June 2021
SEA TO SEA STORIES
Berlin, Germany | 6.2021
(Photo by Berlin Experiences)
Berlin Butterfly Bulletin:
Thanks to the amazing talent of former Broadway actress Betsy Beard, the character voices of Deception are alive and available on audiobook now.
Betsy is the same narrator from Ensnare and we are in the process of negotiating her talent for Release as well.
At the beginning of Deception, Ella and her friend, Lena, attend a military parade celebrating the anniversary of the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) on Karl Marx Allee. The actual date of the parade took place two months later but for purposes of the story, it was moved up to March 1966. Thousands of troops marched in their military dress followed by an endless row of tanks.
Military Parades throughout history have been utilized to not only display the strength of a country or empire to the enemy but were also used to develop confidence from one’s own countrymen. They go back as far as Ancient Rome, France and Napoleon, Civil War (The Union Army), and the Soviet Union in the Red Square. Even the Allied forces had a Victory Parade in Berlin on September 7th, 1945 celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Parades in Berlin, especially, were iconic—before World War II and the Berlin Wall, Hitler’s parades celebrated everything from his birthday to propaganda to rejoicing in various rival occupations.
The people of Germany, East Germany to be precise, were led to believe that that the military required strength because the Allies were the enemy. That the Americans, British and French were trying to not only take away their freedoms but threaten their lives and livelihoods…when in fact it was the DDR and the Soviet Union doing that very thing to their own people.
CHARLOCK’S CORNER:
Thank you for making Return to Charlock a
#1 Amazon New Release!
The response has been amazing and I’m thrilled to hear you have loved it as much as Charlock’s Secret.
SECOND SURVIVOR SECTION:
Little-known facts about the background of Second Survivor…
I love putting a little bit of personal history in each of my stories and because my father’s family is from Spain, I included a lot of family names in the novel.
My grandfather, Francisco Carrasco, is from a small village in Southern Spain called Lubrin and was born in 1881 and died in 1983. Because of the age gap between my Tata and Nana, and my father as one of their youngest, I was 14 years old when my grandfather passed away at the age of 102. I can only imagine the amazing things he witnessed in his century of life.
My grandmother Ysabel (though in the book her name was spelled with an I from France) was born in 1900 and died in 1986 and raised in a small village in Mexico. One of the most astonishing stories of her childhood was about a runaway train filled with dynamite that exploded just outside of her town. The explosion killed her father, injured her mother and as she played with two friends in the kitchen, the front door blew off its hinges and a long nail pierced her back keeping the door pressed against her, ultimately saving her life. Sadly, her two friends were also killed.
My father, Miguel, and his brothers, Guillermo (William), Charles, Robert, and Frank, all served in World War II at the same time (different branches of the military) and amazingly all returned home. My Uncle Bill is 97 years old, loves to dance and flirt, and is one of the few World War II veterans still living.
Maria is my sweet sister’s name.
You might be amazed at what you find in your family history when you do a little digging. :)
Thought of the Day-
Laughter is an instant vacation.
-Milton Berle
BUCKET LIST ITEM OF THE MONTH-
#344 Send uplifting greeting cards to nursing homes. (10, 20, or 100) to brighten the day of an elderly person.
This one comes from my friend Stephanie on the heels of social distancing and when many of these nursing home residents have been isolated. So I challenge you to find a nursing home in your community and send cards…any number.
*If you have a bucket list item you want to share, select contact me at leahmoyes.com and include your name and location and I will add it to my list. Have a great month!
*Monthly Giveaway!
The winner of the $25 Amazon Giftcard is…
Mary J. from Ohio!
Congratulations Mary and look for my email with your e-gift card. Thank you to those who took part in last month’s contest. It was great to hear from you and what you love to read about. The majority of interests were Historical Fiction and specifically European or World War II. I will try my best at keeping these coming.
Next month’s contest will be for free audiobooks.
Thank you for following my writing journey.