Sunday, March 3, 2013

National Women's History Month

March is National Women's History Month! History is littered with great women who influenced history. Susan B. Anthony, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks. I mention only a few.

I write historical fiction/romance. Writing romance, there is a certain amount of fantasy within the pages. Romance novels are meant to be an escape from reality for a brief moment in time. But the women I create within my pages are inspired.

I love history. I believe that the best in us surfaces in the most trying of times. Deeds of bravery are not always written to be remembered. The effects of the deeds are felt. I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. I have written about her before...

AMAZON   BARNES AND NOBLE   KOBO
Irena Sendler. This truly remarkable woman risked her life saving 2,500 children from the Nazi's during WWII. Her story is amazing and without question...inspiring. Yet her story wasn't known for many decades. She inspired my heroine in Broken Legacy. Broken Legacy is set in a different time and place—the French Revolution.

Yet there is a common denominator. An insurmountable evil. In WWII the Nazi killed millions without conscience. They struck fear into the hearts of everyone. To defy the Nazis meant certain death if caught. Matter of fact, Irena was caught and sentenced to death. She escaped, but the threat remained until the Nazis were defeated.

The French Revolution inflected the same terror—The Reign of Terror. Thousands of innocent people were killed. We have all seen movies of this time where the condemned were carted to the guillotine. If you study the French Revolution, you will find there were more terrors than just the guillotine that were faced. Moreover, the French Revolution may have begun as a rebellion against the aristocrats, but during the Reign of Terror no one was safe. It only took a rumor to have one arrested, which meant almost certain death.

My heroine, Eloise, faces many dangers in Broken Legacy to do what she believed was right. I truly believe there were people just like my heroine, Eloise, throughout history. Taking a line from Broken Legacy—

 He had lived in the Terror for only a brief time, but well understood the sheer fear the threat of the Terror’s justice caused. These brave souls demonstrated truer courage than any soldier he had ever encountered, each deciding that doing the right thing was easier to live with than doing nothing.

It's not only Broken Legacy that was inspired by a brave woman. Winds of Betrayal Series was inspired by the brave men and women that sacrificed themselves for the American cause. Yes...the many brave women of the American Revolution. Abgail Adams, Lydia Darragh, Betsy Ross, Rebecca Motte, Emily Geiger, Grace and Rachel Martin, Martha Washington... The list is long.

This month read up on some of the great women of the past! If you like, pick up a copy of Broken Legacy...or maybe start my American Revolution series Winds of Betrayal... Enjoy!

EMBRACE OF THE ENEMY, BOOK TWO  WINDS OF BETRAYAL SERIES


3 comments:

Jannine Gallant said...

There are plenty of courageous (and smart) women to honor in history. The world would probably be a better place if the men stepped back and let us run things. LOL Just saying... Best of luck with your series. They're terrific books.

Margo Hoornstra said...

Women in history do lend themselves to compelling stories. And kudos to the women who share/create those stories. Let me add my best of luck to you! Beautiful covers!

Colleen Connally said...

Women rarely get the credit they deserve for their feats throughout history. I think in part because women don't thrive on acknowledgement of their deeds.

Thanks guys for your comments.