Hilda Frances Young: Community connector

Book review

The photo below is of Mary Haskins the author who looked back at her childhood memories for the inspiration of the story line.

An interview with the author:

What inspired you to write this story? I was a child in England during WW11, and was curious to revisit this time through adult eyes.

Who created the cover? American award winning designer and writer Roseanna White.

What inspired the title? It was difficult to produce a title. The original was The Conflict Within but some readers weren’t so sure, including my editor, Sara Davison, award winning writer of countless novels. I then asked my beta readers for suggestions. I received so many responses. My friend Theresa suggested Journey to Joy. I particularly liked her subtitle: A War Time Novel of Love and Redemption.

How much research did you do regarding location? Endless! I wanted to set it in the South of England, so my first task was to find out where the German prisoner of war camps were situated. The very first one was in the south. I did endless research for many aspects of the story. I watched an eight-part series of the British re-enactment of farm life during WW11. Much of what I learned is in the story. Also original footage of Hitler Nuremburg youth rallies.

Did you live in this area during the war? Yes. I used the backdrop of familiar territory for some parts of the novel, but not all.

I was hoping for a map of the area from London to help put the location in context. Had you thought of that? No.

Your protagonist Peter was a Nazi sympathizer. I was interested in reading more of that ramification as I was not aware of many landowners at that level being quislings. There were Nazi sympathizers, Peter’s role was minor, more of an onlooker than actual action. I was more interested in developing him as unstable, which became clear with his obsession over Sarah.

I found the names a bit confusing as living in rural Ontario and the Kitchener Waterloo area and Manitoba over time I have met people with the last name Melnick. I’m not sure why you find the name confusing. Melnick is of Russian/ Ukrainian origin. ( I just researched the name.) There are several variations regarding the spelling. People in America, Canada, the UK, and several other countries carry the name. I chose it, because of the British series Foyle’s War, set in England in WW11. Melnick is the name of the detective who works with Foyle. I just liked the name.

( I asked that question as i was looking for what I thought would be a traditional English name for the birth name of the hero. It is a reality that English has borrowed from every nation so that it is difficult to find a “pure” name)

The history of the Germanic and Scandinavian people is very intertwined. I was born in North London. I have German, Norwegian and English relatives. It is hard to distinguish loyalties between nation states and the country where one resides. How do you define the importance of faith and trust and loyalty? My thoughts are that there is an undeniable attachment to the land of one’s birth. I was born in England. My father was African. I do not feel any pull towards Nigeria, where he was from. I never knew him, so I didn’t have a dad telling me about his country. My love and admiration is totally towards the land of my birth, it’s culture, beauty, and many achievements. To your question, how do I define the importance of trust , faith and loyalty. I would say that trust and loyalty can only occur if one has complete faith in the person or persons to whom it is directed.

Have you read other books with similar themes? Countless.

Is this a personal family tale? No

I asked the author the questions above to get a sense of the classic who, what, where, when, why of writing the story. If you are interested in learning more about the author and her other works check out her website at:

maryhaskett.ca