ABOUT THE BOOK
World War II may be over, but Sergeant Davis Wilson feels no peace. Burdened by the loss of his best friend, Patrick, Davis has returned to his small town determined to make sure his friend’s mother and little sister are cared for. But the fiery young woman who greets him isn’t the “little sister” he remembers.
Faith Penwilliger lost both her brother and father during the war and had to grow up fast. The last four years molded her into a strong woman who runs the family business, cares for her widowed mother, and loves going out dancing with her boyfriend, Freddy. And she doesn’t need anyone else in her life, especially not Davis—the boy she idolized until the night he enlisted and the subsequent humiliating argument she had with him that she would rather forget.
Davis is puzzled and frustrated by the new version of Faith. Even more disconcerting are the unexpected feelings he’s developing for the girl next door. As Faith plots revenge and shows Davis what it feels like to be meddled with, it doesn’t take long for the line between love and dislike to blur. Now only the truth of the past can unlock the possibility of building a future together.
AUTHOR BIO
Laura Rupper spent her first six years of life in Metlakatla, Alaska. There was no TV reception on the island so a great love of books was born. In addition to reading, Laura loves creative activities from painting, to new ways of teaching fourth grade math concepts. Boring chores, like laundry, leave her daydreaming of magical worlds and interesting characters. Laura has three beautiful daughters, an extremely nice husband, and one giant dog. Laura is an eclectic reader but, no matter the genre, she believes in happy endings.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Laura Rupper - I wrote this book because I truly love the WW2 generation. My grandparents were part of that great generation. They rarely, if ever, spoke of what they had gone through. They didn't think of themselves as heroes, but they absolutely were. My grandpa Frank served in Patton's third army and was shot in the head. He received surgery and was in a hospital in England for a month. We know very little of his war experiences because he didn't like to talk about it. I do know that he and his best friend were in a foxhole, they went up to shoot and his friend was struck in the stomach. My grandfather held his friend while he died in his arms. My other grandfather was a radioman in the merchant marines. His boat was torpedoed multiple times but never sunk. My grandmothers each had their first child and were left behind to be single moms during the war years. I can't imagine the loneliness and terror they must have faced. I wanted my book to be lighthearted but to still recognize the type of people typical of that generation.
Life Is What It's Called - What was your favorite scene to write?
Laura Rupper - I liked writing the dinner scene in the Wilson home where multiple people are talking at the same time and there are three different conversations going on. In my experience, this is what dinner in a family is like. I also liked writing Davis's sister Janet in this scene. She figures out that Davis is going to attempt going out dancing for the first time since before the war and helps him figure out what to wear. She's a quietly fantastic sister.
Life Is What It's Called - What themes run through the book?
Laura Rupper - I hope readers will pick up on a few thoughts/themes. One is that you can find joy (happiness) during hard times. I served a mission for my church in London. Once a week we would take a wheelchair bound woman named Eva to do her shopping. She had been a young adult during the war and I was fascinated by her stories. Eva stayed in London during the horrendous bombing. She told us that it had actually been one of the happiest times of her life. She said it was because everyone was so united and that they would get together in the evenings, finding makeshift places to dance. I wanted Faith to have this vibe - finding happiness (dancing) even during a really tough time. I also want the reader to have a sense of Patrick (Faith's brother who died in the war) being real and irreplaceable - not just a number or a statistic. Another theme/vibe I wanted in my book was hard work and resilience. My grandparents (especially Lyle Davis) believed in hard work. Davis is named after him and hopefully is an accurate representation of the many soldiers who fought hard and then came home and just got on with their lives with grit, hard-work, and no need for acclaim. Lastly, I deliberately wanted the business Faith runs to be about building. The war was all about destruction. The post year wars were about building and moving forward.
Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on?
Laura Rupper - I have a couple middle grade books that I've written and am debating what to do with. I wrote a sequel in my Nora world and need to write two more to wrap that world up. I think it will take a couple years to finish the Nora books. I've also collaborated with my sister, whose children are half-Mexican, to write a middle-grade book set in Mexico. I wrote Rose (Faith's cousin's story) and am waiting to hear if the publisher wants it. I also have a quirky romance set in the 1980s that I'd like to clean up and Indy publish at some point. I also would like to write a romance for Davis's sister Janet where she is trying to become a journalist and chooses to research and write a story on Patrick and find his lost, last composition.
Life Is What It's Called - How is The Girl Next Door similar and different to Nora and the Sacred Stones?
