In thetone of voice that adults reserve for talking to six-year-olds,he asks again, “Now, tell me Vivian, when did you last seeyour Papa?”I shake my head and say, “No, I haven’t seen him for along time. I don’t know where he is.”The finger comes again, hooking my chin and forcingmy head up and toward him. I look into the pale, wateryeyes of the man in the gray Gestapo uniform. My heartpulses so hard in my ears that I can barely hear his words.“Have you seen Papa this week, Liebchen” (Sweetie), hecoos. “Who are his friends?” I shake my head “No,” knowingthat a few hours earlier Papa came to our street, near theapartment. He stood in the shadow of the corner house,watching me. I knew that he had come to see me, andsomehow, instinctively, I also knew that I should not go tohim and that he could not come to me. We looked at eachother, and then he turned and slipped away. It will bealmost ten years before I would see him again.The Gestapo man stands and abruptly leaves the bedroom.It isn’t until I see him in the living room, talking to Oma, that my tears come.In German Girl?, I reflect on my extraordinary childhood years, 1942 to 1953, growing up in Nazi Germany. As a "Mischling", a child with one Jewish parent and one Christian parent, my experiences during World War II, and its effect on the years that followed, provide a unique picture of wartime life as seen through the eyes of a child. My Lutheran grandparents hid and protected me while my mother was jailed and questioned tortuously on the whereabouts of my father. A Jewish man, my father lived “underground.” In "German Girl", I describe my father’s ingenuity and bravery, the enduring strength of my mother and the simple pleasures and comforting love of my grandparents stolen in a time of horror for so many. I have included copies of historical documents and photographs of the people discussed in the book.* In "German Girl", I have filled my book with memories, pictures, reproductions of forged documents and the incredible story of growing up alongside the appalling destruction of WWII in East Berlin.Copyright © 1998 Vivian Ert Bolten Herz.All rights reserved.The Library of Congress, catalog card number 2005351683United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,Washington D.C.Catalogue card number DS135.G5 H 4659 1998;Jüdisches Museum Berlin, GermanyYad Vashem Library, Jerusalem, Israel., catalog card number 105-0271Yad Vashem - Bet Vahlin Library, Israel., catalog card number HER-09

     They swore oaths, both personal and professional. They were fighting for country, for a way of life and for family. Classmates carried more than rifles and sabers into battle. They had friendships, memories, children and wives. They had innocence lost, promises broken and glory found. Duty, Honor, Country is history told both epic and personal so we can understand what happened, but more importantly feel the heart-wrenching clash of duty, honor, country and loyalty. And realize that sometimes, the people who changed history, weren’t recorded by it. In the vein of HBO’s Rome miniseries, two fictional characters, Rumble and Cord are standing at many of the major crossroads of our history. Our story starts in 1840, in Benny Havens tavern, just outside post limits of the United States Military Academy. With William Tecumseh Sherman, Rumble, Cord, and Benny Havens’ daughter coming together in a crucible of honor and loyalty. And on post, in the West Point stables, where Ulysses S. Grant and a classmate are preparing to saddle the Hell-Beast, a horse with which Grant would eventually set an academy record, and both make fateful decisions that will change the course of their lives and history. We follow these men forward to the eve of the Mexican War, tracing their steps at West Point and ranging to a plantation at Natchez on the Mississippi, Major Lee at Arlington, and Charleson, SC. We travel aboard the USS Somers and the US Navy mutiny that led to the founding of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. We end with Grant and company in New Orleans, preparing to sale to Mexico and war, and Kit Carson and Fremont at Pilot Peak in Utah during his great expedition west.

