A two-time Golden Heart finalist, Ellen writes emotional and
romantic WWII women’s fiction. A world-traveler and small plane pilot, she
lives in Minnesota with her husband, three rescue cats and an elderly bearded
dragon.
A GIRL DIVIDED
Rural China, 1942. Twenty-two-year-old Eugenia Baker
exists in a bubble as yet untouched by WWII. Content to help her father with
his missionary work, Genie sees her future as a straight, if narrow, road—until
an American pilot arrives, warning them of the approaching Japanese army.
Lieutenant Ted Younan is one of the Flying Tigers,
volunteer fighters protecting China from aerial attacks. After rescuing Ted
from his downed plane, Genie’s father asks the flyboy to get his daughter
across the mountains so she can escape to the United States. To leave her
beloved home—much less chaperoned by her father’s overbearing assistant,
Nathan—is the last thing Genie wants, but she reluctantly agrees.
Ted is unlike any man Genie has known, and he opens her
eyes to the idea of determining her own fate and chasing her dreams. But Genie
has her doubts when tragedy thrusts responsibility upon her and the war creates
unexpected opportunities, challenges…and temptations. Now, a world away from
the woman she was, Genie must discover the woman she wants to be.
STORY EXCERPT
Ted held her gaze for a long moment
after the dance ended. She felt as though she could fall into the mahogany
depths, never to resurface. “We should probably go back to the table. Our
drinks have arrived.”
Genie leaped back, mortified by her
behavior. It’s
embarrassing how you throw yourself at him. Nathan’s words sank
like a dagger into her chest.
“It looks like Joe ordered us some
food, too.” Ted gestured for her to lead the way. “Good man!”
She started for the table when she
caught sight of George by the bar. He was chatting with a dark-haired woman in
a green dress that left little to the imagination. Unexpectedly, his hand slid
down the woman’s back to rest familiarly on her buttocks.
Actually, he was doing more than
resting his hand on the silk-clad cheek; he was actively massaging it, the
emerald fabric bunching under his fingers.
Genie slowed. “Ted . . . um
. . . does George know that woman?”
Ted turned to follow her gaze. After
what sounded like a muffled expletive, he immediately redirected her movements,
cutting off her view. “Forget you saw that.”
“But he was . . .” A curious
tension curled deep in her body as she sought the words to describe the scene,
her mind’s eye caught by the sensual ripple of silk as it caught between his
fingers, the displacement of the woman’s soft flesh beneath the fabric. Heat
climbed up her neck, leaving her flushed, shaky.
“Doing nothing you needed to see. I
guess they’ve lowered their standards since the last time I was through.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. They’ll be leaving soon
enough.”
Joe stood politely as she reached the
table. “You kids have fun?”
“When did they start letting birds in?”
Ted asked angrily before she could say a word.
Joe looked around the club. His
eyebrows rose when he reached the bar area. “Well, well . . . so
that’s why he sent a waiter back with the drinks.”
“Warn me if he starts to bring her this
direction,” Ted growled as he pulled out her chair.
“No worries about that,” Joe said,
resuming his own seat. “They’re heading toward the door.”
“What . . .” she began, and
then the pieces began to fit: Ted’s discomfort, George’s hand so low, the tight
dress, “birds” . . . birds of paradise, her father had once called them. “That
woman was selling herself? She was a prostitute?”
She knew about prostitution, of course.
The world’s oldest profession was mentioned several times in the Bible, and
missionaries everywhere worked to stop the trade. She just hadn’t seen a fallen
woman in the flesh before.
Her gaze flicked to the bar again.
George and the girl were indeed gone. Her stomach clenched, but not with
disgust as she had expected. Her emotions weren’t nearly that uncomplicated. To
her shame, beneath her discomfort also lurked a certain fascination.
Picking up her fork, she couldn’t stop
herself from wondering what would happen next. Where would the two conduct
their business? In a room with a bed? An alley? Would they both disrobe? Or only
the girl?
Would she, the girl, like it?
At that
thought, she forgot to swallow and breathe separately, and choked.
Ted smacked her
on the back. “You all right?”
She managed a
smile over her glass. “Fine.”
FIND A GIRL DIVIDED ON AMAZON
Q&A WITH ELLEN:
LIZ: What was your favorite book as a
child?
ELLEN: Wow, that’s a tough one! I would say the one that has stuck
in my imagination the longest is The
Island Stallion by Walter Farley. A wanna-be archaeologist on a pristine
Caribbean Island with gorgeous wild horses … who wouldn’t be swept away? There
was even a kind of HEA plot: would the hero win the stallion’s love and trust?
LIZ: How did you come up with the idea
for this book?
