Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris Virtual Blog Tour and Review ~~ March 23rd, 2011

Join Kristina McMorris, author of the women’s fiction novel, Letters From Home, as she virtually tours the blogosphere February 21 – March 25 2011 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Kristina McMorris

Kristina McMorris lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Her foray into fiction began in the fall of 2006 as a result of interviewing her grandmother for the biographical section of a self-published cookbook intended as a holiday gift for the family. Inspired by her grandparents’ wartime courtship, Kristina penned her first novel, a WWII love story titled Letters from Home. This award-winning debut is scheduled for release in trade paperback from Kensington Books (2-22-11; U.S.) and Avon/HarperCollins (5-5-11; U.K.). The condensed book rights have been sold to Reader’s Digest, and the film rights are represented by the prestigious Creative Artists Agency of Los Angeles.

Prior to her literary career, Kristina acted in numerous independent films and major motion pictures. She began hosting an Emmy-award winning television show at age nine, and most recently served as the six-year host of the WB’s weekly program Weddings Portland Style. Adding to her diverse résumé, McMorris is a professional emcee, literary workshop presenter, and former owner of a wedding/event planning business. Her previous writing background includes being a contributing writer for Portland Bride & Groom magazine and ten years of directing public relations for an international conglomerate. A portion of Kristina’s sales proceeds from Letters from Home will benefit United Through Reading®, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories for their children. She is currently working on her next novel.

About Letters from Home

In the midst of World War II, a Midwestern infantryman falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he’s writing to is not the one replying. Woven around this tenuous thread are three female friends whose journeys toward independence take unexpected turns as a result of romance, tragedy, and deception, their repercussions heightened by an era of the unknown.

Inspired by a true account, LETTERS FROM HOME is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war – and the chance encounters that change us forever.

My Thoughts:

This story is inspired by the author's own grandparents. It takes place primarily in 1944-45 in Illinois, Dutch New Guinea and France. Brothers Morgan and Charlie McClain who are in Chicago, before shipping out to France, go to a club and there they meet Liz, Betty and Julia. Each chapter is told in a different characters voice and we learn more about each of them. A lot of this story is told in letter format between "Betty" and Morgan. Betty had originally asked Liz to pen a letter to Morgan and then she left to join the WAC's and never paid any more attention to it. Liz on the other hand continues the letters and thus "Betty" (Liz) learn more about each other and come to have feelings for each other.We also see how awful and devastating the war is from Morgan. Liz is torn about telling Morgan who she really is but does not want to lose Morgans . Betty joins the WAC's and spends her time serving in Dutch New Guinea working as a nurse. Julia is another roommate engaged to Christian who has her own issues to deal with. Will Morgan find out who "Betty" really is??  Will Julia marry the love of her life? And Betty, what will her future hold? You have to read the book to find out!!

I found this book to be very emotional, in a time when letters are pretty much the only way to communicate and during a war that left its toll on everyone concerned. I found my self cheering for them in some parts of the story and also in tears in others. Any war is devastating for those involved and the author portrayed the characters in this story as real people with real emotions who were able to see what life they wanted after the war was over and deal with what the war did to their lives.. 

I received this signed copy of this book from the author (Pump Up Your Books) and was not monetarily compensated for my review.