ALL IS FAIR by Dee Garretson ***Guest Post: Learn about the era-specific issues in her main character's world -- Giveaway***

 

All Is Fair
Dee Garretson

Published by: Swoon Reads

Publication date: January 22nd 2019

Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult

Lady Mina Tretheway knows she’s destined for greater things than her fancy boarding school, where she’s being taught to be a proper English lady. It’s 1918, and war is raging across Europe. Unlike her father and brother, who are able to assist in the war effort, Mina is stuck sorting out which fork should be used with which dinner course.

When Mina receives a telegram that’s written in code, she finally has her chance to do something big. She returns to her childhood home of Hallington Manor, joined by a family friend, Lord Andrew Graham, and a dashing and mysterious young American, Lucas. The three of them must band together to work on a dangerous project that could turn the tide of the war.

Thrilled that she gets to contribute to the war effort at least, Mina jumps headfirst into the world of cryptic messages, spycraft, and international intrigue. She, Lucas, and Andrew have to work quickly, because if they don’t succeed, more soldiers will disappear into the darkness of war.

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Guest post
The era specific issues in my Main Character's world
by Dee Garretson

In 1918 ordinary people did not yet have radios or hair dryers, nor had they heard of cheeseburgers, but it was a time where women in particular were seeing a glimmer of their future. Most women were still trapped in the roles into which they were born by class and race but there were hints that times were changing, at least for some. The war, while devastating, changed society because there were not enough men who remained behind or came back to do all the jobs required. And even though the upheaval wasn’t as great as that of WW2, it still brought women into roles they hadn’t been in before.

Everyone’s day-to-day lives would have been influenced by the war. We tend to forget with the way modern wars are conducted it would have been very different then, particularly in Britain, because every part of society was affected and there was no escaping that.

Women were close to getting the right to vote, and more and more of them had been speaking up to have a greater role in important issues, though that was still limited to women of a certain background and economic standing. One reason I chose a main character from a wealthy family is that it would be easier for her to do something unexpected. When a person has lived their whole life with a network of support, it’s easier to try something new. They’re not focused on where their next meal is coming from or where they are going to sleep that night.

I do love to think about how exhilarating it would have felt for a young woman of that time period to just break out and do something totally unexpected. Imagine flying for the very first time in those open cockpit planes, especially when it was not something many women did. That’s part of the fun of writing historical fiction-figuring out what could be the firsts and incorporating them in the story.

Author Bio:

Dee writes contemporary, science fiction and historical adventure stories for a wide range of ages. Her books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections, the Scholastic Book Club, and have been nominated for numerous state awards lists. In addition to books published under her own name, she also writes for the Boxcar Children series. Connect with her on twitter at @deegarretson or find out more about her books at deegarretson.com

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