Fifteen.
Yep. From first grade through high school, I went to 15 schools, sometimes for weeks only. I learned to be resilient but I’m still shy.
And I still remember my best ‘friends’.
Books.
I got a library card in every town, big or small, and boy, did I use it. I want to give a shout out to the librarians I met along the way who never failed to give a shy little girl who didn’t know then she was dyslexic the kind words & encouragement she needed to keep reading.
When you’re left-handed, it ain’t easy… transposing words, letters, etc. Lost because you can’t figure out directions (I remember when I got totally lost in the big ole vintage library in Lexington KY). No one talked about it then, but several librarians took time with me, finding books and helping me believe in myself.
Thank you!!
BOOK NEWS!
Sisters of the Resistance will be featured soon on NetGalley on the Boldwood Books page! If you’re a member, check it out and dowload a copy. I’d love to hear your tyoughts about the sequel to Sisters at War about sexual violence against women during wartime!
Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),
It’s also the story of the women of the French Resistance.
LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance
Who are the Beaufort Sisters?
They’re beautiful
They’re smart
They’re dangerous
They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.
BONUS The Orphans of Berlin in French
0 1 Read moreOnce upon another lifetime, I was hired by Universal Studios as a tour guide for French and German tourists. I still have my Universal ID and parking pass…
So when my Boldwood Books ‘The Orphans of Berlin’ was translated into French by City-Editions, well, I couldn’t resist giving it a Parisian try…
I made a bunch of videos in French. Voila! Here are the links to my FACEBOOK page and story to see them.
https://www.facebook.com/stories/10218318286764331/UzpfSVNDOjEyNDQ2ODU2MzY5Njg1Njc=/?view_single=1
https://www.facebook.com/jina.bacarr
Sisters of the Resistance I is off to the proofreader!
Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),
It’s also the story of the women of the French Resistance.
LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance
Who are the Beaufort Sisters?
They’re beautiful
They’re smart
They’re dangerous
They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.
BONUS The Orphans of Berlin in French
0 1 Read moreAh, yes, the notes to Sisters of the Resistance I wrote about last month — I swear I didn’t sleep for a week getting everything in place — fleshing out some scenes, etc, but I did it. And I slept for a week… well, not really, but it felt like it.
And what’s really wild is that I’ve been dreaming the ending over and over again! I was so pleased (and so is my editor) with how the story of the Beaufort Sisters wraps up, I can’t let it go. Much like that trip I remember to Disneyland for Grad Nite (remember those?) where you can’t get off the Teacup Ride. You just keep spinning round and round…
So, what is the next step?
Copy edits.
This is where your copy editor goes through your story and finds all the little things you missed and asks you questions to make sure you’ve got it right. This is especially important in writing historicals. It’s got to be accurate. (e.g. when were Jewish people forced to wear the Yellow Star in Paris? Why were people sent to Drancy Prison? Did the Nazis ever send deportees to Poland by regular train and not cattle car?)
The trick is, to add just enough ‘spice’ to the story without taking away the flavor (remember the running thread in “Meet Me in St. Louis’ where the Smith Family keeps tasting the homemade ketchup aka tomato sauce?). You want to satisfy the reader without adding too much.
Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),
It’s also the story of the women of the French Resistance.
Brave women who never looked back when it came to defending their homes, their children, their men. They suffered, they died… and they survived, too. Eve and Justine Beaufort are two such women.
On a personal note, I am so proud to bring you the story of the Beaufort Sisters — I’m more like Eve, the student, the scientist, adventurous. I always wanted to be like Justine — the glam sophisticate! And what I love most is the strong bond between the two sisters that makes them stronger even when they seem to be on different sides…LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance
Who are the Beaufort Sisters?
They’re beautiful
They’re smart
They’re dangerous
They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.
BONUS The Orphans of Berlin in French coming June 19th!
0 1 Read moreI finished Sisters of the Resistance and I when I got edits back from my editor, her words were golden.
‘Marvelous book… absolutely fantastic…’
And notes.
Questions, queries, suggestions, all those wonderful moments a good editor finds that need just a little bit more work… or maybe more. Notes that make it sparkle and readers cry.
Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),
I owe my fairy godmother better known as my Boldwood Books editor a grande latte with a cherry on the top.
With her guidance and support I finished Sisters of the Resistance (sequel to Sisters At War). I’m working on her notes now.
So back to work… if my hair looks golden in the video, it’s because of the wonderful fairy dust she sprinkled on me!
LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance
Who are the Beaufort Sisters?
They’re beautiful
They’re smart
They’re dangerous
They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.
0 0 Read moreOnce upon a golden summer day in Amsterdam I got caught in a wild storm… drenched and vowing never to get rained on again, this California girl rushed into a shop near the canal and bought a yellow umbrella.
Easy to carry and it fit snugly into a sturdy, plastic case.
