Guest Post: History - the Most Important Timeline of All by Carol Browne...

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Covid-19 is a game-changer in so many ways. It is making people rethink their lives, their jobs, their relationships, their aspirations, even their diets and the way they treat the planet they live on. The virus landed like a bolt out of the blue, illuminating the dark places in our lives and altering our perceptions. Many things that were thought of as important are now shown to be superficial and shallow. The way we structure our days has also come under intense scrutiny. Two areas of human activity in particular are undergoing a much-needed overhaul, and they are employment and education. People who can work from home during the lockdown can see the benefits of making this permanent. Meanwhile, many parents who have been home schooling their children are wondering if they should continue with it.

I was discussing this with a close friend of mine who has been working from home and is considering home schooling. She was concerned about peer pressure at the school one of her children attends and how it has had a detrimental effect on the child’s self-esteem. It is always hard to be different. It’s equally hard for an adult to do something different from what is considered normal. We often stick with the status quo for fear of being criticised. But, as the memes insist, the virus has shown us that normal wasn’t working. It’s time to create a new paradigm for living and my friend has seen the beneficial effects that home schooling has already had on both her children.

But this isn’t a blog about home schooling! When my friend and I were discussing different ways of educating her children, I reminded her of how we used to be taught history. We started as far back as the dinosaurs and moved forwards incrementally to the present day. As a result, I have had a mental image in my mind of every century down the ages with major events recorded on this timeline of history, so that I know where I am in the great scheme of things. I can see how mankind got to where it is today. It is like belonging to the timeline of humanity where everything makes sense, even the bad things, because wars have causes that can be traced back and great transitions, like the one we are experiencing now, can be anchored in time and better understood.

Do children still learn history this way? I meet so many young people who have no idea what happened before World War II (and don’t see the socio-economic and political factors that brought about that global conflict). Yes, they know about the Romans and perhaps the Ancient Egyptians but can’t pin them down to a particular era.

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And here in the UK how many of the people who are so proud to be British know anything about the history of the British Isles? Why do we use the words British and English; what’s the difference? We were a nation of immigrants long before the Roman occupation, during which time we really were British but not English. If everyone understood that we have all migrated here from other countries, would we rethink our current attitude to immigration? And if we knew more about our imperialist past with its horrors of slavery and oppression, would we see how racism developed and be better able to reject it?

Everything that happens is a lesson and the lessons of history will keep repeating on the timeline until we decide to take a stand and say no more. Only by understanding the timeline of the past can we see the need for change in the present. Allowing children to grow up without reference points or connections to ancestral knowledge, is not giving them freedom. It leaves them adrift in the modern world not knowing why things are the way they are. To teach children the lessons of history is to give them the tools they need to make their world a better place and create a brighter future.

History is important. In my book Being Krystyna – A Story of Survival in WWII I showed how intolerance for other people’s differences can lead to persecution and conflict. Krystyna herself always feared the Nazis would return, and looking at world events today I think she was right. One way to stop the resurgence of such evil is to make sure that the lessons of history are never forgotten. But first we have to learn them.

Here is a brief introduction to my book. Thank you for reading it.

It’s 2012, the year of the London Olympics, and for young Polish immigrant Agnieszka, visiting fellow countrywoman Krystyna in a Peterborough care home is a simple act of kindness. However, the meeting proves to be the beginning of a life-changing experience.

Krystyna’s stories about the past are not memories of the good old days but recollections of war-ravaged Europe: The Warsaw Ghetto, Pawiak Prison, Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, and the death march to freedom.

The losses and ordeals Krystyna suffered and what she had to do to survive, these are horrors Agnieszka must confront when she volunteers to be Krystyna’s biographer.

Will Agnieszka find a way to accomplish her task, and, in this harrowing story of survival, what is the message for us today?

Buy Links

Dilliebooks - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Born in Stafford in the UK, Carol Browne was raised in Crewe, Cheshire, which she thinks of as her home town. Interested in reading and writing at an early age, Carol pursued her passions at Nottingham University and was awarded an honours degree in English Language and Literature. Now living and working in the Cambridgeshire countryside, Carol usually writes fiction and is a contracted author at Burning Willow Press. Being Krystyna, published by Dilliebooks on 11th November, 2016, is her first non-fiction book.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Celebrate the month of May with my Annual Goodreads Giveaway…

Last week’s post marked a day of remembering the Holocaust victims during World War Two. You can read it HERE if you missed it. In that post, my friend and fellow author, Carol Browne and I wrote a poignant piece about two people we chose who had survived the terrible Holocaust, and went on to make a difference to the world in their own way.

