Happy Birthday to me…Haaaapppy Birthday!

Yeah, whatever. I’m 30…again.

Hmm…what do I want for my birthday?  Let me think really hard here…

Mmmm nice..Navy men…

Very nice…a very hot Marine…

Okay, I think I got my wish perfected at this point.

I was working on interview questions today and one of the questions asked what influenced my choice to write about World War II pertaining to my novella Warrior Lover. It got me thinking, what was it that influenced my interest in that time period?

I grew up with loads of family who lived through WWII. My grandmother (my mom’s mom) had around 7 brothers and sisters. They all were involved in WWII in some manner. One of her brothers was in the Army over in Europe during the war. Another brother was in the Navy on board the USS Yorktown CV-5 during the Battle of Midway. He was on the flight deck when one of the torpedoes struck the hull, knocking him overboard and into the water. Passing cruisers dropped ropes into the water in hopes to pick up survivors. (They could not stop to help as they were amid a battle.) My great uncle was one of the lucky who caught one of the ropes.

My grandfather was a welder working on ships at the Camden, NJ, shipyard. (He couldn’t serve due to a health issue, so he built ships.) Two of his brothers served in the Navy during the war. One of them was involved in sending planes to Oahu from the States the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

One of the most interesting stories I remember as a kid was hearing my Great Aunt Peggy talk about Pearl Harbor. She was on Oahu with her two kids at the time of the attack. She hid with her children under a truck during the first wave. During the lull, she raced to the Naval base where they told her to go away, that was the targeted area. When the second wave started, she hid under the same truck again with her kids. I remember her saying with a laugh, “It kept us safe the first time.”

In talking to my mom today about some of my family history, there is no doubt where my interest began. I’ve heard tales of WWII all through my childhood. The time period is fascinating to me.

Yes, I do have ideas for more stories set during WWII. Historical romances, no paranormal elements. I think the period is ripe for more romances to be set in that time.

———————————————

This includes pictures of the USS Yorktown CV-5. I know the writing is German, but the pictures need no explanation. The USS Yorktown CV-5 was an aircraft carrier that was sunk during the Battle of Midway. The sunken remains of this carrier was discovered in 1998 by the same man who discovered the Titanic.

A short newsreel about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Okay really these are not coffee drinking safe videos. If you watch while drinking, I can almost guarantee coffee will shoot out your nose.

As a little kid, I loved the music, but always though they were weird. I remember YMCA song so vividly…the YMCA dance… It was fun.

Not sure if my brother appreciates this next song. He probably does. He’s a US Naval Commander. He did the whole US Merchant Marine Academy (another military academy much like West Point or the Citadel). Graduated all Cum Laude. Yeah, he wouldn’t have gotten through the academy if not for my mom and I. Guess who typed up his sea project every summer? (The sea project was a major report from his at sea experience…complete with technical drawings, engineering technical jargon, etc.)  Oh and should I mention the typing was done on my Brother word-processor and a manual typewriter? Yeah…and he is the OLDER brother.