 I enjoy introducing new authors each and every month, but I'm very excited to share this one with you. I was blessed to be the content editor for her new book, and you're definitely going to want to check it out. In the meantime, settle in to learn a bit more about author Terri Wangard. Congratulations on your new release. As the content editor, I have to say, I really enjoyed it. What encouraged you to set a WWII novel in Brazil? I like the unusual. Many WWII books are set in Europe and involve the Gestapo and German cruelty. That was a big part of the war, but there’s so much more. What makes you choose to write about historical times over other genres? I enjoy history. I have a BA in history (and a Master of Library Science degree). My first book was inspired by letters written by distant relatives in the immediate post-WWII years. My grandparents sent them care packages in Germany. After that, I started a contemporary story, but an editor told me I’d probably need a series to be offered a contract. I had plenty of unused research, so I kept going.  I loved the seashell art addition in your story. When did you start doing that in real life? We vacationed in Florida when I was in grade school and I picked up pretty shells. Later, shelling became an obsession. I’d be up before dawn, first on the beach, hunting for prizes. At some point, I created shell pictures and later a shadow box, but most of my shells are displayed in decorative glass jars. Where to next? I know this new series is set in places we might not think of when we think WWII. Besides Brazil, where else will your books take us? Iceland is next. In the North Atlantic, it played an important role in the Battle of the Atlantic. My original setting for the third book was Australia, but that fell apart before I started writing the story. The setting shifted to the Pacific with a bit of Hawaii. What's one of the hardest parts to writing historicals? What is one of the most interesting things you've discovered while researching for your books? Accuracy. Finding all the little details. This series has been especially difficult because there are so few sources. I was blessed to find one primary source for Brazil, two for Iceland. I learned little things like no glass in windows of many homes in Natal, Brazil. Iceland didn’t allow their coins to be sent home as souvenirs. Denmark, the source of their currency, had been overrun and no longer minted coins. Which one of your characters is most like you and why? It’s more like my characters are how I wish to be. Isabel’s a seashell artist, but she’s also a multi-lingual mathlete. Other characters have been seamstresses, artists, journalists. They’re outgoing, yet blend in. I live through my heroines. Last but not least, can you leave us with one fact about yourself that very few people already know? During my middle school years, I was bullied because I was tall. The psychological damage went deep. Putting myself forward is excruciating. I don’t readily trust people, especially men. NCIS is the only TV show I watch. I’ve never figured out why so many people think Tony DiNozzo was so great. The way he bullied McGee was not traumatic, but I didn’t find it funny. I was relieved when he finally left the show. He served as the model for a secondary character in my next book. You’ll have no trouble guessing which character! Thanks so much for joining us today! I look forward to visiting Iceland in your next book. :) In the meantime, readers, be sure to check out this gorgeous book, Seashells in my Pocket. You're going to love it!  Seashells in my Pocket German-Brazilian Isabel Neumann delights in creating seashell art, but it’s her mathematical ability that lands her a job at the American air base in Natal, northern Brazil during World War II. She doesn’t need a calculator to determine the correct weights and balances for the Air Transport Command’s cargo planes. Daniel Lambert, an American transport pilot based at Natal, endures the taunts of combat pilots that he is “allergic to combat.” His flying skills win him respect, however, and his friendship with Isabel deepens, even as a new source of trouble looms. Isabel is caught in the crosshairs of a German saboteur who is obsessed with her. He insists that she belongs with him, and demands that she help him sabotage the Allied base. Her growing relationship with Daniel angers the Nazi, who will do anything to get of rid him. What will happen to Isabel if the madman captures her? Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Classic Boating Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor. She also serves on the Genesis and First Impressions contest teams and as secretary of the Wisconsin Southeast chapter.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorTerriWangard https://www.pinterest.com/terriwangard/novel-seashells-in-my-pocket/
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