Osiyo~

Howdy folks. Welcome to the ranch today. And what a wonderful day it is! My first December guest comes bearing gifts. Alyson Reuben is in the round pen!!!

Care to tell us a little about your writing to kick us off, Alyson? Then we’ll get to the really good stuff; like your intriguing book from The Wild Rose Press, A Beautiful Cage. 🙂 I tell ya gang- this book has the most beautiful cover!

The first question people generally ask is what influenced me to begin writing?

I caught ‘Writer’s Itch’ in second grade after listening to a visiting author share his book at my school. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the title of his book, or even his name, only that he greatly stressed the importance of writing down stories as they come to you. As far as writing about WWII and the Holocaust, the biggest influence came from my now deceased grandfather, who patiently answered my questions and discussed those horrific events with me. He was never overly graphic, though he got his points across. Years later, I sat on the idea for A BEAUTIFUL CAGE while playing around with other less serious stories. By the time I became earnest about writing it, everything eased into place.

I’m a huge believer in writing from my heart and soul. If a scene makes me cry as I’m writing it, I know it’ll probably bring some tears to readers’ eyes. If it makes me smile, it will make someone else smile, too. To give my character’s realistic personality traits, I just observe people in general, taking mental notes of their behavior and body language. Friends and family tell me I scare them — they’re afraid they’ll end up as an antagonist in one of my stories! Ha! It hasn’t happened yet, though.

Bio:

Determined to become an author while still in elementary school, Alyson Reuben frequently found herself in trouble for writing stories while she should’ve been studying for math tests. Some years later, by combining a love of history with her enthusiasm for storytelling, she seeks to entertain readers with passionate accounts of vintage romance. Occasionally, she still find herself in trouble for writing when she should be cooking dinner. Alyson enjoys small-town life in Indiana with her husband and daughter.

Blurb:

Wanted by the Gestapo, Rebecca Bloomberg is on the run for her life. Sheltering in the home of a reporter who writes absurd lies for a Nazi propaganda newspaper is hardly an ideal solution. Irresistibly drawn to the man, she dares not trust him, until she discovers his journalist position is a mask for involvement in an anti-Nazi resistance ring.

Gustav Von Furst has done all he can to perfect his mask. Neither his family nor his close friends know the truth. Hiding a Jewish girl is the most foolish risk, yet there is something about her that makes him want to protect her.

Eager to forget the outside world, Rebecca and Gustav are caught up in a private world of forbidden passion—until unexpected danger lands on their doorstep and they’re faced with a decision that will change everything. Will love demand a sacrifice too great to give?

Excerpt:

Entering Aachen Central Station, Rebecca drew

a deep breath.

People were bustling in all directions—children,  

the elderly, everyone in between. Some carried

luggage, others toted parcels. All of them seemed to

be in a hurry, paying no attention to those around

them.

Huddled together, a small choral group was  

singing “Silent Night,” their voices barely rising

above the crowd’s racket. “Stille Nacht, heilige

Nacht, Alles schläft, einsam wacht.” All is calm, all is

bright… Ironic, Rebecca thought. All was not bright.

And it certainly wasn’t calm.

“This place is crammed,” Gustav murmured  

more to himself than to her.

Was he thinking the same thing she was? That  

the holiday might make their situation easier

because the employees’ minds would be less on their

jobs and more on getting home to their family and

friends?

She shifted the brim of her hat lower over her  

forehead so that it shaded her face as much as

possible without seeming too obvious. Her hair,

pulled back in the style of the girl in the picture on

the visa, did quite a bit to alter her usual appearance,

while her makeup, heavier than she’d normally wear

in the daytime, did the rest.

“Remember, Louise,” Gustav stressed the  

counterfeit name, “you’re supposed to be looking

forward to seeing your aunt and uncle, and excited

about going to Limburg, so laugh and flirt with me.

Pretend to be all keyed up.” His jaw visibly twitched.

“Most of all, do not look anyone directly in the eye.”

He squeezed her hand.

“Ready?”  

She nodded. “Let’s go.”  

As they made their way to the checkpoint, she  

forced an exchange punctuated with giggles that

didn’t, in the least, belong to Rebecca Bloomberg, but

perfectly suited the woman who was accompanied by

the striking Nazi, proudly sporting a swastika

armband over his expensive wool coat. Squeezing his

opposite arm, she leaned toward him, angling her

head, and in doing so noticed someone out of the

corner of her eye. A man standing off by himself was

staring at her and Gustav in spite of the surging

crowd all around him. There was no time to point

him out to Gustav before the line moved and they

were face to face with an officer, dressed in Nazi

regalia.

