Acres’ Bastard – Wayne Turmel

Life in the Nanking Safety Zone- Mitch Irion

As I get back in the historical fiction swing of things (I’m reviewing books for the Historical Novel Society, among other things), I am finding all kinds of new (to me) authors telling stories that are unique and fascinating. Today’s interview pulls on family memories of a terrible time, the “Rape of Nanking.” So, welcome Mitch Irion.

Alright, Mitch, what should we know about you?

Becoming a writer is the last thing I thought I would ever do. I was the kid in school who had to take special reading classes because I was so far behind and should never have graduated from high school. However, I excelled in art and design, becoming the art director of a feature film at the age of twenty-one. When funding fell through on our next movie, I went into advertising as an art director and creative director. Decades later, my Hollywood friends pulled me back into the industry to market and promote the movie “To End All Wars.” That movie piqued my interest in storytelling again, and I wrote two feature screenplays, ‘Safety Zone,’ and a comedy, ‘Wesley Jonah.’

As someone who also has some screenplays in the drawer, then turned to novels, then back to screenplays, I can relate to your journey. What is Nanking Safety Zone about?

Nanking Safety Zone is about the true story of a small group of Westerners in Nanjing, China, who refused to flee when the Japanese army invaded the city. By staying in harm’s way, they protected over 200,000 Chinese from certain slaughter during the ‘Rape of Nanking.’

That’s not your standard WW2 story. What is it about that story that appealed to you?

I married a Chinese woman whose mother was in China during the Japanese occupation. Hearing her story of how she escaped from the Japanese army and later reading Iris Chang’s book ‘The Rape of Nanking’ spurred my interest in the event of that time. I have always admired courageous people who take a stand against evil—like Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Oskar Schindler, and others. But very few know about the Westerners, mostly American missionaries, who put their lives on the line to rescue and provide safe haven for innocent people from one of the most barbaric events in recent history. George Fitch stood out as the most interesting character and prominent leader because he was the YMCA director and had to join forces with John Rabe, who was head of the Nazi party. Their conflict and later camaraderie as they formed and led the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone made for compelling drama.

Unfair question, but it’s my blog and I get to ask whatever I want. What’s your favorite scene in the book?

The most dramatic scene is when a captive Chinese officer, Ming, is led out of the city walls to be executed as part of a hundred-man head-chopping contest by two Japanese army officers. Ming recognizes Fitch as he drives past with a Japanese official in the car. Ming burns with hatred as it appears that Fitch is allied with the enemy and has betrayed him and his men. Fitch is horrified as he witnesses the contest through his car’s mirror while waiting to be allowed back within the city walls.

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

Website: https://www.nankingsafetyzone.com/

Facebook: Nanking Safety Zone

If you want to learn more about my upcoming Foreign Legion Thriller, The Deserter, sign up for my newsletter! Check the form on this site.

If you enjoy thrilling historical fiction set in unusual war zones, check out the award-winning Lucca Le Pou stories: Acre’s Bastard and Acre’s Orphans. “Kipling’s Kim set in the Crusades for a new generation.”

What do Histfic Readers Actually Like? Take a Poll For Me Please.

I had a conversation with someone the other day that left me a little shook, not gonna lie. I was telling this person (who shall remain nameless despite every vengeful nerve in my body screaming for justice) about my new book, The Deserter, and how I was having trouble finding a publisher for it. I expected sympathy. Maybe performative empathy. Lip service, at the very least. Anything but what I got.

“What do you expect? You’re writing about a time and place that nobody knows or cares about.”

EXQUEEZE ME???!

I was gobsmacked (a greatly underused word, IMHO.) I read historical fiction to learn about places and times I don’t know much about. Whether it’s the Nabateans (last week’s interview about The Stonecutter) or the fallout (literally) from the WW2 nuclear experiments at Hanford, I learn stuff (technical term) when I read historical fiction.

Turns out, this is not everyone’s experience. A good friend of mine reads almost exclusively about the American Civil War. Another is obsessed with the Tudors. (AUTHOR NOTE: Civil War 1.0 and British Royalty are my LEAST favorite historical subjects, but I try not to judge. I fail, but I try.)

While I certainly have favorite periods, I think a novel should be, well, novel. Give me a fresh take and tell me something I don’t already know. Maybe tell me my assumptions are wrong.

