Dena (aka D.E.) grew-up reading
everything she could get her grubby hands on from her mom's Harlequin romances
to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When she wasn't flipping pages in a library
book, she was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing,
or drafting stories, which she is very thankful have been destroyed. College
and a stint in the U.S. Army came along and robbed her of any free time to
write or read, although on the odd occasion she did manage to sneak a book into
her rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear.
After surviving the army experience, she went back to school and got her law
degree. She jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few
years into her legal career, she was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done.
She quit her job and sat down to write a manuscript, which she promptly hid in
the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t her
thing, so she quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t
her thing either. She polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic
before following the husband to Istanbul where she decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But
ten years was too many to stay away from her adopted home. She packed up again
and moved back to the Netherlands (The
Hague to be exact)
where she's currently working on her next book. She hopes she'll always be
working on another book.
Author links:
Website: http://dehaggerty.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dehaggerty
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dehaggerty/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_5?qid=1438239628&sr=8-5
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bbmdj9
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/d-e-haggerty
Email: dena@dehaggerty.com
Title: SEARCHING FOR GERTRUDE
Author: D.E. Haggerty
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 250
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: D.E. Haggerty
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 250
Genre: Historical Romance
BOOK BLURB:
While
growing up in Germany
in the 1930s, Rudolf falls in love with the girl next door, Gertrude. He
doesn’t care what religion Gertrude practices, but the Nazis do. When the first
antisemitic laws are enacted by the Nazi government, Gertrude’s father loses
his job at the local university. Unable to find employment in Germany,
he accepts a position at Istanbul University
and moves the family to Turkey.
Rudolf, desperate to follow Gertrude, takes a position as a consulate worker in
Istanbul with the very government
which caused her exile. With Rudolf finally living in the same city as
Gertrude, their reunion should be inevitable, but he can’t find her. During his
search for Gertrude, he stumbles upon Rosalyn, an American Jew working as a
nanny in the city. Upon hearing his heartbreaking story, she immediately agrees
to help him search for his lost love. Willing to do anything in their search
for Gertrude, they agree to work for a British intelligence officer who
promises his assistance, but his demands endanger Rudolf and Rosalyn. As the
danger increases and the search for Gertrude stretches on, Rudolf and Rosalyn
grow close, but Rudolf gave his heart away long ago.
How
far would you go to find the woman you love?
Buy links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/763765
We welcome you to My Bookish
Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing fiction?
I’ve always been writing
something – mostly horrible song lyrics, embarrassing poetry, and hideous stories.
I never took writing seriously, though. After all, being a writer is for the
elite upper-class, not the child of a factory worker – or at least that’s what
I thought. While on a break from my legal career, I wrote my first ‘adult’
novel, which I quickly hid in the attic. After I’d switched careers and was
still unhappy, my husband suggested I take the manuscript out of the attic and
publish it myself. I haven’t looked back.
Describe your writing process.
Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?
I am a plotter but not as
detailed as most plotters. I use a very vague one-page outline as the start of
my story. As I go along, I plot chapters and make notes for chapter ideas until
my journal is a complete, crazy mess. I am a morning person and try to be
behind my computer writing before the sun rises. I have Christmas lights I use
all year round to create ambiance.
Can you tell us about your most
recent release?
Searching for Gertrude is a historical
romance set in Istanbul during the
Second World War. The love of Rudolf’s life, Gertrude, is forced to flee Nazi
Germany. Rudolf eventually follows Gertrude to Istanbul,
but once there he can’t find Gertrude. He enlists the help of Rosalyn, and they
find themselves working with a British intelligence officer. As the danger
increases and the search stretches on, Rudolf and Rosalyn grow close, but
Rudolf gave his heart away long ago. In addition to tons of history, the novel
contains elements of mystery, suspense, and espionage.
How did you get the idea for
the book?
Oh
gosh, that’s a long story. I recently lived in Istanbul
for two years. I read an article about how Istanbul
was to WWII what Casablanca was to
WWI. I'm a total history geek (and have the degree to prove it!) so I dove into
the research, determined to write a sort of espionage novel. Once I stumbled
upon some information regarding a large group of German Jewish professors who
were fired from their positions during the Nazi period and went to Istanbul
University, I knew I had found the
starting point of my novel.
What was the most challenging
aspect of writing your book?
Searching
for Gertrude was the most challenging novel I’ve written for
various reasons. First of all, it was difficult to find research material.
Then, I had to research a lot of depressing stuff and try to make the book not
depressing. Ugh! It took me nearly a year to write this novel whereas I usually
write a book in three months.
What projects are you currently
working on?
I’m starting a new mystery
series. Like my previous mysteries, this will be a ‘humorous’ mystery series. Our
heroine is a bit of basket case after her husband leaves her. When she stumbles
upon a mystery, she decides – after much pushing from her best friend – to
solve it. Whenever she’s in doubt as how to proceed, she just asks herself:
“What would Nancy Drew do?” I can’t wait to get started on it and not just
because I get to re-read all my favorite Nancy Drew novels!
What advice would you offer to
new or aspiring fiction authors?
To newly published authors, I’d
say it’s important not to throw your novel in everyone’s face. Don’t just
constantly update your social media accounts with requests to buy and/or review
your book. Get involved! Socialize! Make connections and grow them.
Thanks for having me on your blog today!
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