Kristy Cambron is a bestselling, award-winning author of ten novels, including her latest, THE BRITISH BOOKSELLER, which received a well-deserved starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.
I’m delighted she was able to join us here to chat about her new book, give us some insights into the motivation and methods behind her writing, as well as a tantalizing peek into what’s next for her.
Marie Bostwick: Welcome, Kristy! And congratulations on the publication of your wonderful new novel, The British Booksellers! It’s a gripping and epic story of love, loss, and redemption that starts in 1908 and stretches over the course of two world wars. Given the timeline, there is a lot going on here, so can you please share a quick overview of the plot?
Kristy Cambron: Thanks, and so glad to be here! This story has been beating on my heart for years—a story about the power of books to bring people together.
It’s a “You’ve Got Mail”-inspired romance where booksellers (and former childhood friends/loves) must set aside their bookshop wars and come together for a higher purpose when a real war lands on their doorstep. Main characters Amos and Charlotte’s love story spans their lives, so it felt right to include a timeline where childhood dreams for this working-class boy and earl’s daughter are torn apart by both society’s expectations and the Great War, and that comes to a dramatic conclusion on the British Homefront during WWII.
Marie Bostwick: As writers we all love those “ah-ha!” moments that spark the idea for a new book. What was the “ah-ha” moment that brought this story to life in your mind?
Kristy Campbron: Yes! The “ah-ha!” moments for me usually include two things: historical fact + a question = a story is born.
In THE BRITISH BOOKSELLERS, I wanted to write a story based on the ‘Forgotten Blitz’—the areas outside of London that were devastated by the less-reported Blitz bombings of cities across England and Scotland. The question here was: how would former loves and warring bookshop owners put their pasts aside, and dare to hope for their future in the midst of the single most devastating Blitz attack for Britain during the war, The Coventry Blitz of November 1940? This novel explored the heart of that answer, with books as the catalyst to bring these loves back together.
Marie Bostwick: There have been so many terrific WW2 era novels written in the last few years, but you’ve focused on an aspect of the war that many people may not be familiar with. When did you first learn about the Coventry Blitz? And why did you choose to incorporate it into your story?
Kristy Cambron: From writing about Syndrome K in THE ITALIAN BALLERINA to Paris fashion houses in THE PARIS DRESSMAKER, to the Coventry Blitz in this novel, I love to deal in stories of little-known pockets of history—especially where beauty backs right up next to brokenness.
I’m especially drawn to those real-life historical accounts that shine the spotlight on strong women who overcame in truly remarkable circumstances. In learning about so many little-known aspects of the ‘Forgotten Blitz,’ I was blown away by the facts that these less-reported bombings spanned cities across England (such as Norwich, Liverpool, Leicester, and Coventry) and Scotland (in Clydebank, Greenock, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Peterhead—the latter being the second-most bombed location across Britain, enduring some twenty-eight raids). As a historical writer, I wanted to give a voice to characters in one of those heartbreaking but still courageous circumstances.
Marie Bostwick: Charlotte and Amos are the central characters in this book, and they’re fabulous. But were there any other characters in this book that you especially loved writing?
Kristy Cambron: The supporting cast of this novel gave me an opportunity to stretch and grow as a writer, and imagine how I’d have endured if in these characters’ shoes. Among them I adored were the Land Girls, or the Women’s Land Army (WLA) group that descends upon main character Charlotte and her adult daughter, Eden’s estate.
Spanning WWI and WWII, the WLA plucked London girls from the bustle of the cities by the thousands and sent them to farms and open land across the UK. By 1944, an estimated 20,000 women had answered the call, taking on roles such as gardening, dairy-production, timberwork, ditch-digging, and the less-amiable role of “vermin squads”—official rat-catchers. These women became would-be booksellers in the novel, and not only worked to ensure the country did not starve during the war years, but they proved courageous when the ‘Forgotten Blitz’ bombs threatened the very fabric of these communities.
