Thanks to Reporter Erika Hall from CBS Channel 7 in Pittsburg KS for the television coverage. It was especially nice to have it run right after the NCAA tournament games. http://bit.ly/1VkAuDW
Enjoyed meeting Frank Stasio of The State of Things for Hilde & my interview on 3/22/16. Click Here to listen. http://wunc.org/post/darker-night
Book Launch Coverage
ABC News Channel 12 Jacksonville-Beth Lawrence
WNCT Channel 9 Greenville-Jacqueline Matter
Thanks to Colleen Williamson for the lovely article in the Parsons KS newspaper. http://bit.ly/1S8no9c
Shedding light on the other side
Sanford author explores Nazi Germany in debut novel
By Shawn Taylor shawn@sanfordherald.com
- Hannah Hunsinger | The Sanford Herald
Lisa London wrote the novel “Darker the Night” based on the experiences of her neighbor, who grew up in Nazi Germany during WWII.
SANFORD — Life under the Nazi regime was a source of pride for Hedy Weiss as she dutifully helped the German army wage war against the Allies. Or so goes the debut novel of Sanford author Lisa London, “Darker the Night,” which explores the lives of German civilians during World War II and releases on Feb. 8.
But Hedy’s story, inspired by the real-life experiences of London’s 89-year-old neighbor, Hilde Sensale, isn’t that of a heartless fascist. Although London said her character, just like Sensale, was a member of the Hitler Youth group, she explained how war propaganda, rampant violence, forbidden love and the eventual discovery of the Holocaust complicates the story.
“It’s not that they all were all evil Nazis,” London said. “It’s that they were just trying to live their lives.”
London said that the idea to write the novel came to her while listening to Sensale tell stories of life during the war. Sensale’s stories included evacuating at a field hospital on her 19th birthday, playing in the foothills of western Germany as a child, building warplanes for the Führer’s army and standing in front of oncoming American tanks in an attempt to translate with her broken English on behalf of the entire town. Sensale eventually met an American soldier — a counter-intelligence agent — and she followed her heart across the sea to the United States.
“I kept being surprised at how little I knew about German life during the war,” London said. “It was fascinating to hear her story.”
Sensale said she enjoys talking about her past and revisiting her old memories.
“It was a time of turmoil,” Sensale said. “In retrospect, you look at it and wonder how you put up with it. But you didn’t have much choice. I was able to survive it.”
London, who already had made a name for herself as author of the best-selling “The Accountant Beside You” nonfiction guides to accounting, said she was inspired by Sensale so much that she decided to take the plunge into historical fiction.
In “Darker the Night,” Hilde Sensale became Hedy Weiss. London said she thickened the plot, threw in curve balls and otherwise took creative license to tell a fresh story. She didn’t want to have to worry about getting all the names in Sensale’s true story correct, she explained, and wanted the freedom to explore new characters and places. But London said she worked painstakingly to ensure that her book was entirely historically accurate. In addition to relying on Sensale’s memory, which she described as fantastic, London researched battles, locations, news articles, speeches, propaganda and German life in general during her two years of writing the book. She said she begins each chapter with a quote of a war speech or propaganda to explain to the reader what the characters in her book were exposed to during this time.
“Finding those quotes took longer than writing the novel,” London quipped.
She said she hopes “Darker the Night” illuminates a side of the World War II story that rarely is heard.
“I’ve learned so much,” said Susan Sipal, London’s Pittsboro-based editor. “I wasn’t all that knowledgeable about what was going on in Germany at the time.
“[London] brings Hedy so much to life,” she added. “You get an insight to her world. You get a real feel that you’re there and can see how Hedy changes and transforms through her journey.”
“Darker the Night” will be available at Carolina Artists’ Colony on 148 S. Moore St. in Sanford, Circle City Books in Pittsboro, Stones Education Superstore in Raleigh and on Amazon.com. London also is giving away five copies on the book’s website, www.DarkerTheNight.com. Electronic copies for e-readers are available to pre-order through www.smashwords.com.
London said she already is thinking about her next novel, which may be a continuation of Hedy’s story.
But Hedy’s story, inspired by the real-life experiences of London’s 89-year-old neighbor, Hilde Sensale, isn’t that of a heartless fascist. Although London said her character, just like Sensale, was a member of the Hitler Youth group, she explained how war propaganda, rampant violence, forbidden love and the eventual discovery of the Holocaust complicates the story.