I loved that umbrella. I took it with me everywhere. Paris. New York. Rome. Then one day, that umbrella saved my life.
I was living in Pisa, Italy and working at a US Army base as a Recreation Director at the Service Club taking care of the troops. Army and Air Force servicemen and women and civilian personnel.
I made coffee every night in a restaurant-size, aluminum coffee urn with a vivacious Italian lady who’d worked at the club forever. We played records, cooked up snacks (my chocolate chip cookies were a hit), set up game boards, puzzles, took the men on restaurant field trips (Italian food to die for!), played pool with them, and piled them onto a school bus and drove them to Pisa to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in a medieval church.
We always had something going on for the men when they needed a ‘home away from home’.
The rest of our Italian staff consisted of an artist, a photographer, and a housekeeper… I worked in the service club under our American club director along with another American girl who was like a big sister to me.
It was a real growing experience for a girl who had spent her college days living at the beach and surfing. We were una famiglia, a family.
I felt safe. Until one afternoon…
Rain was in the air when I was walking home to my apartment in Pisa after visiting the Italian lady who cleaned my apartment (I gave her husband German lessons since he was going to Switzerland for a job—teaching German while speaking Italian was a real challenge). I had my yellow umbrella with me and I was feeling good about using my proficiency in languages to help the young man find work.
I took my usual route home through the winding cobblestone streets, keeping an eye on the gathering dark clouds overhead. It was riposo, that time of day when shops closed and everybody was having lunch and few people were on the street. (I remember one afternoon when my car battery died and my local mechanic said he’d help me… after he finished his spaghetti and vino. Then he smiled and invited me to join him and his family.)
I was surprised when a tall, young Italian seemed to materialize out of nowhere and fell into step beside me, flirting with me. I smiled, then kept walking. I was in a hurry to get home before it started raining. (I was getting used to the locals flirting when a girl walked down the street with Che bella ragazza! as their battle cry).
And then everything changed in an instant.
How, why… I still don’t know what prompted him, but when we turned a corner, he moved with the swiftness of a predator and pushed me into the alley and came at me from behind. He grabbed me around the neck so tight I couldn’t breathe.
I can only imagine the expression of fear circling in my ears, the sheen of sweat glistening on my face.
I was terrified… I stopped breathing. Why is he doing this?
He kept whispering in my ear, ‘Be still…’ then slowly loosened his grip. I started choking and barely got my breath when he slammed me against a wall and pinned me there… and is that a penknife he’s waving at me? Then I realized what he was about when he unzipped his trousers and—
‘No!’ I cried out and tried to run, but he was too fast and yanked me backward. I thought I was a goner… then he made a mistake. A big mistake when he ripped open my black crepe pants with the sharp blade of his knife.
That did it. I saw red. Those were my favorite black pants.
I got so angry, I lost my fear and jammed my Dutch yellow umbrella into his ribs then bolted out of the alley and ran.
All the way back to my apartment. I never looked back.
Fighting back tears and nausea, I raced into the foyer where I ran into my concierge who was horrified at seeing me… wide eyes, flushed cheeks… and my ripped pants.
Then he pointed to my leg.
‘Signorina, guarda… look!’
I looked down. My thigh was bleeding.
Oh, my God, he cut me.
I wrapped a towel around my leg and sat in my apartment… alone… crying and rocking back and forth like a hurt child… until it got dark. I didn’t know what to do. The bleeding had stopped, but the cut was jagged… dirt, cloth pieces could contaminate the wound.
I finally got up my courage and drove to the Army base after dark. Lucky for me, a medic was the only one on duty and he cleaned the wound (I still have a scar on my left thigh). I pleaded with him not to report the assault. I was certain I’d be blamed and the Army would send me home. So I remained silent.
Until now.
When I was researching my new novel about war crimes in France during World War 2, I realized sexual assault is more common than we think. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), one in four women are victims of ‘completed or attempted rape’.
Upon further scrutiny, I discovered how little about sexual assault during the war had been covered in historical fiction. I decided the time was right to talk about it, that women have been silent too long. How sexual assault affects a victim’s everyday life… the guilt, the shame, the silence.
And Sisters at War was born.
The story of the Beaufort Sisters living in Paris in 1940 when one is attacked by an SS officer and how the assault affects the lives of both sisters.
So, to every woman who was ever afraid to speak up re: sexual assault, remember, we get courage from each other. Tell your stories.
You are not alone.
Jina
0 0 Read more
A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
CJ has returned from war. But she has not left the war behind.
More info →Guess what I did on my vacation…eloped with my boss.
More info →The sands of time are running out . . .
More info →After her ex runs up her credit card, clears her bank account, and gets her fired, Seanna escapes to Seaside, Florida where the men are hot as the Gulf Coast sun…one in particular.
More info →A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
Copyright ©2017 A Slice of Orange. All Rights Reserved. ~PROUDLY POWERED BY WORDPRESS ~ CREATED BY ISHYOBOY.COM