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Unveiling “The Crystal Butterfly”: A Triumph in Tales of Resilience from WW2's Unsung Heroines!
Today is a day that fills my heart with an electrifying surge of joy and pride. I am absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of my latest novel, The Crystal Butterfly, the sixth book in my gripping series, The Resistance Girl Series, on the extraordinary resistance women of World War II!
Hey, dear readers!
Today is a day that fills my heart with an electrifying surge of joy and pride. I am absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of my latest novel, The Crystal Butterfly, the sixth book in my gripping series, The Resistance Girl Series, on the extraordinary resistance women of World War II!
As an author, I have always been captivated by the untold stories of heroism and courage, and my journey through this riveting historical period has been nothing short of exhilarating. With each book, I have sought to shed light on the indomitable spirit and the remarkable achievements of the women who fought relentlessly behind the scenes, defying all odds.
The Crystal Butterfly takes you on a breath-taking journey through the lives of yet another group of unsung heroines who refused to bow down to the tyranny of war. This time the setting is the Northern European country called Holland, or The Netherlands.
Book 6, just like the earlier ones, is a tribute to the bravery, resilience, and unyielding determination of women to protect their loved ones and their countries. In this installment, I delve deeper into the personal struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs of these incredible Dutch women, weaving together a tapestry of emotions that will leave you spellbound.
With each book I transport you back in time as I unveil the hidden intricacies of their secret operations. Immerse yourself in the stories of their perilous missions, daring escapes, and their unbreakable bonds of friendship forged amidst the chaos of war. From code breakers to spies, from undercover agents to resistance leaders, my Resistance Girl Series unveils the pivotal roles played by these remarkable women in different European countries, shaping the outcome of the war.
Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, I have strived to recreate the atmosphere of the era, allowing readers to experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of a time when the world teetered on the precipice of destruction. The pages of The Crystal Butterfly will transport you to the heart of the Dutch Resistance, where ordinary women became extraordinary legends.
But The Crystal Butterfly is not just another historical account. It is a celebration of the human spirit, an ode to the triumph of love over hate and the unwavering resolve to protect the values we hold dear. It is a testament to the power of unity and the belief that, even in the darkest of times, a single person can make a difference.
To my loyal readers, I cannot express my gratitude enough for embarking on this journey with me. Your unwavering support and encouragement have fueled my creative fire, and it is because of you that The Crystal Butterfly has taken flight. It is my deepest hope that this book will touch your hearts, inspire you, and honor the indelible mark left by Edda, Tante Riet, Duifje, Miss Sterling and Maria, each an incredible woman with her own journey through the war.
And don’t forget their counterparts: the men. Fall in love with Asher Hoffman as Edda does, vouch for Ome Jan, for Doctor Geuze and Rick. Even understand Ludovicus Van Limburg Stirum.
Though this is a book about wartime in Holland, it’s also very much a book about the dance world. Immerse yourself in the magical ballets, the Nutcracker, Giselle, Les Sylphides. Even in wartime dance took place. And it saved Edda from despair.
So, dear reader, I hope you’ll let the enchantment of The Crystal Butterfly transport you to a time when heroes walked among us, hidden in plain sight. Join me as we celebrate the strength, courage, and resilience of these remarkable resistance women who shaped the course of 20th Century history. The grandmothers and great-grandmothers on whose shoulders today’s power women celebrate their equality and freedom.
The Crystal Butterfly is available on Amazon. The paperback is also available on all the leading book platforms! If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can also read the new book “for free”. As you can with the rest of the series!
Together let us honor the heroes and heroines of the past and pave the way for a future where their legacy lives on! And peace - hopefully - reigns forever.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Hannah
2023: the birth of a new book
New book, but also a new home and a new website. Years of research on European countries during World Wars NOT lost, and more to come! Did you know about Audrey Hepburn’s Dutch war years?
Since book 5 in The Resistance Girl Series, The Highland Raven, came out, I took a short break from writing about my main topic World War 2. In the interim I launched a new historical detective series, titled The Mrs Imogene Lynch Series. I also moved to another part of Holland at the end of December ‘22 and became a first-time grandmother in January. All very exciting but very distracting from my WW2 writing schedule! :-)
In January 2023 I began writing The Crystal Butterfly, my newest book in The Resistance Girl Series. This book is about the Dutch Resistance. It was a Godsent to be able this time to do all my groundwork ‘around the corner’ and I’ll share plenty of my (on the spot) research with you on this blog.
I took the time to deep-dive into the new story and get to the heart of my heroine’s journey before and during WW2. Her name is Edda Van der Valk and in The Crystal Butterfly she will take you through her Dutch war years.
As I now live close to Den Bosch - which is in the centre of Holland - I can easily travel to the most important places of action during WW2 in this country. So let me take you with me on my field trips as I retrace my steps to that gruesome part of our history, now some 80 years ago.
Few people living through WW2 are still with us today. The medalled-up veterans and bravely surviving Jews have become sparse centenaries, whose live presence in TV shows and newspaper articles are almost non-existent. WW2 is now almost history, lived through by the generation of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. But I still feel it is my duty to keep the history alive LEST WE FORGET.
The Crystal Butterfly is also inspired by - though far from identical to - Audrey Hepburn’s Dutch war years, so I’ll take you to places where she lived and spent some of the most arduous years of her life. And, of course, Anne Frank cannot be ignored in a book that is centred heavily on the deportations of Dutch-based Jewish people. After all, the arrest of Edda’s big love, Asher Hoffmann, was her reason for joining the Resistance.
PS For avid readers of my blog you may notice I have a new website and miss the abundant archive of years of research on many European countries during the World Wars. Fear not for it will return in an even clearer and more user friendly way.
Hello Reader
Welcome to Historical Facts & Fiction. Here imagination meets reality. I created this blog as a space to assemble my own research that had no place in my World War novels. Find out more about the background to The Resistance Girl Series!
Welcome to Historical Facts & Fiction. Here imagination meets reality. I created this blog as a space to assemble my own research that had no place in my World War novels. I hope you’ll enjoy finding out more about the background to The Resistance Girl Series.
Titbits of research certainly have their place in historical fiction, but when it becomes info dump, it’s too much. But in a blog there’s enough space to share all in-depth investigations and fieldwork to my heart’s content.
Most Historical Fiction readers are fervent researchers themselves; half the fun of reading a good HF novel is popping onto the net to fact-check what you’ve just read. You simply must know if SOE really had women spies, or if Eva Braun actually married Hitler hours before joining him in death. The internet is our treasure trove. I know I can’t stop myself, and love learning a thing or two in the process.
Have you ever wondered where HF authors get their ideas for a new book or series, or how they do their research? No two HF authors are alike – of course – but we all do rely heavily on today’s search engines. No work gets done without it.
However, as you’ll read in an upcoming blog post, my reason for starting The Resistance Girl Series was a family photo I found by chance. Curiosity is a good start. As a European with lineage in several countries, I not only study the lives of these people. They are in my bloodline.
My Great-uncles William and Jack Westcott
But it wasn’t just my uncles’ photograph that incited me to write In Picardy’s Fields. It may sound terrible to say - and I won’t do so aloud - but I love the World Wars. For me as a fiction writer these intense and dark periods in recent human history provide the greatest canvas on which to splash my stories, in an endless variety; this was the period – par excellence – in which ordinary people performed extraordinary deeds. And we all love us a decent hero(ine)!
I’m never tired of learning more about the first half of the 20th century and how it’s shaped our current society. So, please permit me to infect you with some of that passion.
Next to online studies, you can also join me on my field trips to various countries while I do my onsite research.
On to the first blog now…
Thank you for being here!