You should have seen us, sitting cross-legged on the bunkhouse floor on Sunday afternoons with Jack’s notebook pages fanned out between us. Turns out, a lot of his ideas were all right—some of the crimes were actually interesting—but they were just like any other hackneyed detective stories. Something had to be done. Something different. The idea for that was my main contribution, but Jimmy did most of the actual writing. He said that it wasn’t much different than those Detective Comics he’s always burying his nose in. Sarah Ruth typed it out for us, which I hope you understand was a sacrifice, since she hates paperwork.
I’ll let the other letter I’ve included do the rest of the explaining for me. I hope it means as much to you as it did to all of us.
Sincerely,
Gordon
FROM KENNETH S. WHITE TO GORDON
May 21, 1945
Dear Sir (or should I say Sirs):
Thank you for the submission of your short story, “A Matter of Arson,” to Black Mask magazine. I’m delighted to inform you that we are accepting it for publication in our January 1946 issue.
I see in your letter that you would like to use the pen name Jack Armitage. A good choice, as I can’t imagine we’d have the space to write out all eighteen of your cowriters’ names. Quite extraordinary.
A check for the standard article rate will be made out to your name. It is up to you to decide how to disburse it amongst your team.
I will add that your story particularly caught our eye because of its unusual protagonist. A female private eye added just the twist we love here at Black Mask.
It should be noted that our secretary and first reader, Miss Hattie McDermott, brought the manuscript directly to my desk in the middle of my lunch and demanded that I read it straight through. She—who is taking dictation on this letter—would like to know how you came up with the idea for Nora Hightower, and if you’re planning on writing any more stories with this character.
Should you choose to do so, our staff would certainly be interested in considering them.
Thank you again for your time, and I look forward to working with you and your fellow writers on any revisions.
Kenneth S. White
Editor, Black Mask
FROM DORIE TO GORDON
May 28, 1945
Dear Gordon,
I’m so excited I could just die. Jack’s story in Black Mask? I can’t stand the fact that I’ll have to wait half a year to read it. You must send me a copy of the manuscript at once.
I thought when you asked for Jack’s notebooks back in February that you wanted them for purely sentimental reasons. I bet Thomas hated that you wrote the story on Sundays, didn’t he? Did Shorty come back to help? Tell me everything.
And a female detective! Well, I’m glad Nora Hightower was a hit. I’m certainly not going to be trotting that name out again anytime soon, since using it got me expelled unceremoniously from the WAC.
As for me, I’m nearly dying of boredom. Father’s burying himself in his work as a way of coping. Mother finally went to church with me last week, dressed all in black like a Victorian dowager, but it was a step. I told her what you said about church being the place to go when you’re grieving. I think it helped. We’ll get through this together.
I’ve managed to wrangle a job as a stenographer at a finishing school that probably wouldn’t have accepted me as a pupil, and I’ve got a fund started for flying lessons. (It’s a canning jar, actually, but I’ve taped a photo of Amelia Earhart above it, so that makes it official.) Turns out, there’s a regional airport twenty miles away. At the moment they’re running only government jobs—I checked—and not taking on new students.
When the war’s over, you’ll be able to keep your feet firmly on the ground every day for the rest of your life. But me? I plan to fly.
And somehow, I think we’ll both end up right where we’re meant to be.
Your friend,
Dorie
Author’s Note
Although they’re very real in my imagination, Dorie, Gordon, and their friends are fictional, as is Flintlock Mountain National Forest and the Basin Fire. However, the daily routine of life is modeled on the actual spike camps throughout the Pacific Northwest where conscientious objectors were stationed as smokejumpers during the war. Their headquarters at Missoula is real, and if you’re ever there, check out the Missoula Smokejumper Visitor Center to learn more about the history and responsibilities of smokejumpers. I’m grateful for the many historians who have collected written and recorded interviews with WWII COs that I used to form my characters and some of their ethical dilemmas.
Dorie’s experiences in the Women’s Army Corps at Fort Lawton are also drawn from accounts of WACs serving there at the time. Some USO clubs welcomed WACs into their programs and dances; others worried about the rumors that the WACs were “loose women,” a common prejudice at the time.
Starting in November 1944, Japan really did send hydrogen-powered incendiary bombs over the jet stream, intending to cause mass chaos with fires all across the Pacific Northwest. Many of the balloon bombs were lost in the ocean, but dozens landed. Some ignited fires; a few were spotted and reported to law enforcement before they exploded. (The latest dormant balloon bomb to be discovered at the time of this writing was in British Columbia in 2014.)
After one leaked article, the Office of Censorship determined that no American newspaper, radio station, or individual would be permitted to report a balloon sighting, which is why most people have never heard of this strange tactic in WWII history. As in the novel, they relaxed this ban once the first civilian deaths convinced them that citizens needed to be able to recognize the danger, causing them to provide local instruction to recognize the bombs like Dorie suggested. However, the real deaths were not of a conscientious objector, but a pastor’s wife and five young people from her church on a picnic in Bly, Oregon. This tragedy—the only civilians killed by enemy action on US soil—inspired the mystery storyline of this book.
