Into Deep Waters got a formal review on a blog today at Mrs. Condit Reads Books. It’s a lovely review, but what means the most is when Mrs. Condit says, “I’m so glad she did this now, because our WWII veterans are slipping away from us so quickly now, and their personal stories, not just the stories of war, need to be told, whether as fiction or non-fiction.”
I really like thinking that this story in some way honors those real life veterans who would have shared Jacob’s and Daniel’s span of time. These men were contemporaries of my father and my uncles, including my Uncle Edward who died in the fields of France in 1944. As I did research for this story I was reminded time and again of how much these men and women gave, how much men and women in the armed forces have continued to give, over all the years. Regardless of how you feel about violence, or any particular war, or the politics behind the conflicts, the men and women in the military put themselves between home and harm’s way. They give up comforts, civilian lives, jobs, friends, health and sometimes life itself, in service to others. And that deserves to be honored.
This Memorial day is the first since the September 20th implementation of the repeal of DADT. This is the first time that returning GLBTQ veterans don’t have to hide their loves and sometimes their losses. In my story, the two gay veterans create a life together after their war in 1945. It’s a good, full life, but it’s heavily shadowed at times by the prejudices of the day, and not just the usual turns of fate. The men and women of that era were the pioneers who paved the way for this Memorial day, when a gay American soldier can openly hold his partner at the grave of a mutual friend. We may still have a long way to go, but as I wrote of the physical and legal risks those sailors in WWII took to be together, it was a vivid reminder of how far we have in fact come.
The response to Into Deep Waters has been gratifying – I’ve even had a couple of Navy veterans tell me they found the story worked for them, without glaring errors. I’m delighted with how many people seem to be reading it. I do hope to get it out on other sites for downloading to what I hope will be a wider audience. The cover is the next step. I tallied up the cover votes from the last few days.
Combining the results from both blogs, the results are :
#3 – 18 votes
#2 – 8 votes
#1 – 7 votes
#4 – 6 votes
#5 – 3 votes
Every cover had its strong supporters but #3 was the clear winner
#3
– I have to admit I like the idea of having older guys on what is essentially a classic m/m cover. I’ll have to give some thought to the rings. I love the way they look on the cover, but as some people pointed out with all those elements in place, the cover kind of tells the whole story before you open the book. I don’t want the ending to lose impact…
In any case, I appreciate the help everyone gave me in making the choice between Enny’s amazing options.
To those who celebrate it, have a great Memorial day.
And to all those who have served, or currently serve, their country; to all who have lost someone in that service; … Thank You.