     After her husband's suspicious death, her father and uncle arrange for her to head West as a mail order bride to secure her safety. Once she arrives she is married to a local dirt farmer with big dreams and an even bigger heart. Samantha has no intentions of falling in love with her handsome new husband or making friends in the small town that is so different from the vast city she came from. She is just going to pass the time until she gets word that she can return home. Seth Jenkins wanted a real marriage, so he placed an ad in a nationwide paper advertising to mail order brides. He never expected to receive a letter from an attorney offering his niece in marriage, along with a hefty sum in exchange for Seth ensuring her safety. When danger follows Samantha from the East, can Seth keep his promise to keep her safe? Can Samantha overcome her past and embrace the love standing right in front of her?

    Collapsing Nazi Germany has developed terrible super weapons: the V1 Flying bomb, the V2 missile, rocket and jet powered aircraft. Now, with the war apparently lost, the maniacal Nazi leadership fashions a final diabolical plan born of the infamous Japanese Unit 731 of biological warfare and the secret “Amerika Bomber” ME 264. It is so evil, so inhuman, that even those ordered to proceed find themselves questioning their loyalty and this mission of mass death. OSS agent Chris Clancy will need all his skill and courage to combat this desperate plot. In a secret mission behind enemy lines, Clancy must locate the hidden base and defeat an enemy on his own ground. Yet, with twist on unseen twist, who are the enemies, and who are the Traitors?

    He waits with the German war machine for the order from Adolf Hitler to start the western Blitzkrieg--the "lightning war."Six hundred kilometers away, WWI veteran René Legrand plows his fields. He is enjoying the life he has made with his wife and two sons in the peaceful village of Sainte-Mère-Église. Since the end of the last war, he has tried to forget the atrocities he'd witnessed. Most of all, he has tried to forget the horrors he inflicted on others as the deadliest assassin the French Army has ever known, unaware he will soon need the skills of war he once used to perfection.His youngest son, Jean-Pierre, lives the life of a typical thirteen-year-old. He attends school, helps his father in the fields, and tries not to be nervous around the mesmerizing Angelique Lapierre. Events will soon force him to become a man, and along with his father, brother, and a small group of citizens, they harass their German occupiers and help the Allies prepare for the D-Day invasion.Guilty of nothing other than being a Jew, Jean-Pierre's best friend, Alfred Shapiro, flees to Spain with his family. They hope to make it through the treacherous Pyrenees Mountains before the Nazis capture them.Working with the French Resistance, Gabrielle Hall uses her beauty and cunning to obtain military intelligence from the Nazi officers who frequent her café.In Fort Benning, Georgia, Captain James Gavin discusses a plan with Major William Lee to begin the U.S. Army's first parachute brigade. Four years later, General "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin will descend through the night sky and into Normandy, France, along with the greatest invasion force the world has ever seen.These and others are the heroes of Sainte-Mère-Église.

    It will take 165,000 troops and 700 ships in the bloody battle of Leyte Gulf to do it. Among them is the destroyer USS Matthew and her skipper, Commander Mike Donovan, a veteran haunted by earlier savage battles. What Donovan doesn’t know is that Vice Admiral Takao Kurita of Japan has laid an ingenious trap as the Matthew heads for the treacherous waters of Leyte Gulf. But Donovan faces something even deadlier than Kurita’s battleships: Explosives secretly slipped on board American ships by saboteurs are set to detonate at any time. Now the Matthew’s survival hinges on the ability of Donovan and his men to dismantle a bomb in the midst of the panic and the chaos of history’s greatest naval battle.“Gobbell’s sea tales . . . will have you looking up your nearest Navy recruiter.” —W.E.B. Griffin“[John Gobbell is] a first-rate storyteller.” — Stephen Coonts“Wonderful . . . a rousing dramatization of history’s greatest sea battle.” — James D. Hornfischer, author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

    Author Bryan O challenges readers to discern fact from fiction in a mainstream narrative that questions the origin and use of advanced technologies. The plot offers multiple perspectives, allowing readers to identify with the book whether they are believers, non-believers or new to the conspiracy genre. Groom Lake is not just a novel; the story is a briefing on America’s shadow programs, methods and reasoning, intertwined with fast-paced scenarios where intelligence agents guard their fringe programs from inquisitive civilians, China’s Ministry of State Security and a congressional task force investigating hidden government spending.

