Introducing debut novelist, Jocelyn Green. Jocelyn is an award-winning author of multiple books, including Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Military Writers Society of America, Christian Authors Network and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with her incredibly supportive husband and two adorable children. Wedded to War is her first novel. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.
Wedded to War When war erupted, she gave up a life of privilege for a life of significance.
Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combating more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?
Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war.
Welcome to Ink Dots, Jocelyn and congratulations on the release of Wedded to War. Before we get to that some more, tell us about your family. My husband Rob is a former Coast Guard officer, and we now live with our two young children in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Rob is a Web developer. Ethan is three years old, and Elsa is six—just a few weeks from entering first grade!
What is the main theme you wish readers to take away when they read Wedded to War? I would hope that readers will come away with inspiration to follow God’s calling on their lives, even if that goes against what others expect them to do. No one expected refined women of the Victorian era to give up their privilege to serve their country. Yet that’s exactly what many of them did, and by doing so, they paved the way for generations of women who would want to nurse after them.
If you could follow one historical person for one day and one night, who would it be, and why? Queen Elizabeth I. She was such a fascinating leader, I would love to watch her in action.
Have you been to Australia? I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Australia, but I’d love to! I would want to visit a family owned-homestead in The Outback, learn more about Aboriginal culture, and of course see the sights of Sydney, from the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House to Hyde Park and the Royal Botanical Gardens. I used to work for an organization that offered off-campus study programs to American college students, and one of our programs was the Australian Studies Centre, based at the Wesley Institute in Drummoyne. So I’ve enjoyed stories and photos from Australia for a long time, while working with our students—just haven’t made it there myself, yet!
What are you working on now? I’m working on the next book in the Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series, which is called Widow of Gettysburg. This novel takes a look at how civilian women of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, picked up the pieces and put life back together again after the great battle in and around their town left 24,000 casualties in its wake. The main character, 19-year-old Liberty Holloway, impulsively marries a wounded soldier in blue (Union side), only to discover as he recovers that he is not who he said he was. And as a reporter digs into the story for his paper, he learns that Liberty doesn’t really know who she is either—the roots of her family tree are so tangled that if she finds out her true identity, it will change her own life forever. Your stories sound great, Jocelyn! I'm about to read Wedded to War on my kindle and I can't wait.
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If you'd like a chance to win a copy, please leave a comment below and you may be this week's lucky winner. Tell us one random fact you know about Queen Elizabeth I... and let's see if we can find something about her we didn't know before. I'll announce the winner in the comment thread here on Friday.
Thanks for joining us Jocelyn. We look forward to hearing more writing news from you in the days to come.
