Uhrichsville, OH (November 28, 2022)
Historical Romance author Patty Smith Hall lives near the North Georgia Mountains with her husband, Danny, her two daughters, her son-in-law, and her grandboys. When she’s not writing on her back porch, she’s spending time with her family or playing with her grandsons.
In this interview, Patty talks with us about her latest release, On My Honor, book 8 in the popular WWII romance Heroines of WWII Series.
FF: What inspired the story in your book?
A few years ago, I flipped through a book about women spies in both world wars at a local bookstore and found this half page write-up on how the Girl Guides worked with the newly formed MI-5 during World War I. As a former Girl Scout, I knew I had to write a story about their contribution to the war.
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters in your book?
Ginny Mathis isn’t happy to be home. Instead of finishing her last semester of nursing school so she can enlist, she’s home babysitting her mom and kid sister while her dad is away building ships for the Navy. She tries to reconnect with her sister, Belle by leading her Girl Scout troop but it’s not until the German submarine attacks off the Outer Banks coast that she finds her real purpose in the war effort.
Reporter Timothy Elliott wants to do more for the war effort than the propoganda pieces the MI-6 has him writing. When the opportunity to escort a defected German submarine captain who has his country’s battleplan for the Atlantic, Tim jumps at the opportunity, only to have their boat sunk off Cape Hatteras. Tim makes it to the beach, but when he comes to, he’s surrounded by a troop of Girl Scouts. With their help, and that of their beautiful leader, Tim must work with them to find the missing submarine captain and uncover his real reason for being on the island.
FF: Which character surprised you the most?
Ginny and Belle’s mother. I knew she was a Girl Guide in WWI but it never occurred to me that she could be a victim of shell shock or PTSD until I was writing the scene. I’ve had a lot of readers say they’d never considered the possibility but that it really added to the story.
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
Because everyone loves a good story told well. Jesus knew this. That’s why He told parables about things everyone could relate to to share the truth about God and our relationship with Him. There isn’t a more powerful ministry tool than a story that someone sees themselves in and how God can work in their lives.
FF: What can you tell us about your next book?
At the moment, I’m finishing up a book called The Other Wright Brother which is about Orville and Wilbur’s sister, Katherine. It revolves around Orville’s airplane crash in September, 1908. With Wilbur in France and Orville severely injured, it’s left to Katherine to protect her brothers’ work from their fierce competitors. Can one week change history…and Katherine’s life?
FF: What kind of research did you do for this book?
Reseaching a book is one of my favorite parts of the writing process! On this project, I read anything I could find on the Girl Scouts/Girl Guides’ activities during World War II. One book, How the Girl Guides Won the War by Janie Hampton, was pariticularly helpful. Then, I visited the Juilette Gordon Low House in Savannah as well as the Girl Guides Museum in London to collect more information. I had been visiting the Outer Banks for a yearly writing retreat so with it’s rich military history, it seem a natural setting for this story to be told.
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
There’s not enough space to list them all! I’ve read all of Louisa May Alcott’s books, including her minor novels and my favorite book series of all times is the Cheney Duvall series by Gilbert and Lyn Morris. Ane Mulligan has been my brainstorming partner, conference roomie and dear friend for years now. Then there’s my writing retreat groups that help me through plot points and character building as well as give me a shoulder to lean on when I need it. Like I said, there’s not enough space for them all!
FF: How has your faith or world view impacted the way you tell stories?
My faith is a part of who I am, just like my personality or idiosyncrasies. Because my faith is so much a part of who I am, it bleds into my stories organically. The best compliment I can get from a reader is that my characters walked in their faith rather than beat the reader over the head with it. It’s how I try to live my life, or as my dad has always said, ‘Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.’
On My Honor
Heroines of WWII Series #8
Patty Smith Hall
Barbour Fiction
Genres: Historical, Historical Romance
Release Date: November 30, 2022
ISBN-10: 1636094325
ISBN-13: 978-1636094328
Book Summary:
A Girl Scout Troop Joins the Battle of the Atlantic
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
Ginny Mathis had no intention of staying rooted in the Outer Banks—then war broke out. While working as a clerk for Oregon Inlet ferry, naval officers ask her to be watchful for German U-boats reportedly spotted in the area. To help occupy her younger sister, Ginny enlists the Girl Scout troop she leads to help watch for suspicious activity. Soon the girls are sneaking around, hiding a shipwreck survivor. Ginny must take charge, but is this man the enemy, or does he hold secrets that could turn the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic in the allies’ favor?
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