Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway - Hunger Winter: A WWII Novel by Rob Currie

Welcome to the virtual book tour for Hunger Winter by Rob Currie. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you and a great guest post. There's also a tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Hunger Winter: A WWII Novel
Author: Rob Currie
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication Date: March 3rd 2020
Print Length: 372 pages
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

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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:

“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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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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.

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GUEST POST:

Which event in history has held your interest the most? Why?

Hands down, my favorite historical event is World War II. My reasons include my father’s service in the war and the admiration he taught me to have for people who are brave and clever in the face of adversity.

If you don’t think you’d want to read a book about World War II please realize WWII involves more than bullets and battles. It involves personalities, relationships, and dramatic events. Here are four examples. First, the Nazis stole kids from eastern Europe and forcibly adopted them into German families. After the war when the rightful parents found their youngsters, the children had no memory of their real parents. Second, the Nazis also set about murdering children of adult Jews they’d sent to concentration camps. The Nazis hunted down these innocent children on the streets because the enemy feared that when these children grew up, they’d take revenge on the regime that killed their parents. Third, and I promise I didn’t make this up, Adolph Hitler, the mighty leader of the Third Reich, had a problem with flatulence. If you were one of his generals, would you want to be the one to confront the temperamental tyrant about his problem? Fourth, during the final winter of the war in the Netherlands, starved of fuel and food, the Dutch threw chopped up fences into the fireplace for warmth and dug up their beloved tulip bulbs to eat. The Dutch call it Hongerwinter (Hunger Winter). They pried up every other stair and threw it into the fire. My story shares many more of these compelling incidents related to Dutch bravery in the face of hardship.

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GIVEAWAY:

Rob Currie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!

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