The Making of Marigold McGrath (Free) by Carrie Hayes - author interview

New York City, 1937. Seventeen-year-old Marigold McGrath is coming undone.

Her mother is dead. Her father is drawn to dangerous politics. The only place she feels joy is behind a camera — where she can frame the world on her own terms.

After a series of her own missteps, she reinvents herself in London: mentored by a celebrated émigré photographer, photographing Kindertransport children, working alongside Edward R. Murrow. She falls in love with Joop, a charming Dutch student, and shrugs off the war gathering around her.

Then the Blitz begins.

Joop vanishes into the Dutch Resistance. And Marigold — who has always preferred to photograph the world as she wishes it were — must finally decide what kind of woman, and what kind of witness, she is willing to become.

A sweeping WWII coming-of-age novel set in wartime London.

For readers of Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn, and SL Beaumont's The War Photographers

✨ Author Interview 

What inspired you to write this story, and what drew you to this particular historical period?

 

I spent my formative years in Britain and had been working on a series of short stories about those days. But the stories weren’t really gelling, so I put them down and began a Benjamin Franklin project. Then when I was visiting family in the UK, standing in the Imperial War Museum, I had an aha moment. I’d just seen the exhibits about the Blitz and the Holocaust, and I just knew that they would be the historical period of my next book, and that my protagonist would be an American girl who lived in England. It happened within the space of about a minute. Just like that. 

How would you describe your book in a sentence to readers who haven’t discovered it yet?

 

The Making Of Marigold McGrath is a coming-of-age story, about heroes showing up in unexpected people and in unexpected ways, and how all of us are connected.

How much research went into the novel, and did you uncover anything surprising along the way?

 

I love research and my tastes are broad so I cast a really wide net, then I begin poking around absolutely everything- from theatre programmes, and fashions of the time, to the music, the political landscape, the food. Stuff like that. My protagonist would have been seven years older than my mom, so I really think about the movies and music that she loved in addition to as many pictures as I can find. One in particular that’s just great is called Lost London, and has countless photographs from before the second world war. Also, there are lots of books about Churchill and the Americans who were in London before and during the War, as well as a series of journals by a man who was named Henry ‘Chips’ Channon. These are the twentieth century equivalent to Samual Pepys diary- and they’re just crammed full of color and the vibes that were going on at that time. Here ae some things that really, really surprised me: 1. Expecting the Germans to invade, half a million pets were euthanized in 1939, the government advising the London citizenry that it was ‘the kindest thing to do.’ In one way that’s understandable I suppose, but in another, it just shocked me. 2.Not recycling paper was considered a crime. 3. An architect named Phillip Johnson, who was widely revered here in America, was a proud, unapologetic Nazi! Golly, that one shocked me, too. 4. When the Dutch Resistance fighters (Engelandvaarders) reported to the SEO in London that the secret codes being sent back and forth had been compromised, the SEO, insisted “No, everything’s fine.” When in fact, it absolutely was not, and these guys were just being sometimes sent to their deaths. Of course that didn’t go on indefinitely, but it’s very sobering when one thinks about the incredible loss of life. 

How do you balance historical accuracy with creating an engaging story? 

As best I can. One wants to be as accurate as possible and as engaging as possible too. 

Which character was the most interesting or challenging for you to write, and why? 

There’s a man named Alex Reilly who blurs what is correct vs. what is wrong, with kindness and at the same time scariness- he was difficult to get a handle on. I was unsure if he would be an absolute villain, or not. It turned out I didn’t know myself, until close to the end. 

Did the story or any characters evolve in unexpected ways while you were writing? 

Alex did. He surprised me. 

What does your writing process look like—are you a planner or do you prefer to write freely? 

I really struggle to be a planner, because the writing freely thing is always hovering, ready to break loose!

What do you hope readers will feel or take away after finishing your book? 

That even in the midst of tragedy good things still happen. 

If you could step into the world of your novel for a day, what would you most want to experience? 

A massive shopping session at Peter Jones, followed by G & Ts at the garden of the Chelsea Arts Club. 

Just for fun—if your book were adapted into a film, who would you love to see in the cast? 🎬 

Maisy Stella from My Old Ass as Marigold, Thomasin Makenzie as Trude and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things would be a lovely Joop. 