“It’s not that they all were all evil Nazis,” London said. “It’s that they were just trying to live their lives.”
London said that the idea to write the novel came to her while listening to Sensale tell stories of life during the war. Sensale’s stories included evacuating at a field hospital on her 19th birthday, playing in the foothills of western Germany as a child, building warplanes for the Führer’s army and standing in front of oncoming American tanks in an attempt to translate with her broken English on behalf of the entire town. Sensale eventually met an American soldier — a counter-intelligence agent — and she followed her heart across the sea to the United States.
“I kept being surprised at how little I knew about German life during the war,” London said. “It was fascinating to hear her story.”
Sensale said she enjoys talking about her past and revisiting her old memories.
“It was a time of turmoil,” Sensale said. “In retrospect, you look at it and wonder how you put up with it. But you didn’t have much choice. I was able to survive it.”
London, who already had made a name for herself as author of the best-selling “The Accountant Beside You” nonfiction guides to accounting, said she was inspired by Sensale so much that she decided to take the plunge into historical fiction.
In “Darker the Night,” Hilde Sensale became Hedy Weiss. London said she thickened the plot, threw in curve balls and otherwise took creative license to tell a fresh story. She didn’t want to have to worry about getting all the names in Sensale’s true story correct, she explained, and wanted the freedom to explore new characters and places. But London said she worked painstakingly to ensure that her book was entirely historically accurate. In addition to relying on Sensale’s memory, which she described as fantastic, London researched battles, locations, news articles, speeches, propaganda and German life in general during her two years of writing the book. She said she begins each chapter with a quote of a war speech or propaganda to explain to the reader what the characters in her book were exposed to during this time.
“Finding those quotes took longer than writing the novel,” London quipped.
She said she hopes “Darker the Night” illuminates a side of the World War II story that rarely is heard.
“I’ve learned so much,” said Susan Sipal, London’s Pittsboro-based editor. “I wasn’t all that knowledgeable about what was going on in Germany at the time.
“[London] brings Hedy so much to life,” she added. “You get an insight to her world. You get a real feel that you’re there and can see how Hedy changes and transforms through her journey.”
“Darker the Night” will be available at Carolina Artists’ Colony on 148 S. Moore St. in Sanford, Circle City Books in Pittsboro, Stones Education Superstore in Raleigh and on Amazon.com. London also is giving away five copies on the book’s website, www.DarkerTheNight.com. Electronic copies for e-readers are available to pre-order through www.smashwords.com.
London said she already is thinking about her next novel, which may be a continuation of Hedy’s story.
Midwest Book Review-January 2016 Edition
D. Donovan-Senior Reviewer
"...More so than most similar books about Hitler's youth movement, Darker the Night chooses a powerful character (Hedy) to portray how youth were affected by his ideals and encouraged to participate in increasingly dark events. It's often about seeking and gaining approval from peers and adults alike: and just as frequently, events pose a strange juxtaposition between adult training and concerns and a child's eye view of the world just beginning to change as they teeter on the cusp of adulthood: "Grinning, Hedy picked it up and swung back. Frieda seized a pillow and returned fire. Soon all of the girls were throwing pillows and shrieking. Laughter, squeals, and feathers filled the room as they fell on top of one another."
By interspersing these moments of a child's life and innocence with the insidious unwinding of events to come, London's survey succeeds, more so than most young adult reads, in capturing the flavors of both the times and the sentiments of young people determined to fit in and establish a position for themselves in life.
As Hedy continues to mature and comes to make some difficult decisions about friends, enemies, and her future, she finds herself constantly walking a thin line between survival and ethics, making decisions that often tend to thwart the effects of starvation and challenges to life itself: "Dammit, Hedy, every time I visit you, I ask, ‘What do you and your family need?’” He stopped and drew a deep ragged breath. “You lied to me. You insisted you did not need a thing. Your family is starving and you won’t tell me? What kind of relationship is this?” Squirming, Hedy explained …"I didn’t want you to think I was dating you to get food.” Hedy fought back the tears swelling in her eyes. “I never wanted you to question my motives.”
And as she interacts with Americans and Germans alike, she savors the good things that evolve in her world (for, yes, there is good - it's not all darkness) and battles against those which would drag down her and her family.
