Spotlight & $25 GC Giveaway: PADLOCKED by p.m. terrell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. p.m. terrell will be awarding $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

 

Description of Padlocked

 

Padlocked is an epic historical and visionary novel that follows the lives of a group of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary, life-altering circumstances as Nazi Germany invades Poland in 1939.

 

Two foreign photojournalists, an American and a Spaniard, are trapped between armies at Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen, along Poland’s western border with Germany. It is Hank’s last overseas assignment, and he’s been counting the days until he can go home to North Carolina to be with his family. Rafe fled Spain after the dictator, Francisco Franco, targeted his family. The experience changed him, and he now sees the rise of fascism in Europe as a battle between good and evil. They will find themselves embedded with the Polish, Nazi, and Soviet forces at varying times, forcing them to face moral and ethical decisions in their struggles to survive.

 

A young woman is separated from her sister in Warsaw as the Nazis encircle it. Agata made a vow that she would return to take Elsa to safety, but soldiers and barbed wire prevent her from entering the newly established Jewish sector. She is consumed with guilt over their separation, and when she discovers her sister was taken by train to a work camp near Krakow, she navigates her dangerous, war-torn country in search of her. Her quest will force her to confront a Hell on Earth to find her.

 

A young man joins the Jungdeutsche Partei, or the Young German Party. Once bullied as a child, Max’s new affiliations promote him to a position where he can dictate life or death and settle scores. In order to thrive under Nazi occupation, he makes daily choices that legitimize brutality and erode humanitarian principles and scruples.

 

While they don’t know one another at the start of their journeys, each will make decisions that have the power to transform them and place them on paths that ultimately converge on January 27, 1945, as the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates to Auschwitz-Birkenau for all the world to witness.

 

This is ultimately a story about the strength of love, courage, faith, and resilience in the face of unimaginable hatred and obsession with power, and how every decision we make places us further along specific paths.

 

Read an Excerpt of Padlocked

 

Max was unprepared for the pandemonium as he stepped outside the building. He supposed it made sense as he could hear the voices from his office even if he hadn’t been able to make out the words. Still, it was jarring to see people who would normally walk with controlled purpose now rushing this way and that, as though the sky were falling. It made him hasten his steps, his heartbeat quickening as he joined the throngs. Many stopped along the way to cheer on the passing army vehicles, but he dodged around them, eager to get his book and get back to work. He didn’t want the soldiers to give his office to anyone else in his absence.

 

“Max! Max!”

 

At the sound of his name, he almost hid, thinking his ruse was discovered, but he quickly realized the voice was female. His eyes darted around the crowded faces. After a moment, the horde parted, and Stella rushed through to him.

 

“They’re on our doorstep!” she shouted excitedly. Her face was aglow, and he wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and kiss her.

 

But, as others glanced their way, he grabbed her hand and led her to a quieter area. “Stop smiling,” he directed, swinging her around to face him.

 

“Why?” she demanded.

 

“They are not here yet. Do you want the Polish Army to pick you up?”

 

“Why would they? I have done nothing wrong.”

 

“Oh? Now that they are here and we are locked in a battle with them, you and I are collaborators.”

 

“Huh! That is not true.”

 

“Isn’t it?”

 

“It is not. We knew nothing of their plans to invade. We only know that we like their system of government.”

 

“And you don’t think they are here to change our system of government to their own?”

 

“Isn’t it exciting?”

 

“Stop it, I say. Stop it!” Max wiped his forehead. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

 

“The shop where I worked closed.”

 

“Closed? Why?”

 

Stella shrugged. “Excitement. Fear. Maybe a little of both.” She peered at him, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you here and not in the mayor’s office? I would have thought you’d be very busy there.”

 

“I am very busy.” He pulled at his suit jacket as if straightening it. “I have been promoted.”

 

“Promoted! To what?”

 

“I am now a liaison to the military.”

 

“The Polish military?”

 

“Do you see another here?” He waved his hand toward the tanks passing by them.

 

“What are you doing for them?” she breathed, her brow furrowing.

 

“English translation.”

 

“You don’t speak English!”

 

“How do you know that? I do, actually. And I am on a mission, and you are delaying me.”

 

“Be that way, then.” She pouted briefly before adding, “What will you do when the Nazis arrive in Będzin?”

 

“How do you know that they will?”

 

She shrugged. “I am hedging my bets.”

 

“For right this moment, today, I am a military liaison. That is all I know for now.” He waved as though pushing her away. “Now, go.”

 

As she started to leave him, he pulled her back into an embrace and kissed her. Startled, he thought she might pull away, but she didn’t. She leaned into him, her tongue flicking inside his mouth and her body pressing against him. She smelled of flowers and musk, and he held her more tightly as he inhaled her essence. Then she abruptly stepped back. “Call on me later,” she said, “when you are no longer working your military liaison shift.”

 

Then she was gone, as if she had never been there; her petite figure disappeared among the taller men and women crowding the sidewalk. He stared in the direction she’d gone, but when he didn’t spot her among the cluster of people, he turned back in the direction of home.

 

Interview with p.m. terrell

 

What inspired you to come up with the idea for your book?