“Heil Hitler,” Gustav addressed briskly, arm out.  

The officer, looking fresh out of Hitler-Youth,  

returned the greeting, staring at Gustav before

casting a casual glance, like an afterthought, at

Rebecca. She forced a smile, concentrating on his

forehead and not directly at his eyes. But it didn’t

seem to matter; within seconds it was clear he was

focused more on Gustav, obviously impressed by his

height, which towered above him by several inches.

“To Heerlen, Limburg,” Gustav announced with  

the brusqueness of a businessman.

“Papers, bitte.”  

Rebecca was careful not to appear too anxious as  

she pulled out a compact from the purse that Bertie

had given her and laid it on the ledge, making

believe she had to search for the papers.

“Oh, here they are,” she crooned. “Silly me,  

forgetting which compartment I put them in.”

Handing the documents over, she couldn’t help but  

cast Gustav an anxious glance. The officer studied

the papers carefully. Very carefully. If he had any

doubts or suspicions…

Her stomach was churning like ocean waves in a  

storm, threatening to send an earlier cup of coffee

back up her throat. She swallowed down the bitter

bile and prayed she didn’t appear as ashen as she

felt.

And then, suddenly, he reached toward the  

phone!

Rebecca closed her eyes, bracing for the worst.  

But a dull thump was immediately followed by the

swish of paper, and she opened her eyes to see that

the officer had been reaching for the nearby inkpad

and was proceeding to stamp each of the three

documents.

Her passage had met the final step of approval.  

Could a person die of relief? Her heart was

beating three times its normal speed, as if the blood

had been drained and it was now having to struggle

to make a fresh supply.

The officer handed everything back to Gustav—  

not to her, she noticed. Was he intimidated by

Gustav? Probably. She understood the feeling all too

well.

And now he was actually telling her to have a  

safe trip.

It was done! It seemed unbelievable.  

As she and Gustav turned in unison toward the  

train, she saw the loitering man again. He’d moved a

few steps closer, glowering at them with a silent

threat that pasted chilblains all along her upper

body.

Suddenly, he strode ahead of them, meeting  

with another official who was passing by. His hand

gesture caused the second officer to crane his head to

look at them.

Did Gustav notice?  

Yes. The pressure on her arm signaled her to  

change paths, bypassing the men. Just a few

more feet and they’d be out of their sight.

A few more feet and…  

Suddenly a voice called out behind them, “Halt.  

Entschuldigen-Sie, mein Herr.”

Without looking at one another, Gustav and Rebecca both  

turned to face the second officer. This one was much

brawnier than the previous one, nearly matching

Gustav’s size. He held out his black-gloved hand,

wiggling his fingers, indicating they needed to hand

something over to him. His smile was a polite one

but didn’t reach his eyes. Beside him, the mole was

leaning against the post, staring at them with

pointed disdain.

“Is there a problem, mein Herr?” Gustav  

addressed the officer, his voice unmistakably cold as

ice. Clearly, Gustav wasn’t about to let either man

intimidate him.

In spite of herself, Rebecca glanced again at the man  

leaning against the post. His tattered coat was

probably five years old. He was, she guessed,

someone who needed money and would probably do

anything to get it—including hounding Jews for

payment. Right now, he stood unmoving, his face a

stony mask.

Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds. His  

were dark, full of malice and anger.

She wasn’t supposed to look anyone in the eyes,  

and now she understood why. This man was her

enemy.

Yet she had no idea what spurred his hatred.

 ******************************************** 

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/tTkunI
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/uWqXcI
The Wild Rose Press: http://bit.ly/vkL25w

Website:

http://www.alysonreuben.com
Blog: http://www.abiteofreubensandwich.blogspot.com 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alysonreuben 
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/ruapNe
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/sK9TeY

BTW, we’re doing an ebook giveaway too, aren’t we, Calisa?  I’m perfectly happy to give away one or two copies.

Yes, let’s do two winners to start the giving season off with a bang! Whooo- Dogieees!!!!

Oh, happy days! I’m so thrilled you found your way here Alyson.

Thanks again for inviting me to blog for you!! 

Dodadagohvi~