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Douglas Jacobson talks about Night of Flames, WWII historical fiction
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Author Douglas Jacobson
Night of Flames by Douglas Jacobson is set during WWII, beginning with the 1939 invasion of Poland by the Nazis. This historical fiction novel is more than a factual look at the war and its impact on society at the time, it is chock full of spies, intrigue, and romance.
Savvy Verse & Wit says, "Jacobson's no-nonsense writing style will place readers in the heart of the Belgian resistance. Night of Flames is more than just a war novel; it is about how ordinary citizens can rise up to reclaim their homeland and their dignity in the face of adversity signifying an indelible human spirit."
Douglas Jacobson took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some interview questions about his novel and its protagonists, Anna and Jan.
Readers will most likely be blown away by the detail of military strategy for the Polish forces and the resistance while reading Night of Flames. How much of those details are true and how much were created by you? For instance, was the use of earthen holes and lanterns to signal supply planes an actual occurrence?
To the best of my knowledge through five years of research, all of the military tactical and strategic details are true and were used during the war. In the example you cited placing lanterns at the corners of large holes was a common practice used by resistance organizations because the light from the lanterns could be seen from the air but would not be visible to persons on the ground (i.e. enemy spies or soldiers).
Night of Flames is not only about the Belgian resistance and WWII, but it is also about the plight of the ordinary citizen during the war. Did you use note cards or other devices to help you maintain continuity to the story? And did you set out to write a fiction novel?
Yes, I set out to write a fictional novel, and what I had in mind all along was "historical fiction" in the vein of Pillars of the Earth and War and Remembrance where the characters and main storyline are fictional but all of the underlying details are true. I did not use note cards as such but I constructed many different story outlines, which kept changing as I discovered new facts or when the characters started taking things into their own hands, which they did often.
Where did you conduct most of your research? Was there a lot of secondary resources, Internet use, books, or a combination? And how did you keep all the detail straight?
I did a lot of secondary research through reading books, Internet Web sites, maps, charts, documents found in libraries, etc. I also did a lot of primary research in Poland and Belgium. I had assistance from both Polish and Belgian historians, and I was fortunate to meet a number of persons who had lived through the period and shared their experiences. Keeping everything straight required a lot of effort, and if you saw my home office, you'd wonder how I managed it.
Which protagonist came into the story first, Anna or Jan? Or did they simultaneous develop?
This is an interesting question, and one I've been asked before. Jan was the first character in my mind and the one about whom I set out to write. To be honest, I am not sure exactly when Anna came into my head, but once she did, she slowly began taking over the story. It all happened quite by accident, and Anna just kept surprising me as I was writing until her character became the most compelling and interesting to me as an author.
For more information about Douglas Jacobson and his novel, check out his Web page. For reviews of Night of Flames, check out Savvy Verse & Wit, Diary of an Eccentric, and Pudgy Penguin Perusals.
Stay tuned for the second part of the interview on Nov. 6.
