Wednesday, April 7, 2021

What we are Writing: Rhys returns to war.

 RHYS BOWEN: I was planning to give you a teaser from The Venice Sketchbook that will be published next Tuesday. But Hallie is going to be interviewing me next week about the book, so I decided to be quite literal for once. I'm going to give you a snippet of what I was writing today. Not even polished. Just as I have put it down a few minutes ago.

I'm writing another book set in World War 2, but this one quite different. A Cockney woman, uneducated, trapped in a bad marriage to a sadistic bully, but given her first taste of freedom when her husband is drafted into the army and then sent out to North Africa. She has a lucky escape when her house is bombed and she is buried alive in the rubble. She is wounded and evacuated out to the country--a beautiful big house that is right beside an RAF bomber command base. Every night those big planes head for Germany and so many don't return.

Josie realizes what those men need is a taste of home and starts a little tea shop in the unused drawing room of the big house. She comes to love her new life--the setting, her job, the people--one particular person.

All this comes to an abrupt end when a telegram informs her her husband has been shipped home, gravely wounded. Stan has lost his leg and will need taking care of. She is back in London with a life stretching ahead with no hope.  


Then comes this scene:


Downstairs she could hear Shirley and Fred laughing as they tried to get Stan into his overcoat, give him his crutches and then help him out of the front door. When they had gone Josie let herself finally cry. She was just wiping her eyes when she heard the air-raid warning siren echoing out. How were they going to get Stan into a shelter, she wondered. He’d never get down steps into the underground. Bloody fools. They should have thought of that first.

                Her thoughts turned to her own safety. Shirley and Fred had that little air-raid dug-out shelter but she remembered her panic last time they tried to get her into it.  The air-raid warning grew louder. So did the drone of approaching planes. Josie made up her mind. She opened the front door and walked out into the street. People were streaming past her, clutching valuables, carrying babies, dragging along crying children. The street emptied out and she stood alone as the distant drone of planes became louder, now punctuated by the anti-aircraft fire. A distant thud then another as bombs were dropped. The first planes were caught in searchlights—big black crosses in the dark sky. A sky that seemed full of them.

                “Here I am!” Josie yelled. “Come and get me! Take me now! I’ve nothing to live for. I don’t want to live another moment.”

                The first wave of planes passed over.

                Josie stretched up her arms to the sky as the second wave approached. A loud boom sounded at the docks followed by the red glow of fire.

                “Look at me, you silly sods,” Josie screamed. “Look at me. Don’t you think a bomb is worth wasting on me? Finish me off now.” She danced around in frustration.  Then there was a whooshing sound, a deafening explosion, a sheet of flame. Josie felt the intensity of the blast. The air was sucked from her lungs and she was blown backwards. As she tried to stagger to her feet the air filled with dust and swirling debris. She put her hand up to her mouth, trying to breathe, trying to find where her house was. So close. It had been so close. Half a street away and she would have been out of her misery.

                Then she remembered Stan, Shirley and Fred at the pub. How close had they been? Other people had emerged from their houses and were making their way toward the glow of the fire. She could already hear the clanging of a fire-engine bell. She hadn’t gone far before she realized: the pub on the corner was no more.


Does Stan survive by a quirk of fate? What lies ahead for Josie? You'll have to wait until I've written it.

And the book does have a title but I am not supposed to share it with you yet.

So what do you think? Are you fed up with WWII books? Can the world use any more?




40 comments:

  1. What an amazing scene . . . already I’m anxious to read the rest of the story.
    There is definitely a place for more World War II books that touch us like this, Rhys . . . thank you for sharing this with us.

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  2. RHYS: No, I never get tired of reading books set during this time. Poor Josie, we don't hear/read about these types of marital/family situations very often, so I am curious to read more about how she moves forward with her life. And the constant fear living during the London Blitz must have been harrowing.

    My parents were children growing up in Japan during WWII. They rarely spoke about the hardships they endured, except for food shortages post-WWII. I have seen several exhibits on the aftermath of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki but not much on how WWII affected civilian life in other parts of Japan.

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    1. I haven’t heard much about what life was like for ordinary people in Japan before the world changed for them. That would make an interesting book!

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    2. You're right, Grace, there is a dearth of books about daily life in Japan before and during the war. I wonder why that is. Or is it a dearth of books that have been translated.

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  3. Wow. No, I'm not at all fed up with WWII books, and now I'm definitely eager to read this one!

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  4. I like Josie already! Keep those WWII books coming, Rhys.

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  5. Rhys, here's always a place for books set in the time of World War II. It's just a matter of the story being good.

    From what you've shown with the scene you've included here, I would venture to say that once again your readers have a smashing book to look forward to.

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  6. Totally agreeing with what everyone else has said! There's always an audience for a good WWII story; we definitely haven't had our fill yet!

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  7. Lovely. Please, may we have some more?

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  8. Any WWII book written by you is welcome Rhys.

