Hello, lovely readers!
I’m excited to introduce you to my latest book, The Lost Orphans of Lyon. As often happens, the idea for this book came when I was down the rabbit hole of research for another book. As I’m always on the lookout for the lesser-known stories of WW2, this nugget caught my attention! From December 1940 to September 1944, the remote Huguenot village, Chambon – Sur- Lignon, in the Haute-Loire, provided refuge from the Nazis for an estimated 5,000 people, including about 3,500 Jews. A large number of these were children. The operation was led by Pastor André Trocmé and his wife, Magda. Other members of the community forged identification and ration papers for the refugees, and in some cases, escorted them to neutral Switzerland. Today, a museum and memorial stand as monuments to the courage and non-violent resistance of the remarkable community.
I imagined a young girl from the village involved in resistance activities and what dangers she would have faced. As I wanted to set my story in France, it had to include a chateau with a secret tunnel. And a vineyard. But what connection did that have to the village? These musings led to the creation of my main character, an abandoned wife, who, of course, must have a second chance at love. A forbidden love. It was exciting how the story evolved from that point into the final book, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
Get your copy of The Lost Orphans of Lyon!\
