Author Chat with J'nell Ciesielski about Songbird and the Spy

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time, J'nell! We're all excited to see your second book that released this week, Songbird and the Spy.

What is it about the WWII era that inspired you to write about it?

I’ve always loved the WWII, mainly for the clothes and music. It was the perfect expression for both (in fact I’m listening to some WWII tunes as I type this). The U.S. was heavily involved in this war and its history surrounds us. I was completely drawn to the way citizens pulled together in the name patriotism to overcome horrific circumstances. The idea for Songbird came to me after watching a movie with a British soldier who posed as a Nazi to spy for the Allies. One of his rendezvous happened in this little French bar, and I thought aha! Now that would be interesting. Could a woman fall in love with the enemy and what would that look like? The story would be ripe for drama!

Why will readers love your hero?

Captain Michael Reiner is a man of principle. He’s loyal, courageous, disciplined within an inch of his life, yet incredibly passionate when it’s a cause that speaks to his heart. In this case, Claire. Michael is the man you want when everything goes wrong because he won’t let you down. No matter what, this man persists and will face evil itself to protect those he loves.

Why will readers sympathize with your heroine?

Claire is an ordinary woman from an ordinary family, and of all my heroines I think she’s most like me. She’s not overly daring, but there’s courage when the time calls for it. She may not have all the answers, but she doesn’t give up. At the end of the day, she wants a small home with the man she loves and the two of them can listen to records as the sun sets. What could be better than that?

What did you learn while writing this book that surprised you?

I learned that I could never be a spy. I mean, I wouldn’t make it past the first day because my face gives away absolutely everything. Secretly, I’ve held dreams of doing and being something daring, but in reality, I’d be the worst. The lies would get mixed up, the anxiety would explode under pressure, and I’d sing like a canary.

On a more serious note, the men and women who signed up for spying often didn’t last very long in the field. Spying was incredibly dangerous work and if you made it past a year, you were considered beyond lucky. To this day, many of these brave souls’ files are still under top-secret classification because of the amount of danger they discovered.

Your first book, Among the Poppies, was set during WWI. Songbird and the Spy is set during WWII. Where is your next book taking you?

My favorite place in the whole wide world! Scotland! Night Fox takes readers to 1716 at the end of the Jacobite rebellion, where the weary hero is returning home from war only to discover a thief creating chaos on his lands. But this thief isn’t like any others. When she set out to steal jewels to repay her family debts, never did our heroine imagine snagging the laird’s heart.

This novella will be coming out later this year in a Smitten collection with three other authors, so be on the lookout!

Follow J'nell on her Amazon author page!

A Forgotten Hero of History: Nathan Hale

Growing up, I had a fascination with history. Especially the Revolutionary War and Civil War. I would go to the library and check out stacks of books on the subject and read them all. To me, it was more than dates and casualties. It was stories. (No wonder I ended up writing historical fiction, huh?)

Depiction of Nathan Hale's Hanging
(Public Domain)

One of the gems I found during those precious days when I had few responsibilities to draw me away from a book, was Nathan Hale. Oh, what a hero! What an interesting person! What a tragic story! And yet, most of the time when I mention his name, I get a blank look. PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS!  And that horrifies me. My favorite person of the Revolutionary War, and they don't even know he existed.

Today, I remedy that for you. AND I am throwing in an extra GIVEAWAY today as well. If you DO know who Nathan Hale is, you get EXTRA points in the drawing for a paperback copy of my Revolutionary War book, Dawn of Liberty.
If you DON'T know who Nathan Hale is, that's okay too. You can still enter the drawing. ;)

Okay, on to the story of this amazing hero.

Nathan Hale was born June 6, 1755 in Coventry, Connecticut. At the age of fourteen, Nathan went with his brother to Yale College. After graduation, he became a teacher. When the Revolutionary War erupted in 1775, he joined the Connecticut militia. According to a letter from Nathan's classmate, Benjamin Tallmadge, and the fact that Nathan stayed behind when his regiment went to engage in the Siege of Boston, it would appear that Nathan had some sort of hesitation. It is uncertain if this was in regards to his contract that bound him to his teaching position, or as to whether fighting in a war was the moral and Christ-honoring thing to do. I'm not sure if Nathan asked his friend for advice, or if his friend gave it anyway, but the letter was frank and strong.

