Dear Readers,

I do hope that you enjoyed reading The Soldier’s Girl as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that as you turned the last pages you felt something of the satisfaction I felt at writing the last words; that sense of arriving at a journey’s end. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

And what a trip it’s been. It really began many decades ago, when I was a student in the wonderful South Germany town of Freiburg, just across the Rhine from Colmar. Every summer I would visit my dear friend Trudel, an extraordinary woman who in those years had become something of an Ersatz-mother to me. I first met Trudel in 1974, in India; she took me under her wing, rather in the way Margaux, in The Soldier’s Girl, takes young people, waifs and strays, under her wing. After all, I was more or less on my own in Germany, finding my legs and my independence after a failed marriage.

Trudel was born in Ribeauvillé and considered herself an Alsatian; but she told me very little about Alsace during the summers I spent with her. Her stories were of Berlin during the war years, and of the incredible island on the Seddiner See where she met her future husband, unforgettable stories of unforgettable people. Her home near Colmar, nestled in the garden she so loved, was a magnet for young people like me; I will never forget the 80th birthday party her children Regine and Thomas threw for her, when the older ‘Berliner’ crowd met with the younger generation. She was truly a stalwart; one of those marvellous women who, just by being who they are, bring strength and inspiration to others. Trudel passed away at the ripe old age of 102, physically frail as one would expect of a woman of her age, but mentally as astute and wise as ever. She had been living alone in that Alsatian house, winter and summer, for many years at the time.

So when my publishers suggested that I might like to try my hand at a World War II novel, the setting was as clear as day. Where else but Alsace?

It seemed the perfect place: not only one of the most picturesque regions of France, but a place I already loved, balanced as it was between the two European countries I knew the best. But that was just the beginning…

The story of Alsace, I discovered, is a captivating chapter the history books almost forgot to tell. It gave me great joy to discover that chapter for myself, and now to tell that tale as a backdrop to Sibyl’s story. Somehow, I felt that it was Trudel guiding my hand as I wrote it.

I hope you loved The Soldier’s Girl and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.

I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.

Thanks,

Sharon Maas