Praise for The Making of Marigold McGrath:

I read a lot of historical novels ... this one was one of my favorites. From the characters to the setting to the actions depicted I thoroughly enjoyed the journey—I really didn’t want it to end!
~ Netgalley Review, 5*

"The Making of Marigold McGrath by Carrie Hayes is the tale of a well to do American seventeen year old sent to Europe just prior to World War II. The book is exquisitely written with a well paced dialogue. The characters are well formed and interesting. Sprinkled throughout the book are bits from news outlets that help set the larger context for the reader - they are well timed and helpful. Great read, well worth it!"
~ Goodreads Review, 5*

"The Making of Marigold McGrath explores a rarely examined aspect of WWII: the complex journeys to maturity of young adults in war-torn Europe as they seek human connection and meaning. Marigold finds both, using her skills as a photographer to document the stories of refugee children. With gobs of historical references and vivid imagery, interlaced with intrigue and romance, The Making of Marigold McGrath is a great read!"
~ Goodreads Review, 5*

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Carrie Hayes

Carrie’s first two novels, Naked Truth or Equality and Well Dressed Lies, follow the lives of the iconoclastic suffragist sisters, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin.

Carrie lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in a rambling Victorian house just outside of New York City.

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Mrs. R. Pacheco: The Untold Story of Playwright and California First Lady Mary McIntyre by Rose Ann Woolpert

 

Mrs. R. Pacheco is a sweeping story of love, ambition, and colliding cultures in the American West, inspired by the actual life of playwright, novelist, and California first lady Mary McIntyre Pacheco.

It is 1859, and the glittering promise of the California Gold Rush has faded into dust, leaving behind a land suspended between ambition and uncertainty.

Into this shifting world steps Mary Catherine "Molly" McIntyre, a young woman newly unmoored by loss, carrying both the weight of family duty and the quiet, persistent call of her own dreams.

Based on the remarkable life of Mary McIntyre Pacheco, Mrs. R. Pacheco unfolds as an intimate portrait of a woman caught between cultures, expectations, and the fragile hope of self-determination. When Molly marries Romualdo Pacheco, a Californio statesman destined to become California's first Hispanic governor, her life is swept into a world both foreign and exhilarating, where love must contend with tradition, and identity is shaped by forces beyond her control.

As Molly navigates the complexities of marriage, society, and a rapidly changing California, she discovers within herself a fierce creative spirit that refuses to be silenced. Her journey from grieving daughter to pioneering novelist and playwright becomes a testament to resilience, illuminating the quiet strength required to carve a voice in a world not yet ready to hear it.

Rich in historical detail and alive with emotional depth, this novel evokes the textures of nineteenth-century California, from its sunlit landscapes to its deeply rooted cultural divides. Through Molly's eyes, readers are drawn into a story of longing, reinvention, and the delicate balance between belonging and becoming.

Both sweeping and deeply personal, Mrs. R. Pacheco is a story of love shaped by circumstance, ambition tempered by sacrifice, and the enduring courage it takes to stand between worlds and claim a life as one's own.

Praise for Mrs. R. Pacheco:

"Based on a real story in the mid 1850’s during the California Gold Rush. Well researched and very enjoyable to read. Highly recommend."
~ Amazon Review, 5*

"The detail of the descriptions of all makes the reader part of the story: fellow travelers, the boats and trains, the food, the clothing, the housing. And then Mary meets Romualdo Pacheco and the story takes off again, drawing the reader into Romualdo's courting of Mary. the wedding, birth of their children and premature passing of one while Romualdo takes on offices from State Senator, State Treasurer, Lt. Governor, Governor and member of congress. All the while, from the beginning, we see Mary's nascent desire to write being nurtured by many people in many ways. This book catches the readers interest and keeps it. Highly recommended."
~ Amazon Review, 5*

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Rose Ann Woolpert

Rose Ann Woolpert is drawn to questions history leaves unanswered. As an author whose work is grounded in fact and shaped by imagination, she writes stories that explore how individuals navigate change, loss, ambition, and identity.

Her writing is often inspired by California history, particularly the lives of women whose stories risk being lost to memory. Family recollections, historical records, and careful research inform her work, while fiction allows space to imagine motives, choices, and inner lives beyond the historical record.

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Tides of Treachery (Beyond the Faerie Rath Book) by Hanna Park

 

Power was never the danger. Want was.

