Meet author Terri Wangard
Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she is back in Wisconsin after several years in Michigan, Utah, and California. Her WWII research included going for a ride in a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as the Carol contest coordinator and is secretary of the Wisconsin Southeast ACFW chapter.
Tell us about your newest book.
This is book three of my series, Unsung Stories of World War II, which follows three best friends who all become pilots in the war. This is John’s story and a best friend’s cousin trope. Gloria is a naval nurse aboard the hospital ship USS Serenity. She is at Pearl Harbor during the attack, believing the man she has loved since she was five is safe because the aircraft carriers are absent. Then, there he is, being helped to the aid station, bleeding. She’s always been his friend’s young cousin, but he begins to see her in a whole new way.
What inspired you to write your story?
I like unusual settings. So many WWII books are set in England or France. My current series is set in Brazil, Iceland, and the Pacific. Most of my WWII books feature aircraft and I’ve boarded several of them at air shows. For Listen For the Chickadees, Pearl Harbor held a lot of appeal. It’s sacred ground for Americans. I visited Pearl twice in the 90s and would love to return. So much has changed since then. Plus, I learned my grandfather was based in Hawaii one hundred years ago.
What genre do you focus on.
My debut novel, Friends & Enemies, was inspired by family history on the German side, using a dozen letters my dad found in my grandmother’s house. After that, I started writing a contemporary story, but an editor told me at a conference that if I wanted a contract, I would probably need a series. So I continued writing WWII books. Fortunately, I enjoy history. In fact, I was a history major in college.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
John Walsh and his friends, Daniel and Stefan, all have Biblical names and were tagged as the unholy trio by their third-grade teacher. Many are my characters receive names plucked from my family tree, and John is on several branches. Daniel’s cousin Gloria received her name because it seemed fitting. Both she and Daniel appear in my WWI book, The Storm Breaks Forth. She was just a baby introduced in the last paragraph, so it was fun bringing them back as young adults.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I am recently retired. Previously, I wrote for an hour before work a day or two a week, and on weekends. Now I have all day. Writing is interspersed with volunteer work as an ACFW contest coordinator and chapter secretary, and with preparing for this book launch. I still need to set aside dedicated time for reading.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
It used to be finding time to write, but now that I’m retired, it’s sitting down to write. There are so many distractions. But the hardest part comes when a book is ready to release. All the marketing tasks are daunting. Had I known when I started writing how much more is involved than simply writing, I’m not sure I would have continued.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
In terms of writing, I’m a stickler for historical accuracy. Personally, when I was in my early teen years, I was one of the top swimmers in Wisconsin.
What is your favorite pastime?
Reading, of course, is right up there. I enjoy bicycling, even in winter if the temperature is at least 40˚ and the roads are clear and dry. I like researching family genealogy, hence the knowledge of names to use in my novels. My first novel was inspired by family history.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Promise For Tomorrow was my first series, featuring B-17 navigators based at Ridgewell Airfield in England. Wheresoever They May Be features a sailor, his Rosie-the-Riveter wife, her WAC sister, and a grasshopper pilot. From the research for that book, I wrote a novella, A Heart For the Sailor, which features a Winnie the Welder who builds submarines. I also have two World War I books, Roll Back the Clouds, about the Lusitania, and The Storm Breaks Forth.
What are you working on now?
I’ve recently completed a collection of novellas set in pre-WWII days. Now I’m working on a contemporary with a WWII tie-in. I’d started this before the novellas, but my critique partner had concerns about one of the characters, so I put in on the back burner and let it simmer for a year.
Website:
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GLJ34YBT
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