Pump Up Your Book blog tour: LETTERS FROM HOME

By Kristina McMorris

About the book:

Letters from Home is the story of several young adults coming of age during the throes of World War II. Some of them go off to war, while others stay behind.

The book centers around Liz, who is engaged to marry her childhood sweetheart. His career is just beginning and there is every reason to believe he will be successful.

At a dance one evening, Liz meets a young man who is getting ready to leave for the service. She is instantly attracted to him, but when she later sees him dancing with her roommate Betty, she is reminded that she is already spoken for. Morgan asks Betty to write to him and she agrees. Betty asks Liz to help her with the letter, which she does. After Betty joins the service herself and leaves for the battlefront, Liz continues to write to Morgan and they begin a long distance relationship, although Morgan believes he is corresponding with Betty.

The reader follows the budding relationship, as well as the events that take place around it, such as the war itself and the families left at home.

It’s a lovely story and one that is especially heart-warming. It’s a story of hope, friendship, sacrifice and love. It’s a story about events we encounter that change our lives forever, whether we want them to or not.

As an added bonus, the book features recipes from the 1940s.

I thoroughly enjoyed Letters from Home and I expect the author to do very well with this debut novel. Well-written, nicely developed characters, excellent use of research … what more could a reader ask for!

About the author:

Kristina McMorris lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two sons. Her experience in media and events led her to become a professional emcee and contributing writer for Portland Bride and Groom magazine. She also has 10 years experience of directing public relations for an international conglomerate.

In fall of 2000, she compiled hundreds of her grandmother's favorite recipes for a holiday gift that quickly snowballed into a self-published cookbook. With proceeds benefiting the Food Bank, Grandma Jean's Rainy Day Recipes sold at such stores as Borders and was featured in a variety of regional media. It was while gathering information for the book's biographical section when Kristina happened across a letter her grandfather mailed to his "sweetheart" during his wartime naval service. It was that letter that inspired her to write Letters from Home. A portion of the sales proceeds will benefit United Through Reading®, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories for their children.

Kristina is currently working on her next novel.

Some of my favorite passages:

"Could it be that life was no more precious than a streetcar, trudging round and round on a loop?"

"His gorilla-like build filled the dark archway that had once featured the front door."

"Please forgive me, Morgan pleaded, eyes raised upward. It was then, in the numbing silence, when he finally dared wonder: Were prayers of murderers, when fighting on the “right side” of the war, ever heard—let alone answered?"

"It’s odd, isn’t it? People die every day and the world goes on like nothing happened. But when it’s a person you love, you think everyone should stop and take notice. That they ought to cry and light candles and tell you that you’re not alone."

For more information about or to follow the Letters from Home and other blog tours, go to the Pump Up Your Book website. To purchase the book, click here.