On Samhain night, with treachery seated beside the throne and the dead stirring beneath the House of Faces, Macha felt him at her back—steady, lethal, far too close. She was meant to hold Ulaid together, not crave the man sworn to protect her. But desire turned every choice into something dangerous.

Ruairi had already crossed death once. Macha was far more dangerous.

Macha stood before him with fire in her eyes while Ulaid cracked apart around her, and every vow he’d sworn strained toward breaking. He was her blade, her shield, the last thing standing between her and the darkness rising through the court. He was never meant to want her like this.

The dead had always spoken to Breda. She never expected them to speak his name.

As the House of Faces began to fracture, the whispers pulled her toward truths long buried within Ulaid—and toward a shadowed man who felt more like a warning than salvation. The dead were no longer content to whisper.

Cian lived with the damage he helped create—and the woman he could not save.

Old magic bound him to grief, guilt, and a past that refused to stay buried. Love had failed them before. It might fail them again.

As Samhain descends, loyalties fracture, the dead grow restless, and Ulaid begins to unravel.

 Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the reasons I keep returning to Hanna Park's books is that she never takes the easy route. Her stories are always layered with mythology, history, and characters who feel as though they have stepped out of legend, and Tides of Treachery is no exception.

What surprised me most about this book was how quickly I became attached to the characters. I expected to enjoy the mythology—as I always do with this author's work—but it was Macha and Ruairi who kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know what would happen to them and whether they would find a way through the growing dangers surrounding them.

I was also completely fascinated by the House of Faces. Every time it appeared, I found myself slowing down and savouring those scenes. There is something wonderfully unsettling about a castle that remembers its past.

The romance was another highlight for me. It develops gradually and feels earned, which made it all the more satisfying. There were moments that genuinely made me smile, and others that left me worried for the characters.

As someone who has read several of Hanna Park's novels, I think this may be my favourite so far. It has all the elements I've come to expect from her writing—rich folklore, strong characters, and an immersive setting—but there was something about this story that resonated with me a little more deeply.

A book I thoroughly enjoyed and one I will happily recommend to fellow fantasy readers.

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Hanna Park

I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.

I write stories that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love. Thank you, friends, for reading!

In the beginning, there was an empty page.

I am a writer who lives in Muskoka, Canada, with a husband who snores, a hungry cat, and an almost perfect canine––he’s an adorable little shit.

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Unbelonging by David J. Jepsen

Seattle, 1945. The war is ending-but for many, the hardest battles are just beginning.

In a city transformed by global conflict, four families struggle to find their place amid rising tensions, buried prejudice, and shifting identities. Victory overseas has brought hope, but at home, fear, suspicion, and inequality continue to shape everyday life.

A female defense worker, newly awakened to injustice, risks everything as she steps into the dangerous world of labor activism-threatening not only her future, but the safety of those she loves. A decorated Black war hero returns home expecting honor and opportunity, only to face a different kind of battlefield, where racism and exclusion deny him the freedoms he fought to defend. A Japanese American, released from internment, discovers that the end of war does not mean the end of hatred, and that rebuilding a life in a community that no longer trusts him may be the greatest challenge of all. A hopeful British war bride arrives chasing the promise of a new beginning, only to learn that the American dream is complicated, fragile, and not equally shared.

As labor strikes ripple through the city, racial tensions simmer, and the first shadows of Cold War hysteria begin to take hold, Seattle reveals itself as a place both beautiful and deeply divided. Old prejudices harden even as new voices rise, demanding change.

This powerful, emotionally charged novel strips away the myth of an open and enlightened city, exposing the human cost of exclusion and the quiet courage of those who refuse to accept it.

A sweeping story of resilience, identity, and the search for belonging-welcome to the City on the Sound, where no one is quite sure where they belong.

Excerpt

Canwell looked down at today’s star witness, J.B. Matthews. He was former director of research for the House Un-American Activities Committee, or Dies Committee, in Washington. D.C. Its goal was to expose an alarming growth of a Communist presence in government and labor. Matthews made a name for himself with his testimony and then leveraged his notoriety to build a career as a professional witness. He’d flown into Seattle the previous day to share his expertise with the Canwell Committee.

“Dr. Mathews, are the UW professors openly recruiting students to join the party?” asked Canwell after order returned to the hearing.