I picked the latest book in The Last Timekeepers young adult time travel series, The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret for my annual May Goodreads Giveaway because the story touches on the lives of people who not only endured World War Two, but fought the Nazis on their own ground. I touch briefly on the Jewish round-ups, the injustices, and what my characters experienced on their time travel mission in Amsterdam during 1942. If you think you’d be interested in going back in time and fighting the Nazis with my time traveling crew, then I urge you to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy.

There’s plenty of time to enter the giveaway, as it runs from May 1^st to May 22^nd, (that’s Victoria Day for us Canadians!). All shares and tweets would be most appreciated! Did I mention I’m throwing in a signed postcard to sweeten the pot? BTW—this giveaway is international so all Goodreads readers have a chance to win!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Cheers, and good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret

by Sharon Ledwith

Giveaway ends May 22, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Book Review: Being Krystyna by Carol Browne…

When Carol Browne volunteered to write the life story of local woman, Krystyna Porsz, she was a very reluctant biographer. Ms. Browne did it because no-one else could be found to do it, so she thought, “If I don’t do it, no-one will.” And I for one, am glad she did manage to put pen to paper and write Krystyna’s story!

There are many books out there that share the horrific tales of Holocaust survivors and the aftermath of what these courageous human beings had to go through during World War Two. Being Krystyna is one of those books. Carol Browne only met Krystyna once but made a point of shaking her hand before she left. Carol states openly, “I needed to physically touch someone who had survived the Holocaust, who had lived a history I had only read about or seen on black and white newsreels.”

So what’s my take on this true story of a strong woman whose voice needed to be heard despite being seriously hampered by dementia? This is what I posted on Amazon and Goodreads…

A 4 Star Tribute to a True Survivor…

Bravo to Carol Browne for writing a poignant, well-told story of a survivor of the Holocaust during World War Two. Browne captures the voice and tone of the aging Krystyna, and brings her story to life. A well-done tribute to a woman who went through hell to ensure her survival and live a long, productive life.

Being Krystyna would do well on the laptops of today’s students to allow them a peek into Krystyna’s world, and what it was like to walk in her shoes. This biography is a true triumph of the human spirit, and I was humbled to read Krystyna’s courageous story.

About the Book:

In 2012 when young Polish immigrant Agnieszka visits fellow countrywoman Krystyna in a Peterborough care home for the first time, she thinks it a simple act of kindness. However, the meeting proves to be the beginning of a life-changing experience.

Krystyna’s stories about the past are not memories of the good old days but recollections of war-ravaged Europe: The Warsaw Ghetto, Pawiak Prison, Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, and a death march to freedom.

The losses and ordeals Krystyna suffered and what she had to do to survive are horrors Agnieszka must confront when she volunteers to be Krystyna’s biographer.

Will Agnieszka be able to keep her promise to tell the story, and, in this harrowing memoir of survival, what is the message for us today?

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MQDOP1C/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ABeing+Krystyna%3A+A+story+of+survival+in+WW2&keywords=Being+Krystyna%3A+A+story+of+survival+in+WW2&ie=UTF8

 

Carol Browne regards Crewe, Cheshire, as her home town and graduated from Nottingham University in 1976 with an honors degree in English Language and Literature. Carol writes speculative fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She is also a ghost blog writer, proofreader, copy editor, and copywriter. 

Along with a passion for gardening, Carol is an avid animal lover. Carol lives in the Cambridgeshire countryside with her dog, Harry, and cockatiel, Sparky. Pagan and vegan, Carol believes it is time for a paradigm shift in our attitude to Mother Nature and hopes the days of speciesism are numbered.

Connect with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

What it’s Like to Write a Real Person’s Story by Carol Browne...

I want to welcome friend and fellow author, Carol Browne for sharing her experience for what it's like to walk in another person's shoes. In my novel, The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, my time travel characters are whisked back to Amsterdam during World War Two. You can imagine the amount of research that went into this book, so when Carol recently had the opportunity to give a Holocaust survivor a voice, and tell her story, I jumped at the chance to have her on my blog. Here's Carol's journey on writing this poignant biography...

When I volunteered to write the life story of local woman, Krystyna Porsz, I was a very reluctant biographer. I did it because no-one else could be found to do it, so I thought, “If I don’t do it, no-one will.” It seemed far too big a responsibility to me but I told Krystyna’s son I’d give it a go, even though I was convinced I wasn’t up to the job. I write fiction. I make stuff up. I assumed non-fiction would be completely different.

It turned out not to be so different after all. Although I had the facts of Krystyna’s life, they amounted to a few sheets of A4 paper, hardly enough material for a book. So I had to build a structure to hang those facts on, very much like creating a plot for a work of fiction. My friend Agnieszka had visited Krystyna on two occasions and I used her as a narrative device, so we see the story unfold through her eyes. This gave me much more opportunity to pad out the text while still being true to the available facts.

Writers of fiction know that characters are apt to take on a life of their own. They seem real to their creators and as authors we want to portray them in their best light. When you are writing a real person’s story, this becomes vitally important. The sense of responsibility the author feels is magnified. For me, writing about Krystyna, it was off the scale; here was a very old lady whose ability to communicate was seriously hampered by dementia. There wouldn’t be any chance of being able to discuss the book with her. There wouldn’t be any feedback. While I was writing the book, I kept thinking, “If this were my life story, would I be happy with how it’s being handled?” That was my benchmark all the time and I’m confident I kept to it.

Writing a real person’s story seems to provide you with a ready-made plot but you can’t simply make the book a record of the events in someone’s life. That would be dull. You still have a responsibility towards the reader to make it as compelling as possible so they want to keep reading, but you mustn’t sensationalise the facts to do that; this is someone’s life you are dealing with and you have to keep that in mind.

Third-party involvement can cause problems too, and in this case it held up the book for several months. This just doesn’t happen with make-believe characters and so I wasn’t expecting it and it was very frustrating. However, it hasn’t deterred me from tackling anything similar in the future because I now know I must address issues such as these before I commit myself.

Writing a real person’s story is a challenge. It’s hard work. But I recommend it, especially if that person’s life is drastically different from your own. It’s an enlightening experience. It will broaden your mind and test your ability as a writer. It will give you the opportunity to write something that really deserves to be written. I only met Krystyna once but I made a point of shaking her hand before I left. I needed to physically touch someone who had survived the Holocaust, who had lived a history I had only read about or seen on black and white newsreels. Krystyna Porsz is a truly brave person. A survivor. I’m grateful not only to have met her, but to have had the honour of telling her story.

Look for Being Krystyna, releasing from Dilliebooks, on Amazon this winter.

Blurb: Being Krystyna

In 2012 when young Polish immigrant Agnieszka visits fellow countrywoman Krystyna in a Peterborough care home for the first time, she thinks it a simple act of kindness. However, the meeting proves to be the beginning of a life-changing experience.

Krystyna’s stories about the past are not memories of the good old days but recollections of war-ravaged Europe: The Warsaw Ghetto, Pawiak Prison, Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, and a death march to freedom.

The losses and ordeals Krystyna suffered and what she had to do to survive are horrors Agnieszka must confront when she volunteers to be Krystyna’s biographer.

Will Agnieszka be able to keep her promise to tell the story, and, in this harrowing memoir of survival, what is the message for us today?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MQDOP1C/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ABeing+Krystyna%3A+A+story+of+survival+in+WW2&keywords=Being+Krystyna%3A+A+story+of+survival+in+WW2&ie=UTF8

Carol Browne regards Crewe, Cheshire, as her home town and graduated from Nottingham University in 1976 with an honors degree in English Language and Literature. Carol writes speculative fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She is also a ghost blog writer, proofreader, copy editor, and copywriter. Along with a passion for gardening, Carol is an avid animal lover.

Carol lives in the Cambridgeshire countryside with her dog, Harry, and cockatiel, Sparky. Pagan and vegan, Carol believes it is time for a paradigm shift in our attitude to Mother Nature and hopes the days of speciesism are numbered.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.