VBT Hunger Winter by Rob Currie

Hunger Winter

by Rob Currie

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GENRE: MG Historical Fiction

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BLURB:

It's the Netherlands in late 1944. Thirteen-year-old Dirk's Papa left to fight with the Resistance. Then Mama died. When the Gestapo snatched his older sister and he learned they were coming for him next, Dirk left home in the middle of the night. He had his pockets stuffed with food, his little sister asleep in his arms, and his heart heavy with a dark secret.

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Excerpt Two:

“Your sentence has been determined,” he said.

Wrapping her tattered blanket around her shoulders, Els trudged down the hall, following other prisoners. Outside, the chilly breeze flapped her blanket, and she clutched it tighter. Guards formed the captives in a row, in front of a brick wall. More guards stood on the opposite side of the courtyard with rifles.

“Nooo!” cried a man next to Els. “They’re going to—”

“Halt die Klappe” a soldier shouted. A light rain fell. Els put her hand on the shoulder of the man who had cried out. His weeping intensified. “Noo!” he cried, looking around as if appealing to some unseen authority.

“You are all guilty of crimes against the Third Reich,” an officer announced. “You have been sentenced, and now you will pay for what you have done.”

He looked at the soldiers. “Ready,” he shouted above the din of prisoners begging for mercy. The soldiers clutched their rifles.

Els cleared her throat and sang as loudly as she could in her weakened condition, “Grant that I may remain brave, your servant for always,” she began. Several prisoners joined her in singing the national anthem. “And may defeat the tyranny which pierces my heart.”

“Ready!” the officer shouted again.

Thunder boomed and the rain fell harder. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The Gestapo was supposed to realize Els would never talk, and they’d release her. And then she’d somehow find Dirk.

“Aim,” the officer said. The soldiers raised their rifles.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Life conspired to get Rob Currie to write Hunger Winter: A World War II Novel. His father is a World War II veteran and his wife is Dutch. An award-winning author, it was only a matter of time before he would focus his writing on World War II. Research for Hunger Winter included numerous books, interviews with Dutch WWII survivors, and three weeks in the Netherlands. His investigation revealed astonishing details about the Dutch experience of the war, which begged to be turned into a book.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, he graduated from Cornerstone University and went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate in psychology from St. Louis University. He has taught psychology at Judson University since 1987. His hobbies include playing basketball, cooking, and writing poetry.

Author Web Site: www.robcurrieauthor.com

Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Winter-World-War-Novel/dp/1496440358/

Interview with Rob Currie

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?

Writing the story is a collaborative effort I have with the characters. I control the plot but what they say and do in those situations depends on their personalities. When I write it takes time to get to know the characters and to give the freedom to be true to who they are. They often come up with things to say and do that surprise me in a positive way.  

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

I keep hearing from readers how much they enjoyed it. A boy got Hunger Winter and finished reading it in two days. A teen read it and when it was time to pick another book to read, he told his dad, “I want to read another book like Rob Currie’s.” In the past few days, three people who read and enjoyed the book have asked me if I’m going to write a sequel. A woman who is a mother and grandma stayed up to read it “later than I should have because I wanted to know what’s going to happen.” A single mom is reading the book with her son and having some sweet bonding time. A man in his late fifties read it and said it’s the first book he has read all the way through since he finished college. 

Have you written any other books that are not published?

    I’m half finished writing a book on the subject of parenting boys. But I’ll write another book about WWII before I get back to the parenting book. 

Pen, typewriter, or computer?

I do most of my work on the computer for all the obvious reasons. But sometimes I still like to print out a section and mark it up with a pencil. My favorite way to do this is to go for a vigorous bike ride on a warm day. After riding a couple of miles, I’ll find a bench and do some editing and rewriting. 

1. Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

The book is very suitable for classroom use, grades 4-8. It has discussion questions and maps. Schools and homeschools have either adopted it or are in the final stages of consideration for adopting Hunger Winter. 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Rob Currie will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway