On that note, this book was a joy to write, but it took longer to complete than I expected. I spent months working out the plot and researching before I even wrote a single word. Then I penned the first draft in longhand, with no idea that it would take 125,000 words to tell the whole story. For that reason, I want to thank my family and friends—my husband, especially—for understanding when I disappeared into the writing cave for weeks and weeks. Stephen, I’m glad we’re such similar creatures. You always have creative and ambitious projects of your own that you are eager to attack, so we seem to venture into our respective caves at the same time while always supporting and helping each other with our individual projects. I’m so glad we met. You have made all my dreams come true. Thank you for marrying me.
Thanks also to my cousin Michelle Killen (a.k.a. Michelle McMaster), who has been my cherished best friend, first reader, and critique partner since the beginning. Your ideas and encouragement have helped to make each of my books better. I love you dearly.
And Julia Phillips Smith, my cousin and soul sister—what would I do without you? You are a fellow artist, and you get me, every single day.
I’m immensely grateful to the publishing team at Lake Union, especially my editor Alicia Clancy, whose brilliant and insightful comments made significant improvements to my original manuscript. Thank you for pushing me to go deeper with Gillian’s character and her relationship with her father and for your sensible suggestions for fine-tuning Gillian’s relationship with Geoffrey, until I finally hit the right notes. Thanks also to Danielle Marshall for bringing me into the Lake Union family and to the marketing team at Amazon Publishing for blowing my mind with your awe-inspiring skills. You make my jaw drop, and because of you, I have, on occasion, danced around my kitchen.
I must also express thanks to my agent, Paige Wheeler. Paige, we’ve been working together for twenty years, since the very beginning when you sold my first novel. Since then, you’ve helped to keep me in the game, through all the crests and troughs, and for that I am indebted to you.
Thanks to my author friend in England, Victoria Connelly, for your careful read of an early draft of the novel and for your input regarding all things English. Thanks also to Victoria’s husband, Roy Connelly, for driving me around the beautiful English countryside during my year in London. I’ll never forget the stooks! And your beautiful paintings.
To my lifelong, dear friend Cathy Donaldson, who suggested we go see An American in Paris onstage in London after we spent hours in the Churchill War Rooms (also your suggestion). There was a moment during the play that sparked my imagination, and that single moment inspired me to write a book about the war, which I had been resisting until then.
Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge all the writers and historians who wrote books that played a part in my research. Their work helped me envision where this story would go. I’ll mention some of these books here, not only to acknowledge the writers’ works but also to provide a reading list for those who might like to learn more about life during World War II in England, as well as the SOE. I’d also like to give a nod to the Imperial War Museum in London, the Churchill War Rooms, and the knowledgeable guides on the London Walks who taught me all sorts of interesting things about the city before, during, and after the war. Thank you for making my year in London an experience I’ll never forget.
Here’s a list of some marvelous books:
Wartime: Britain 1930–1945, by Juliet Gardiner
The Blitz, by Juliet Gardiner
The Longest Night: Voices from the London Blitz, by Gavin Mortimer
Blitz Diary: Life under Fire in World War II, by Carol Harris
The Secret Ministry of Ag. & Fish: My Life in Churchill’s School for Spies, by Noreen Riols
Wanborough Manor: School for Secret Agents, by Patrick Yarnold
SOE: The Special Operations Executive 1940–46, by M. R. D. Foot
The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of One of Britain’s Bravest Wartime Heroines, by Clare Mulley
Memories of Kreisau and the German Resistance, by Freya von Moltke
Of Their Own Choice, by Peter Churchill
Churchill’s Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914–1945, by Nicholas Rankin
The Secret Agent’s Pocket Manual 1939–1945: The Original Espionage Field Manual of the Second World War Spies, compiled by Stephen Bull
Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain 1942, reproduced from the original typescript, War Department, Washington, DC
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
The title of the book is drawn from a line in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. “Love is a smoke rais’d with the fume of sighs; being purg’d, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes.” How is the phrase “a fire sparkling” reflected in the themes and plot elements of the novel? Would you call this book a tragedy, like Romeo and Juliet?
In chapter 1, Gillian says: “I should have seen it coming—felt the tremors before the big quake. If I had, maybe I would have been ready to act when the walls came crashing down. But my behavior was more in line with a flight response. I didn’t pause to evaluate the situation or choose the best way forward. I simply took off.” Consider other situations in the book when the characters respond with a flight response. Can you think of situations when the opposite occurs and the characters choose to fight?
In chapter 1, Gillian says: “But maybe I wasn’t meant to be happy. Or to be a mother. Maybe the universe was just teasing me, letting me float briefly to the clouds to enjoy the view from there, only to slam me back down to earth and rub my face in the dirt.” Discuss Gillian’s transformation throughout the book. Do you believe she will find happiness in the future? Will her relationship with Geoffrey be a success? Why or why not?
“There was always something wonderfully haunting about Gram’s attic.” Discuss the role of “ghosts” in the novel. How many can you think of, and how do they play a part in the plot or in the growth of the characters?
Consider the twinship of April and Vivian. Can you think of some examples from the book when the sisters’ personal lives are like mirror reflections of each other? Conversely, how are their personalities separate and unique? Also discuss how April feels like an “us” versus how and when she asserts her individuality before and after Vivian’s death. At the end of her section in the novel, she tells Jack that she is ready to let go of her sister and finally be her true self. Do you believe she succeeded in that goal?
What other plot elements in the book involve this theme—of mirror reflections or twinship—and how do they play out?
Do you believe that, deep down, Gillian’s grandmother wanted the photographs to be discovered? Or would she have preferred to take her secret to the grave?
Discuss why Gillian’s grandmother spends so much time recounting the intimate details of Vivian’s relationship with Theodore, including her experiences with her abusive father, when April wasn’t even in the country to witness it. How much of it do you believe is true? Explain your answer.
How did you perceive April in the early scenes leading up to the bombing of the house on Craven Street? Did you like her? Did you believe she might be spying for the Germans? Discuss how your response relates to the literary device of perspective in terms of April as the true storyteller in Vivian’s section of the novel.
When Gillian returns to Malcolm’s penthouse to collect her things, were you hopeful or optimistic that Malcolm might prove himself worthy of her love? Why or why not?
Many women risked or sacrificed their lives as agents for the Special Operations Executive during World War II. How did you feel about April’s decision, as a mother, when she accepted the mission to leave her son and parachute into France? In your opinion, how much of that decision was politically motivated versus personal, and in what way? Also discuss the issue of women serving in the military and leaving their children behind. Do you feel it’s different from men making the same sacrifice?
Discuss the overall message or
lessons learned from the two different timelines in A Fire Sparkling. What does Gillian learn from her grandmother’s tale from the past, and how does that help her in her own life? What does Edward learn? And what does Gram learn from sharing her story?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2013 Jenine Panagiotakos, BlueVinePhotography
Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the bestselling contemporary women’s fiction novel The Color of Heaven. She has sold more than 1.3 million books in North America alone, and her novels have been translated into many foreign languages. MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist with Romance Writers of America and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and the Book Buyers Best Award. She loves to travel and has lived on the west coast of New Zealand, in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, and in London, England. She currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter. She is a dedicated member of Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada.
For more information about MacLean, please visit the author’s official website at www.juliannemaclean.com and sign up for her newsletter. You can also follow her on Amazon and BookBub to stay informed about this book and future releases.
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