About the Book

Book: Faces in the Window

Authors: Andrew Busch and Melinda Busch

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release Date: October, 2022

Franz Maedler, an officer in the Wehrmacht, loses a leg in Stalingrad and is evacuated just before it becomes impossible to do so. He returns to a desk job with the Army General Staff in Berlin but is deeply conflicted. His father is committed to the Nazi cause, as seems to be his brother Friedrich. Yet his girlfriend Katrin is a devout Christian, as was his now-deceased mother, and his conscience is haunted by things he was a part of on the Eastern Front. He wants to marry Katrin, but she will not agree until he decides who he is and who he follows. Then, unexpectedly, a moment of crisis forces Franz to choose. Will he side with the cross or with the swastika? And what will it cost him?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Authors

Andrew and Melinda Busch were both born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, and were introduced in 1994 by their junior high school math teacher. They married in 1995 and have three grown children. They now live in Rialto, California.

Andrew teaches American government at Claremont McKenna College in southern California. He has authored or co-authored about two dozen books on American politics, government, and public policy. He received his Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia. Melinda is a freelance author who has published numerous short stories and children’s books. She received her Master’s degree in education from Concordia University-Portland. Faces in the Window is their first co-authored book.

More from Andrew and Melinda

We came up with the idea for our book after a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. in 2006, but didn’t start writing it until late 2019. The COVID lock-down gave us a lot of time at home to work on it.

Writing together was fun. Sometimes one of us would draft a section and the other one would revise it and then we would go back and forth until we were satisfied with it. Other times, when there was important dialogue, we would each pick a character, go onto Google Docs, and have the conversation in real time. We had to be sharp, since our characters often found themselves in a tight spot. Though we planned out the story, sometimes the conversations took on a life of their own, and things went in a different direction.

One of us is a poet and an author of children’s books, fantasy stories, and fan fiction, while the other is a professor who has written extensively about American government but has never before dipped his toe into the vasty depths of fiction. Together, we had a great time!

Interview with Andrew & Melinda

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

From the time I learned to write, I loved writing stories and poems. I was an avid reader, so writing was a fairly natural progression from that. (Melinda)

I think when I spent part of the summer before 4th grade writing an historical account of the Battle of Beecher’s Island in eastern Colorado between the cavalry and the Arapahoe Indians. I had a little desk set up in our basement outside my Dad’s office. He would be working on assignments for his degree in Western History from Loretto Heights University in Denver, and I would be working on the Battle of Beecher’s Island. (Andrew)

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

We got the idea for Faces in the Window when we visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Some of my speculative fiction was inspired by folk tales. One of my children’s books, The Maiden and the Toad, was inspired by the fairy tale about the Princess and the Frog. My poetry is often inspired by what I’m reading in Scripture at the time, by something beautiful I’ve seen, or by whatever I’m struggling with at the time. (Melinda)

For this book and the sequel we are working on, we got information from a variety of sources, including books by historians, memoirs of participants, academic journal articles, and online sources. We got the idea after visiting the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. For my non-fiction books, usually scholarly books, journal articles, news accounts, memoirs and such. (Andrew)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’m still an avid reader. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and our two dogs. We love taking road trips together. Time with our two grandkids is always a joy. (Melinda)

I like relaxing with Melinda, going out to eat or watching TV with her (our current semi-binge show is Monk). I also enjoy walking our two sweet dogs, working on my N-scale model railroad, and keeping up with news. I also like teaching, which is good because it is my job. (Andrew)

Do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer? If so, what are they?

Read, read, read. Read a wide variety of genres. Read non-fiction and learn whatever you can about the subject you want to write about. Remember. Maybe you and your spouse had a conversation or a ritual when you were first dating that could be incorporated into your story. That helps you keep it real and keep it grounded. (Melinda)

Take your time and be patient. Don’t be a perfectionist, especially when you are starting a project. Accept that your first shot at something is not going to be perfect, and learn to cultivate the process of editing your own work. Be willing to write out of the strict sequence of the story—when you get stuck, jump ahead and write a section you are excited about, then come back. (Andrew)

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story needs to be relevant. Readers should be able to relate to the characters, to see something of their own story reflected in the pages. A good story should point to hope. A good story should make the reader eager to keep reading, but sad when the tale comes to an end. (Melinda)

A good story will have some tension—a problem or dilemma that has to be resolved—and some suspense—how is it going to be resolved? (Andrew)

Blog Stops

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, January 17 (Author Interview)

Bizwings Book Blog, January 18

Artistic Nobody, January 19 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 19

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 20

Splashes of Joy, January 21 (Author Interview)

Betti Mace, January 22

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 23 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 24

Guild Master, January 25 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 26

Sylvan Musings, January 27 (Author Interview)

Connie’s History Classroom, January 27

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 29 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 30

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Andrew and Melinda is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/297c8/faces-in-the-window-celebration-tour-giveaway