Padlocked came to me in a way that no other idea ever has. I was in the middle of writing a cozy mystery when I dreamed Padlocked in one night. I had never been to Poland and had never considered writing a story set during World War II, but the next morning, as I pondered the thousands of details I felt had downloaded into me in my sleep, I knew I had to write it.

I asked God how I would ever remember all the details, and I felt as if He whispered in my ear, “You won’t remember. But I will.” As I worked on the story, I truly felt as if it were being dictated to me.

 

Any challenges in writing this book?

The major challenge was how to write a book set in Poland during the Nazi occupation of World War II without it becoming too dark. I added a character, Rafe, to add humor to allow the reader to take a breath. And I also added love throughout, whether it is love for a younger sister or romantic love. I found throughout my research that even when the world is in chaos, love is all around us (just like the song says!)

 

How would you describe a perfect hero?

The perfect hero or heroine is someone who is multi-layered and imperfect, often beginning as an ordinary person who doesn’t think of themselves as a hero. Through the trials and tribulations they must face, they dig deep within themselves to find everything they need to rise to the threat and become victorious against it. Even villains should have some redeeming qualities, because very few are truly all-evil. Heroes and heroines should have imperfections, but they should still be someone the reader can relate to or want to hang out with.

 

How do you go about choosing the names for your characters?

I begin by identifying an ethnic or cultural group for the character. For example, in Padlocked, the main characters consist of an American from North Carolina, a Spaniard, Germans, Ukrainians, and Poles. Within the Polish group, there are Catholics and Jews. I then research popular names for the era (in this case, World War II) and within those cultures. For example, Hank was born around the turn of the century, so I researched popular names in North Carolina from 1900. I follow the same process for last names, and full names often have meanings beyond what is spelled out in the book.

Gone are the days when I used to tour old cemeteries.

 

What other books have you written?

Padlocked is my 27th release. My most popular books are historical and creative nonfiction. Songbirds are Free is based on my ancestor, Mary Neely, and her capture by Shawnee warriors in 1780. River Passage is inspired by the Donelson river journey to Fort Nashborough in 1779, which my ancestors joined. And Checkmate: Clans and Castles is based on my ancestor, William Neely, and his role in O’Dougherty’s Rebellion of 1608 in Ulster.

I also wrote a popular series, Black Swamp Mysteries, filled with romantic adventure, set in present-day southeastern North Carolina. The books are (in order): Exit 22, Vicki’s Key, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan’s Song, The Pendulum Files, and Cloak & Mirrors.

Readers who love stories about soulmates would enjoy A Thin Slice of Heaven, The Tempest Murders, and The White Devil of Dublin.

A Struggle for Independence is a romance set in Ireland against the backdrop of the Easter Rising. April in the Back of Beyond is a ghost story with romance set in present-day Ireland, and its sequel is A Misremembered Lighthouse, another ghost story.

Those are just a few of my published books, and there are more in the pipeline.

 

How long have you been a writer?

I started writing when I was nine years old, encouraged by my school principal and teachers. My first nonfiction was published in 1984, and my first novel in 2002.

 

Print or e-books–do you have a preference?

I used to have a library with hundreds of books, but I downsized about ten years ago in preparation for splitting my time between the United States and Ireland. As I went through my print books, I identified those I wanted to read again and again, and I purchased them for my iPad. Now I am hooked on digital books. I like the backlighting, the ability to change fonts and sizes, and that when I finish one book, I can start on another, even if I’m on an airplane or in a doctor’s waiting room.

 

 

About Author p.m. terrell

 

My full name is Patricia McClelland Terrell, and I have been writing under the pen name p.m.terrell ever since a publisher presented me with my first fiction book cover. The graphic designer had also entered my name in lower-case letters; my editor hated it, and I loved it. It’s been p.m.terrell ever since.

 

I began writing when I was nine years old, inspired by a schoolteacher and elementary school principal. Scott-Foresman published my first book, a computer instructional for universities, in 1984. Scott-Foresman, Dow-Jones (Richard D. Irwin branch), Palari Publishing, Paralee Press, and Drake Valley Press have published 27 books to date.

 

Before embarking on a full-time writing career, I founded McClelland Enterprises, Inc., in the Washington, D.C., area in 1984, specializing in workplace computer instruction. I opened another business, Continental Software Development Corporation, in 1994, which focused on custom application development, programming, website design and development, and cybersecurity.

 

I was honored to be the first female President of the Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers. Since moving to North Carolina, I served on the boards of the Robeson County Friends of the Library and the Robeson County Arts Council.

 

I launched The Book ‘Em Foundation with Waynesboro, Virginia, Police Officer Mark Kearney, and assisted in Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina events before establishing the Annual Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, chairing it for several years before turning it over to Robeson Community College in Lumberton, NC.

 

Padlocked is available in all eBook formats, trade paperback, hardcover, and large print editions.

Website: https://pmterrell.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author/

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/padlocked/id6759671735

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/padlocked-pm-terrell/1149563468

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GPWWNBFN

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/padlocked-2

In France: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9781935970569_9781935970569_10020/padlocked

In Germany: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1078388459

All other eBook formats: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1977075

 

p.m. terrell will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.