The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination.
― Terri Guillemets
Sneaky December
My day job has me looking at activity from the prior 1-3 months, so I've always been bad at keeping track of what month it actually is. Right now, with all my health problems, it's been even worse. But I'm now convinced some Christmas-lover cracked time travel and speeded us ahead to their favorite season. It's the only explanation for how December snuck up on us so quickly. I do love this time of year, though, so I guess I can't complain.
I've already bought everyone Christmas presents, and I'm happy to report one of those includes a blind book date for my oldest sister and fellow author, Kristen Brand. (You can shop her books here.) Why can I say this even though she follows this newsletter, you may ask? Because I accidentally already spoiled the surprise. But in my defense, she never goes on Facebook and didn't have an Instagram for the loooongest time, so how was I supposed to remember that before posting?!
KindleUnlimited First-in-Series
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. One of the things I struggle with is finding a new series. Partially because there's so many options, and I want to support indie authors. But also because I became so hyper-focused on my last read that I struggle deciding on which world to jump into next. There are standalone books like The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern that will forever have a place in my heart as a favorite. Heck, I'm even writing one right now! But there is nothing better than finding an amazing book and realizing that there are several more books that you get to enjoy with the characters. That's why I wanted to share with you all a list of first-in-series reads. And even better, they're all free through KindleUnlimited! Start browsing your next obsession here!
History Fact
As anyone who read The Dragonslayer's Redemption knows, Albert Thys spent a lot of time building bombs for the Night Witches. What's my favorite part about that? They were actually called the Night Witches; that's not a thing I made up.
The "Night Witches" was actually the German's nickname for an all-female Soviet Union air squadron in World War II. They were officially known as the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. Essentially, they used Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, which were made in 1920s for training and widely used for crop dusting. Yes, you heard that right. The Soviet Union sent these women out in cropdusters that were literally made from wood and fabric.
But these women couldn't be stopped. The were meant to harass the enemy, and they did so at night largely because they had to fly low to the ground and then fly higher right before they reached the enemy. They formed a tactic centered around groups of three. One plane would get the German's attention so they could have light, and the other two would cut their engines to glide silently toward their targets. This approach created an eerie "whooshing" sound, like a witch's broom, which terrified the enemy soldiers and earned them the famous nickname. They really messed with the psyche of the Nazis for two reasons: they always attacked at night so they were scared to sleep; and it was women who were bombing them into oblivion. They became such a problem that any Nazi who shot down a Night Witch were awarded the Iron Cross, a prestigious medal. Can you imagine how feared and effective these women had to be that killing just one of them earned them such high-level recognition?!
Book Recommendations?
As always, I would love to hear what books you’ve loved reading lately. Send any recommendations to me over either Instagram, X, or Facebook by clicking on the icons below!
