27th February 2022

A week about war and heroes. So many wars are fought over land expansion, with no apparent relationship to size. Just look how vast Russia is - 68 times the size of the UK.  Compare that to the size of minuscule Israel - 11 times smaller than the UK - and nothing makes sense.  Why, when Russia’s so vast, would it want yet more land? The answer, of course, is one man’s obsessional desire to restore the past grandeur of the former USSR, ignoring completely that the world has moved on. Former Soviet states no longer wish to be part of it, now that modern tech has shown them how much better life is with individual freedom and democracy. I know that Russia was allied to the UK during the last war, each fighting the scourge of Nazism. But, for Russia to call Ukraine today a ‘Nazi’ State, when its president is Jewish, is absolute lunacy. Wars, though, can throw up unlikely heroes.  Volodymir Zelenskyy is one. In true Jewish style, he used to entertain the nation as a comedian. Now he roars like a lion, holding his democratic nation together in true heroic style. There’ve been other unlikely heroes in the past - rather like the unsung Chinese hero in my new novel The Mandarin Seeds - who, when the chips are down, risk their own lives in the name of humanity.  Zelenskyy (and posthumously, Ho Feng Shan) - I salute you.

20th February 2022

In these days of worries of war and pandemic, a tune comes unbidden to mind. Holding Out For A Hero, by Bonnie Tyler. And yet, regularly, we see (overpaid) recipients of eminent awards who are certainly not heroes, nor (to my mind) do they merit such an honour. Real heroes are those who don’t feel the need to tell anyone, least of all their families, what they’ve done to help others.  And it’s nothing to do with money, nor fame. That’s why I was determined to publicly honour a man called Ho Feng Shan, 25 years after his death. In 1938, he was Chinese Consul General in Vienna. Unable to ignore the plight of the Jewish people there, he realised he was in a position to do something. Acting against orders, and at considerable personal risk, Ho issued visas to thousands of Jews, enabling them to escape Nazi persecution and go to Shanghai, China, which, at the time, was a safe destination for them. Ho used his position of power to help thousands escape persecution, and later, deportation and imprisonment in concentration camps. I was therefore delighted to see that the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem awarded Ho Feng Shan a posthumous award in 2000. Today, we should all ask each other:  am I in a position to help others? 
That’s why I would dearly love The Mandarin Seeds to be a global success - not so much for me personally (I’m too old now) - but to make the name Ho Feng Shan synonymous with what a real hero looks like.  

I’m on Miriam’s blog

Here’s what friend, editor and fellow author Miriam Drori wrote on her blog today.

I’m delighted to welcome back friend and fellow author, Olga Swan, to tell us about an exciting new book.

Thank you, Miriam, for welcoming me onto your author blog.  It’s fitting really, because there’s a scene in my new novel where my character’s father is transported to Jerusalem, where you live.

Several months ago, I was watching a TV documentary, which spoke of an unsung hero from WWII. I did some research and discovered that he’d saved 20,000 Jewish citizens of Vienna between 1938 and 1940. His name was Ho Feng Shan, and he never told a soul – not even his family – what he’d done. He died in 1997, and was awarded the posthumous  ‘Righteous Amongst the Nations’ honour by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. But I was determined to make this Chinese ‘Schindler’ more widely known, so began writing. 

I’m now excited to tell your readers about my new novel, which has just been published. It’s called The Mandarin Seeds.

——

I’m honoured to be included on her blog. Thank you Miriam.

Hot off the presses!

To buy:  mybook.to/mandarin.

Ebook: £2.99 Paperback £7.99

I need a hero!

In 1935 Vienna, the demi-monde enjoy the delights of the Grunberger patisserie. Eva and boyfriend Michael love dancing in the illicit American jazz clubs but Nazi terror is rising. For Michael there is an added anxiety over his previous liaison with mercurial showgirl Marta. Soon, the desperate situation for the Jewish civilians of Vienna forces them to try to leave, but where can they go?

Step forward an unlikely Chinese hero who miraculously helps them obtain visas for Shanghai.

As showgirl Marta seduces local businessman Sassoon, what will happen to shy Eva in Shanghai? 

And what has happened to brave Michael, left behind in Nazi controlled Vienna.

Cross continents to an electrifying and  surprising ending in post--war  San Francisco.

mybook.to/mandarin

13th February 2022

The world needs a hero…
The news about Ukraine’s so depressing. Hope we’re not heading for WWIII. But, diplomacy didn’t help in 1938 - just ask Chamberlain - so will it now? Many leaders have tried recently, including Macron, with his Napoleon-like eye on elevating himself to be the future EU leader. What’s needed is to see both sides of the argument rather than the western one. Let’s pretend we’re the Russian leader, still smarting over the demise of the USSR. Looking west, he sees country after country either joining the EU or joining NATO, who, with the US, are massing ‘defensive’ troops and artillery all along his border. Conversely, the latter see only the likely invasion of Ukraine, so prepare themselves accordingly. How to stop all this from escalating to WWIII? It’s so simple. Find a hero to effect the immediate transition of first, Ukraine, followed by vulnerable Belarus, to become neutral countries, like Finland and Switzerland, who are neither EU nor NATO members. Problem solved. 

…My new novel’s about a real-life, modest hero who never told anyone what he’d done to save 20,000 people. No-one’s even heard of him. That’s what we need now - someone like him to save today’s world. Coming soon.

6th February 2022

On Friday I introduced news of my forthcoming novel.
Thank you to so many of you who liked my new venture, and to everyone who took the time to send in an answer.  My competition asked you to guess in which ‘surprising’ wartime country the book is set.  The ‘surprising’ thing for me was that no-one guessed it absolutely correctly!  I told you that my previous three wartime books were set in Germany, France and Poland, and that the new main setting is different.  Some of your answers included Russia, South Africa, Austria etc.  So, because my new novel begins in Vienna before heading across to a different continent, it’s only fair that I award the prize to the person who guessed Austria.  

Congratulations therefore go to:  Graham Stone!  A prize will be winging its way to you shortly.

But where does the story head to next?  All will be revealed very soon when the novel, title and cover will be published. To whet your appetite, below is an exclusive opening section, set in Vienna.

Enjoy!

Vienna

1935

Fragrant smoke lingered above their heads in  the tiny Viennese coffee house in Philharmoniker Straße. Warm air ebbed and flowed in synchrony with their laughter, hovering expectantly for that final crescendo. Sporadically, enticing aromas wafted over from the bäckerei bakehouse at the rear, tempting customers to order just one more divine pastry. This evening, Café Grünberger was crowded with the demi-monde, enjoying the company of fellow theatre-goers before the evening performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the opera house across the street.  Harassed waiters bobbed between the tables, laden trays of delicious viennoiserie and coffee liqueurs held expertly aloft. Whether the order was for Sacher-Torte mit Schlagobers (whipped cream), Gebäckene Mäuser yeast dumplings with yogourt or even Sacher-Ganselebertorte, which was a speciality goose-liver tart with elderberry and apricot on a bed of hazelnuts, the customer was always right……

Competition

Very soon will be the launch of my new novel!

As a taster, it merges wartime heroism, love angst and suspense - crossing 3 continents. My previous 3 wartime novels were set in Germany, France and Poland. My new novel is mainly set in a DIFFERENT country. Hint: the location will surprise you.

COMPETITION  TIME

Win a FREE signed paperback of one of my earlier books.

Q. IN WHICH COUNTRY IS MY NEW WARTIME NOVEL SET?

DM Olga Swan on Messenger with your answer.

Competition ends 7 am UK time Sunday morning, when winner will be announced on my blog, olgaswan.blogspot.com. 

Good luck!