Good Morning and Welcome to our last Saturday Spotlight for April 2026.
Spring has sprung here in SW Louisiana. As much of a "spring" as we get LOL! But this past week we've had cooler mornings and mild days and I've been able to open the windows in my house and let the fresh air and sunshine (and yes, humidity) flow through - which I LOVE.
Almost as much as I love sharing another brand-new-to-me-and-our-blog author as today's guest is.
Thanks for joining us, Terri, please tell us about your book, Listen for the Chickadees...
Listen For the Chickadees is Book 3 of Unsung Stories of World War II. My goal was to set these stories in unusual places. Most WWII novels are set in Europe. I looked elsewhere: Brazil, Iceland, and the Pacific. I originally planned on setting Chickadees in Australia, but that story fell apart before I even began to write. Since John is referred to as a fighter pilot in the Pacific in Books 1 and 2, his story developed out of Pearl Harbor and became a best friend’s cousin romance.
I wish I could have visited Pearl while writing this book. I was there twice many years ago before I knew I would one day write novels. Much has changed since then, including the battleship Missouri opening for visitors and a bridge to Ford Island. Instead of actually setting foot on the island again, I visited vicariously with John and Gloria.
Here's the blurb and an excerpt...
She’s loved him forever.
He’s never seen her as more than a memory from home.
Then Pearl Harbor changes everything.
December 7, 1941 shatters the illusion that anyone is safe.
Navy nurse Gloria Bloch wakes to the thunder of enemy planes over Pearl Harbor, certain of only one thing: John Walsh, the boy she has loved since childhood, is far from danger aboard an aircraft carrier. Or so she believes.
When panicked American gunfire brings John down over the harbor, their reunion is brief and breathtaking, forged in chaos neither can escape.
As the Second World War drives the United States into the Pacific conflict, Gloria and John are swept onto separate paths of duty. Gloria serves aboard the hospital ship USS Serenity, tending shattered bodies and wounded souls. John flies combat missions as a Navy fighter pilot and combat photographer, risking everything to document a war that refuses to leave him untouched.
Their paths cross again and again in fleeting moments between air raids and surgeries, courage and fear, longing and loss. With every meeting, the feelings they have buried deepen. But war demands more than love. It demands sacrifice, tests faith, and steals time without warning.
When separation stretches into silence, Gloria must face the terrifying possibility that hope itself has become another casualty of war.
Excerpt: Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii
Saturday, December 6, 1941
The music throbbed deep within Ensign Gloria Bloch. The USS Pennsylvania band was good. Really good. She tapped her toes, snapped her fingers, and swayed to the beat of “There’ll Be Some Changes Made.”
She needed this after a long day of assisting in surgery at Pearl Harbor’s Naval Hospital.
A sailor stepped up and offered his hand. “Wanna dance?”
She agreed, and they swung around the dance floor, Gloria’s skirt twirling about her legs. Her partner proved to be the better dancer, and she found herself breathless trying to keep up. When the tempo slowed, she could finally speak without gasping. “This is my first attendance at one of these competitions. Do you think the Pennsylvania band will advance to the finals?”
The man tilted his head. “Yes, I suppose so. Too bad you missed the semifinal two weeks ago. That’s when we qualified.”
“We?”
He grew taller. “I’m in the Arizona band.” A grin creased his face. “We’re the band to beat. Tonight, we’re here to check out the competition. Don’t miss the final in two more weeks.”
When the song ended, Gloria joined the applauding crowd.
“Don’t clap too loud,” her partner joked. “The winner is determined by audience applause.”
The contest and dance ended before midnight. Gloria twirled out of the arena with the music still playing in her mind. She joined her friend Lucy at the launch queue. “Wasn’t that great?”
“It would have been perfect if I hadn’t worn new shoes. I think I broke at least three toes.”
Gloria took a deep breath. “Smell the pineapple on the breeze?”
Lucy sniffed the air. “I think you’re smelling your breath. You’ve been guzzling that pineapple juice. I saw you at the refreshment stand.”
“Killjoy.” The launch pulled up. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay on the Solace? Maybe I should go back to my quarters.”
“My bunkmate’s on Maui for the weekend. You can sleep in her berth. Come on. It’ll be fun.” Lucy tugged her along. “Pretend you’re on a cruise. Tomorrow we’ll enjoy a lazy Sunday and eat pineapple and mangoes on the deck.”
Gloria glanced around the harbor filled with warships. The hospital ship stood out in its bright white attire. “Do they allow overnight guests?”
“You have your nurse’s ID, right? They won’t know you work at the Naval Hospital instead of onboard the Solace. Come on. We have the day off tomorrow. It’ll be great.”
Gloria had been aboard the USS Solace before. While she enjoyed the freedom of dashing off to Honolulu’s stores or strolling on the beach, living on a ship whet her curiosity. The hospital ships offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience life at sea. She should request a transfer.
“Okay. Slumber party.” Gloria grinned as the launch pulled up to the Solace. “I haven’t done this in years.”
In Lucy’s room and clad in Lucy’s spare nightgown, Gloria hung her party dress on a hook beside the sink. “The Battle of Music was the perfect entertainment after the day I had in the operating room.”
“Bad, was it?” Lucy spared her a glance in the mirror as she pin-curled her hair.
“Two sailors took a jeep for a joyride. They careened around a curve and rolled, and the driver suffered massive internal injuries. He’s now minus thirty-six inches of intestines.”
Lucy winced. “And the other guy?”
“He was thrown out, landed face-first, and skidded across the pavement. He’ll never be the same again.”
Patty and Marcail, two nurses who shared Lucy’s room, entered. Patty stared at Gloria, then at her dress. “I watched you at the music competition. You almost won the jitterbug contest.”
“Emphasis on almost.” Gloria started tapping her toes as the music filled her mind.
Marcail spoke up. “I’m surprised you didn’t win. Charlie Snead’s a great dancer.”
“Snead? He never told me his last name. All I know is he’s in the Arizona band.”
The nurse stared into the distance. “I danced with him two weeks ago.” She wilted onto her bed with a deep sigh. “He didn’t appreciate me stepping on his feet. Like about five times.”
Gloria climbed into the top bunk and smiled in the dark. Charlie Snead. She couldn’t wait to meet him again at the final competition in two weeks, if not before. How long would the Arizona be in port? Would he be interested in her if they weren’t dancing? Would he like to walk along the shore, or share a pineapple, or even have Sunday brunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel?
Who was she kidding? He hadn’t even asked where she lived.
It wasn’t like she desired to go steady with him. Her heart belonged to another man, even if he didn’t want it.
OH My Goodness what an intriguing blurb and excerpt! Now, how about giving us the low down on you and where we can get a copy of Listen for the Chickadees.
Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she is back in Wisconsin after several years in Michigan, Utah, and California. Her WWII research included going for a ride in a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.
She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as the Carol contest coordinator and is secretary of the Wisconsin Southeast ACFW chapter.
Sign up to receive her Newsletter and follow her on Facebook.
Listen for the Chickadees can be purchased from Amazon (FREE in KU!) and in paperback.
Wonderful, Terri. Thank YOU So Much for visiting with us today. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with this - and all - of your books.
Well friends that wraps up another edition (and month) of Saturday Spotlight. Until next time, take care, God Bless and Happy Reading!
PamT