All of this leads me to a quick, painless poll. Put simply, When (or if) you read histfic, do you like reading about periods you’re not familiar with, the same couple of topics, or one in particular? I’m not even asking which one, just why do you read historical fiction?

You can take the poll here, and let me know. Please, help a brother out.

If you like reading about people and periods you might be unfamiliar with, I have some suggestions:

Count Byron de Prorok: archaeologist, showman and disappointment to most is the hero of The Count of the Sahara

What would life be like for a half-French, half-Syrian orphan in the Crusades? Acre’s Bastard, and Acre’s Orphans, the Lucca Le Pou Stories contain special bonus lepers!

Yup, that’s me. Historical fiction with nary a ruffled shirt or Johnny Reb in sight. Of course, if you want to know when I find a publisher for my dark Foreign Legion tale, you can get on my mailing list.

The Prolific Bryan Tann

If you’ve been following my socials (and why the heck haven’t you??) you know that I’ve been pretty active in the Go Indie Now community. You can see my latest wide-ranging, somewhat silly interview here.

The best part, besides being able to promote my work, is meeting all the other authors and artists that are part of that community. On an episode of This Week in Indies (you can see it here) I meat the prolific Bryan Tann. Thought you might want to meet him too.

Alright man, what’s your story?

How’s it going everyone?! I’m Bryan Tann, born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I write fiction that includes Urban Fantasty, Science Fiction, Horror, and Erotic Crime. I have a black belt in Kenpo and a recognized black belt in Goju Ryu, the real life equivalent of Miyagi Do Karate! I have an MBA with a focus on Leadership and I have more movies and funko pops than I can count!

I can appreciate the writing in more than one genre, even if it makes you hard to categorize. What are a couple of your books about?

My Urban Fantasy novels in The Enforcer series follow the adventures of Bryce Kreed, a vampire enforcer tasked with protecting a Mistress Vampire from a Clandestine Blood Cult.

My Sci Fi series follow the adventures of John Baker, a government created super soldier tasked with hunting down a terrorist until he finds he’s on the wrong side.

My Erotic Thriller, Ed and Livvy, tells the tale of a couple who have both suffered. Together they have made the decision; never again.

I know that the vampire enforcer has an interesting history. Where did he come from?

Bryce Kreed was a recurring nightmare from my late teens and early 20s. I had a psychotic break and became the character. I decided to take back my peace of mind, and made my trauma into a character.

Who did this to you? Who did you read that really influenced you?

I love Robert R. McCammon. His book Swan Song changed my life. I’m also a fan of my writing partner Kindra Sowder.

If you’re tired of werewolf detectives (WHAT?!!!) Check out the exciting historical fiction action of Acre’s Bastard and Acre’s Orphans. Can one small boy save the Kingdom of Jerusalem? It’s like Kipling’s Kim, set in the Crusades.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and learn all about what’s going on and future projects. Cool stuff is coming.

Multi-generational Chinese Historical Fiction with Wendy Chen

Like most NAWPS (North American White People,) my family history was never greatly recorded until most of the old aunties were gone. That’s one reason I’m fascinated with historical fiction that connects different generations across multiple countries. Living in Las Vegas, which has a plethora of excellent HF writers, I was excited to learn about Wendy Chen and her new book, Their Divine Fires.

Although we share geography, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to “meet” her. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Hi Wendy. We’ve never had a chance to meet, even though we share a town. What should we know about you?

I am a writer, translator, and teacher, with a background in the visual arts–specifically bronze and marble sculpture. I am interested in writing across genres, and my work often pushes against genre conventions as well. For example, I write poetry that has elements of prose, and vice versa. My first book, Unearthings, was a book of poetry, and I recently published my debut novel–a work of historical fiction titled Their Divine Fires–in May 2024. Next year, my translations of the Song-dynasty woman writer Li Qingzhao will be out in a poetry collection titled The Magpie at Night with Farrar, Straus & Giroux. I’m really excited about that collection, as Li Qingzhao is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history and wrote and published during a time when women were discouraged from doing so. Currently, I teach creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

What is “Their Divine Fires” about?

My book follows four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women in one family. Beginning in the early 1900s in China and ending in modern-day America, the novel traces the journeys of these family members as they each figure out how to survive amidst revolution, resistance, and adversity. Each generation faces challenges unique to their period, such as the Chinese Revolution of 1911 or the Cultural Revolution of the 60s, but they are all unified by a common spirit of persistence. The novel is particularly interested in the ways individuals grapple with love–its vulnerabilities and its pains–against, despite, or because of history. This is a book for readers who loved Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Marquéz’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.

