Happy Hanukkah, and Recommendations for WWII novels
And about my Author Takeover on Monday @ the FB Historical Fiction Club
Hello Everyone,
Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish readers. Today I learned that eating jelly donuts is a Hanukkah tradition. I did not know that. The donuts are actually called sufganiyot. They, along w potato latkes, flow from the idea of the miracle of Hanukkah—the one small vile of oil was enough to keep the lamp of the temple lit for eight days. So, these treats fried in oil are eaten to remember the miracle. (As for me, I’d always welcome any excuse to eat a donut…)
Speaking of learning, today I want to recommend to you some WWII novels that I think readers would enjoy, and in which there WWII history and lessons to be learned.
The first is a new release by my friend and fellow WWII fiction author Janet Oakley Janet and I share a background of having lived in the Pacific Northwest, and she also writes stories based on less well-covered areas during World War II. Specifically, she writes WWII novels set in Norway. Her new release, The Brisling Code, is an exciting spy thriller mystery. I’m delighted to let her tell you more about this book below. Another set of novels I want to recommend is the Holocaust Jews, The Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets by my friend Roberta Kagan. More details are below. I hope you’ll enjoy these for some good December reads.
Lastly, I will be doing an Author Takeover next Monday in the Historical Fiction Club, the official Facebook group of The Historical Fiction Company. The group is run by historical fiction authors including Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, who is another brilliant World War II fiction author. My Author Takeover event will run throughout the day on Monday, December 11. If you’re on Facebook, join the group now and come visit on Monday, where I will talk about fascinating behind-the-scene and historical information relating to my new release, Why I Fight. Plus, a chance to win some eBook giveaways!
Have a good weekend and until next time,
Alexa Kang
—> Find or follow me on my:
The Brisling Code and the Jøssing Series.
From Janet:
Hei,
Thanks, Alexa for the invite to talk about my latest novel, The Brisling Code. Alexa and I met in a WWII authors group and right off the bat, I was drawn to her stories that give voice to characters not often portrayed in this time period. Her Shanghai Story Series and now the Nisei War Series fill in an important gap. This was a world war, after all, not just in Europe.
I, too, write about little known WWII history, maybe just forgotten history, about the five year long occupation of Norway in my Jøssing series. In the first, The Jøssing Affair, I follow the story of a British-trained Norwegian agent, Tore Haugland, posing as a deaf fishermen, is sent to West Coast of Norway in 1944 to set up a line bringing arms and agents via the Shetland Bus. In the sequel, The Quisling Factor, my hero and friends deal with the consequence of war, its effects on former agents, and the Legal Purge. The Brisling Code, is my latest and is a prequel. I just had to go back and put my hero in harm’s way once again. This time in 1942, Norway is facing a crackdown by the Quisling government on Jews, teachers and the Church. The year will end with executions and marshal law. Amidst this, Haugland is gathering intelligence on the buildup of the U-boats in Bergen.
One feature of all the novels in this series, is the connection to the Deaf Church and schools, its head priest high up in the Norwegian Resistance. Haugland has a deaf uncle and knows how to sign. Exploring deaf culture in Norway during WWII has been fascinating.
Robert Dugoni,International Best-Selling Author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series wrote: “A cat and mouse thriller of heroes, traitors, and escapes in the night. Oakley is a superb researcher and even better story-teller.”
I hope Jøssing series will bring you something new and exciting to your WWII reading experience.Janet Oakley
You can follow and connect with Janet by going to:
Her website: https://www.jloakleyauthor.com/
Her Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004CF0W0W
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLOakleyauthor
She was also recently a guest on the the YouTube channel Strider’s - Author in the Headlights. You can watch her interview here:
Holocaust-Themed Novels
It being the start of Hanukkah, I also have a recommendation for WWII readers and anyone wishing to read Jewish and Holocaust themed books. My friend and fellow author Roberta Kagan’s recent series, Jews, The Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets, is one you don’t want to miss. This fantastic series, filled with terrifying tensions, fear and heartbreaks, and forbidden love, and is well worth reading. It also embodies many lessons from the war era for younger generations whose lives and memories are far from the events of World War II and the Holocaust.
Books by Alexa Kang
To learn more, visit my Author Page on Amazon