    The saga is set on Cumberland Island during plantation-era Georgia and centers around a remarkable woman known as Elisabeth Bernardey. Zabette, as she is called, was born the illegitimate daughter of a planter and a slave and was raised as the planter's daughter, so she finds herself neither completely free nor totally in bondage. Plum Orchard chronicles her journey through the Antebellum South as she strives to live in two worlds while belonging totally to neither. This epic tale spans a large portion of the nineteenth century and is a narrative that explores both the darkness that was slavery and the light that lives within the human heart.

    Jude Research HospitalSnuggle by the fire this season to warm your heart with stories of love and hope by ten award-winning, bestselling authors. This wonderful variety includes small town mysteries, heart-tugging romance and enough Christmas to get everyone in the mood. All of our books have happy endings with lots of friendship, family and fluffy white snow! The authors want to thank you for supporting their Christmas cause, St. Jude’s Hospital, where no child is turned away for treatment. ROAD TO CHRISTMAS PAST - Kathi Daley Holly Thompson’s life changes forever when she receives an early Christmas present from her dead Aunt Meg—a gorgeous Private Investigator. When Ben Holiday claims to have a clue about Holly’s unknown parentage, Holly sets out on a Christmas road trip in the hope of finding the family she never knew she had. CHRISTMAS DEADLINE - Pam Binder Bestselling thriller writer, Noel Atteberry never met an obstacle he couldn’t overcome until his editor paired him with stubborn romance author, Holly Lane. Living on his estate in England, Noel has managed to avoid love. But with their Christmas deadline looming, all he can think about is Holly. COWABUNGA CHRISTMAS (Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery) - Anna Celeste Burke It's a Cowabunga Christmas in Corsario Cove for newlyweds, Kim and Brien, until an unexpected visit from Santa changes everything. Murder, mayhem, and shady secrets in the cove make this a honeymoon to remember. CHRISTMAS IN CRYSTAL CREEK - Kim Hornsby A road closure and snowstorm traps country music star, Luanne Billings in a small town at Christmas and she finds herself at Crystal Creek Inn’s Holiday Extravaganza. When a brief opportunity to escape presents itself, she must decide between a career-changing performance and helping a child in need. A SEASON FOR HOPE - Tammy L. Grace From the award-winning author of the Hometown Harbor Series, comes a new heartwarming and inspirational story for the holidays, filled with the magic of the season-- a charming story about the kindness of strangers and finding hope where you never expected it. Cozy up with a holiday read sure to warm your heart. A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW - Heidi Hostetter On the eve of the tree lighting in the Inlet Beach town square, police find a runaway in trouble. Residents gather to help, but complications arise and unraveling the boy's past is harder than they imagine. As a blustery Pacific Northwest Christmas draws near, can they find a way to give a boy with a shattered life another chance at happiness? TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS PROMISE – Tamara Ferguson Engaged, news correspondent Alexandra Evans and Sean Reynolds, an Air Force pilot, are planning a holiday wedding. But when Alexandra’s overseas assignment turns deadly, she returns scarred, and breaks their engagement. Can Sean convince her that beauty is only skin deep so two hearts can keep their Christmas promise? BELLS ARE STILL RINGING – Lori Leger No stranger to loss, Bill Broussard keeps his heart in protective mode, avoiding complicated relationships. Having raised his brother's only son, his nephew now faces bitter challenges of his own. Are the two fated to spend their lives without love, or will they finally get the chance for happiness they deserve? A MARINE’S CHRISTMAS WEDDING – Jacki Delecki Maddy and Hunter’s plans for a courthouse wedding unravel when a friend decides the Marines deserve a real wedding.

