About the Book

Book: Unfit to Serve

Author: Sandra Bretting

Genre: Inspirational Historical

Release date: August 16, 2024

When the United States military adopts a newfangled test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during the first world war, no one expects the turmoil that follows. Thousands of immigrants fail it and are forced to return to homelands devastated by war, disease, and famine.

For Josephine Pembrooke, the shy schoolmarm at Camp Travis in Texas, the problem quickly becomes apparent. How can soldiers pass a test they can’t even read? So, Jo labors in secret to create a better test. Knowing all along it can’t save the one soldier she’d hoped to help.

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About the Author

Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others.  From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.

The second book in her mystery series earned the rank of Amazon Bestseller. Since making the switch to historical fiction, Bretting has garnered accolades for her first title, Unfit to Serve, which released in August 2024. The novel explores how the U.S. military brought the IQ test to America at the start of World War 1.

More from Sandra

Most people don’t know this, but the IQ test we’ve all heard about came to America during World War 1. French schoolteachers originally created it for their students more than a hundred years ago. Then the U.S. military found out about it, and the top brass thought they could use it to test recruits for their battle-readiness. There was only one problem: thousands of men failed it because they’d immigrated from overseas and couldn’t read the questions. They were loyal to the U.S., smart as whips, and physically capable, but they couldn’t pass a test they couldn’t read. In real life, it took the military a whole year to see the problem and come up with a better version for foreign recruits.

A whole year!

I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to those men who failed it, and how it affected their families. The recruits had come from countries devasted by famine, disease, and war, and they couldn’t go back. From there, the story evolved. I brought in a brave schoolteacher who sees the problem and struggles to fix it. Of course, being the early 1900s, women are supposed to be seen and not heard (like children) so she’s stonewalled at every turn. But she doesn’t stop. Josephine (Jo) knows that God cares about justice too, and she looks to Him for help when everything falls apart.

On a different level, I loved exploring the relationship between Jo and her stiff-lipped husband, Albigence. I purposefully moved this urban couple from a sophisticated university setting to a hot, dusty military base in San Antonio. There, they’re forced to rely on each other for the first time and fight for their marriage. It’s an unconventional love story, but a love story nonetheless.

In all my books, I strive to show how people can change for the better—or worse—depending on the situation, and that the best path forward is to trust God and His timing. He’s always perfect, even when we’re not.  Thank goodness we can rely on Him!

Interview with Sandra

When did you write your first book, and how old were you?

I was thirty-one years old when I finally decided to write fiction. This was after I’d spent a decade writing nonfiction articles for newspapers and magazines. I didn’t start by trying to write a full-length book, though. I wrote short stories, which forced me to make every word count. My first full-length novel didn’t come out until I was forty-nine, or eighteen years later. (Eek!) That meant eighteen years of taking writing classes, going to conferences, writing short stories, etc. All along the way, God dropped little miracles into my lap to keep me motived.

How do you create your main characters?

I like to take ordinary people and have them behave in unexpected ways. I think humans are so complicated, which makes us exasperating at times, but also fascinating.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Patience. It’s been said the art of writing is rewriting, and it’s so true. Once I have a rough draft finished, I’ll go through at least two more rewrites until I’m satisfied with it. (And that’s before it ever gets to a professional editor’s desk.) I feel I owe it to my readers to make the writing as clear and compelling as I can. I could quote whole paragraphs from some of my books!    

What does your family think of your writing?

They tolerate it. 😊 They’re used to a mom who sometimes eavesdrops on strangers’ conversations; who asks people to repeat their names when it’s particularly unusual; and who stares into space when she’s trying to work through a tough plot problem. My kids also have seen when it looks like to preserve despite the odds and work with the gifts God’s given them.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve written ten fiction books (including a six-book cozy mystery series) and a nonfiction memoir that explored a near-death experience I had in 2018. Asking a writer to pick her favorite book is like asking a mom to pick her favorite child … but I’ll confess to being particularly fond of The Safecracker’s Secret. I particularly enjoyed writing that one because it was based on a real-life safecracker I once profiled for the Houston Chronicle. (But, shhhh…don’t tell my other novels I said that.)

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 11

Stories By Gina, November 12 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, November 12

Texas Book-aholic, November 13

lakesidelivingsite, November 14

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 15

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 16

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 19

For Him and My Family, November 20

Betti Mace, November 21

An Author’s Take, November 22

Artistic Nobody, November 23 (Author Interview)

Leslie’s Library Escape, November 23

Guild Master, November 24 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5494