Writing About World War II: Part 3

An In-Depth Roundtable, Part Three of Four

Part Three

Hosted by Kristin Harmel

In last week’s newsletter, I talked to a dozen historical fiction writers about the challenges of researching World War II stories (you can read that discussion HERE), and the week before that, we talked about what drew us all to writing about World War II. (Read that discussion HERE.) 

This week, we’re talking about the challenges of finding and writing stories that feel fresh, surprising, and new in a genre that sometimes seems crowded. Read on for more, and find a full list of the authors at the bottom.

Kristin Harmel: The World War II sub-genre is very crowded right now—which I think is an indication of how much readers like these kinds of stories (more about that next week), and how many stories from that time period are still untold. But that also creates a challenge for writers, because readers often want to read about an element of World War II they haven’t experienced yet, and that’s getting increasingly difficult as the genre has exploded. Given that, how have you gone about writing books set during that time period that feel fresh, surprising and new? How have you overcome that challenge?

Madeline Martin: I’m going to echo Kristin here about how many stories are still untold. In all the research I do, I continue to find more and more people whose lives or professions have never been written about. Like the Warsaw public librarians — their journals detailing their clandestine war efforts of saving books from destruction and running secret libraries inspired The Keeper of Hidden Books. As historical fiction authors, we are able to take stories that might otherwise be lost in time and share them with the world, to ensure those people are remembered for their valiant efforts. 

Genevieve Graham: The unexpected often appears when I dig deeper than I had planned — which, let’s face it, is one of the most energizing things we do, isn’t it? Canada was involved in WWII from the very beginning, and yet so few of our stories have been told. That makes the digging relatively easy for me. When I started writing Letters Across the Sea, I knew I would write about WW2, but I didn’t want it set in Europe, probably because I had been reading so much about it at the time. So I looked into the Pacific Theatre, and my jaw dropped. Shifting my focus a little outside of the regular ‘boundaries’ changed everything. I was crushed by what I learned - maybe more so with that book than with any of my others - and it reinforced the fact that it’s so important to search for those buried treasures and bring them into the light.

Kristin Harmel: Genevieve, that’s a great point about shifting our focus outside of the regular boundaries; the stories we find just a step away are often astounding and untold.

Kate Quinn: I think the WWII genre is only crowded if you limit yourself to the same-old-same-old locations and tropes—a world war literally spans the globe, and there are so many stories still untold. That was one of the reasons I wrote two WWII-era books set in the USSR (The Huntress & The Diamond Eye). I didn’t want to glorify Stalin or the Soviet Union, but the women of the Red Army and the Red Air Force had incredible stories fighting against Hitler’s eastern front, fighting in a way that the women of other Allied nations were simply not allowed to do because of their gender, and those stories deserve to be remembered. 

Julia Kelly: One thing that has really helped me steer away from the usual stories and locations is actually shifting genres. I started out writing what I think of as more classical historical fiction with books like The Last Garden in England that follow a woman’s story through a particular time period like World War II. However, adding another string to my bow in the form of writing the Evelyne Redfern mystery series has really opened my eyes to other stories that I can tell. We often read about the “Keep Calm and Carry On” spirit in Britain during, for instance, the Blitz, but there’s a much darker story to be told about crime, misinformation, and espionage across the war. I recently spent some time diving into the newspaper archives to read the little notices about people sentenced for crimes like dodging censorship rules and looting bomb sites. Each of those little snippets feels like a story idea just waiting to happen!

Erika Robuck: There are endless stories of human courage and inspiration in the shadows of history, and they will always be relevant. Readers will never tire of them when they are told well and from unique perspectives. 

Lisa Barr: Erika, I totally agree with you. When I was doing research for my novel, Woman On Fire … I found another incredible WWII tale relating to art that even my editor, who specializes in WWII historical fiction, had never heard of … So here I am now … working on my newest manuscript with that story I found two books ago as a backdrop … 

Stephanie Dray: I remember talking to Kate Quinn about the fact that I never had any fear while writing The Women of Chateau Lafayette that anyone else was going to scoop me with a similar book. I knew there wasn’t going to be anything like it because of the particularly strong and specific thematic argument I was making. Namely that the revolutionary ideals of the Marquis de Lafayette don’t belong to an age of powdered wigs, but have been important in every age, right up on through WWII and into our own. The fact that French resistance fighters invoked Lafayette—that they hid his statues to keep the Germans from melting them down for bullets, that they used his castle to hide Jewish children from the Nazis—these were obscure facts that I knew could be tied together in a fresh and unique way. I think if an author has a strong, fresh or unusual argument to make, the book will naturally be fresh, even if the setting or war is familiar.

