Typically the protagonist, the hero or heroine, is fictitious, but the events, political figures, and issues of the book are true. Historical fiction combines fact and imagination. As Winston Churchill said: “Never have so many owed so much to so few.” Their anecdotes will bless you with incredibly moving storylines, rich with life-or-death crises and admirable characters who met them with profound courage and compassion. If you know someone who survived it, turn on a tape recorder and encourage him or her to share with you. Missing in action for months and feared dead, my father-unannounced-walked up the driveway of his parents’ farm, five days before Christmas 1944. Thankfully, I eventually realized that one of the most moving stories I’d ever heard was that of my father’s WWII homecoming. But I blanked-I couldn’t think of a thing. So it made sense that he would ask me for something that would help renew people’s sense of holiday spirit and community. I wrote “human interest” stories for the magazine, profiles of people who had overcome unexpected trouble, people with special talents and dedication, people who had carried their families out of crisis with one-foot-in-front-of-the-other stubbornness. It was born in a request from my long-time editor at the Washingtonian for a “heart-warming” December holiday article.

Under a War-torn Sky is my leap from journalism to fiction.

Glory of the war torn hero guide