From Concept to Creation: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at The Birth of My Book!

Welcome! I'm P.J. Marks. At long last, my book, More to This Life: The Story of the Boys Across the Pond, is in the hands of an editor, and I'm getting ready to delve into the world of publishing. Wish me luck!!

About me: After an exciting career in healthcare, I'm now retired and finally diving headfirst into a lifelong passion! Writing has been my love since childhood, and I never travel without a blank book ready to capture my thoughts whenever inspiration strikes. The arts have always fueled my creativity. In my twenties, I poured my heart into poetry; later, I fell in love with photography.

How did I embark on writing a historical fiction book? While history never really grabbed me before, my curiosity was sparked when my husband shared a riveting family tale about his uncle, Mendy. Mendy, whom my husband never met, joined the US Army Air Force in the 1940s as a radio operator and was stationed with the 351st Bomb Group in Polebrook, England. Despite the daunting odds, Mendy survived his missions. When the war in Europe ended, he volunteered to fly a B-17 back to the US, and with 19 others, he embarked on the long-awaited journey home.

In an unexpected twist, they got lost in bad weather and veered off course from their initial destination of Anglesey, Wales, where they were to refuel. Struggling to find their way, they descended to identify visual landmarks but tragically crashed into a mountain, resulting in the loss of all aboard.

To have survived the war only to perish on the way home was a story that gripped my heart. When we visited the crash site in 2017, the story captured my imagination completely. I envisioned families eagerly awaiting their loved ones' return, relieved their boys were out of danger, only to receive the heartbreaking telegram of their loss.

Over time and with extensive research, I connected with several families of the men who were on that plane. A common thread among them was that none knew much about their fallen family member. In those days, painful topics were often left unspoken. Yet, piece by piece, I began to uncover snippets of who these men were and what their lives in Polebrook might have been like.

My mission was to honor these brave men who gave so much... and thus, my thrilling writing journey began!