August 2021
SEA TO SEA STORIES
Berlin Wall Memorial | 8.2021
Berlin Butterfly Bulletin:
7 October 1961.
If you recall in Ensnare Book 1 of the series, Ella is walking along the Spree one night after working at the Franke’s and is drawn to a commotion in the river. Although she did not know the identity of the victim at that time, his name is Udo Düllick.
25-year-old Düllick attempted to escape to the West by swimming across the Spree. This was not a pre-planned escape. According to family and friends, earlier that evening he was forced to take part in a mandatory company party celebrating the GDR (German Democratic Republic). Fed up with the SED and their political tyranny, he argued with a manager and even tore the shoulder pieces off his Reichsbahner uniform to express his frustration.
Shortly afterward he took a taxi to the Friedrichshain district and walked to the Spree where he removed his jacket, pants, and shoes and jumped into the water. The sound alerted the border guards who almost immediately began shooting warning bullets around him and hollered for him to stop and turn around. When he proceeded to ignore their requests and swim forward, they continued to shoot.
He almost made it to the West side where dozens of people watched him disappear below the water before he made it to shore. Because the Spree was owned and monitored by the East German Government, anyone attempting to enter the water to help would be shot as well.
Media reports of the incident were unclear on both sides of the wall. It was either unknown or covered up as to whether he was actually shot to death or drowned. Despite the manner in which he died, his desperate attempt for freedom prompted a massive protest in the West with over two thousand marchers who carried signs and banners that read “Chased to death by the concentration camp guards.”
Little did the protesters know only months into the wall that this horrible travesty would continue for another twenty-eight years.
(source-Berlin wall memorial)
CHARLOCK’S CORNER:
Lately, I have been reading a lot of books from England and though this section is generally reserved for behind the scene details of the Charlock Series I couldn’t resist sharing my latest read.
My friends and I are embarking on a new adventure. One that can be perilous to our time, careers, families etc…that of a BOOK CLUB!
August’s read is the unequivocal Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I had read it nearly two decades ago so I was excited to dive in once more. There are many reasons I love this classic but here are a few. 1) the characters of today’s historical romances tend to always be quite attractive, slim/fit, talented, and clever or witty. We have forgotten, myself included, that connections and love can be so much deeper than looks alone. 2) I love how Ms. Bronte occasionally addresses the readers directly like when she was about to share a terrifying event that occurred a few days before her wedding. She suggests to the reader we will have to wait until she shares it with Mr. Rochester upon his return to the estate. This made me laugh. We are very much a part of her narrative. And 3) If you truly slow down and read her dialogue, it is unparalleled. I found myself reading too fast at times and forced myself to slow down and ingest the words at a slower pace and when I did this, my mind was opened to the absolute brilliance of her writing.
My August Book Club read. Feel free to reply and share your insights on this wonderful book. (I did try watching several versions of the movie afterward but they just didn’t do it justice)
SECOND SURVIVOR SECTION:
Character introductions-
Since this was my first novel written from four different perspectives and in first person no less, I thought it might help if I made some basic introductions. Now mind you, there are some twists in this tale that cannot be revealed at this time so I will keep this simple.
Isabelle Marie Fontaine- An 18-year-old female from Marseille, France. Her blond and blue-eyed beauty comes from her mother’s side of the family and an Eastern part of France where fair features are more common. She is lovely, intelligent, at times immature, and the sole inheritor of the Fontaine wealth. She is betrothed against her wishes to her father’s business partner, whom neither one has ever met. A man named Thomas Chastain from Algiers, Algeria.
Francisco Carrasco- A 23-year-old male from Menorca, Spain. His family owns a twenty-acre olive ranch along the northern coast and makes a decent income. He is tall, broad-shouldered and his brown hair and brown eyes reveal a rugged attractiveness, but it is his swoon-worthy smile and dimple that do the most damage. His desire to do good for all the people in his life shows his honorable character and pure heart.
Miguel and Anita Contreras- A wonderful and kind couple in their seventies from Menorca Spain. Married for 50 years, they live on a humble farm as neighbors to the Carrasco’s. Their unparalleled love for one another and playful banter are witnessed often throughout the story. They are childless when Isabelle enters their lives and fills a much-needed void.
Thomas Chastain- A 26-year-old male from Algiers, Algeria. He and his brother became orphans at 18 and 20 years old and subsequently bequeathed a profitable export company from their father upon his death. Thomas is tall with brooding good looks and a suave demeanor. Women are drawn to him and he rarely refuses their advances. He is always looking for ways to make a name for himself even if the means are less than honorable. After convincing Isabelle’s father to agree to a betrothal he waits impatiently for her ship, the General Chanzy to arrive in Algiers on 10 February 1910.
Thought of the Day-
Life is a question and how we live it is our answer.
-Gary Keller
BUCKET LIST ITEM OF THE MONTH-
#299 Go to the airport and buy a ticket to the first domestic destination you see on the departure board.
Depending on where your eyes settle it could be Omaha Nebraska, Jacksonville, Florida, or Providence Rhode Island…explore the city for a day, week, or however long you decide. Who knows, you may love your new mystery city so much you may make the move permanently.
*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!
Next month’s giveaway will not disappoint! Don’t miss September’s newsletter for more historical facts and updates.
Thank you for following my writing journey.