Although rationing was an important part of life in America during World War II, the US government was apprehensive about gasoline rationing. As a symbol of freedom of movement, the automobile represented everything American, and politicians feared riots and rebellion if they curtailed that freedom. Gasoline Shortage In early 1942, German U-boats ravaged Allied shipping off the US East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico... Read Article

All of the restfulness of a lakeside retreat and none of the mosquitos! There’s nothing like a retreat in nature to refresh you. Getting away from work relieves you of the burden of stress you didn’t realize you carried. Spending time with loved ones reminds you why you love them. Fun activities revive a youthful sense of energy. And best of all, the beauty of God’s creation stirs the heart toward t... Read Article

In July 1942, the armies of democracy battled the armies of totalitarianism, but a smaller battle raged between US Army Engineers and a little bird called the sooty tern. While researching the Army engineers for my novel With Every Letter (Revell, 2012), I ran into an intriguing little story in Barry Fowle’s Builders and Fighters: US Army Engineers in World War II (Fort Belvoir VA: Office of History, US Army ... Read Article

  Kieran Lucas is living untethered. Raised in foster homes, she’s finally connected to her “Granny Mac.” But Granny Mac is slipping into dementia. In her agitation, she relives her past when her mother was killed and the family lost their home in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If only Kieran could find the little stone bird Granny Mac says is buried on the old homestead. Park histori... Read Article

To help their country, he must silence his voice—and she must find hers. Today I’m pleased to reveal the cover for my upcoming novel, The Sound of Light, which is scheduled to release from Revell Books on February 7, 2023. This is the third of three standalone novels, each following Americans living in Nazi Europe before and during World War II. The Sound of Light is now available for pre-order at Baker Book ... Read Article

Letters in World War II During World War II, letters were essential to the health of relationships. Soldiers and sailors who shipped overseas couldn’t make phone calls, and of course, e-mails and text messages hadn’t been invented. That left letters. The average soldier wrote six letters a week. Those letters took anywhere from 1-4 weeks to cross the ocean to the United States. Each letter received at home assure... Read Article

  Perhaps nothing represents the community-minded patriotism of the US Home Front in World War II better than the scrap drive. Enemy conquests cut off supplies of crucial raw materials such as tin and rubber, and the need for products made from these materials skyrocketed due to the war. Since useful materials often ended up in the trash can or languished unused in homes and on farms, the War Production Board en... Read Article

On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives in defense of our country. We live in freedom because they fought tyranny. We live without fear because they faced danger. We live in comfort because they gave up all comforts. We live because of their sacrifices.   Let’s never take these gifts for granted. They were purchased at high cost. Over 1 million Americans have given their lives in war (Sou... Read Article

What could be more American than Hershey bars, homemade cookies, and birthday cake? During World War II, these items were hard to come by in the United States. Short on Sugar When the Japanese conquered the Philippines in the early months of 1942, the United States lost a major source of sugar imports. Shipments from Hawaii and Central and South America had to be curtailed 50 percent as cargo vessels were diverted fo... Read Article

When Samuel Mattas returns home to Arkansas after serving as a sailor in World War II, he only wants to run the family peach orchard and start over with his beloved wife, Annie, and the daughter he’s never met. Annie has been getting by the best she can in Sam’s absence, with welcome help from Sam’s brother and his best friend – and unwelcome help from the father she’s rejected due to hi... Read Article