This week, I sat down with author Hannah Byron to discuss her newest book - The Norwegian Assassin - the fourth book in the Resistance Girls series. We discuss the untold stories of women in the wars and how Hannah overcame tragic circumstances in her life and found her writing voice again. I absolutely loved this interview and enjoyed chatting with her. I can't wait to have her on the show again!
“Ever since I could hold a pen, I’ve written stories and poems, and I’ll write till my dying day.”
Hannah Byron is the pen name of Hannah Ferguson. Born in Paris (France) in 1956, Hannah is of British/Irish/Dutch descent. She lives in The Netherlands.
Byron became a published author in 2012 and published seven books under her own name. After a forced break from writing because of family issues, she made her comeback in the fall of 2020 as a Historical Fiction author, focusing on the World Wars.
What started out as a general interest in the biggest war humanity ever endured became a passion and a drive. Byron herself is an indirect consequence of D-Day. Her uncle Tom landed on the beaches of Normandy and helped to liberate Holland. In 1949, her British mother traveled to south-west Holland, where she met Byron’s Dutch father.
Studying WW 2 documents and listening to stories of (children) of active participants in the war, Byron made it her fictional duty to give a voice to those heroes and heroines who stood up against Nazism. After the war, these ‘ordinary people’ resumed their lives and never spoke of their heroic acts. Let future generations hear their stories and understand the devastating impact of war.
Resistance women are at the core of Byron’s books. She pays tribute to a generation of women who kindled the women’s lib movement, got dirty in overalls, flew planes, and did intelligence work. Today’s strong women stand on the shoulders of their (great-)grandmothers. Byron’s heroines fight for freedom, equality and… love.
The Resistance Girl Series comprises one book on WWI In Picardy’s Fields, and – so far - six books on WWII: The Diamond Courier (2020), The Parisian Spy (2021), The Norwegian Assassin (2022), The Highland Raven (27 Sept 2022), The London Agent (winter 2023) and The Crystal Butterfly (Summer 2023).
Instagram: @authorhannahbyron
Website: https://www.hannahbyron.com