When Tides Turn
Page 32
Her smile deepened and softened. She understood he loved her inside and out.
The kisses he longed to give her would have to wait for a more private moment, but they had a whole lifetime ahead of them. They’d work together, rest together, play together, loving and encouraging and supporting each other.
He squeezed her waist. “Ready to chart our new course together, Mrs. Avery?”
“Aye aye, Captain.” She pressed a sweet, tantalizing, too-short kiss to his lips. “Anchors aweigh, my love.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for traveling with Dan and Tess. I hope you enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed telling it. It was great fun writing about the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service), which was established on July 30, 1942. Although the Navy was initially reluctant to take women, the WAVES quickly proved their worth. By the end of the war, 86,000 women served at 900 various stations in dozens of positions.
Sadly, the Cocoanut Grove Fire was a real event, taking the lives of 492 men and women in one of the deadliest fires in American history. In the story, I used the initial figure of 490 deaths that was reported at the time. The theory that a busboy accidentally started the fire with a match while changing a lightbulb is still held as the most likely cause, and the nightclub’s policy of keeping emergency exits locked or blocked to prevent theft led to hundreds of tragic deaths. However, as with many disasters, this led to major reforms in fire safety.
In Dan’s story, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit and the ships USS Cleveland, USS Wilkes, and USS Bogue were all real. The war diaries of the latter two ships helped me describe their accomplishments. The auxiliary carriers (renamed escort carriers—CVEs—on July 15, 1943) played important roles in Operation Torch and in the Battle of the Atlantic, eventually forming the nucleus of the hunter-killer groups that would turn the U-boats from hunters to prey. Please visit the book page on my website (www.sarahsundin.com/books/when-tides-turn) for pictures of U-505, captured by the hunter-killer group led by escort carrier USS Guadalcanal on June 4, 1944, and currently on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
The Battle of the Atlantic peaked in March 1943, when the U-boats sank 95 ships. The German Navy began using a new Enigma code on March 10, temporarily blinding the Allies to U-boat activities during this crucial and deadly time period. May 1943 represents the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, when U-boats sank 41 ships, but 44 Axis subs were lost. The improvements in air cover, convoy escorts, radar, High-Frequency Direction-Finding equipment, and intelligence all contributed to these successes. On May 24, 1943, Adm. Karl Dönitz withdrew his U-boats from the North Atlantic, officially ending the battle. Although the U-boats remained active until V-E Day in May 1945, they never again posed as serious a threat. Victory in this battle allowed American and Canadian troops to safely cross to Britain to prepare for D-Day in June 1944.
Since I used real ships and units in this novel, many real-life naval personnel appear as well. In the ASWU, all characters are fictional except Cdr. Thomas Lewis. On the USS Cleveland, USS Wilkes, and USS Bogue, all personnel are real except Dr. Stern, Lt. Clive Sinclair, and gunners Ray and Beecher. Dan’s mentor, Rear Adm. Aloysius Howard, is fictional. Other real-life people mentioned in the book include Dr. Harold Ockenga of Park Street Church, Capt. Herbert Underwood of the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Smith College, Rear Adm. Robert Theobald at the Boston Navy Yard, and bandleaders Jack Edwards and Frankie Masters. It always feels odd to put fictional words in the mouths of real people, and I did my best to show respect to these men who are my heroes.
If you’re on Pinterest, please visit my board for When Tides Turn (www.pinterest.com/sarahsundin) to see pictures of Boston, WAVES, auxiliary carriers, and other inspiration for the story.
Please join me in spring 2018 for my new World War II series. As D-Day approaches, three estranged brothers battle the Nazis on the sea, in the air, and on the ground. Will the women they love and the dangers they face lead them to redemption . . . or destruction?
Acknowledgments
Finishing a series always feels bittersweet, and I’m thankful for the people who accompanied me on this journey, especially my husband and children.
I am grateful to some wonderful professionals who aided my research. The staff at the Ritter Public Library in Vermilion, Ohio, downloaded photos of microfiche copies of the Vermilion News. Likewise, Margaret Dyson at the Boston Parks Department provided me a link to the original City of Boston Fire Commissioner’s report on the Cocoanut Grove Fire, which was extremely useful.