Martha Hall Kelly: I often find the stories I’d like to write about next by researching a current book. But my most recent novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, coming spring 2025, is closer to home. I’ve always wanted to base a novel on a story my mother, an avid reader, told about growing up during WWII on the lovely island of Martha’s Vineyard. People don’t realize how the Vineyard was on the forefront of the war, with German U-boats cruising the surrounding waters. Though my mother passed away in the nineties it was deeply moving to go back and recreate her world, growing up on a farm on the Vineyard, told through the eyes of two sisters as they navigate the war, with the help of their newly-formed book club. 

Kristin Harmel: What a beautiful inspiration for a book, Martha — and a beautiful way to honor your mom.

Pam Jenoff:  When I’m looking for an idea for a book, I’m searching for what I call The Gasp.  Because if I can find an idea so fresh and untold that it makes me gasp after more than a quarter century of working with the war, I’m hopeful I’m onto something about which readers will feel the same way.  Then I always ask myself if it is a topic I can write respectfully.  I consider my books love songs to the people who lived during WW2 and the Holocaust and I approach the era with a kind of reverence and if the answer was ever no, then the project would go no further, no matter how good the idea.

Kristina McMorris: Like Pam’s reliable Gasp gauge, I rely on what I’ve dubbed a “chill-o-meter.” Whenever I have a new idea for a novel, I’ll run it past some of my close author friends (several of whom are part of this fun discussion!) and if it causes them and me goosebumps, then I typically feel confident that I have a unique or at least compelling enough story to tell, regardless of era. And much like Stephanie mentioned, the premise typically entails combining two elements of history in different ways, which thankfully also helps prevent me from worrying about redundancy. 

Kristin Harmel: The Gasp and chill-o-meters! I love those so much!

Remember to tune in to Friends & Fiction, where Patti Callahan Henry, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Kristin Harmel, and Mary Kay Andrews interview the authors of some of the year’s most buzzed-about books every Wednesday at 7pm ET on Facebook and YouTube. Join our Facebook group now, and join us in next week’s newsletter for the final installment of our World War II roundtable series as we chat about why readers continue to be inspired and moved by World War II novels. Read our previous roundtable discussion about writing World War II novels and researching World War II novels HERE and HERE.

Friends & Fiction Co-Host Kristin Harmel’s latest novel is The Paris Daughter, new in paperback this month, set in 1940s Paris and 1960 New York.

Friends & Fiction Co-Host Patti Callahan Henry’s latest novel is The Secret Book of Flora Lea, new in paperback, set in England both during World War II and in the 1960s.

Jennifer Rosner’s latest novel is Once We Were Home, new in paperback, set in Europe and Israel and spanning the years from 1942-1968. Her debut novel, The Yellow Bird Sings, is also set in WWII.

Madeline Martin’s latest novel is The Keeper of Hidden Books, set in Warsaw, Poland spanning 1939-1945. The Book Lover’s Library, also set during World War II, is out in August.

Genevieve Graham’s latest novel is The Secret Keeper, set in both WWII-era Canada and the skies over England.

Kate Quinn’s latest WWII-era novel is The Diamond Eye, set in Ukraine and America. Her newest book, co-written with Janie Chang, is The Phoenix Crown, set in 1906 San Francisco. The Briar Club, set in 1950s Washington, D.C., is out in July.

Erika Robuck’s most recent World War II novel is Sisters of Night and Fog. Her forthcoming novel, The Last Twelve Miles (June 4, 2024), is set largely along Florida’s coast during the “Rum Wars” of Prohibition,.

Stephanie Dray’s latest novel is Becoming Madam Secretary, set largely in NYC and Washington DC during the Great Depression and the run-up to WWII. Her most recent novel directly involving World War II is The Women of Chateau Lafayette.

Lisa Barr’s latest novel The Goddess of Warsaw, set in 1943 Warsaw and in Hollywood in 2005, is out this month.

Julia Kelly’s most recent World War II books are The Lost English Girl and A Traitor in Whitehall, which is the first book in her Evelyne Redfern historical mystery series. Its sequel Betrayal at Blackthorn Park comes out October 1, 2024.

Martha Hall Kelly’s WWII-set novels are Lilac Girls and The Golden Doves and the upcoming The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. 

Pam Jenoff’s most recent World War II novel is Code Name Sapphire, set largely in Belgium during the war.

Kristina McMorris's latest WWII novel is The Ways We Hide, set in America and the Netherlands.

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