What is it about that time period that appealed to you? What are the roots of the story?

The novel has personal significance to me, as it draws on the history and lives of my ancestors. The inspiration for this novel is the stories my grandmother would tell me when I was a child, stories about her mother and her grandparents. It always fascinated me to think about how the lives of my ancestors and my own life were so different from one another, and yet how their lives led inextricably to my own. How could my grandmother, a peasant girl from a rural village in China, end up in America in the 80s? How could China have changed so much over the last century? How did my ancestors live through revolution, civil war, famine, disaster, dictatorship, and come through it all on the other side? Those were questions I was working through while writing Their Divine Fires.

What’s your favorite scene in the book?

One of my favorite scenes in the book is the opening, when a brother asks his little sister to cut his hair. At that time in the early 1900s in China, men typically kept their hair long and untouched, a symbol of respect and reverence for their bodies which their parents gave them. It was, therefore, an act of filial piety to preserve your hair. However, the sister helps her brother cut his hair, an act which defies tradition and angers their parents. I struggled a lot with figuring out how to open this book, as I wanted to give a sense of the ways a family was beginning to fracture across the generations without hitting the reader over the head with the symbolism. Finally, I landed on this scene, which demonstrated the fracture as well as the love between the siblings–a bond which is eventually tested as the novel develops.

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

My website wendychenart.com provides information about me, my publications, and my latest projects. You can also find me on Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook under the profile name wendychenart. Their Divine Fires is available at Amazon here.

Part of the fun of being a multi-genre author is meeting readers with diverse tastes. If historical fiction, rather than werewolves, is your cup of team, consider The Lucca Le Pou Stories. It’s a two-book series about a young orphan in the Crusades who becomes a spy. There’s intrigue, violence, leprous knights, and heroics ala Kipling’s Kim.

You can find the series on Kindle here. If you’d like a signed paperback copy, drop me a line. Of course, you can find all my work; fiction, nonfiction, and just plain goofy at my Amazon Author Page

I Finally Caved and Have a Separate Facebook Page for My Writing

Ever since I started writing fiction and nonsense, I’ve been told I needed a separate Facebook page for that purpose. Until now I’ve resisted because keeping up with Social Media is freaking exhausting. Between the grind of the day job and my fiction addiction, I spend too much time tweetfacelinkblogging as it is.

But, with Johnny Lycan 2 coming out soon (December 8 to be specific, but who’s counting?) it is time to make sure I can promote my work without annoying the people on my personal Facebook page. For purely mercenary reasons, mostly so I can advertise my work, I needed to bite the bullet.

So (trumpets blare) I introduce you to my Facebook Author Page with the very clever and inventive name, Wayne Turmel Author. If you’re inclined, please like it and follow me. Over the next few months, there will be special posts, contests, and a chance to win signed copies of Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker.

Stop by, like the page, and tell your friends. If you care about my personal life, yeah, you can still follow me on my regular page, but this is my big-boy author page. Enjoy and welcome to my orbit.

Born of Metal with A L Knorr (and AD Schneider)

One of the Urban Fantasy series I’m really digging is Born of Metal by AL Knorr and Aaron D Schneider. First, it’s an exciting series with cool magic and a Sudanese-British protagonist, which isn’t something you see every day. It’s also a good example of something you see a lot in Urban Fantasy: the team up in order to get books in a series into the world quickly. Since Johnny Lycan is going to be a trilogy, I’m intrigued and a bit intimidated.

I spoke to Abby Knorr, who was most insistent her co-author, AD Schneider got some love too. (A thousand blessings upon her. I’ve been the B side of a book. It can be lonely.) Here’s the interview.

Tell us about yourself, and give your co-author some love while you’re at it.

I’m a textbook introvert with a serious problem: my imagination is a runaway train and I’m just a panicked passenger along for the ride. I’m a Canadian living in the UK who married a brilliant cook which has saved my life more than once because while I’m working (which is almost every day including weekends) I often forget to eat. I force my arse to the gym or to the yoga studio or dance studio to try and remember how to socialize with people and move my body but as many writers can attest, getting away from my computer is a real challenge. I love the ocean and all things in it both living and … well, not, such as shipwrecks and ancient cities. It was this first love of nautical history and marine biology which spawned my first series (Elemental Origins). People often ask me if I ever run out of ideas but a more likely problem is that I’ll never get to write them all. My mom taught me to read when I was three (I was put ahead a grade because of this), and unbeknownst to her, she created a monster with an insatiable appetite for stories and storytelling. Life is storytelling, and don’t you forget it.

