Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Wednesday Wonders: THE TULIP RESISTANCE

Today's Wednesday Wonder features guest author Lynne Allen and her novel, The Tulip Resistance.



About the book:

Pulled into a war she doesn’t understand, Marieka Cordoven is just a Dutch girl who wouldn’t dare resist the Germans. But helping a wounded German soldier—a defector—changes her mind about everything. This tense historical drama delves into the intricacies of the Dutch resistance, its grit to defy orders, and its plan to do what’s right.
 

Q & A with Lynne Allen:

1. What was your inspiration for this book?

Two answers. First, I am in the Utah League of Writers group in Logan, Utah. I was writing children's and middle grade books. One of the men in the group sort of made fun that my stories were not intellectual enough for the genre. So, I thought I would step it up with a novel for YA. But, what to write it on? I like WW2 stories. Not the bad stuff but the good things like the stories of the heroes and the honor and integrity of so many people who put their lives in jeopardy for the sake of others. Second, I once watched a biography where Audrey Hepburn was in the resistance in WW2 when she was fourteen years old. I looked up her story and decided to write a story of my own based on a fourteen year-old girl in Holland who ran notes for the resistance.

2. Was there a lot of research involved?

Yes. I had to look up things from the invasion of Holland to windmills to planting in Holland to stories of the resistance and the history of the war. I enjoyed the research immensely! It was a wonderful learning experience for me. I am still learning.

3. How did writing or researching for this book touch you?

I loved all of it. I loved the writing. I loved to see what happened next as I wrote. The words just came out of my pen, surprising even me. I loved the research. The internet can take you anywhere in the world and oft times I found I was in another time and place with my research. It touched my life. It opened new worlds of learning for me and offered an excitement that I had never known.

4.  What are your writing goals?

At this time I am working on the sequel to this story. When I started The Tulip Resistance I didn't have any intentions of writing a sequel. When I finished the first book, it ended well, but so up in the air. What happened to this group of people? Where did they go? Were they able to help the war effort further or did they sit it out in retirement somewhere? I started to wonder all these things and decided to write a sequel about what happened afterwards.

5. What is your writing history or credentials?

I have no education in writing. Over many years I have written humorous poems for family and friends. For my grandkids four years ago, I wrote a Christmas story Sugar Plum Fairy's Little Sister. I also wrote The Courtship of the Ice Queen, Frogo and Turnip, The Haunted House on Little Egg Harbor River, The Stone of Iscar, How Jack Frost Lost His Frost and Hafen and the Dragon Prince. I'm just a great story-teller. The putting it in writing has been the hard part.

I love my writing. I love my stories. They are fun, creative and unique!



About the author:

Lynne Allen grew up in Othello, Washington. She met her husband at Ricks College and they were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. She now lives in Cache Valley, Utah, and has six children. After 25 years of designing cakes professionally, she is now retired and works in the temple. Lynne loves art, drawing, tole painting, oil painting, pastels, sewing quilts, clothes, gardening, and learning anything and everything she can.

Author Links:

Website  |  Blog Facebook  |  

Facebook page for The Tulip Resistance

Purchase Links:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  books & things


2 comments:

  1. What a great plot. Congratulations for keeping the 'stories' of these people alive. Best on the sequel. Doris McCraw/Angela Raines

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for your comment, Doris. I can hardly wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete