Courage and Intrigue in Wartime San Francisco
Historical Fiction
Date Published: December 10, 2024
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
When bombs fall on Pearl Harbor, the trajectory of Faye Baxter’s
midwestern life takes an unexpected detour. Her fiancé Steve Connor
enlists in the Army, and Faye follows him to California for a
spur-of-the-moment wedding just days before he ships out.
Eager to contribute to the war effort, Faye joins the workforce in San
Francisco, a city awash with jobs, handsome soldiers, cheap cocktails, and
nefarious secrets. When she is recruited to serve as a courier for a
government intelligence agency, the assignment leads her into a web of
misogyny, deception, and espionage.
Will she learn to trust her instincts, value her own opinions, and raise
her voice against injustice? Or are the risks too great?
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing your books?
Because my genre is historical fiction, the hardest part is also the most enjoyable: research! To keep Unexpected Detour authentic to the World War II timeframe, I spent many hours in the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library scrolling through newspapers to create a timeline for the years 1942-1945. I also listened to dozens of oral histories compiled by UC Berkeley. These resources provided a context of historic events, and also a sense of the sentiment, concerns and diversions of the day.
What are your most played songs?
It was helpful for this project to dig up some of the big band greats. “Stardust” by the Artie Shaw was at the top of my playlist; it provided some terrific ambience without interrupting my thought process. For me, personally, I am first and foremost a Beatles fan, but also a sucker for Cindy Lauper, early Madonna, Norah Jones, John Legend and the original soundtrack of Hamilton.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Yes! And they were so helpful. I worked with a developmental editor after my first draft, who provided some invaluable comments regarding plot progression and character development. A select group of long-time friends, colleagues and fellow authors—including a 96-year-old woman who had experienced life in San Francisco during this period—were all so generous with their time and gave me some critical insights.
What book are you reading now?
I have two underway. The first is Timothy Eagan’s A Fever in the Heartland, a story about Klan activity in Indiana the 1920’s. For pure enjoyment, I just started The Spectacular, by Fiona Davis, novel about a Rockette in the 1950s who becomes enmeshed in a mystery surrounding the “Big Apple Bomber.”
How did you start your writing career?
I was a copywriter in advertising for many years. Of course, that was a very different kind of writing with strict word counts and creative direction. As my career evolved, I took on more reporter-style projects as a blogger and producer for a podcast. The idea for Unexpected Detour, my debut novel, had been rattling around in my brain for years, which gave me a head-start on the plot. It was just a matter of doing the research then having the discipline to finish the project.
Tell us about your next release.
My next novel—working title Bloodlands--is about the displaced persons experience at the end of World War II. I met a woman when I was in graduate school who had immigrated from Estonia after the war. Her accounts of that time were haunting. Some 20,000 Estonians were deported Siberia, another 70,000+ escaped to the west ahead of the Soviet takeover. So many lives were disrupted, so many stories remain untold.
About the Author
Lynn Marie Jackson has spent many years engaged in the creative process
working as a marketing strategist, copywriter, podcast producer, blogger,
and novelist. Raised in California and Washington, DC, she is a long-time
San Francisco Bay Area resident. When not writing, she’s on the hunt
for inspiration; she can be found visiting museums, hiking new trails, or
exploring any place well outside her comfort zone.
Contact Links
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Instagram: @lmjauthor
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