Aaron is a storyteller posing as a writer. If he’d been born in the days of nifty new longboats and mead halls he’d have been trying desperately to make it as a skald or bard, illiteracy be damned! He loves tales, legends, myths, and epics, modern or ancient, sacred or sinister. They’ve shaped him so much it seems only natural he’d want to shape his own. So here he is trying to scratch his mark on time’s edifice, and finding himself perpetually grateful for the people who give him a chance. He’s also the brains behind the Warring Realm trilogy.

What’s Born of Metal and the Inconquo series about?

Born of Metal is about a young Sudanese-Brit named Ibukun who is descended from a line of supernaturals (metal elementals, in case the title didn’t give you a clue) called Inconquo guardians. It’s an origin story that follows Ibby as she discovers her heritage while interning at the British Museum and finds a hidden, magical artifact which unlocks her abilities. Born of Metal is as adventure story but its also a ghost story and a coming of age tale. Ibby first appeared in my book Born of Air as a secondary character but I loved her so much that I knew she needed her own series. Working with Aaron D. Schneider to bring her story to life was a brilliant choice because Aaron has amazing writing skills, especially in combat, which Ibby ends up in a lot as an iron-slinging, metal-warping guardian and the only supernatural who stands between the destruction of London and the original Inconquo, a terrifying demi-god from Sumerian myth named Ninurta.

What is it about that form of magic or the story that intrigued you?

Elemental magic has always appealed to me because magic rooted in nature seems somehow more believable than other forms and we tried to make Ibby’s story as believable as possible. Her series could actually cross over into Sci fi but we didn’t categorize it there because it is shy on technology. The Inconquo mythology sprang from Sumerian myths and gods and is also connected to the story of the Euroklydon from the bible (where Born of Air sprang from). The original Elemental Origins series touched on the major elemental magics (water, earth, fire, air, and aether) but Ibby’s story as a metal elemental was dying to be told so I created a subcategory of Earth elemental for the metal elementals to sit in. Aaron had a lot to do with helping expand the metal elemental mythology and Ibby’s trilogy is truly a joint creation.

Abby, who are the authors you enjoy?

There are so many. Off the top of my head my favorites and the authors who have influenced me are Kelley Armstrong, Stephen King, Ken Follett, JK Rowling, Anne Rice, Frank McCourt, Arthur Golden, and Laure Eve, to name a few.

Where is the best place to learn about your work and your insane number of books?

Amazon is the best place to look since everything is all linked and in one place. My website is another good resource (subscribers can get free fiction there), and for Facebook or Instagram users, I have accounts there as well.

NOTE FROM WAYNE: In a month or so I am going to be offering a FREE story, not seen anywhere else, for subscribers to my newsletter. Please use the form on the side of the page to get on board and learn more about my work, including the upcoming novel, Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk.

And if this is your first introduction to me and my work, check out my novels on Amazon.

Damn, this has been quite a year.

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I hate New Year’s Eve and all the nonsense that goes with it. Too much thinking and chewing on regrets, as a rule. That said, it is impossible not to take some time (mostly involuntary. I’m working but clients don’t want to talk to me til the new year.) to reflect on what became of 2019. It’s been a monster, writing-wise.

A novel published, 5 short stories accepted, a new novel finished and ready to find a home, and the contract signed for a new business book is a pretty good year. Screw imposter syndrome!

To start with, my third novel, Acre’s Orphans entered the world in January. As you know, it’s the sequel to 2017’s Acre’s Bastard. No kidding, I love this book and it’s been the best-reviewed and rewarded of my career. It won recognition from Chill With a Book, Discovered Diamonds (finally got one on my third try!) and an Indie BRAG Medallion. It also got a lovely review from Storgy.

If I’m honest, while I think it’s the best novel I’ve written, it has also sold a whole lot less than my other books. This has got me thinking about my approach to getting my work into the world. More on that in a minute.

It’s been a wild year for my short fiction as well.

In February, my story The Forger of Cairo appeared in Storgy Magazine. This matters, and not just because it’s a pretty good little horror tale in a darned fine lit magazine. It marks my transition from writing mostly historical fiction to broadening my scope to other genres. This story also plays an unexpected role in my new novel.