“No, there’s nothing open about it. They’re very skillful with their deception,” Matthews responded. In his mid-fifties, his neatly trimmed gray hair, rimless glasses perched on a large nose and finely cut gray suit underscored his credibility. This was a man of authority, credible and convincing. “These professors have mastered Marxism and Leninism,” he continued. “They can skillfully inject their philosophy into their teaching with little risk of exposure.”

The murmuring grew louder.

Mathews picked up a document and held it high for everyone to see. “I have in my hand an official pamphlet of the Communist Party,” he announced. “It’s titled the Road to Mass Organization of Proletarian Children. It lists multiple objectives for brainwashing our young ones.” The audience turned quiet, eager to catch every astounding word from this man.

John Jacobson was outraged. He was pinched in the middle of a herd of fellow students in short-sleeved shirts and girls wearing sweaters and skirts. They crowded the right and left aisles and overflowed into the stairway. The students struggled to suppress their annoyance. Did this know-it-all think they were simpletons incapable of knowing shit from Shinola?

John planned to take Ellie and John Jr. to Woodland Park today. Ellie enjoyed sunning near the rose bushes while Junior rode the ponies. But he was glad he didn’t because this guy was unbelievable. John just finished his sophomore year at UW. He’d taken courses from three of the professors named as suspected Communists. He’d heard rumors about their leftist leanings. Not once did they offer up anything questionable. Sure, they’d discussed Leninism and Marxism in the political science and psychology classes. They compared those forms of government to democracy and capitalism. He’d read the Communist Manifesto while in the reformatory. Its failings were clear to him. He needed no convincing on the superiority of capitalism and a republican form of government.

Matthews began reading. “A special struggle should be waged at the family home by the children to win over the adults. The goal is to convince parents to reject backward ideas like religion, petty customs and traditions.” Matthews set down the pamphlet and looked across the auditorium. Everyone was looking up at him. The hall grew quiet for the first time that day. He hesitated long enough for the words to sink in. “In case you’re unaware, Communists are atheists, and the newly converted are expected to give up bourgeois holidays like Christmas.”

The audience erupted in catcalls and boos. Christmas!

“Order, order!” Canwell shouted, pounding his gavel. “If you want to remain in this hearing room, I insist you show some decorum.”

“This sounds fantastic to some Americans but there it is in black and white.” Mathews waved the pamphlet around. “It starts with ten or twelve year old children and continues right through university. Many colleges today, knowingly or unknowingly, have become Communist front organizations.”

“Please help educate us on Communist front organizations, Dr. Matthews,” Canwell requested.

“Front organizations are a half-way station between the status quo and the Communist Revolution. They are a tool of the Communist Party for seizing power. There are hundreds of them across America. I can name multiple ones right here in Seattle.” He rattled off a list. “The Washington Pension Union, Students for Wallace, the Northwest Labor School, the repertory theater. There are more, believe me.”

John’s annoyance rumbled around in his stomach, bubbling to the surface, ready to erupt into full-fledged anger. Students standing near him stirred and grumbled.  

“The U.S. Communist Party is going about it in the reverse order,” Matthews continued. “They are working to convert college students today so they can raise their children to be Communists tomorrow. It won’t happen right away or even in a few years. It may take decades but the evidence is clear.” He stopped to gather his thoughts and looked out at the audience. “My research shows that professors who associate with front organizations on or off campus are inching our country towards the unthinkable. They want nothing less than toppling our democracy and turning America into a Communist state.”

The room exploded in a roar of disbelief and indignation. Spectators stood and booed. Others screamed obscenities.

“Stop the bastards now!” a woman yelled.

“Hang the Commies!”

“Protect our children!”

“Fascists!” screamed John and several other students.

Seattle Police and Washington State Patrolmen rushed in the direction of the rowdy students. John was the first of several pushed towards the exits. Before he could react, two burly patrolmen grabbed him by each arm and dragged him towards the stairs leading to the first floor. His feet barely touched the ground as they marched him down the stairs and flung him unceremoniously through the open front doors. John lurched forward trying to regain his balance but tripped and tumbled down the concrete stairs onto the sidewalk.

Praise for Unbelonging:

"Just a great read and anyone who picks it up is guaranteed to learn a thing or two: from Guadalcanal to local labor disputes."

~ Mr. K, Amazon 5* review

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David J. Jepsen

David J. Jepsen is a historian, writer and educator teaching Pacific Northwest and U.S. history at Tacoma Community College. His novel about racial and labor conflicts in Seattle following WW II, titled Unbelonging, was released in April 2026.