Laura Rupper - The Sergeant and the Girl Next Door is completely different from Nora and the Sacred Stones. Nora is middle-grade fantasy and The Sergeant is a romance. One similarity is that both are told from alternating points of view. I want the reader to feel sympathy for both the male and the female characters.
Life Is What It's Called -What do you think readers will like most about this book?
Laura Rupper - I grew up reading books that my mom loved by authors like Mary Stewart, Elizabeth Cadell and L.M. Montgomery. Those books all have strong side-characters and are slow paced. Hopefully readers who like that style will appreciate my story. One review of my book that made me laugh was someone who said they liked it but that it was the slowest, slow burn they had ever read.
Life Is What It's Called - What was your favorite scene to write?
Laura Rupper - I liked writing the dinner scene in the Wilson home where multiple people are talking at the same time and there are three different conversations going on. In my experience, this is what dinner in a family is like. I also liked writing Davis's sister Janet in this scene. She figures out that Davis is going to attempt going out dancing for the first time since before the war and helps him figure out what to wear. She's a quietly fantastic sister.
Life Is What It's Called - What themes run through the book?
Laura Rupper - I hope readers will pick up on a few thoughts/themes. One is that you can find joy (happiness) during hard times. I served a mission for my church in London. Once a week we would take a wheelchair bound woman named Eva to do her shopping. She had been a young adult during the war and I was fascinated by her stories. Eva stayed in London during the horrendous bombing. She told us that it had actually been one of the happiest times of her life. She said it was because everyone was so united and that they would get together in the evenings, finding makeshift places to dance. I wanted Faith to have this vibe - finding happiness (dancing) even during a really tough time. I also want the reader to have a sense of Patrick (Faith's brother who died in the war) being real and irreplaceable - not just a number or a statistic. Another theme/vibe I wanted in my book was hard work and resilience. My grandparents (especially Lyle Davis) believed in hard work. Davis is named after him and hopefully is an accurate representation of the many soldiers who fought hard and then came home and just got on with their lives with grit, hard-work, and no need for acclaim. Lastly, I deliberately wanted the business Faith runs to be about building. The war was all about destruction. The post year wars were about building and moving forward.
Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on?
Laura Rupper - I have a couple middle grade books that I've written and am debating what to do with. I wrote a sequel in my Nora world and need to write two more to wrap that world up. I think it will take a couple years to finish the Nora books. I've also collaborated with my sister, whose children are half-Mexican, to write a middle-grade book set in Mexico. I wrote Rose (Faith's cousin's story) and am waiting to hear if the publisher wants it. I also have a quirky romance set in the 1980s that I'd like to clean up and Indy publish at some point. I also would like to write a romance for Davis's sister Janet where she is trying to become a journalist and chooses to research and write a story on Patrick and find his lost, last composition.
Life Is What It's Called - How is The Girl Next Door similar and different to Nora and the Sacred Stones?
Laura Rupper - The Sergeant and the Girl Next Door is completely different from Nora and the Sacred Stones. Nora is middle-grade fantasy and The Sergeant is a romance. One similarity is that both are told from alternating points of view. I want the reader to feel sympathy for both the male and the female characters.
Life Is What It's Called -What do you think readers will like most about this book?
Laura Rupper - I grew up reading books that my mom loved by authors like Mary Stewart, Elizabeth Cadell and L.M. Montgomery. Those books all have strong side-characters and are slow paced. Hopefully readers who like that style will appreciate my story. One review of my book that made me laugh was someone who said they liked it but that it was the slowest, slow burn they had ever read.
REVIEW
The Sergeant and the Girl Next Door shares the story of a WWII vet that struggles with coming back home from war, and his best friend's sister who had to step up to support her family after the death of her brother and father. This story reminds me of the stories that my grandparents used to tell of going out dancing for entertainment, listening to big band music, and neighbors often stopping by and chatting. There were a lot of realistic elements that made the story seem appropriate for that time. The characters felt real and well-rounded...they made mistakes, learned, and tried to figure out their lives. The story is entertaining to read, and I felt like it was a good, clean romance that readers would enjoy reading again and again. It's different from the other WWII books that I've read. Most of the books from WWII seem to focus on overseas and not what happened after the war in America. I don't think I've ever encountered a book during that time period that seemed like it matched some of the stories that my grandparents used to share and I think that may ring true for other readers as well. The story was well written and it's something teens from Adults would enjoy reading. To learn more, click here.
Please note that I received a free ebook to review, however, I shared my honest opinion. This post contains Amazon affiliate links that help support this blog.
No comments :
Post a Comment