Joy Jordan-Lake is a #1 Amazon bestselling author of thirteen books. Her most recent works include the forthcoming ECHOES OF US, a dual timeline novel set on St. Simons Island, Georgia, during World War II and present day (releases Oct. 2024); a historical mystery A BEND OF LIGHT, set on the coast of Maine, as well as the bestselling A TANGLED MERCY, a Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice selection; UNDER A GILDED MOON, chosen by Humanities North Carolina as one of five books for the North Carolina Reads 2023 statewide book club; and the Christy Award-winning BLUE HOLE BACK HOME.
Q: What inspired the setting for this story?
Joy: My family has been connected to where the story takes place, St. Simon’s Island off the coast of Georgia, which was my dad’s favorite place in the world. I knew a lot of the history of the Island, but I didn’t know about its WWII history until after they built the Homefront WWII Museum. It’s incredibly well researched and allows visitors to experience what it was like to be on an aircraft carrier, working at a radar station, being a fighter pilot, or living on the home front.
Q: How did you learn about the presence of German submarines on America’s East Coast?
Joy: When I first walked into the museum, I saw the story of someone killed on the East Coast by a German submarine. In 1942, a German sub was lurking off the coast of St. Simon’s Island and ended up sinking a couple of ships and killing a bunch of people. This is where the novel starts. Some of the characters are based on actual people. All the fictional characters are inspired by actual events and individuals.
Q: How would you describe the character of Joanie?
Joy: Quick-witted, fiery, courageous, and sometimes burdened with guilt. She became a WASP, Women Air Force Service Pilot. Joanie shares the name of one of my cousins who grew up on the Island.
Q: What role did the WASPs play during the war?
Joy: They flew planes for their country. Joanie is based on a compilation of WASP women. They were incredibly brave. They ferried planes across the US and flew every single type of aircraft used during WWII. They had to endure tough conditions: very little rest, no real chance to cleanse themselves, and a lot of hard work. It was far from glamorous. In the early days, many came from money and had learned to fly, while others were taught by a father or brother. They had a love for flying. Some were fashion models, farm girls, or schoolteachers.
Q: How did Joanie’s relationship with her twin brother, Sam, influence her?
Joy: He’s someone Joanie can connect with and share her feelings about the mental and emotional loss of her father. This relationship mirrors my own experience with my father, who died of Alzheimer’s.
Q: How would you describe the character of Dov?
Joy: He’s the Jewish character in the story. He has integrity and regrets not being in combat, and he’s very tender. Dov is a compilation of several characters and is partly based on a real person who taught at the radar training school on the Island. I interviewed someone who helps run the museum, and they mentioned an instructor at the radar school who was upset that he was teaching while those he trained were under terrible danger. Dov represents this ethical struggle. The allies often had their best pilots become instructors, and Dov’s British background reflects a real Brit who was sent to train Americans.
Q: How would you describe Hans, the German POW?
Joy: He was drafted into the Nazi Navy but chose to desert. I wanted to show how Dov and Hans were initially suspicious, wary, and even hateful toward each other. Hans is partly based on the Captain of a German U-Boat that patrolled near the Island, although that man did not desert. I researched what would happen if someone deserted from the German military to shape Hans’ character.
Q: How would you describe William, the Merchant Marine?
Joy: I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee, so I made William a Tennessee farm boy. He quotes Shakespeare and has an artistic soul. He’s brilliant and forms a close friendship with Joanie and Dov.
Q: Can you tell us about your next book?
Joy: It’s set in the north of Italy and has some flashbacks to 1969 but is mostly set during the present day. The plot involves the Mafia and a theft. The working title is Outrageous Fortune.
Echoes of Us by Joy Jordan-Lake centers around Joannie DuBarry. There are dual timelines between the past of WWII and the present day. The author shows the fear and terror of locals as German submarines lurk off the coast of the little island. Readers will learn about the danger that the war in Europe brought there.
Joannie’s disappearance and a mysterious older woman who lives on the Island during the present day makes the story suspenseful.
It seems there is an unlikely friendship between an English Jewish instructor, Dov, a Tennessee farm boy, Will, and a German submarine POW, Hans, who deserted.
In the present day, 80 years later, everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants’ clash for control of the corporation they founded together. To remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever. As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman, Joanie, who links them all together.
It is the story of love, courage, friendship, and resilience set on St. Simon’s Island within the backdrop of WWII. The mystery is center stage and very compelling. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, leading to an ending that is as surprising as it is satisfying.