He was lead author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History (John Wiley and Sons, 2017), and he wrote and directed the award winning documentary Labor Wars of the Northwest, nominated in 2019 for Best Feature Film Made in Washington by the Gig Harbor Film Festival.

David writes a weekly post for the Washington State Historical Society titled “This Day in Washington.” He holds a master’s degree in history and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Washington.

He lives with his wife, Jackie, in Gig Harbor, WA.

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The Cleansing: A Novel of Ancient Rome. Based on a True Story by Victoria Alvear

Based on a true story, this is not the enlightened Rome of myth. This is a city choking on fear, where blood flows on both the battlefield and altar, and where generals and politicians alike are desperate to appease rageful gods.

When 50,000 Romans fall in a single day at the Battle of Cannae, priests claim there can be only one reason the gods abandoned Rome: a Vestal Virgin has broken her vow of chastity. And they accuse Opimia (Mia), the strongest, most defiant of the six sacred Vestal priestesses.

Forced as a child into serving Vesta, the goddess of fire, Mia has always chafed against Rome’s control of her every move—especially after being separated from her childhood love, Attius. Now, accused of a crime she did not commit, she must defend herself in a hostile court to avoid being buried alive for her “crime.”

Betrayed by the high priestess, hunted by Rome’s political and religious elite, Mia must either accept her fate — or join with the Sybil of Cumae to expose the truth behind a world built on superstition, fear, and lies.

A story of personal awakening amid public catastrophe, The Cleansing is a haunting journey through a city at war with itself — and a woman who risks everything to survive it.

Praise for The Cleansing:

"Original, deftly crafted...[and a] historical thriller with an impressive level of literary excellence."

~ Midwest Book Review

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Victoria Alvear

Victoria Alvear has written multiple books and novels set in the ancient world, including A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii, A Song of War: A Novel of Troy, Cleopatra’s Moon, and others.

She is known as Vicky Alvear Shecter for her children’s books, which include Warrior Queens, Anubis Speaks!, Hades Speaks!, and Thor Speaks!.

Victoria has served as a docent at the museum of antiquities at Emory University for nearly twenty years.

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The Daredevil (The Dawn of America Book #3) by Regan Walker

Before there was a Continental Navy, there was one man’s courage...

When young merchant captain Samuel Tucker learns that war has broken out between Britain and the Colonies, he cannot stand idle. Leaving the safety of London’s port, he races home across a storm-tossed Atlantic to offer his sword to liberty’s cause. Along the way, he saves a valuable ship, her crew, and her cargo—a deed that brings him before General Washington himself. The grateful commander offers Sam command of one of his newly armed schooners.

From those perilous beginnings in Washington’s shadow fleet, Sam rises through the ranks of the Continental Navy and beyond, eventually commanding a privateer that strikes deep into the British supply lines. From the fogbound wharves of Marblehead to the treacherous shoals of Halifax and Europe, he wages war with the daring of a man who seems to fear neither sea nor shot. To his men he is “the Daredevil”—fearless, quick-witted, and guided by an unshakable faith.

Yet amid the thunder of broadsides and the peril of capture, Tucker’s heart is not immune to gentler battles. Mary Gatchell, the steadfast Marblehead woman whose prayers sustain him from shore, anchors the life he risks with every voyage. But the sea is a jealous mistress, and every homecoming may be his last.

Image (c) Yarde Book Promotions

Praise for The Daredevil:

"Fast paced, on the edge of your seat adventures, sea battles, romance, faith, courage and love. I think THe DAREDEVIL is my favorite of THE DAWN OF AMERICA series. A must read for American Revolution enthusiasts, and romance readers alike. An absolute pleasure to read.."

~ April R, Amazon 5* Review

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Regan Walker

Regan Walker is an award-winning author of more than twenty historical novels spanning the Georgian, Regency, Medieval and Revolutionary eras.

With meticulous research and a storyteller’s eye for drama, she transports readers from the intrigues of medieval England and the courts of eighteenth-century France to Scotland’s mist-shrouded Highlands, the cobbled streets of early nineteenth-century London, and ships riding dangerous seas. 

From spies, smugglers, and pirates to masked balls and opulent palaces, her novels reveal the courage, faith, and love that endure through history’s most turbulent days.

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