Sir Thomas More by Hals Holbein (Accessed via Wikipedia ) During lockdown, we had Time. Remember that? I was in my probationary year of teaching: almost certainly among the most exhausting years for any profession. All my time had been taken up with school work, and I regularly stayed at school until after 6pm, having arrived there at eight in the morning. Now, children, this is not sustainable and, very soon, I decided I didn’t like working where I was. Then I realised that I didn’t like teaching at all. But, in fact, neither was particularly true: I just needed to be true to myself and to say no, which would give me the ability to manage my work/life balance in a more appropriate way. What does this have to do with historical fiction, I hear you say? Well, during March 2020, we went into lockdown and suddenly I went from working ten-hour-days to ten-hour-weeks. I met up with my class on Google Meet, I put work up for them on a meticulously designed Google Classroom, but I just h...
It's a double #HistFicThursdays today! For the second blog of this week I'm delighted to be sharing a guest post from Rachel R. Heil, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Find out all about Rachel's inspiration and the balance between historical fiction and historical fact in Leningrad: The People's War. But first, let's meet the book..
Blurb
Leningrad, 1941. As Europe crumbles under the German war machine, the people of the Soviet Union watch. There are whispers of war but not loud enough for the civilians of Leningrad to notice. Instead, they keep their heads down and try to avoid the ever-watching eyes of their own oppressive government.
University student Tatiana Ivankova tries to look ahead to the future after a family tragedy that characterizes life under the brutal regime. But, when the rumors that have been circulating the country become a terrifying reality, Tatiana realizes that the greatest fear may not be the enemy but what her fellow citizens are prepared to do to each other to survive.
As his men plow through the Russian countryside, Heinrich Nottebohm is told to follow orders and ask no questions, even if such commands go against his own principles. His superiors hold over him a past event that continues to destroy him with every day that passes. But, when given the opportunity to take an act of defiance, Heinrich will jump at the chance, ignoring what the end results could be.
Leningrad: The People’s War tells the harrowing beginning of a war that forever changed the landscape of a city, told through the eyes of both sides in a tale of courage, love, and sacrifice.
Leningrad: The People's War is available on #KindleUnlimited via this Universal Link
Guest Post
When I decided to become a writer there was little doubt in my mind about what genre I was going to write in. I enjoy a heart-pounding mystery, a nail-biting thriller, and a well done nonfiction piece, but historical fiction has always been the genre I’ve been drawn to. Plus, as a self-professed history nerd it would seem blasphemous to write anything else. But one of the challenges I faced was how do I keep a writer’s attention when they probably already know what’s going to happen? After all, most readers have 20:20 hindsight vision, especially when it comes to very well-known events like World War Two.
To answer such a question I asked myself what, as a reader, keeps me invested in a story? I’ve always been someone fascinated by personal stories. Whether it’s set in occupied France or communist Romania against the backdrop of the Iron Curtain, I find myself drawn to the characters’ stories and how they attempt to navigate the world they are living in. In such situations we tend to ask ourselves, what would I do? Would I be willing to sacrifice my entire future to speak out against something I see as an injustice, or would I quietly live my life and try to get by? Those types of questions have always fascinated me. As a writer I can’t manipulate the history of what happens in the set time period, but I can dictate what happens to the characters, and that’s what I use to deal with a reader’s knowledge of the event.
The reader knows, or can know, what’s going to happen with the larger event. With World War Two, the reader knows Nazism will collapse and the Allies will be victorious. But the reader doesn’t know what is going to happen to the fictional character. Are they going to make it through the war? Will they fight for their country? Will their faith in their leader be shaken or remain steadfast? Are they going to be betrayed by that strange side character who you can't quite figure out but you don't trust them for some unexplainable reason? Or are they going to surprise you and help out the protagonist? In the case of Leningrad: The People’s War the reader will ask themselves if the characters are going to survive the harsh siege or die before they are eventually liberated and is that liberation because the city falls to the Germans and the people are subjected to occupation or are the Germans continually propelled back and never enter Leningrad (you can Google that if you really want or you can read Leningrad to find out😊).
However, the characters in Leningrad are not entirely fictional. Many of the challenges and decisions they have to make are based on ones actual people in Leningrad and what those serving in the German Army had to face. That is what I love about researching any event, and it goes back to my love for personal stories. Reading and listening to survivors’ testimonies on what they encountered during the period is extraordinarily valuable, and they help provide a sense of realism to the character. Sometimes this can be a little complicated when taking into consideration readers' knowledge of events. For example, during the war, Leningrad was a city always ripe with rumors, some of which were not at all true, and the reader would know this. One rumor that swirled around Leningraders was that Hitler wasn't going to destroy Leningrad because he planned on gifting the city to his daughter. Of course, we know that Hitler never had children, but it's an example of what Leningraders were saying to each other during that time. Ultimately, while my characters’ decisions and actions are purely fictional to help propel the story the way I want it to go their origins are rooted in true survivors’ stories.
I think it is hard to counter the reader's foresight of events, but I think the best way of keeping readers engaged is to create characters they care about. Most stories are character-driven, and each one has a story behind them that is waiting to be told.
Now, let's meet the author:
Rachel R. Heil is a historical fiction writer who always dreamed of being an author. After years of dreaming, she finally decided to turn this dream into a reality with her first novel, and series, Behind the Darkened Glass. Rachel is an avid history fan, primarily focused on twentieth century history and particularly World War Two-era events. In addition to her love for history, Rachel loves following the British Royal Family and traveling the world, which only opens the door to learning more about a country's history. Rachel resides in Wisconsin.
You can follow Rachel on these links:
Thank you so much for hosting the blog tour for Leningrad: The People’s War.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club