Allie Miller & Walter Novak
Sarah Sundin’s debut novel takes you back to the 1940s ~ a time of war, deprivation, fear and opportunity, when boys became men overnight and women entered the workforce like never before. Enjoy this insight into Sarah’s characters and read the book to immerse yourself in another place and time!
Over to you, Sarah:~
Brief physical description
Allie Miller—22 years old, medium height, slim, curly brown hair, large green eyes, not considered attractive.
Lt. Walter Novak—24 years old, tall and solidly built, curly black hair, hazel eyes, an odd nose (the “Novak nose”), also not considered attractive.
Actor/famous person
That is so difficult with less than gorgeous characters! I think I drove the cov
er art department at Revell mad with this.
Rel: I picked these pictures out!
Strengths and weaknesses
Allie
Strengths—loyal, compassionate, wants to serve the Lord.
Weaknesses—shy, low self-esteem, overly concerned with what other people think.
Walt
Strengths—courageous, good-humored, thoughtful.
Weaknesses—shy, has a tendency to lie
Quirk 
(if any)
Allie is sensitive about her wealth.
Walt has always been tongue-tied around single women because he feels he doesn’t measure up.
Your inspiration for the character
Allie
I visited a particularly gorgeous friend after her daughter was born. The first words I heard the mom say were, “Thank goodness she’s pretty.” My thought? What if she wasn’t pretty? That thought expanded—what would happen to a plain-looking daughter of a woman who thought beauty was a virtue? Would she think she could never find true love?
Walt
Walt came about primarily as Allie’s counterpart. I gave him two brothers and no sisters so he’d be clueless about women.
Background to the story
During World War II, Lt. Walter Novak flies a B-17 bomber in battles over Nazi-occupied Europe, while Allie Miller serves in the Red Cross against the wishes of her wealthy parents and controlling fiancé in California. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and begin a correspondence.
As letters fly between Walt’s muddy bomber base in England and Allie’s mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart.
Sarah ~ thanks for these characters. They are unique in many ways 🙂 Looking forward to Jack’s story!
On Monday, the spotlight shines on Danika Morales & Alex Price from DiAnn Mills’ Sworn to Protect
Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Sarah’s website and blog
Enter Sarah’s fabulous contest
April 15, 2010 at 2:18 pm
O sounds awesome. I love the pictures you included.
April 15, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I tore through this book. Yes. It's that good. I love Sarah's characters. Allie may not be drop-your-jaw gorgeous, but Walter sees her as beautiful, and that's what counts. He may not be hunk-of-the-year material, but Allie finds his Novak nose an endearing feature. Best of all, they see the inner beauty in the other. Although I rarely read WWII historicals, Sarah's book is sooo good I'm glad I made an exception. I can't wait for the next in the series.
April 15, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it in one day, and am now "im"patiently waiting for the second one. 🙂
April 15, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Thanks, girls 🙂 Love reading your comments!
April 16, 2010 at 12:19 am
I, too, loved this book. The setup with Allie and her mother was painful to read–I so felt bad for Allie. It's hard to grow up with constant criticism, whether for one's appearance or some other "fault."
Great story–I recommend it highly.
April 17, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Rel – thanks for posting this – and for picking out photos when techno-loser me couldn't convert mine to jpg 🙂
Keli, Lori, & Ann – thank you – I have the most supportive friends & readers.