Cross My Heart
by
Carmen Reid
Corgi – £6.99 – 1st August 2013
A gripping story of espionage and war-time resistance
ONE of the UK’s best-loved authors delivers a knock-out blow with this gripping account of a teenage girl, caught up in the Belgian Resistance.
Brussels 1940. Nicole is just 15 when the Nazis invade Belgium. She vows to fight back and joins the Resistance. Under her new alias – Coco – Nicole embarks on a dangerous life as a spy, where the only question is not if you’ll be caught, but when…
Inspired by true events and recollections from Carmen’s British and German grandparents who served on both sides in WW2, this harrowing story packs a real emotional punch, but is also true to Carmen’s distinctive romantic style.
Praise for Cross My Heart
‘Gripping and heartbreaking, Cross My Heart brings the story of a war-time teenage girl Resistance fighter vividly to life. Nicole is such a fresh and unforgettable heroine.’ The Big Issue
‘My daughter absolutely loved it and she is a tough audience.’
Sean Black, author of the Ryan Lock series
Carmen writes about her new book:
Cross My Heart is my 18th novel and it’s something quite different. It’s the story of a girl, just 15 years-old, who joins the Belgian Resistance in 1940, during the Nazi occupation.
I wanted to write something serious, adventurous and frightening which reflects the real courage and idealism which I know young people have in abundance.
The Nazis make life so difficult for Nicole that she joins the fight for freedom and becomes a bomber and saboteur.
She has to make terrifying decisions, she risks civilian lives, she faces capture and torture every day. But she’s also still a teenager – arguing with her Mother and her best friend, hanging out in cafes and falling deeply in love for the first time.
When she’s caught, tortured, then sent to a work camp in Germany to die, she refuses to accept this as her fate. Through sheer determination she manages to escape, then walks home across war-torn Europe, alone.
Cross My Heart is a work of fiction, but it has been carefully researched and is inspired by many true stories.
My grandparents, who were British and German, were on different sides during the Second World War and I’ve wanted to show some of the Germans in the tale as human too. Many were just boys caught up in a tragedy.
I’m compiling a blog of the background books and material used at www.carmenreid.com.
I hope readers who enjoy the story will be inspired to find out more about the incredibly brave teenagers of the Resistance.
Carmen Reid is a Scottish writer, journalist and mother. She is the bestselling author of How Was It For You?, Did The Earth Move?, Three In A Bed, Up All Night and The Personal Shopper for adult readers. She has also written the Secrets at St Jude’s series for younger readers. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and two children.
Please contact Jasmine Joynson: jjoynson@randomhouse.co.uk
Carmen is available for articles and events. Visit Carmen’s website: www.carmenreid.com, check her out on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @thiscarmenreid to find out more.
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