ELLEN: I’ve always been fascinated by the nooks and crannies of
history, the things that get overlooked or overshadowed. In this case, it was
China’s experience of WWII and the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) here
in the United States. I also have to thank my childhood friend, Heather, for
having a grandfather who was a missionary that traveled through China, and
inspired the creation of my heroine’s father in the novel.
LIZ:
If you described your book in three words, which would you choose?
ELLEN: Adventure, self-discovery, independence, I guess. Oh, and
plot-twists, but that would be four, so never mind.
LIZ: You’ve been granted one
superpower for one week. Which power would you choose, and what would you do
with it?
ELLEN: I suppose it would come as no surprise to anyone who also
knows I’m a pilot, but I would love to have Supergirl’s ability to fly. I’ve
had more dreams than I could count about jumping into the air and then just
floating there, completely defying gravity. It’s such a rush, even in my
dreams.
LIZ: Name three things on your desk
right now.
ELLEN: Two beanie baby cats (different colors) and a cross-stitch
project I’ve been working on for nearly 20 years, but don’t tell anyone, or
they’ll think I’m a procrastinator.
LIZ HAS GOTTA ASK: What’s the most personal thing
you’ve ever put in one of your books?
ELLEN: The most personal thing in A GIRL DIVIDED is the terror
Genie feels when she botches her first solo landing attempt. I’ve had my own
hair-raising close calls, as has any pilot. We just rarely mention them to
anyone other than other pilots, who would nod their heads in sympathy.
ELLEN’S QUESTION FOR YOU:
In A GIRL DIVIDED, Genie lets her friend talk her into swim
lessons even though she’s terrified of water. When I turned 50, I challenged
myself to earn my private pilot’s license, even though I was terrified. What’s
the most challenging thing you have every done?
I have a $10 Amazon
gift card for one lucky commenter today!
WHAT’S NEXT?
My next book is Violet
Exposed (tentative title), to be released October 2019.
CONTACT ELLEN:
Website: www. Ellenlindseth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllenLindsethAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllenLindseth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15289905.Ellen_Lindseth
travel by myself
ReplyDeleteHow often do you pilot your own plane?
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Traveling is stressful, particularly solo! But I always feel so accomplished afterward. And I don't fly as often as I would like. Too many pesky deadlines. If I were the master of my time, I would fly at least once or twice a week.
Deletemoved without my grown children from CA to Ia with my newly married Iowan Huband it just a huge jump of faith and now coming up on 16 yrs it was the right one . Getting your pilots lic is wonderful i would be able to see my kids as i haven't seen them in years so congrats to you! Peggy clayton ptclayton2@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine the courage it took to move across the country by myself. You're right, a true leap of faith! And I have to admit, with one child in Indiana, and the other always itching to move away, flying to see them was a big part of the decision!
DeleteHi, Ellen (and Liz)! Great post. Hard to pick just one answer to your question, but I'll go with my first trip to Europe when I took a train from Italy to Paris and spent three days there completely on my own.
ReplyDeleteThree days on my own in Europe would totally wreck my nerves, so kudos to you! What would scare me the most about that is the lack of control. At least when I'm flying I have the illusion that I'm mistress of my fate. LOL
DeleteSo excited for your debut novel, Ellen! I thought it a wonderful story even in its earliest stages. My favorite Walter Farley story was the classic 'Black Stallion.'
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laramie! And 'The Black Stallion' is where it all began! I think my very first Walter Farley book was 'Man O'War', which we would probably refer to these days as creative non-fiction. And from there I was hooked on the whole Black Stallion/Island Stallion series. :-)
DeleteTo your question: It wasn't an act of bravery so much as one of tenacity, but the most challenging thing I've done was go to college full-time while working 3 jobs and raising two toddler/young children with no family or financial help. Pretty much learned how to go on no sleep and how to organize the crap out of things. Not very brave, but I sure was relieved when I finished!!
ReplyDeleteWow, Katie, I would definitely call that brave! I would think that self-doubts had to have crowded you at every turn, and yet you prevailed. I think bravery and tenacity are close cousins, in that respect, and I also think we have no idea how strong we can be until challenged! Congratulations on getting that degree!
DeleteLoved getting your post up here, Ellen. I'm so thrilled for you and for this book! It's a stellar debut. As you well know since we've talked about it--The Black Stallion books pretty much defined my childhood. I had the biggest crush on Alec Ramsay--I still consider him my first book boyfriend!! Of course, there were all the horses. My favorite was Black Minx, the Black Stallion's filly--my first "reformed" heroine!!! Thanks for being here on GLIAS!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me, Liz! I really enjoyed it. :-)
Delete