Playlist for Searching for Gertrude
Nowadays, authors often include playlists with their novels.
It’s a great way to bring your characters and story to life. And it’s fun! With
my previous novel, Fat Girl Begone!, a
playlist was super easy. The novel was, after all, about a girl who gets jilted.
Heck, if I was feeling uninspired, the only thing I’d have to do would be to go
through Taylor Swift’s discography. No disrespect to Ms. Swift but, man, the
girl can hold a grudge!
In many ways, Searching
for Gertrude doesn’t lend itself to a playlist. The novel is set during the
1940s. While I certainly can enjoy some big band music, it’s not exactly
popular. I still wanted to make a playlist, however, so readers can get an idea
of the mood I’m trying to set with the novel. So, here goes.
1.
Wish
You Were Here by Pink Floyd. As the title of the novel gives away, the
story is first and foremost a quest by the hero, Rudolf, to find the love of
his life, Gertrude. What better way to start this playlist than with a song
about wishing someone was with you?
2.
Overcome
by Live. Although this song is associated with September 11th, I
can’t make a song list for Searching for
Gertrude without including it. I’m sure the lyrics ‘Cause we're runnin' out of time’ are words the heroine Rosalyn
herself thought as she watched Hitler and his armies roll across Europe;
seemingly without much resistance.
3.
Imagine
by John Lennon. Peoples prejudiced views of religion and people of faith is
what keeps Rudolf from his beloved. I imagine if Rudolf ever heard the lyrics ‘Imagine
there's no countries ~ It isn't hard to do ~ Nothing to kill or die for ~ And
no religion, too ~ Imagine all the people ~ Living life in peace...’ he would vehemently agree with Lennon’s words.
4.
The
Times They Are A-Changin’ by Bob Dylan. It’s impossible to make a playlist
about troubling times such as the Second World War without including a song
from Bob Dylan, the singer/songwriter is the poster child for revolutionary
music after all. But which song? I chose this song because it talks of battles
raging and waking people up to take a stand. During the first half of Searching for Gertrude, the US
has yet to join the Second World War, and Rosalyn is incensed that America
maintains its isolationist polices while innocent men, women, and children are
being slaughtered.
5.
Tears
in Heaven by Eric Clapton. I waffled about putting this song on the list.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it belongs here. I just wasn’t sure if it was too
much of a spoiler. In the end, I couldn’t not include it. I won’t tell you why
the song’s on the list, though. If you want to know that, you’ll have to read
the book.
6.
Make
you feel my love, written by Bob Dylan, performed by Adele. What other love
song could I possibly include on this list? This song epitomizes exactly how
Rudolf feels about love. He will do whatever he has to in order to have his
love returned to him.
And now that I’ve finished this list, I realized I was
wrong. It’s not hard to find a playlist for Searching
for Gertrude. There are tons of songs about war and peace and overcoming
adversity. The novel is about more than the war in which Rosalyn and Rudolf
find themselves embroiled, but these songs set the stage for reading their story
in the right frame of mind.
About the Author
Dena (aka D.E.) grew-up reading
everything she could get her grubby hands on from her mom's Harlequin romances
to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When she wasn't flipping pages in a library
book, she was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing,
or drafting stories, which she is very thankful have been destroyed. College
and a stint in the U.S. Army came along and robbed her of any free time to
write or read, although on the odd occasion she did manage to sneak a book into
her rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear.
After surviving the army experience, she went back to school and got her law
degree. She jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few
years into her legal career, she was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done.
She quit her job and sat down to write a manuscript, which she promptly hid in
the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t her
thing, so she quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t
her thing either. She polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic
before following the husband to Istanbul where she decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But
ten years was too many to stay away from her adopted home. She packed up again
and moved back to the Netherlands (The
Hague to be exact)
where she's currently working on her next book. She hopes she'll always be
working on another book.
Author links:
Website: http://dehaggerty.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dehaggerty
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dehaggerty/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_5?qid=1438239628&sr=8-5
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bbmdj9
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/d-e-haggerty
Email: dena@dehaggerty.com
About the Book:
Title: SEARCHING FOR GERTRUDE
Author: D.E. Haggerty
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 250
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: D.E. Haggerty
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 250
Genre: Historical Romance
BOOK BLURB:
While
growing up in Germany
in the 1930s, Rudolf falls in love with the girl next door, Gertrude. He
doesn’t care what religion Gertrude practices, but the Nazis do. When the first
antisemitic laws are enacted by the Nazi government, Gertrude’s father loses
his job at the local university. Unable to find employment in Germany,
he accepts a position at Istanbul University
and moves the family to Turkey.
Rudolf, desperate to follow Gertrude, takes a position as a consulate worker in
Istanbul with the very government
which caused her exile. With Rudolf finally living in the same city as
Gertrude, their reunion should be inevitable, but he can’t find her. During his
search for Gertrude, he stumbles upon Rosalyn, an American Jew working as a
nanny in the city. Upon hearing his heartbreaking story, she immediately agrees
to help him search for his lost love. Willing to do anything in their search
for Gertrude, they agree to work for a British intelligence officer who
promises his assistance, but his demands endanger Rudolf and Rosalyn. As the
danger increases and the search for Gertrude stretches on, Rudolf and Rosalyn
grow close, but Rudolf gave his heart away long ago.
How
far would you go to find the woman you love?
Buy links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/763765
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