“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but become an example of the faithful—in speech, in
conduct, in love, in faithfulness, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
Why am I beginning April’s A2A Blog Interview with this verse? Because it is a reminder to me–as an older author–just how important it is to encourage our younger writers. This month’s Christy Award winning and bestselling featured author, Amanda Barratt epitomizes the importance of the publishing world encouraging fresh, talented, and credible voices.
When I read Amanda’s latest release Within These Walls of Sorrow, I found myself flipping to the back cover numerous times as I read. Why? To marvel at that youthful face as her exquisite writing dug its way into my heart.
Haven’t heard of Amanda? Well, it’s time you did.
Amanda Barratt is the Christy Award-winning, ECPA best-selling author of several novels and novellas, including The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler and My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love.
Amanda fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story—a spin-off of Jane Eyre. Now, she writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a two-time FHL Reader’s Choice Award finalist.
Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.
About Amanda’s latest book, Within These Walls of Sorrow, a dig-into-your-soul story.
Zosia Lewandowska knows the brutal realities of war all too well. Within weeks of Germany’s invasion of her Polish homeland, she lost the man she loves.
As ghetto walls rise and the occupiers tighten their grip on the city of Krakow, Zosia joins pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz and his staff in the heart of the Krakow ghetto as they risk their lives to aid the Jewish people trapped by Nazi oppression.
Hania Silverman’s carefree girlhood is shattered as her family is forced into the ghetto. Struggling to survive in a world hemmed in by walls and rife with cruelty and despair, she encounters Zosia, her former neighbor, at the pharmacy. As deportation winnow the ghetto’s population and snatch those she holds dear, Hania’s natural resiliency is exhausted by reality.
Zodia and Hania’s lives intertwine as they face the griefs and fears thrust upon them by war, until one day, they are forced to make a desperate choice . . . one that will inexorably bind them together, even as they are torn apart.
What kind of person is able to write such an impactful and beautifully written novel? Well, let’s find out by getting to know, Amanda Barratt.
What sort of research did you do for this novel?
A very candid snapshot of my desk while working on Within These Walls of Sorrow. Research books, notebooks, and bits of paper everywhere. It’s obvious from the lighting that I took this photo in the evening. I spent many a late night laboring over this story.
I relied on more than fifty nonfiction books to immerse myself in the history of Poland during the Second World War, the Kraków ghetto, and the story of the Under the Eagle pharmacy. Many of the events depicted in Within These Walls of Sorrow are drawn from these sources. I read (and re-read multiple times) the memoir written by the pharmacist who inspired the novel, as well as dozens of firsthand accounts by Holocaust survivors.
I studied life in the Kraków ghetto and occupied Poland and listened to testimonies made available by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Since I wrote the novel in the midst of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to travel to Poland for research, but the staff at the museum commemorating the pharmacy offered invaluable assistance, answering my endless questions and providing me with period photos, floorplans, and recorded interviews with the women who worked at the pharmacy.
I continued to research throughout the writing process, seeking to authentically portray and honor the experiences of real individuals through my fictional characters.
And you have very successfully accomplished that goal, Amanda.
What is one of your favorite quotes from Within These Walls of Sorrow and why do you love it?
“There is evil and there is good and there is the space between. We are given free will to choose where we stand.
Evil thrives when good men choose the space between.”
As I researched the novel, I was challenged and moved by the stories of ordinary people who quietly defied evil by refusing to stand in the space of indifference, at the risk—and at times, even the sacrifice—of their lives. Even the smallest acts can leave an indelible legacy and God has given all of us the capacity to be a light in a world that often feels so very dark.
That is my favorite quote as well. I’ve used it several times already. Very relevant for today!
Amanda’s desk is ready for her next novel!
What are you working on now?
My next novel, The Warsaw Sisters, releases in November. Like Within These Walls of Sorrow, it takes place in Poland during WWII. From the courageous women who sheltered Jewish children as part of the network led by Irena Sendler to the secret army that rose up in Warsaw in 1944 in a heroic and tragic sixty-three day battle, the novel explores Poland’s wartime history through the stories of twin sisters and their journeys of resistance and resilience.
What a delightful time with Amanda. But there’s more! Not only a giveaway of her poignant novel Within These Walls of Sorrow, but another video interview where we learn new info about this delightful young woman.
The April A2A Giveaway!
Yes! Thanks to Kregel Publications
, this month’s giveaway is a copy of Amanda’s latest book, Within These Walls of Sorrow! Thank you, Kregel Publications!
Isn’t this exciting! And you could be the WINNER! How? Well, by entering! Not just once, but up to SIX times!* Leave a comment below and share this blog and if you haven’t already, please subscribe to this newsletter and receive a free gift from me — and an extra entry.
NOTE: WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING THIS INCREDIBLE GIVEAWAY?*
Check out my YouTubeA2A interview with Amanda. Because, in the video interview she will read an excerpt of Within These Walls of Sorrow, answer different fun questions! Really fun! By Liking and Commenting on the video episode, you will have one more entry.* Sharing the video, another entry.* Subscribe, and you have TWO entries for a chance to win.*
The Deadline is April 9th!
Watch our A2A interview!
That means, my friends, if you comment and subscribe -– or are already a subscriber -– to my blog, then watch the video and LIKE, SHARE, and COMMENT on the VIDEO, then Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, your name will be entered SIX TIMES!*
If you already have a copy of Within These Walls of Sorrow, be sure to let you friends and family know so that they can enter!
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Amanda— I sure did!
May’s Author Highlight is the [Christy] award-winning and bestselling author Nicole Deese.
Thanks for stopping by! God bless and KEEP READING!
*So sorry, entries from the contiguous US only.