Marie Bostwick: You’ve created such a rich background with The British Booksellers, giving readers a glimpse of what life was really like for people during the two great wars. Tell us about the research you had to do to give the book such an authentic sense of place.
Kristy Cambron: I’m a writer, so putting pen to paper is engraved upon my heart. But I also have a background in art and design and went to college for art history/research writing. Even though I had no idea my future career would take me on the path to becoming an author of historical fiction, this great love of research still carries me through each story.
In THE BRITISH BOOKSELLERS, it was researching every aspect of the characters’ worlds to maintain historical accuracy alongside the explosive elements of their story. That means deep-diving into weather reports, genealogy, first-hand accounts of Blitz survivors, watching newsreels of BBC reporting during the wars and the endless reading of research books and periodicals from the time. From British recipes to ration books to researching bombing maps and even the world of publishing during the 1940s. . . it’s an odyssey of exploring history through another’s lens. Any chance I get to authenticate that experience through the sights, sounds, tastes, or touch of a character walking through that world is the ultimate goal.
Marie Bostwick: As I said earlier, there is so much going on here - war, loss, rivalry, redemption, second chance romance, budding first love, mother and daughter relationships. What is the thread that ties all of this together? And what is the message you hope will cling to readers when the close the cover?
Kristy Cambron: It’s the stories of our lives that bind us.
Books have the power to challenge and change, to educate and entertain, and even to bring communities together in ways we could not have imagined. THE BRITISH BOOKSELLERS is just one lens in a human history of untold number of stories that carry on through our lives. I want readers to walk away from this story encouraged and enlivened by how their own life will (and does!) impact so many others’. The stories we live today will become the booksellers’ fodder of tomorrow, and that’s a truly beautiful concept to consider.
Marie Bostwick: What’s next for you? Or is there anything else you’d like readers to know about upcoming events or promotion for The British Booksellers?
Kristy Cambron: I’m - thrilled - to be working on my next novel—THE FRENCH KITCHEN, in which an ex-pat wife haunted by her experiences as an undercover agent in the American OSS during WWII crosses paths with chef Julia Child in a post-war Paris cookery class, complicating the carefully constructed high-society world she’s built to hide her past.
This next novel will release. . . August 2, 2025!
Marie Bostwick: Oh, my goodness! That sounds like a fantastic premise for a book. I can’t wait to read it. August of 2025 seems like a way off, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait. Maybe you’ll come back to chat with us here on Fresh Fiction after the release?
Kristy Cambron: Oh, I’d love that. It’s a date!
Inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.
A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington . . . until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home doesn’t come with tender reunions, but with the hollow fulfillment of opening a bookshop on his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls.
When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match. Though her heart had chosen another long ago, she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books, lovingly named after her grown daughter. And Amos is nothing more than the rival bookseller across the lane.
As war with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and lost loves, Amos and Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry survive.
From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of WWII, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.
Christian | Romance Historical [Thomas Nelson, On Sale: April 9, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780785232247 / ]
KRISTY CAMBRON is an award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling debut The Butterfly and the Violin, and an author of Bible studies, including the Verse Mapping series. She's a Women's Ministry Leader at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and a passionate storyteller who travels to speak at events across the country, encouraging women to experience a deeper life in the Word through verse mapping. Her work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews' Best Books, RT Reviewers' Choice Awards, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations. Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and has 15 years of experience in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 Corporation, working with such companies as the Disney Institute, IBM/Kenexa, and Gallup. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, and can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.
When not curled up with a good book, Marie Bostwick can usually be found in her office, trying to write one.
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eighteen uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.
Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular Cobbled Court Quilt series has been embraced by quilters and non-sewers alike. Her standalone books have also found a passionate following among lovers of women’s fiction. Marie’s novel, The Second Sister” was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film “Christmas Everlasting”, starring Patti LaBelle. Marie’s most recent novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book.
Marie’s latest endeavor is Fiercely Marie, a lifestyle blog that encourages women to live every minute and love every moment. She is currently working on her next novel, “The Restoration of Celia Fairchild”, which will be published by William Morrow in the spring of 2021.
Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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