But Storgy wasn’t done with me yet. In May, they did a review of Acre’s Bastard, then followed up in July with a very kind follow-up on Acre’s Orphans. To top it off, my first foray into flash fiction took the third prize in their 2019 Flash Fiction Contest. I am deeply grateful for my association with these maniacs. They like me, they really like me.

Another magazine that has been very good to me this year is Twist in Time Magazine. In March, my story about the French Foreign Legion in Viet Nam, Dien Bien Phu 1954, came into the world. Then in September and November, they serialized Los Angeles, 1952. You can read the origins of that story here.

Yet another story came out in September. Ava, Lana, and Old Bob Campbell appeared in Ragazine. This is the second magazine that shuttered its doors just after publishing one of my stories (RIP eFiction.) I am trying not to take that personally. By the way, the roots of this story are explained here. Worth checking out if you already haven’t.

Also in September, Kevin Eikenberry and I signed the contract to do the sequel to The Long-Distance Leader- Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership. I’m plugging away on The Long-Distance Teammate- Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere, and it should see the light in January of 2021. Oh, and the Long-Distance Leader came out in Italian!

The sequel to the Long-Distance Leader is in the works

So, about this new book. Johnny Lycan is unlike anything I’ve done before. It’s a modern, urban fantasy/thriller about a detective in Chicago who happens to be a werewolf. Yeah, I know. Here’s where that reexamining my approach thing comes in.

I am currently searching for an agent (ideally) or at least a publisher for this new book. It could be the basis of a series. At the very least I might make some money on it.

While I’m incredibly proud of the Lucca stories, it is clear I”m not cut out to be a successful self-publisher. Good work that doesn’t find readers is just kind of soul-crushing. I have no plans to self-publish another novel. I know that bodes ill for a third Acre’s book, but such is the way of the world. Lucca will have to wait.

And working in a new genre basically means I’ll have to start over with my PR efforts. This blog will change direction somehow, although I don’t know what that will look like land I’ll be hanging out more with Urban Fantasy and Horror folks than historical fiction writers.

Big changes, indeed, but screw it. This has been an exhausting, thrilling and tension-filled year. Lots of highs, and some lows (obsessively checking your sales numbers can be a very depressing thing.) I am grateful for the support of those who read my blog and my books. I hope you’ll stick with me on next year’s journey.

Happy new year, God bless us, everyone, see you on the flipside.

I’m On the Radio- The Internet is the Author’s Friend

Most of you probably don’t know what little formal education I do have consists of an Associates degree in Broadcast Journalism from BCIT. I love the medium of radio. I was recently interviewed for the Aspects of Writing radio program. The topic was: The Internet is the Author’s Friend. Lord knows it’s mine…

In this wide-ranging and somewhat insane interview we cover doing research for historical fiction, getting the word out about your book, why dinosaurs changed my life, and how the internet is both a frightening time suck and the best way for indie authors to network and share their work with a readership.

Thanks to James Kelly and Joyce Kaye Gatschenberger for letting me ramble.

Join me June 29 at B&N Henderson

HI all. My first Las Vegas area book signing will take place Saturday, June 29 at the Barnes and Noble in Henderson, NV from 1-3 PM.

I will be there with copies of my award-winning “Lucca le Pou” novels, Acre’s Bastard and Acre’s Orphans. Stop by, grab a cup of coffee and get a signed copy of these books. I’ll also be dropping big greasy hints about my next novel as well.

The Most Interesting Period in History? Catherine Kullmann and the Duke’s Regret

Certain periods in history are more interesting to us than others. Depending on where your family’s from, your feelings about the events in question, and what country you live in, your mileage may vary. For example, World War 1 into the Russian Revolution, the Renaissance in Florence, and The Crusades are more interesting to me than the US Civil War (1.0) or the War of the Roses.

Enter Catherine Kullmann and her novel, The Duke’s Regret. She thinks what is known as “The Regency” in Britain qualifies… let’s see why.

What’s your deal Catherine?

I am Irish, married (for forty-five years), a mother (three sons) and a grandmother (one granddaughter, one grandson).
I love travelling, meeting people, good food and drink, classical music, especially opera
I prefer radio and live theatre to cinema and tv
I cannot live without books or tea
I am fascinated by history and love visiting historic sites and buildings of any period.
I write novels set in England in the extended Regency Period from 1795 (when the later Prince Regent married to 1830 (when he died as King George IV)

Look at you, all organized with bullet points. What’s The Duke’s Regret about?

