‘Loosely based on Teri M. Brown’s grandfather who is of German descent
and fought in WWII in the US Army in Germany’
– An Enemy Like Me
An Enemy Like Me by Teri M. Brown was published 24th January with Atmosphere Press. Using the backdrop of World War II Teri M. Brown ‘explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.’
I am delighted to be part of the blog tour today with details about An Enemy Like Me and a short Q & A with Teri. I do hope you enjoy.
[ About the Book ]
How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves?
Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep.
[ A short Q & A with Teri M Brown ]
How did you get started writing?
I began writing my first novel in 2017. I had a story line in my head but had been afraid to put it on paper. I went to a one-week writers-in-residence during NaNoWriMo and completed 50,000 words. That particular manuscript hasn’t gone anywhere. I will have to do a lot of rewriting if it ever does because I couldn’t give my main character any flaws. I loved her too much!
How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?
I began writing non-fiction as a business writer for small businesses. I started that part-time in 2000 and have been full-time for the last 10 years. I began writing fiction in 2017. I’m as full-time as I will ever be because I have so many things that take my time: family, church, walking on the beach, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, learning the piano, and volunteering.
How many hours a day do you write?
It varies. When I get away from the house, I often write 8 to 10 hours a day. When I’m home, I tend to write an hour or so.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I can get 50,000 words of a story out in a week. I can flesh it out and do some basic editing in about two weeks. Of course, this is if I am at a writer’s retreat.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Sure. Writer’s block happens when other things take precedence over writing. The only cure is to fix whatever is “top of mind.”
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Trying to edit while writing. Believing there is only one way to write. Getting caught up in the minutia rather than writing down your thoughts. Feeling like an imposter.
What advice can you give to writers & aspiring writers?
Write. Write. Write. The only way to get better at your craft is to do it. Don’t wait until you have gotten a degree, taken enough classes, read enough books. Just start writing. Your first stuff will likely be crap, but that’s okay. Everyone starts there. Very few people write the Great American Novel the first time they pick up a pen.
Purchase Link – An Enemy Like Me
[Bio ]
Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown graduated from UNC Greensboro. She began her writing career helping small businesses with content creation and published five nonfiction self-help books dealing with real estate and finance, receiving “First Runner Up” in the Eric Hoffman Book Awards for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, finalist in the USA Best Books Awards for How To Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorate, and Real Estate Staging Business and for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, and Honorable Mention in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for Private Mortgage Investing.
In 2017, after winning the First Annual Anita Bloom Ornoff Award for Inspirational Short Story, she began writing fiction in earnest, and published Sunflowers Beneath the Snow in January 2022. Her second novel, An Enemy Like Me, launches in January 2023. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others.
Website ~ www.terimbrown.com
Twitter ~ @TeriMBrown1
An Enemy Like Me is a poignant and compelling read.
This sounds like a book I would very much like to read. I like reading historical books, as well as to learn about the shameful parts of our past.
Carla I hope you get the opportunity & enjoy. Thanks so much x