A Memory Between Us (46 page)
“Jack Novak!”
He grinned, warmed and kindled by the flame in her eyes. God had softened her up, but he hadn’t quenched that fire.
Ruth clutched his arm and dissolved into a laugh. “Oh, darling, it’s June. It’s still June.”
“The moon’s not out, but you’re awfully loony.”
She smiled, open and trusting and loony through and through. “People in love get like that, don’t they?”
“They sure do.” Jack gazed into those beautiful blue eyes, the pupils ringed by gold. Ruth had given him the ring of gold around her heart, and, Lord willing, someday soon he’d put a ring of gold around her finger. “Ain’t it swell?”
Writing an acknowledgments page can be more difficult than writing a novel. I am indebted to many people who have taught me, encouraged me, and prayed for me, and I’d hate to forget a single name.
Thanks must go first to my Lord, who forgave my sins and taught me to shove off shame. It’s only by his hand that this story ever came to be.
Thanks also to my husband, Dave, and our children, Stephen, Anna, and Matthew, for enduring the craziness of having a writer in the house. My parents, Ronald and Nancy Stewart, and my sister, Martha Groeber, have been a source of loving support and careful editing. Mom and Martha, you are not responsible for any missing commas.
Thanks also to the faculty at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, the members of American Christian Fiction Writers, and most of all, Diablo Valley Christian Writers Group—Kathleen Casey, Ron Clelland, Carol Green, Cynthia Herrmann, Susan Lawson, Marilynn Lindahl, Debbie Maselli, Georgia Sue Massie, Paula Nunley, Evelyn Sanders, and Linda Wright. And deepest thanks to my critique partners, Marcy Weydemuller and Marci Seither. See? No prologue!
Writing is a bizarre, solitary profession, and I couldn’t do it without the prayerful support of my church, my small group, and my book club. Thanks also to my friends who read this story in a massive three-ring binder when I’d given up hope of publication—Andrea Balderrama, Joy Benson, Twilla Bordley, MaryAnn Buchanan, Jill Combs, Tami Fanucchi, Laquetta Franz, Cindi and Sonja Grovhoug, Rosanna Hunter, Laura Juranek, Sue Lautz, Sue Matt, Don and Nancy McDaniels, Janice Moore, Lisa Prevost, Laurie Ratterree, Karen Spangler, Susan Stuteville, Linda Templeton, and Sandy Wall. And thanks to Suzanne Russo for printing a portable version for my poor readers.
I owe special thanks to the staff at the Antioch Public Library for their enthusiastic help with obscure research questions, and to Rick Acker and Nicklas Akers for guiding me through the baffling world of military law. And my story would have been flat without the opportunity to walk through the restored B-17s of the Collings Foundation and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Still more blessings! My agent, Rachel Zurakowski at Books & Such Literary Agency, keeps me grounded with her calm and wise spirit, and my editor, Vicki Crumpton, not only took a chance on me but pushes me as a writer. Plus they laugh at my jokes. Many thanks to the entire team at Revell, from editing to marketing to cover art to sales. I tell everyone I know, “Revell rocks!”
And I’m so thankful for you, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed Ruth and Jack’s story, and I pray your trust in the Lord will continue to grow. Please visit me at
www.sarahsundin.com
to send me a message or sign up for my quarterly newsletter. You’ll also find a diagram of a B-17, historical information, and tips on starting a book club. I’d be thrilled to hear from you!
1. Deep inside, most women wish they were beautiful. How is Ruth’s beauty a blessing and how is it a curse?
2. Jack is a natural leader. Is his desire for a promotion good or bad? How does his ambition change throughout the story? How are Jack Novak and Jeff Babcock alike and different?
3. The Eighth Air Force took heavy losses before longrange fighter escort was available. On Aug. 17, 1943, they lost 60 of 376 bombers, and on “Black Thursday,” October 14, 1943, they lost 60 of 320 over Schweinfurt, with ten men on each plane. How did those young men deal with such staggering losses? How do you think Americans of today would deal with the same circumstances?
4. Although Jack has no desire to be a pastor, he pushes for that goal. Why do you think he does so? Have you ever tried to fill a role you weren’t cut out for?
5. Ruth feels a great responsibility for her family. What circumstances in her life factor into this? How does Aunt Pauline manage to manipulate Ruth? What does Ruth have to learn before she can stand up to her aunt?
6. Five hundred women served as flight nurses during World War II, and seventeen were killed in action. Considering the role of women at the time, flight nurses were pioneers in many ways. What ways do you see?
7. Ruth encounters behavior that would lead to sexual harassment lawsuits nowadays. How does she deal with this? Does it work? How does Burnsey get away with it?
8. Are Jack’s plans to romance Ruth clever, loving, manipulative, selfish? Is his proposal any different than his earlier plans?
9. Why do you think Jack reacts the way he does when he discovers Ruth’s secret? Why does May react so differently? What was your gut reaction to Ruth’s secret?
10. At the beginning of the story, Ruth says she doesn’t need friends. Is she telling the truth? Why does she reject female friends? Ruth also deals with cattiness and gossip among her fellow nurses. Why do you think female relationships, which can be so close and supportive, can veer in the opposite direction?
11. What is it about May Jensen that gets through Ruth’s defenses? How does their friendship change over the year?
12. At the beginning of the story, Jack and Charlie are content in their roles as hero and sidekick. What changes in their lives cause friction? How does their friendship change?
13. Ruth doesn’t trust God because of the bad things that have happened to her. Have you ever felt like that? Do you tend to pray for God to take you out of “the valley of the shadow of death,” or to be with you in the valley? How does Ruth learn to trust God?
14. Jack sees Ruth as wearing a “cloak of shame.” How does shame weigh Ruth down? How does she learn to throw off her shame, and how does this change her life? Have you ever felt the burden of shame? Have you thrown it off?
15. Charlie tells Jack, “You’re too good … You’ve never let yourself down, and you trust in yourself.” How do you see this in Jack’s life? How does Jack learn to trust God?
16. Jack comes to see pride as his root problem. How is this manifested in Jack’s life? Do you struggle with pride? In general, what role does pride play in sin?
17. Ruth identifies with her biblical namesake. What parallels do you see? Is there a Bible character you identify with?
18. Jack’s fear of drowning leads to a tragic decision. Have fears ever gotten in your way or affected your judgment?
19. Discuss the symbolism of the wristwatch to Ruth—the one she lost, the scar, and the one Jack gives her. What lessons does God teach her through this?
20. If you read
A Distant Melody
, did you enjoy the update on Walt and Allie? The third book focuses on Jack’s brother Ray and Helen Carlisle, a widowed mother. From what you’ve seen of these characters, what might you expect?
Sarah Sundin
is the author of
A Distant Melody
. She lives in northern California with her husband, three children, a cat, and a yellow lab prone to eating pens and manuscripts. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. Her great-uncle flew with the U.S. Eighth Air Force in England. Please visit her online at
www.sarahsundin.com
,
www.facebook.com/SarahSundin
Author, or
www.twitter.com/sarahsundin
.