"Was I in your condition, I think the more extensive service would be my choice. Our holy Religion, the honor of our God, a glorious country, & a happy constitution is what we have to defend."

Only a few days after receiving his friend's letter, he threw his heart into the cause and accepted the position of first lieutenant in the 7th Connecticut. Hale had just turned 20 years old.

A little over a year later, General George Washington needed volunteers for a behind-enemy-lines mission in New York City. It was a spying mission that would be punishable by immediate death if caught.

While Hale was on this mission, General Washington was forced to draw back and leave the city in the hands of the British. The Great New York Fire of 1776 ensued. After this event, the British began rounding up any patriots they could find. There are contradictory accounts of how Nathan Hale was discovered. One account asserts that Nathan was betrayed by his own cousin, Samuel Hale, who was a loyalist. Another account claims he was recognized despite his disguise and tricked into betraying himself by a British officer posing as a patriot. Either way, Hale was caught. Evidence was found on him, and he was sentenced to hanging.

Nathan Hale Postage Stamp

He spent the night before his death in a greenhouse. He requested a Bible, but the British denied him. Later he asked to see a parson, but this request was also denied.

Accounts of Hale's last words also differ, but it must have been epic, because so many took note of it. His words were something to the effect of "My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country."

One thing that doesn't differ in the accounts of Hale's death, is that he remained composed and resolute in his fate. At the age of only 21 years old, Nathan Hale laid down his one life for his country.

He has been honored as a hero ever since. He was named the State Hero of Connecticut, honored on a postage stamp, and had a memorial at Yale college and statues dedicated to him. It grieves me that his memory, heroism and patriotism are today being forgotten by most people.

Have you heard of Nathan Hale before? If so, where?

*****

Amber Schamel is the author of the CSPA Book of the Year Award winning short story collection, Dawn of Liberty. She writes stories that bring HIStory to Life from her home near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit her at www.AmberSchamel.com and get a free story subscribing to her newsletter.

Leave a comment for your chance to win a paperback copy of Dawn of Liberty!

Sisterhood of Spies

Virginia Hall receiving her Distinguished Service Cross

I love the research phase of writing – I unearth some of the most interesting information! I'm currently researching my next story – tentatively entitled Under Cover. It's the third in my series about war correspondent Ruth Brown who is stationed in London during World War II. In this story she will be recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, to take part in one of their operations. I stumbled on the idea after reading Elizabeth McIntosh's book Sisterhood of Spies. Ms. McIntosh served with the OSS in Hawaii, Burma and China during WWII.

Part of what I enjoy learning about the past is studying about women in the workforce and how they dealt with the limitations that were forced on them. You may have heard the expression that women were considered the “fairer sex.” Does that sound chivalrous to you? There might have been that aspect to it, but the overriding philosophy was that women were not capable of doing what men were doing – physically, emotionally or mentally. Time after time, the women of the OSS proved this theory wrong - working in cartography and cryptography, organizing resistance groups, initiating rumors, forging documents, and infiltrating enemy lines.

One of the most famous of all OSS women spies is Virginia Hall. Born in Baltimore, Maryland (my home town!) she joined the British Special Operations Executive in 1941 then transferred to OSS in 1944. According to Ms. McIntosh's book, Hall entered Vichy France twice to organize, train and supply French resistance fronts while simultaneously operating an “underground railroad” to assist the escape of downed Allied pilots to neutral or friendly countries. She also maintained radio communications between London OSS headquarters and resistance forces in the Haute-Loire district.

The Gestapo listed Hall on their “most wanted” list as follows: “The woman who limps is one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France. We must find and destroy her.” Why did she limp? Due to an accident, her left leg had been amputated below the knee. She wore a wooden prosthetic that she nicknamed Cuthbert. Which of us would have such pluck and bravery?