Each chapter opens with a quote from a speech or piece of propaganda to give a flavor of the times and its influences, and each section offers new opportunities for reflection and understanding; because just as events in Germany weren't singular, so Hedy is a complex character whose perceptions aren't based on political correctness today, but on the experiences of a young German citizen confused about her country's direction and its real actions.
Against this backdrop, Hedy's coming of age isn't just political: it's a personal saga personal, throughout. This approach gives the book a stunningly realistic, absorbing quality that will make it a powerful juxtaposition to Diary of Anne Frank, recounting the youth experience from quite a different vantage point and making it a special recommendation for a companion read and contrast to Anne Frank's more famous Diary's perspective.
Donovan's Bookshelf-Pick of the Month
What psychological and political forces lead to a young person's recruitment in an ethically questionable, ultimately horrifying series of events? Events surrounding the development of Hitler's Youth Corps are strikingly portrayed in Darker the Night, a vivid story of young Hedy, a is a winner in a competition certain to make the Fürher proud of his young warriors. This win will earn her a position in his Youth Gathering in Cologne, a high honor, indeed, for one not yet fourteen.
Young adults receive a thought-provoking and powerful story of how youth were affected by his ideals and encouraged to participate in increasingly dark events in a vivid read especially recommended as a companion view of the other side when pursuing the Diary of Anne Frank.
D. Donovan-Senior Reviewer
"...More so than most similar books about Hitler's youth movement, Darker the Night chooses a powerful character (Hedy) to portray how youth were affected by his ideals and encouraged to participate in increasingly dark events. It's often about seeking and gaining approval from peers and adults alike: and just as frequently, events pose a strange juxtaposition between adult training and concerns and a child's eye view of the world just beginning to change as they teeter on the cusp of adulthood: "Grinning, Hedy picked it up and swung back. Frieda seized a pillow and returned fire. Soon all of the girls were throwing pillows and shrieking. Laughter, squeals, and feathers filled the room as they fell on top of one another."
By interspersing these moments of a child's life and innocence with the insidious unwinding of events to come, London's survey succeeds, more so than most young adult reads, in capturing the flavors of both the times and the sentiments of young people determined to fit in and establish a position for themselves in life.
As Hedy continues to mature and comes to make some difficult decisions about friends, enemies, and her future, she finds herself constantly walking a thin line between survival and ethics, making decisions that often tend to thwart the effects of starvation and challenges to life itself: "Dammit, Hedy, every time I visit you, I ask, ‘What do you and your family need?’” He stopped and drew a deep ragged breath. “You lied to me. You insisted you did not need a thing. Your family is starving and you won’t tell me? What kind of relationship is this?” Squirming, Hedy explained …"I didn’t want you to think I was dating you to get food.” Hedy fought back the tears swelling in her eyes. “I never wanted you to question my motives.”
And as she interacts with Americans and Germans alike, she savors the good things that evolve in her world (for, yes, there is good - it's not all darkness) and battles against those which would drag down her and her family.
Each chapter opens with a quote from a speech or piece of propaganda to give a flavor of the times and its influences, and each section offers new opportunities for reflection and understanding; because just as events in Germany weren't singular, so Hedy is a complex character whose perceptions aren't based on political correctness today, but on the experiences of a young German citizen confused about her country's direction and its real actions.
Against this backdrop, Hedy's coming of age isn't just political: it's a personal saga personal, throughout. This approach gives the book a stunningly realistic, absorbing quality that will make it a powerful juxtaposition to Diary of Anne Frank, recounting the youth experience from quite a different vantage point and making it a special recommendation for a companion read and contrast to Anne Frank's more famous Diary's perspective.
Donovan's Bookshelf-Pick of the Month
What psychological and political forces lead to a young person's recruitment in an ethically questionable, ultimately horrifying series of events? Events surrounding the development of Hitler's Youth Corps are strikingly portrayed in Darker the Night, a vivid story of young Hedy, a is a winner in a competition certain to make the Fürher proud of his young warriors. This win will earn her a position in his Youth Gathering in Cologne, a high honor, indeed, for one not yet fourteen.
Young adults receive a thought-provoking and powerful story of how youth were affected by his ideals and encouraged to participate in increasingly dark events in a vivid read especially recommended as a companion view of the other side when pursuing the Diary of Anne Frank.