MCF: This book taught me a number of things. Other than the facts involved, what did you learn from the process of writing this book? I learned some valuable lessons and insights from reading it. LT: Welcome, Mary! Wow, what a powerful book. I urge you all to devote an afternoon to reading this beautifully done book ASAP, but first, I’m delighted to introduce you to the author, Mary Cronk Farrell, who graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me. Amazingly, every single one of them eventually made it home alive. Despite increasingly deplorable conditions, these female POWs continued to help others during their years in the prison camps.

Army and Navy nurses who endured first battle, then internment in the Philippines during WWII. An engrossing blend of fact and storytelling, PURE GRIT tells the harrowing tale of U.S. Instead, I’d spent the better part of the day reading PURE GRIT, in detail, from cover to cover.

Several hours later, I was surprised to notice the time! I hadn’t checked Twitter or Facebook or even email all day, despite the “helpful” little alerts coming from my phone. So, I sat down planning to just skim it for the time being, write the post, and come back later when I had time to settle in, read it in more detail, and take it all in. I’m months behind on a few things, with many other deadlines looming dead ahead. As much as I’ve been dying to read PURE GRIT by Mary Cronk Farrell, my to-do list is huge right now: writing new books (I’m currently working on EIGHT separate manuscripts and/or proposals!), promoting BE A CHANGEMAKER, volunteer projects ( SCBWI Western Washington conference anyone? There are still a few spaces!), critiques (three full-length novels await!), family, pets, home… and let’s not forget, TAXES! To top it off, I was still recovering from the flu when I came down with this most recent cold. Normally I read every book before I post about it here, but–just this once–I was going to cheat.

Pure Grit by Mary Cronk Farrell