Many thanks to reader Steffani Webb, who suggested the title When Tides Turn in a title brainstorm game on my blog!
I deeply appreciate my brainstorming and critique buddies, who help me build my stories and polish them. Cathleen Armstrong, Judy Gann, Sherry Kyle, Bonnie Leon, Ann Shorey, and Marcy Weydemuller—you’re the best!
I’m continually thankful for all the people who make these books come to pass—my agent, Rachel Kent at Books & Such, my editors Vicki Crumpton and Kristin Kornoelje at Revell, Cheryl Van Andel’s cover team, and Michele Misiak and Karen Steele in marketing. What an incredible joy to work with such talented and fascinating people!
And I adore my readers! Thank you for your emails, Facebook messages, prayers, and encouragement. Without you, there would be no books at all! Please visit me at www.sarahsundin.com to leave a message, sign up for my quarterly newsletter, read about the history behind the story, and see pictures from my research trip to Boston—and my trip to Vermilion! I hope to hear from you.
Discussion Questions
In this story, Dan Avery experiences Operation Torch, the climax of the Battle of the Atlantic in March 1943, and the turning point of the battle in May 1943. Have you heard of these events before? What did you find interesting?
The WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) was established on July 30, 1942. Do you know any women who served in the military in World War II or since? Would you have served?
Dan longs to go back to sea and he is driven to make admiral. In what ways is his ambition good? In what ways is it bad? How does he change? What do you think of his decisions at the climax of the story?
At the beginning of the story, Quintessa Beaumont sees herself as useless and selfish. She hopes that changing her name to Tess and joining the WAVES will help her become useful and unselfish. How does she change throughout the story? Have you ever tried to transform yourself as Tess did?
At the beginning of the book, Dan Avery is “already married—to the United States Navy.” How do Admiral Howard and Tess influence his views on romance? How does he grow? Have you ever had to change your views about love and romance? If so, how?
In the past, Tess was always “drawn to men who showered her with starry-eyed adoration,” but she’s come to long for a deeper sort of love. Why does she long for this? How does this influence her character development—and setbacks?
Both Nora Thurmond and Greta Selby are accustomed to being rejected. How do they differ? How do they change?
“Stay the course” is Dan Avery’s motto. How does the compass represent his motto? How do his views shift and mature?
A hardworking man, Dan struggles with the concept of rest. What does he learn and how does it change him? Do you tend toward overwork or “under-work”? How can you achieve better balance in your life?
Adm. Aloysius Howard has served as Dan’s mentor and hero. How is this relationship good for Dan? How is it bad? Have you ever had a mentor or role model? What have you learned from this person?
What did you think of the various members of the French group? Whom did you suspect of being the spy? What do you think of Tess’s role?
Dan has a strained relationship with his father. How does Tess help him see his father in a new light? Do you expect these men to have an improved relationship in the future?
Before joining the WAVES, both Tess and Nora struggled to be take
n seriously in their careers. How have things changed for women since World War II? How do you think women like the WAVES aided in those improvements?
The sailboat drawings form a connection between Dan and Tess. How do they represent their romance?
If you read Through Waters Deep and Anchor in the Storm, did you enjoy the updates on Jim and Mary and Arch and Lillian? What do you imagine in the future for the Avery family?
Sarah Sundin is the author of the Waves of Freedom series, as well as the Wings of the Nightingale and the Wings of Glory series. Her novel Through Waters Deep was a finalist for the 2016 Carol Award, won the INSPY Award, and was named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.
A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy, and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah and her husband have three adult children—including a sailor in the US Navy! Sarah lives in northern California, and she enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups.
Books by Sarah Sundin
WINGS OF GLORY SERIES
A Distant Melody
A Memory Between Us
Blue Skies Tomorrow
WINGS OF THE NIGHTINGALE SERIES
With Every Letter
On Distant Shores
In Perfect Time
WAVES OF FREEDOM SERIES
Through Waters Deep
Anchor in the Storm
When Tides Turn
SARAHSUNDIN.COM
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