The Strong Within Us

by J. A. Boulet

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GENRE:   Historical Fiction

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BLURB:

A struggle. A war. The past. Would you recover?

Nathan Olason picks up the pieces of his life in 1893 and becomes a devoted father and grandfather. Except something from his past is holding him back.

His grandson, Mike grows up in a loving family with Nath almost raising him as his own. Mike develops a passion for hunting and guns, while his family supports him with trepid hearts as WWI looms.

Nath feels helpless to stop this dangerous chain of events, as Mike announces that he is joining the Great War. Armed and deadly, Mike hones his marksmanship skills to a perfection not seen in any other soldier. He is taken on a wild ride of following his passions, courage and gruesome fighting, arriving at Vimy Ridge, France for the fight of his life.

Nath fearing the worst, flees to a place that he thought was his salvation; an old weathered cottage that holds the key to his future.

Follow in the footsteps of heroes.

Be vulnerable.

Would you recover?

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EXCERPT

She was a stunning woman with beautiful long black hair, shockingly rare blue eyes and tanned skin. She was captivating and absolutely gorgeous. Ivan thought that he didn’t have a chance until he found out that she lived down by the pier with her father. He bought fish from her father regularly, trading vegetables and grains some days. Every time Ivan visited the large fishery at the pier, he was always scanning the crowd for the beautiful blue-eyed fisherman girl. He found out that she was almost the same age as himself; she was 18, and he was 19. How she had managed to remain single was something beyond his stretch of knowledge. Maybe she was too beautiful, he thought. No man was courageous enough to approach her. Until this day, he thought. 

Ivan straightened his tie and proceeded to the fishery. He ran his fingers through his hair, adjusting his cowlick. The pesky tuft of hair at his crown annoyed him greatly. It seemed to have a mind of its own, especially in tense situations; it would stick up like a fork in a haystack. Otherwise, he thought that he was quite a handsome fellow, standing at six feet tall, slim but fit, with dark blonde hair, a young uneven beard and captivating green eyes. Women looked at him often, so he knew that he was attractive, but he still felt unsure of himself some days, especially around stunning women like her. Ivan pulled the door to the fishery open, unconsciously licking his hand and smoothing down the cowlick again as he stepped inside. 

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Author Interview

How do you select the names of your characters?
I research names in the period from records in museums and then google the same names in that country to see which names have withstood the test of time. The name also has to be easily abbreviated and simple to understand. I also keep my character in mind and ask myself questions like, “Does she seem like an Anne or an Annabella?”

What creature do you consider your spirit animal to be?
My spirit animal would definitely be a golden eagle. I always loved eagles. As a little girl, I experienced terrible nightmares so I learned to dream lucidly. One of my techniques to pull myself out of a nightmare was to fly with amazing strength. I leapt over obstacles, scary people and flew over catastrophic events. I think being a golden eagle would be a powerful spirit to be. I still fly in my dreams but I just do it for fun now!

What are your top 5 favourite movies?