Posted on

Five Surprising Things I Learned Researching My World War II Novel–Guest Blog

I’m very pleased to present John Winn Miller’s guest blog for you today. John is the author of the recently published book, The Hunt for the Peggy C, a suspenseful novel set during World War II. His blog talks about five interesting topics he came across while researching the book. I was honored when John asked me to read an advance copy of the book and it turned out to be one of those books I couldn’t put down until finished. It was then that I asked him to consider writing a guest blog for us. John is a “Master of Research,” and I am confident you will not only enjoy this snapshot into his research but will learn some interesting facts. With that being said, I will now turn it over to John. (John’s bio can be found at the end of the blog as well as links to purchase his new book.)

Cover of John Winn Miller’s novel, “The Hunt for the Peggy C.”
Cover of John Winn Miller’s novel, “The Hunt for the Peggy C.”

Click here to see John’s book.


I have devoured countless World War II histories over the years. And I have been a fan of almost every documentary, movie, or television show about the era. So, naturally, I thought I knew a lot about the subject. That was until I started to write my debut novel, The Hunt for the Peggy C. The story is about an American smuggler who struggles to rescue a Jewish family on his rusty cargo ship, outraging his mutinous crew of misfits and provoking a hair-raising chase by an unstable U-boat captain bent on revenge. Read More Five Surprising Things I Learned Researching My World War II Novel–Guest Blog

Posted on

The Wrens

We have a lot of different types of birds in Southwest Florida. While many of them are very beautiful, we’re especially attracted to the birds of prey, or raptors. They include ospreys, hawks (e.g., red-tailed, red-shouldered, and short-tailed), vultures (black and turkey), falcons, merlin, owls (e.g., barred and great horned), and kite (e.g., snail, swallow-tailed, and white-tailed). These are the birds that hunt and swoop down on our canal looking for lunch every day (except the vultures⏤they only eat dead stuff).

Before America entered the war, England was alone in its battle against the Nazis. The “smart” money was betting against their survival. One of the challenges Churchill faced was the German navy and in particular, the Unterseeboot, or the U-boat. How was England going to stop the wolfpacks from sinking merchant ships carrying critical supplies to the island?

Recruiting poster for the Wrens. Poster by anonymous (between 1939 and 1945). Imperial War Museum. PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Recruiting poster for the Wrens. Poster by anonymous (between 1939 and 1945). Imperial War Museum. PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.

The answer was a small group of extremely intelligent women. During World War II, women played an extremely important role in winning the war against Hitler and the Nazis. They were résistants, pilots, mechanics, code breakers, factory workers, and yes, even soldiers. Some of them were birds of a different feather but in the end, the Wrens were more like raptors. Read More The Wrens