    As the daughter of King Malcolm of Scotland, she has always been expected to achieve great things, and so she was sent to England to receive an education at just seven years old. Now, at fourteen, her aunt wants her to take vows to become a nun. A knight hospitaller wants her to join the fight against the Saracens in the Holy Land. And, her father wants her to marry a man she does not love just for the money and political benefits. But… perhaps she might become queen of England instead? After all, she is rumored to be the only woman to have ever turned the king of England’s head. And anyway, King William is far kinder and prettier than the man her father chose for her. As dawn breaks, she runs away from the abbey without any solid plan. And just as she takes a deep breath and allows her legs to rest, she is found by the king’s little brother, Lord Henry. He won’t let her travel alone. When she protests his company, he forces her in his horse's saddle and rides away with her into the forest. In this stunning tale of Matilda of Scotland's "lost" seven years, great love is lost and found, a kingdom rises, and a queen is made.

    His successor as US Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur, flies halfway around the world to butt heads with Josef Stalin and change history.When MacArthur relieves General Dwight D. Eisenhower from command in Europe, the Anglo-Allied advance devolves into a free-for-all as competing armies race for Berlin, and the changes echo across the globe. Here are just a few of the highlights from MacArthur’s Luck:Captain Jackie Robinson leads an armored task force across the Rhine. ...Major Barry Goldwater fire-bombs Tokyo. ...Commander Robert Heinlein struggles to save his wounded ship from kamikazes off Okinawa. ...Field Marshals Georgi Zhukov and Ivan Konev clash on the road to Berlin. ...SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Karl Wolff dares everything to negotiate a separate surrender to the Americans. ...Populated by a cast of realistic characters who will take you inside the American, German, Soviet, and Japanese military machines, and meticulously researched by a well-known military historian, MacArthur’s Luck opens The Fortunes of War series, exploring a world both tantalizingly like our own, but also dramatically different.Half the fun is figuring out what’s real, and what’s not.

    Who will protect her from herself?Shoney's lightning speed with a bow captures Ronan by surprise, and their chance meeting ends with him lying unconscious at the bottom of a ravine.When he awakens, he cannot rid his mind of her startling beauty, her valor, or the secret fear he glimpsed in her steel eyes. He vows to find her, but as the mysteries of her identity unfold, his courage and heart are tested as never before.Highland Thunder, Book 2A STORM IS COMING...Although she faces tragic loss, Brenna will never succumb to grief or fear, nor will she surrender to the one man she despises--the very man who now has the power to control her destiny. Like the storms that rage unchecked over the moors, her fury is about to be unleashed.A HIDDEN LOVE...He does not look at her or speak to her, and most importantly, he does not touch her. These are the rules Duncan set for himself long ago to ensure his affection for his best friend's wife remained undetected. But under the weight of a land besieged by war, the walls he erected to shield his heart crumble.If he can earn her trust, the one woman he has always loved may at last be his. But first he must save what he cherishes most from a nightmare of dark secrets.To Love a Warrior, Book 3Destinies unfold. Secrets are revealed. The Isle of Mull will be forever changed.Half Highlander, half Viking, Garik MacKinnon was not born on the Scottish Isle of Mull, but fostered there in his youth. Now, he leaves behind his home, once more bound for Mull, to join the MacKinnon warriors as they answer Robert the Bruce's call to arms. He is ready for battle, eager to fight for Scotland's freedom. What he is not prepared for is his encounter with Nellore, a shield maiden from Mull, whose allure defies all reason.Nellore has the strength and skill of a warrior but the heart of a woman. When the men are called away to war Nellore must aid those left behind to safeguard their village against attacks from the MacLeans--a feuding clan to the south. She understands her duty to her clan. She is ready to take up arms against the enemy if need be. What she is not ready for is the ache that fills her heart when war pulls Garik from her side.Desire ignites and battles are waged as both Nellore and Garik learn what it means to love a warrior.