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  9. I look forward reading this book, Rhys. All my male relatives who were old enough, including my dad, were in the military during WW II. When I read fiction set during that time I get an idea of what servicemen and women, and their families at home, were going through.

    DebRo

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  10. There is something so intense and compelling about lives lived in war time. Please don't stop writing these stories!

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    1. Exactly why I enjoy writing these, Amy. People were living on adrenaline!

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  11. I adore your historical stories. I can hardly wait for this one. Josie is a terrific character!

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  12. I am definitely not fed up with books set during World War II, and can't wait to read Josie's story ~

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  13. I love this, Rhys. Most WWII books idealize the heroic soldiers, but venal men often stay venal, despite having had what ought to be a life-changing experience like Stan's. What a cliffhanger!

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  14. Oh, Rhys! If that's fresh written rough draft I can't wait to see the final product. It's wonderful and reminds me in part of the old movie (and one of my favorites) Hope and Glory. I love WWII stories. We are the last generation with first person close links to it. When I was growing up all of my friend's cats were toilet trained. That came about because her mother smuggled her pet cat into the Underground during raids. She would carry a covered pot which the Wardens must have assumed had food. It was actually a necessary for the cat. After the war she continued to train her cats to use the toilet because, well, cleaner. Give new meaning to potty.

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    1. I loved Hope and Glory. Also Empire of the Sun
      And I think it’s important that coming generations don’t forget what a world war is like so they don’t make the same mistakes

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    2. Kait, how did she toilet train the cats? That is new to me!

      Diana

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    3. I don't know how she trained them to go in a pot, but for her later cats, she would watch them carefully and sit them on the seat when it looked like it was time to go. They got the idea quickly. It was unnerving though because every time a human went in the cat would yowl outside the door, or if you let the cat in with you, he would stare at you with that look of cat disgust until you finished. They sell training kits now, although I have never tried them and there are videos on YouTube. I do have one who will hop in the tub to do his biz if the box is occupied by his littermate.

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    4. Empire of the Sun was another favorite of mine. I would have loved to see pre-war Shanghai.

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    5. Oh, I adored Hope and Glory. Must dig that one out!

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  15. What a fabulous snippet! You'll have readers chomping at the bit to hear more. Seriously Amazing.

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  16. World War II might as well have been two hundred years go, it's ancient history to many young(er) people today. And that is exactly why it's important to keep writing about it. To humanize the experiences of the people who lived trough those times, not to glorify it--although there were many many acts of heroism on (and off) the battlefields. I loved this bit you've shared, Rhys. And now I need to know what happens to Josie!

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  17. Your snippet sounds intriguing! Please kill off that sadistic bully or make it so that he is not able to bully Josie anymore.

    Always enjoy reading your historical novels, Rhys.

    Depends on how the novels about World War II are written. I do not think I'll get tired of reading about the World Wars, though sometimes I want a break and read something lighter like a light comedic mystery novel.

    Look forward to reading your novel about Josie.

    Diana

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  18. I can certainly "stand" another WWII book it it's as intriguing as this one! It sounds fascinating. I hope Josie gets her happy ending without having to murder Stan in his sleep.

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  19. I am nowhere NEAR tired of reading books set in WWII. It was a fascinating time!

    I was totally captivated by your excerpt. I have to believe what Josie did there was not altogether unheard of. I mean, in such trying times, surely others found themselves in a moment of bombing more angry than scared and ready to shout at the fates and defy them, as Josie did. Even in a work of fiction, I find myself feeling guilty about wishing anyone ill -- yet I have to admit, I really hope Stan is dead and poor Josie can move on with building a new life!

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  20. I'm ready for another snippet, Rhys! WW2 was my parents' war and reading and hearing about civilian life here in the U.S. and abroad is always interesting. I still have a book of ration coupons a relative used. And my mom could identify almost anything the U.S. Army flew at that time period. And that was normal!

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  21. Intriguing. Interested to see what comes next.

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  22. No such thing as too many WWII books, Rhys, especially if they're yours! I can't wait to find out what happens to Josie!

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  23. I want to read this book RIGHT NOW! When is it expected to be published, Summer 2022?

    I loved your essay in PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS, by the way. Yes to more books set during The War II.

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    1. I’m not sure if pub date yet, Rick. I’ll post when I find out

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  24. Oh, what a great snippet that is, Rhys! I love WWII books set in London during the bombings, especially those that show how extraordinary the ordinary people living there were. Their strength and perseverance were heroic. So, I'm really looking forward to this book.

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  25. More WW2 books are fine with me. You introduced us to Josie earlier, didn't you? Now I'm even more interested in finding out what happens to her.

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  26. Definitely not tired of THIS WWII book. I hope she finds good in her life.

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  27. OMG, how tantalizing!! Groan. How long will we have to wait to find out what happens?? LOL.

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  28. My dear Rhys, it isn't WWII, or any setting really, that we read your books for. It's your characters! I instantly want to know what happened to them. The WWII world you create is visceral, but it's the characters that make me want to read more. And this snippet is proof.

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