Holland, 1944: Undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan has been given her toughest case yet. A key member of the Dutch resistance has been captured, and Nancy must play the role of a wealthy Nazi to win over a notorious SS officer, Detlef Keller, and gain crucial information.
England: Coding expert Tom Lockwood is devastated that the Allies have failed to push back the Nazis, leaving Northern Holland completely cut off from the rest of Europe, and him from his beloved Nancy. Desperate to rescue the love of his life, Tom devises Operation Tulip, a plan to bring Nancy home.
But as Nancy infiltrates the Dutch SS, she finds herself catching the eye of an even more senior member of the Party. Is Nancy in too deep, or can Tom reach her before she gets caught?
Inspired by the true events of occupied Holland during WW2, don't miss this utterly gripping story of love, bravery and sacrifice.
Publication Date: 12th September 2024
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 410 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Praise
'A well crafted tale… this book did not disappoint' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'There is action, mystery and romantic entanglements stirred into the story for a fantastically entertaining read' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Deborah Swift never disappoints' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A joy to read' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Join me in a cosy chat with Deborah.
What inspired you to start writing?
I have always written something though it started out as poetry, not books. When I was younger I read and wrote a lot of poetry as it appealed to my subversive side and I have always loved playing with language. Poetry also eventually fitted neatly into the spaces between other things such as career and family, and was my way of exploring my experiences. Eventually, I decided to study for an MA in Creative Writing with the idea I'd develop the poems which were gathering dust into a coherent collection. Nobody was more surprised than I was to find I ended up writing a historical novel - The Lady's Slipper - instead. The book started out life as a poem, but the narrative seemed to demand a lot more space than a poem could provide, so I wrote Chapter One, and enjoyed it so much that I just carried on breathlessly until it was finished. A few years down the line and I'm still hooked on writing historical fiction and have 21 books to my name!
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I loved writing about Tom Lockwood, a Baker Street coding expert and a bit of an intellectual, who gets sucked into an adventure that is totally out of character. After his friend abandons him, it leads him into the Dutch Resistance where he must become a man of action rather than a pen pusher. It is only when he gets to occupied Holland that he realises that his idea of what it might be like from reading the newspapers, is totally at odds with the reality of life under the Nazis. I enjoyed finding another side to Tom, who I think always secretly longed to be a secret agent!
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
I’ve no idea! I don’t watch enough film or TV and I don’t keep up with celebrities. In my free time I listen to a lot of podcasts and radio, and I read. I rarely watch TV unless it’s for a history or travel documentary. I’d much rather be reading, so if I was lucky enough to have this book made into a film, I’d just have to trust the casting director to pick the right people! I do think Operation Tulip would be a great movie though, and I would love to see it on the big screen.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope they’re thoroughly entertained. Operation Tulip is designed to be a page turner, to keep you immersed in the action and to feel something for the characters. Because it’s based on true stories I also hope people will empathise with what secret agents went through during the war years, and will learn something about WW2 history in the process. I think everyone knows quite a lot about the French Resistance, but the Dutch Resistance is less well-known, and deserves more attention. My research into Dutch agents showed me that parts of Holland were liberated later and the Resistance there had to deal with the Germans when they knew they were losing the war, and so became even more vindictive and dangerous to the Dutch population.
Buy this Book
Deborah Swift
Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author of twenty books who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade Award, and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal. Her most recent books are The Silk Code and The Shadow Network both set in the Second World War.
Social Media Links:
Thank you so much for hosing me and for your questions - I enjoyed answering them!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting Deborah Swift today, with such a lovely chat.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club