    A patriotic and conquest-hungry general sparks an international crisis that clears the path to an invasion, and the battle for Taiwan has begun.Finding its Pacific bases and supercarriers under the gun, the United States scrambles to protect its charge. Though China seems to be the new Pacific power, American and Taiwanese warriors get to work in defense of freedom. The general, however, is willing to do all it takes to bring Taiwan back into the fold, even by risking a nuclear war.Take to the air, land, and sea with this military techno-thriller. Extensively researched, this novel includes accurate American, Chinese, and Taiwanese equipment, tactics, and formations, and explores how a new Pacific war could play out. Journey with characters that include American aviators, diplomats, and officers; Chinese fighting for the glory of their country; and Taiwanese struggling to maintain the independence they hold so dear.Please visit "Fourth Crisis: The Battle for Taiwan" on Facebook for items of relevance to the book.

     The widowed Lady Elfrida has achieved the impossible. She’s ensured her twelve-year-old son has become king, despite the gruesome murder of his predecessor and half-brother. While many blame the king’s mother, she looks to two rival noblemen as the real perpetrators. Even with the reappearance of an unwelcome enemy on England’s shores, Viking warriors, who attack and threaten the safety and security of England, and specifically, the young king, the two noblemen are far from resigned to Lady Elfrida’s power. As her son takes the final steps to become king in actions as well as name, she’s increasingly isolated by the deaths of allies and the scheming ways of others, including the king. Resentful of her continuing influence, Lady Elfrida faces banishment from Court with both fierce determination and acquiescence. The King's Mother is the first part in a new trilogy. Suggested reading order: The Mercian Brexit (short story and prequel) The First Queen of England The First Queen of England Part 2 The First Queen of England Part 3 The King's Mother

    Each book is also offered as a separate book on Amazon.The Few: Book 1Gunnery Sergeant Jacob McCardle is the commander of the Marine Detachment at the US Embassy, New Delhi, when the president of the United States arrives on an official visit, the same man who, as a Congressman, sponsored the bill that had decimated the Corps in a cost-cutting effort. As the president arrives, the embassy is attacked and isolated by a mob of nationalists. With the Indian government seemingly unwilling to take action to restore order and with an ambitious vice-president seizing this as an opportunity to move up to the White House, it is up to Gunny McCardle and his small band of Marines to keep the president alive. Faced with tremendous odds, Gunny has to lead his Marines in an almost impossible task. That is nothing new to the US Marines. Impossible tasks are the Corps' forte. But can his small detachment keep up the tradition of the Corps and succeed despite tremendous odds?The Proud: Book 2After the events at the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Marines are being brought back as a combat unit. Newly commissioned 2dLt Anthony Niimoto, a hero of the embassy takeover, is with the first Marine battalion to get back into the deployment cycle. Assigned to anti-piracy, this is supposed to be a dull deployment. But when a US ship is seized by Somali pirates, it's First Platoon, K 3/6 at the tip of the spear. With SSgt Davidson, an ex-Ranger who returns to his Marines roots, the two of them must lead their platoon into harms way, ever conscious of Black Hawk Down, the Battle of Mogadishu. Was Tony Niimoto a one-shot wonder in New Delhi, or does he really have what it takes to be a leader of Marines?The Marines: Book 3China is growing in power and in need of raw materials. When an aggressive general, with encouragement from an unnamed puppet master in the Politburo, moves to seize the Spratly Islands from The Philippines and Taiwan, the Marines of the 15th MEU are the only unit in position to do anything about it. What makes things more difficult is that the Chinese have made great strides in cyber-warfare that have negated America's technological superiority. What will be the result of years of letting China manufacture electronic components and even parts for the US aircraft, satellites, and communications systems?"Every Marine is a rifleman" has never been more true when the ultimate weapon in the nation's arsenal is the basic infantryman. But can Captain Tony Niimoto, a hero of both the embassy takeover in New Delhi and the hostage rescue in Somalia, lead his company against an overwhelming force of the finest of the People's Liberation Army? Can Sergeant Harrington Steptoe, Sergeant "Jay" McNamara, and First Lieutenant Peter Van Slyke step up into the mantle of leadership when all the odds are against them?