I just finished this video trailer for my holiday novella. I’m debuting it here!!

“A Soldier’s Italian Christmas”

O’Casey Brothers in Arms 1

December 1943
Italy

 

He is a U.S Army captain, a battle-weary soldier who has lost his faith.
She is a nun, her life dedicated to God.        
Together they are going to commit an act the civilized world will not tolerate.
They are about to fall in love.    


A Soldier’s Italian Christmas from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

 

Making videos is a labor of love…choosing the photos, the music, editing, cutting, transitions, effects. This one is filled with visuals that I believe bring the story to life in a different way. Giving you a sense of place but it’s the emotion that tells the story…
 
Words or video. You gotta feel it.
 
Writers write to tell a story. At Christmas, that story can make you laugh, sigh, or wish you had that hunky Santa coming down your chimney.
 
My holiday novella takes on a different tone. It’s a sweet romance filled with the spirit of Christmas in a time when soldiers paused to remember the night of the birth of the Christ Child in a time when they wondered if they’d be home for the next Christmas…
 
Captain Mack O’Casey is one such soldier. You’ll meet him in my video and in this excerpt. He first met Sister Angelina dressed in men’s clothes when she was on a mission to steal food from the Nazis. This is the first time he sees her in a nun’s habit:
 
He never spoke about it, how sometimes he didn’t want to keep going. Keep killing. And then they stumbled into this place, giving him the chance to renew his spirit, get back the faith in God he’d lost. He felt whole again, believing there was still good left in the world. That knocked the hell out of him. He’d even whistled a tune this morning he heard in the canteen back in the States about carousels and wishing wells.
Damn, it wasn’t right for a man to feel these things in the middle of a war. It tore at his gut. Men were getting killed or wounded, groveling through mud and booby traps for every foot closer to victory. And him thinking about home and apple blossoms and the smell of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Rich tomatoes and oregano sifting up to his nose until he couldn’t stand it any longer. His younger brothers fighting over who got the first taste from the smooth wooden spoon.
Mack ached to go home, to sit by the fire and warm his cold feet and have a beer, but that wouldn’t happen until this war was won. Hell, since coming here, he felt like he could win it single-handed. Thanks to Sister Angelina. He felt a bond between them that could only happen in wartime. He wanted to tell how he felt, but when he awoke this morning, Sister Benedetto told him she’d gone to the chapel to pray. He couldn’t leave without seeing her again.
The rustle of heavy skirts alerted him to her presence as a gentle waft of roses tickled his nose. Yellow roses. He sucked in the clean, fresh smell deep into his lungs, praying it would kill the smell of death he’d lived with for so long. A wild anticipation made him sweat and set off feelings he had no business admitting to in a place of worship.
For her.
He uttered a prayer of contrition. He needed forgiveness for what he was thinking. His mind and body scarred and wracked with pain, all that changed when he first saw Sister Angelina that night. Daring, beautiful. An angel with invisible wings. Her presence filled him. Mack felt a stirring in his groin. He prayed he’d be strong enough to resist temptation.
“I assure you, Captain,” he heard her say behind him. His chest expanded, his lips curved at hearing her voice. “There are no Nazis here.”
“Have you checked the rat holes?” he said, turning around. A wild, blinding light hit him in the eyes. My God, who was this saintly creature? He didn’t expect her to, well, look like a nun.
She wore the black habit of her order with the long veil trailing down to her knees, wide white collar, full black sleeves, and skirt down to the floor. A stern white band hugged her forehead, bringing out the beauty of her dark upswept eyes. A rigid tightness locked every bone in his body. The sight of her holy state hit him hard, as if someone had dumped him into a cold river.
He must look like a fool standing here, staring at her.
“They wouldn’t dare enter the house of our Lord without His permission,” she responded in a serious tone. If she noticed his surprise, she gave no indication. “That includes the four-legged ones.”
He grinned. A nun with a sense of humor. He liked that.
Rain pounded on the roof giving him a moment to collect his thoughts. Deal with the insanity that had overtaken him. And, in spite of himself, smile. “You’re right, Sister. No man can compete with the will of God. You taught me that.”
His words made her take a step backward, grab onto the pew. She understood and nodded, though slowly. His heart broke when he saw an amber light in her eyes flicker wildly. Then, as if by sheer determination, the light dimmed.
“You’re a strong man, Captain,” she said, “even if you profess to be a pagan.”
Her words surprised him. Was that what she thought of him? Had he grown so hard that no humanity was left in him?
“You’re the one who is strong, Sister Angelina. This pagan is made of flesh and bone,” he said, keeping his voice calm. “I don’t have your courage.”
He swore her hands trembled before she hid them in the deep pockets of her habit. But it was her face that held his attention. Clean and untouched, her cheeks flamed. She bowed her head, her long eyelashes fluttering. “I have little choice. I must obey His will.”
“Is that the only reason you hid the sergeant and me in the orphanage?” He had to know the answer. Then he could hide his feelings away in the shadows of war and not feel the pain of wanting her.
“No,” she said softly. “My vows prohibit me from saying more.” She stared at him, daring him to cross the line they both knew couldn’t be crossed.
Telling him what he wanted to know, but that nothing could come of it.
 
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A Soldier’s Italian Christmas (O’Casey Brothers in Arms 1) is the story of a soldier and a nun who discover forbidden love in war torn Italy during the winter of 1943.

It is a sweet romance 35,000+ word novella and is now available as an e-book on Amazon…

Happy Holidays!!
Jina


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If your Christmas reading is on the spicier side (as in erotic), check out A Naughty Christmas Carol about a modern day Scrooge named Nick Radnor. A New York Wall Street hottie who has it all…except the woman he loves.


Can three sexy female ghosts save his soul on this naughty Christmas Eve?

Find out in A Naughty Christmas Carol.
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Cover Design for A Soldier’s Italian Christmas and A Naughty Christmas Carol by Ramona Lockwood
www.coversbyramona.blogspot.com
http://www.romancenovelcovers.com/
 
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