Countdown Excitement for the Release of Over There - A Novel with a Purpose

I’m very excited about the upcoming release of OVER THERE on May 27th and am hoping you’ve enjoyed the trilogy so far. This third book takes my characters into WW1 in 1917 when America entered the war. My goal was to explore the impact of war on the medical workers facing a level of trauma they’d never witnessed, and the effect war had on their family left behind.

Although my fascination with the enormous medical advances during that time is woven into the setting, my deeper purpose was to spotlight the ways war tested the value systems and breaking points of my characters. I had two grandfathers who served in WW1, and a father and two uncles who served in active combat in WW2 – none ever openly discussed their experiences. Their secrets, likely designed to protect the children in the family, were important for me to unveil, explore and share through the craft of story.

In retrospect, most historians view WW1 as a folly that left Europe in ruins, setting the global table for the atrocities of WW2. At the very least, it’s a cautionary tale. Given that close to five million Americans served in WW1, mostly men, I hope to reach both male and female readers. Incidentally, for my Jewish readers, it is fascinating to note that our earlier ancestors of the great migration from Europe (1880-1910) sent close to a quarter million soldiers to serve in WW1, double their proportion of the population at that time (6% vs 3%). This was also true of the Italian and Irish American populations. It came with a fast track for citizenship…food for thought.

There’re a few ways you can help me ensure the word gets out to readers. Consider the following:

• Post a supportive message on your favorite reading groups in social media (the cover is attached below). Or, even better, a photo of you reading the book.

• Read OVER THERE and post a review on Goodreads and Amazon. Incidentally, the book has been receiving glowing external reviews thus far by Kirkus and The Jewish Book Council.

• Create a book event for your book club or community – I’m always happy to Zoom into distant book clubs. I will be posting my event calendar in the next few weeks!

  
  

As always, the true success of a book boils down to word of mouth - readers sharing book ideas with each other. That’s how THREADBARE and IN THE HANDS OF WOMEN grew legs!

Thanks in advance for your support! Please feel free to forward this message.

Your writing and reading friend,

Jane Rubin