historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
Almost everyone has that one thing: the topic that gets you on your proverbial soap box to tell the world your passion. Mine is child abuse: not just sexual. Physical, emotional. Whatever kind of manipulation is used against a child to make them feel "less than." When I was a kid, corporal punishment was common. … Continue reading Soapbox
In April of 2008 I started writing a blog. My good friend, Max, wrote a blog and did a podcast and we often got into discussions about one thing or another. Podcasts weren't for me but I thought, why not try a blog? At the time I wasn't thinking about writing novels, I just wanted … Continue reading Fifteen Years and Counting
It's here! This past Wednesday, July 5, War Sonnets was officially released! I'm so excited to finally see the results of seven long years of research and writing. Orders are rolling in and I've already received my first (3!) 5-star reviews! If you haven't yet ordered a copy, you can get one here, or order … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday!
September 26, 2004. It is the opening night gala of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Attending is the renowned philanthropist and Auschwitz survivor, Elliot Rosenzweig. Nazi concentration camp survivor Ben Solomon is also there, but he has no intention of attending the opera. He is there, pistol in hand, to confront Mr. Rosenzweig.Ben Solomon knows … Continue reading Book Review: “Once We Were Brothers” by Ronald H. Balson
愛し国 親、妻、子供 いざ帰国 Itoshi kuni Oya tsuma kodomo Iza kikoku Beloved homeland Parents, dear wife, and children, I return to you! Home! Going home! I’m going home today. War’s brutal horrors past, I’ve lived to see The happy faces of my family; But I am not the boy you sent away. I am a well-trained … Continue reading The Poetry of War Sonnets: Going Home
I’ve been reading John Pavlovitz’s If God is Love, Don’t be a Jerk. Like some other non-fiction books I’ve read lately, I’ve found it interesting and thought-provoking. I was intrigued to find that the evolution of Mr. Pavlovitz’s beliefs are similar to my own journey in faith. When I was a child, my family attended … Continue reading My Evolving Higher Power
When we last saw Halya Bilyk in Erin Litteken's debut novel, The Memory Keeper of Kiev, she was only two years old. It was 1934 and she and her family were still recovering from the effects of the Holodomor, Stalin's attempt to eradicate the Ukranians via starvation. The sequel, The Lost Daughters of Ukraine, finds … Continue reading Book Review: “The Lost Daughters of Ukraine” by Erin Litteken
If you haven't already heard (what, you couldn't hear me shouting from the rooftop?) the e-book version of War Sonnets is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. Paperback and hardcover copies will also be avaible soon. In the meantime, here's a little teaser: the opening chapter of War Sonnets: … Continue reading War Sonnets Teaser
Yes, you read that right. The fifth of July. Do you know its significance? On July 5, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur declared the Philippines liberated. And on July 5, 2023? War Sonnets will be released! After five years and a ton of hard work, War Sonnets is going public. Copies will be available for sale … Continue reading The Fifth of July
HIROSHIMA --August 6, 1945 The awesome power of death, this day uncaged, Will, like the weak Pandora’s box of woes, Be with the world wherever war is waged, And dog man’s footsteps everywhere he goes. That it, this day, has claimed ten thousand lives, And saved, perhaps, a hundred thousand more Who poise in waiting … Continue reading The Poetry of War Sonnets: The Bomb That Changed the World
Susannah Willey Writes 