Some characters slip into your books unplanned and unheralded only to play a pivotal role in the story. So it was with Flora, the young Duchess of Gracechurch in The Murmur of Masks and later in Perception & Illusion. Flora own story revealed itself slowly. A devoted mother who befriends young wives whose husbands are ‘distant’, it becomes clear that the relationship between her and her husband Jeffrey is also distant.

They married at a young age, she not yet seventeen and he some years older. In 1815, at the end of The Murmur of Masks, both are in their thirties with many years of life ahead of them. I began to wonder what would happen if one of them wanted to change their marriage. This led to my new novel, The Duke’s Regret.

A duke can demand anything—except his wife’s love.

A chance meeting with a bereaved father makes Jeffrey, Duke of Gracechurch realise how hollow his own marriage and family life are. Persuaded to marry at a young age, he and his Duchess, Flora, live largely separate lives. Now he is determined to make amends to his wife and children and forge new relationships with them.

Flora is appalled by her husband’s suggestion. Her thoughts already turn to the future, when the children will have gone their own ways. Divorce would be out of the question, she knows, as she would be ruined socially, but a separation might be possible and perhaps even a discreet liaison. Can Jeffrey convince his wife that his change of heart is sincere and break down the barriers between them? Flora must decide if she will hazard her heart and her hard won peace of mind when the prize is an unforeseen happiness.

The Duke’s Regret contains spoilers for The Murmur of Masks and Perception & Illusion. So as not to mislead readers, I have therefore combined them in The Duchess of Gracechurch Trilogy. All three books are available as eBooks and paperbacks.

You are obsessed with this time period. What gives?

It is the beginning of our modern society. The Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1800, the Anglo-American war of 1812 and the final defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 are all events that still shape today’s world. At the same time, the ruling aristocracies were being challenged by those who saw the need for social and political reform, while the industrial revolution which led to the transfer of wealth to the manufacturing and merchant classes was underway. Women, who had few or no rights in a patriarchal society had begun to raise their voices, demanding equality and emancipation.

Following the collapse of the Treaty of Amiens in 1803, the United Kingdom was at war with Napoleonic France until 1815. Unlike other combatants in this long war, Britain was spared the havoc wrought by an invading army and did not suffer under an army of occupation. War was something that happened elsewhere, far away. For twelve long years, ships carrying fathers, husbands, sons and brothers sailed over the horizon and disappeared. Over three hundred thousand men did not return, dying of wounds, accidents and illness. What did this mean for those left behind without any news apart from that provided in the official dispatches published in the Gazette and what little was contained in intermittent private letters?

The question would not leave me and it is against this background of an off-stage war that I have set my novels. How long did it take, I wondered, for word of those three hundred thousand deaths to reach the bereaved families? How did the widows and orphans survive? What might happen to a girl whose father and brother were ‘somewhere at sea’ if her mother died suddenly and she was left homeless?

What’s your favorite scene in the book?

It’s hard to say. I love this one, where Jeffrey is accepted by his nine-year-old daughter Tabitha. Up to now, Tabitha has addressed him formally as ‘Your Grace’ or ‘sir’

Tabitha raised her rope again. “I’m going to see if I can skip thirty times without stopping.”

“That will take a lot of breath. Would it help if I count for you?” Gracechurch asked.

Yes, please, Pap—” She broke off, biting her lip.

He squatted in front of her so that she could look into his eyes. “Papa? Would you like to call me Papa?”

She nodded vigorously.

“I should be happy if you did. I am your Papa, am I not?”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Now you are my Papa. Before you weren’t, not really.”

He rose to his feet as he hugged her back. “Then I am sorry for it. Will you forgive me?”

She nodded again and he kissed her cheek before setting her down carefully. She smiled brilliantly at him, then picked up her rope and held it in the starting position.

“Are you ready? Off you go!”

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

Thank you for hosting me and for your interest in my writing. You can find out more about me and my books at

Website: https://www.catherinekullmann.com

Facebook: fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CKullmannAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15549457.Catherine_Kullmann?

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Kullmann/e/B01IW3F4MA?

Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catherine-Kullmann/e/B01IW3F4MA/re

We interrupt Mike’s interview for a shameless plug. Acre’s Orphans has won a much coveted “Discovered Diamond” award for historical fiction. You can read the review here, or just take my word for it and buy the book.