In response, the Triple Nickles—the 555th Parachute Infantry Division—were called in to take over a looming 1945 fire season that the Forestry Department feared would be made worse by even more incendiary bombs. All of the enlisted men and commanding officers of the Triple Nickles were proudly Black. The Triple Nickles put out over three dozen fires during the unusually dry summer 1945 season, protecting America’s forests, though it’s likely that few were caused by incendiary bombs. To everyone’s relief, Japan didn’t launch another round of them, thinking they had failed to land on American soil when they heard no reports about them.
One liberty I took in The Lines Between Us was that the officers of the Triple Nickles didn’t know the details of their mission and hadn’t been involved in the negotiation process for what was called Operation Firefly. I wanted readers to have the chance to hear directly from one of the brave men who fought for a prejudiced country, so I included Lieutenant Vincent Leland as a character. He is fictional, but many of his experiences are based on reading interviews with and books about Triple Nickle officers. If you’re interested in learning more about these men, I recommend Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone.
For more details on the fact versus fiction of this novel and recommendations for further reading, visit amygreenbooks.com and click on the History tab. I’d love to see all of you research lovers there!
I’d also like to take this time to thank those who helped this book arrive to you (and to keep its author sane, a more difficult task). First, my Bethany House family. Dave Horton and Dave Long, thank you for your guidance and championing all along the way. Rochelle and Elizabeth, I so appreciate the insightful editorial queries and corrections that made this story from the mess it was to the finished product it is today. Jenny, as always, your cover art is lovely and evocative, and thanks also to Paul for directing it through the process. I’m so glad to have the fiction marketing team behind me, including Noelle, Brooke, Rachael, Chris, and Serena—thanks for being fantastic. And of c
ourse, I’m grateful to the Bethany House authors (and others) who have graciously welcomed this newcomer with open arms. Special thanks to Christina Suzann Nelson for sending me some descriptions of the natural beauty of her home state of Oregon to use in my story.
Outside of my publishing team, I’d also like to thank my writing buddy, Ruthie, for all of the feedback and check-ins (on my book and on me). Much love to my parents and sister, Erika, for being so excited for my books, now and always, and cheering me on all the way—and the rest of my extended family as well. A special award this time goes to my husband, Jake, for allowing my work on, and occasional complaints about, this book to dominate our first year of marriage, during a pandemic, no less. He brainstormed and meal prepped and deprived me of my fun board games when I was behind on my deadline to make sure this book got written—and took good care of me along the way.
Finally, I’m so thankful for all of the readers who have supported me, leaving reviews, sending me words of encouragement, and loving my characters as much as I do. It means so much to me.
Reading Group Guide
What were some of the main differences that you felt came between Dorie and Gordon throughout the story? Did you see them as irreconcilable, or did you hope that they might get back together?
Why do you think conscientious objectors like Gordon and Jack were treated with such contempt during WWII? What do you think of the choice they made and the reasoning behind it?
Early on, Lieutenant Vincent Leland tells Dorie that “People are never simple.” What are some ways Dorie learns this throughout the story? How about Gordon?
What did you think of the sections of letters and other documents throughout the book?
At what point did you wonder if the fire and resulting “accident” that injured Jack wasn’t really an accident? Did you have any suspicions about the cause? As Dorie and Gordon investigated, did your theories change?
When asked for her opinion on pacifism, Sarah Ruth tells Gordon, “Men like my brother William are called to raise barricade lines to keep the fire of evil from spreading. . . . Maybe you’re meant to come back to the scorched earth and help something grow again.” Do you agree or disagree with her?
The conscientious objectors in the book, like the ones in real life, protested both segregation and the internment of Japanese Americans. Why do you think they were so “ahead of their time” when it came to issues like this?
When the secret of Jack’s accident—and the resulting cover-up—was finally revealed, was it satisfying to you as a reader?
Both Gordon’s mother and Clara were faced with a violent man threatening harm to people they cared about. Both felt that they made the wrong choice in their actions—or inaction—against those men. Do you agree? What do you think Clara should have done when facing the sheriff? How about Gordon’s mother when confronted with her abusive husband?
After reading the real-life historical background in the Author’s Note, do you think it was right in this case for the US government to suppress and censor information for the greater good?
Do you feel that, in the end, Jimmy faced appropriate consequences for his actions? What about Mr. Morrissey? Dorie? Is there anything you wish the characters had done differently?
Morrissey claimed that the smokejumper’s motto should be “Courage is running toward the fire, not away from it.” In what ways did Dorie and Gordon show this kind of courage throughout the novel?
Amy Lynn Green is a publicist by day and a novelist on nights and weekends. History has always been one of her passions, and she loves speaking with book clubs, writing groups, and libraries all around the country. She and her husband enjoy playing board games, trying new recipes, and hiking near their home of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Write her a note or sign up for the updates and bookish fun in her quarterly newsletter at www.amygreenbooks.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Amy Lynn Green
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Prologue
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Epilogue
Author’s Note
Reading Group Guide
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
List of Pages
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