For Beau by Simon Gandossi Book Tour and Giveaway :)
For
Beau
The
Sarah Ashdown Story
by
Simon Gandossi
Genre:
Historical Fiction
The
ground shook with each bomb that fell on London. The night sky lit
up, and the sounds of gunfire overwhelmed the city as our brave men
fought back. It took so many bombs to fall on this great city to make
the Germans realize that England could not be defeated. It took just
one bomb to make one woman realize her true destiny.
Sarah
Ashdown’s insurmountable guilt and remorse over the death of a
young girl sets in motion one of the most unbelievable stories of
World War II. An ordinary housewife who defied the odds to become one
of the most wanted women in occupied Europe, her story of
determination and courage will shock and inspire those who read it.
An
elderly and fragile lady is helped by a young gentleman into the
boardroom of the local TV station. She puts a large bag on the floor
and sits down and is left alone, waiting for a journalist. After
extensive research,
the station has discovered her story. Today is the anniversary of the
beginning of the Blitz, and Sarah’s story is so fascinating that
the network is considering airing it on their current affairs
program. She is growing a little impatient as she waits to be
interviewed. Finally,
after a fifteen-minute delay, a young and somewhat disorganised
journalist wearing an expensive grey suit opens the door and sits
down next to her. He seems nervous, as if it’s his first interview. ‘I
am terribly sorry, Ms Ashdown; it’s been one of those mornings. I
am Daniel Warwick,’ he said as he ruffled through his papers. ‘I’d
like to say I have all the time in the world, Mr Warwick,’ she says
in a sarcastic tone. ‘Please,
call me Daniel, and can I get you a tea or coffee?’ he asked
politely. ‘Tea
would be wonderful,’ she replied. Daniel
presses the button on the intercom and asks for two teas to be
brought to the boardroom. Sarah stares at him; she seems amused at
his nervousness. ‘I
want to thank you for taking the time and giving us the opportunity
to hear your fascinating story.’ ‘I
want to make it clear that any payment you provide for this interview
you give directly to the children’s hospital. They need it more
than I do,’ Sarah replies. ‘It
has already been done, along with a small donation from the staff
themselves,’ he replies, smiling. Daniel
takes out some papers from a red folder, and he spends a few moments
glancing over them. He takes out his recorder and places it on the
table; he is finally ready to conduct the interview. The tea is brought
in and Daniel turns on the recorder. ‘First,
can you start by telling me a little about your family?’ Sarah
sips her tea and puts the cup down. ‘I
had a very good upbringing as a child; during my childhood, my
parents would ensure they never missed any special event in my life.
Birthdays, school plays, and presentations, et cetera. Then, in late
1939,my mother died from breast cancer. It was as if my whole life
was taken away from me. A piece of me died that day and I never felt
the same again. The war changed my father; he had gone from a man who
was always there for me to one I hardly saw. We lived in the same
house for a long time, but we might as well have lived a thousand
miles apart. He worked for MI5—he was a very intelligent and
well-respected man. He had risen through the ranks, becoming so
important that he often advised and met with key figures, including
the prime minister himself. I guess the pressures of his job changed
him. All I had to do to make myself feel better was to remember the
past—the time when this man would
have given up anything to be with me.’ ‘Your
father being who he was, did you receive news before anyone else?
Maybe advanced news about how the war was going?’ ‘No,
he never discussed his work with me.’ ‘How
did you spend a typical day during the war?’ ‘That
is a very general question, Mr Warwick—how I spent my days varied
greatly. If it were a peaceful day with no air raids, I would
sometimes visit friends or go for walks and things of that nature.
During air raids, I did as most did; I went into the air raid
shelter. We had our own below our house.’ ‘Were
you scared?’ ‘No,
certainly not, I refused to be so. Being scared means the enemy gets
what they want. If I was to be killed by a bomb, then it was just my
time.’ There
is a pause while they both sipped their teas. Daniel skips a few
pages of his notes. He has a confused look on his face. ‘Do
you need some more time, Mr Warwick?’ Sarah asks. ‘Once
again, I am sorry. I have written too many notes and questions. I
am sure now you wish you had a more experienced journalist?’ Daniel
says in an apologetic tone. ‘Certainly
not. Maybe you need some whiskey in that tea,’ Sarah replied,
smiling. Daniel
becomes a little more at ease. He puts down all of the notes and
questions he has, and continues on. ‘What
is the worst experience you saw during the Blitz, something that,
during your entire life, has stayed with you?’ ‘I
think anyone who experienced the Blitz had many bad experiences—I
certainly had my share, as you will soon find out.’ Sarah
holds tightly onto her cup, staring at it. She seems to be deep in
thought; Daniel, pausing himself, gives her a moment. She raises her
head and stares at Daniel. ‘My
experiences have stayed with me every day,’ she says, becoming
slightly teary-eyed. Sarah
finishes her tea and puts the cup and saucer on the table. It’s
obvious he has many questions to ask her, but thinks asking only one
question that will answer all of them will be best. ‘Can
you tell me everything, your entire story from the beginning?’
‘You
have nothing to do this week, Mr Warwick?’ ‘Hearing
this puts anything I have to do aside for the time being.’ ‘As
you wish,’ Sarah replies.
Simon Gandossi is a historical fiction author who was born and raised in Western Australia. From an early age, Simon discovered a passion for history and writing. It is that passion combined with his desire to bring to light the different aspects of the past that makes him a unique writer. There are a lot of people who give up so much to follow their dreams, and Simon is no different. To become a professional writer is difficult, but his hard work and determination has seen him develop from an amateur to a full-time writer in just a few years.
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