Shannon here: Sherri Stewart shares insight into her Historical Romance series, including A Song for Her Enemies and What Hides Behind the Walls with an interview & excerpt. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy of each title. Deadline: Dec 28th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Sherri:
- What’s the most romantic thing your hero ever did for your heroine?
In wartime, romance takes on a different flavor. When a couple is fleeing for their lives or hiding from the Nazis, romantic gestures of roses and chocolates give way to sacrifice. In the book, A Song for her Enemies, when Tamar was forced to sing for the Nazis, it was her Daniel who bleached his hair and beard to hide his Jewish appearance so he could be there at the restaurant to protect her from a certain Nazi officer who was obsessed with her.
- Where is the most romantic place your hero and heroine have ever been?
When they were forced to go into hiding at Neelie’s house, Tamar and Daniel found an alcove out on the roof where they could be alone, and there they would meet a few times a week. It was in that alcove where they shared their dreams for the future. Daniel’s dream was to open a medical practice on the first floor of their house after they were married, and the scent of Tamar’s freshly baked cookies would waft down from the kitchen above. Tamar always laughed because she didn’t know how to make cookies.
- What simple gesture does your heroine do that melts your hero every time?
When they were in Vught labor camp, the prisoners were given Sundays off, so Daniel and Tamar always met by a linden tree at noon. Tamar would set some of her meals aside for their ‘date’: a few raisins, a crust of bread, a slice of apple—whatever she could hide. They’d feast on their picnic and plan their future. Tamar was so slight that it tore Daniels heart that she’d sacrifice her food for their time together.
- How soon after meeting the hero did the heroine know he was the one?
The first time Tamar’s eyes meets Daniel’s is through a mirror when her brother Seth brings him into her dressing room after her first performance in La Traviata. His eyes draw her in—kind, deep pools of sparkling blue. Seth has to leave, so Daniel offers to walk her home. It is during that twenty-minute walk when she knew he is the one. Daniel isn’t full of himself, and he seems genuinely interested in her, but there is something about him that’s just out of reach, and that intrigues her. Weeks later while on a mission for the Resistance, they bump into each other and she discovers what the secret is.
- If your hero and heroine end up married, where will they go on their honeymoon?
In the sequel entitled, What Hides behind the Walls, Tamar and Daniel are already married and have twins, but because of the war, they were never able to go on a honeymoon. Although the war has been over for four years, Daniel hasn’t dealt with the effects of the war and buries himself in his work in the hospital. Tamar convinces Daniel to accompany her and Neelie, Tamar’s aunt, to Paris to follow the provenance of a painting that means a lot to Tamar. While it’s not a real honeymoon, Tamar hopes that it will be good for Daniel and herself. And it is, but not the way she intended.
Excerpt from The Price of Mercy, book 3 Spring of 2025:
For the rest of the evening, Daniel and Tamar walked hand in hand down cobblestone streets that led off of the center square of Zwolle. They climbed the gothic Sassenport, taking pictures of each other with the new Kodak camera Tamar had given him for Christmas. They strolled along the river past lovely old houses, stopping to buy a wooden car for Peri and a doll for Zari. Why didn’t they do this more often? Answer, because he let work at the hospital drain him of all his energy. By the time he returned home each evening, he was ready for a quick supper, then a nap.
Daniel regarded his beautiful wife out of the corner of his eye. Tamar didn’t deserve such negligence, but she never complained. He’d become a caricature of the very father and husband Daniel had vowed never to become. Well, no more. He swept Tamar into his arms and twirled her around.
She gasped, then giggled. “Daniel, what are you doing?” She slapped at his chest. “Put me down.”
“If you insist.” He set her back down on her feet, then pulled her into his arms, ignoring the glances of the couple who passed them on the sidewalk. “Mmm. You smell so good. I love you, Tamar Feldman. More than you’ll ever know.”
A suspicious grin covered her face. “And I love you, but what brought this on?”
He stepped off the sidewalk and kept her close as a fast bicyclist zoomed past. Fingering errant strands of golden hair, he kissed her forehead. “It occurred to me that it’s been a very long time since we’ve had a date. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of dates we’ve had since we met.”
Tamar’s eyes reflected the moonlight above. “Don’t forget all those picnics we had on Sunday afternoons at the labor camp. Remember meeting me by our tree by the barbed wire with whatever remnants of lunch we could hide in our pockets? I lived for those Sundays.” She rubbed her hand against his cheek.
“So now that we’re no longer prisoners, why have we not continued those dates? It’s my fault, darling. I’ve let my work take all my best energies instead of you and the children.” He took her hand. “No more of that. From now on, I will make things right.” He kissed her soft lips and groaned. How long had it been since he’d done more than just give her a cursory peck on the cheek? He opened his eyes to see tears brimming in her eyes, the blue turning a shade of aqua. “Why the tears?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin—he was that much taller than she. “I don’t know why I’m crying. Guess I’m just happy to be with you here. Happy that you haven’t fallen out of love with me. Because I couldn’t stand it if that happened.”
Question for Readers: How does a couple keep the romance going when they’re going through hard times?
About Sherri: Sherri Stewart loves to write suspense novels, sprinkled with romance and a strong message that challenges our faith. She spends her working hours with books—either editing others’ manuscripts or writing her own. Sherri loves traveling to potential settings for future stories. Spain was her last big trip. Sherri lives in the Orlando area with her family and lazy dog, Lily. She loves to chat with readers about their ideas. Learn more & connect: Sherri’s Website
About the books:
A Song for Her Enemies:
She has the voice of an angel. But the devil is listening.
After Nazi soldiers close the opera and destroy Tamar Kaplan’s dream of becoming a professional singer, she joins the Dutch Resistance, her fair coloring concealing her Jewish heritage. Tamar partners with Dr. Daniel Feldman, and they risk their lives to help escaping refugees. When they are forced to flee themselves, violinist Neelie Visser takes them into hiding.
Tamar’s love for Daniel flowers in hardship, but she struggles with the paradox that a loving God would allow the atrocities around her. When Tamar resists the advances of a Third Reich officer, he exacts his revenge by betraying the secrets hidden behind the walls of Neelie’s house. From a prison hospital to a Nazi celebration to a concentration camp, will the three of them survive to tell the world the secrets behind barbed wire?
What Hides Behind the Walls:
If the Nazis stole your house, wouldn’t you be justified in stealing it back?
When Tamar Feldman admits to her husband, Daniel, and mentor, Neelie Visser, that she broke into her former home, they scold her for taking such a risk. Tamar is tired of being careful. She’s tired of living in the present, as if the past doesn’t matter. But the painting of the violin girl in her former bedroom draws her back again and again. She finally steals the painting to return it to its former owner. Now maybe this small act of justice will help Tamar start to heal. When Neelie sees the painting, she reveals a secret about it that will take the three of them on a quest to Amsterdam and Paris to find justice, forgiveness, and new beginnings.
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A Song for Her Enemies What Hides Behind the Walls Sherri’s Books
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