An Interview with Author Pat DiGeorge

Your Author Bio (tell us about yourself)

I grew up in the small town of Bartow, Florida. Following marriage, the birth of two sons, and an eventual move to Atlanta, Georgia, I embarked on a successful 30-year real estate career.

In 2008, I helped my Rotary Club organize a program to fly WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials. I wrote tributes for many of the honorees, including one about my father, Herman Allen. As I learned more about his experiences during the war and about my mother’s parallel journey in the intelligence service, the OSS, I began to research the story of the Liberty Lady.

Tell us about your book. What is it about?

LIBERTY LADY is the true story of a WWII bomber and its crew forced to land in neutral Sweden during the Eighth Air Force’s first large-scale daylight bombing raid on Berlin. 1st Lt. Herman Allen was interned and began working for his country’s espionage agency, the OSS, with instructions to befriend a businessman suspected of selling secrets to the Germans. Soon Herman fell in love with a beautiful Swedish-American secretary working for the OSS, their courtship unfolding amid the glamour and intrigue of wartime Stockholm. As Swedish newspapers trumpeted one of the biggest spy scandals of the war, two of the main protagonists walked down the aisle in a storybook wedding presided over by the nephew of the King of Sweden.

Who is your target audience suited for in this story?

When I began to write this book, my target audience was someone just like me … a person who was interested in WWII, specifically the air war, but didn’t know that much about it.

As I learned during my research, there was very little written in English about World War II in neutral Sweden. So my target audience became others who were interested in this important bit of history.

Recently, I was contacted by the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm. They were developing a WWII Office of War Information outdoor exhibit and were using my book as a resource.

Do you have a favorite character in your story?

My favorite character would have to be Erica. She worked for German Intelligence doing a similar job as my mother did for the OSS. Erica hated the Nazis, however, and became a spy, known by her code name “Uncle.”

Do you find reviews helpful?  Or intimidating?

I have had heart-warming reviews, and I am grateful for every one of them. A favorite ends with “I loved reading this book.”

Why did you decide to self-publish?

While I was writing my book, people would ask, “Do you have a publisher?” My answer was always, “I’m not there yet.” The office for Jera Publishing was located in my city and hosted meet-ups of local authors.  They also had webinars for each aspect of self-publishing, and I took them all. When my book was ready, I knew I wanted to move quickly. It was an easy decision to work with Jera. Kimberly walked me through each step, very professionally.

Did you use IngramSpark, Amazon KDP, or another company to handle the printing and distribution of your book?

At Kimberly’s suggestion, I used both IngramSpark and Amazon KDP.

What parts did you do on your own, and what did you hire out to have done? (Editing, book design, cover design, eBook, marketing, etc.)

I had 2 friends who were professional editors and proofreaders, and they helped with editing. Jera’s professionals took care of the book design and the cover. I am very pleased with the results.

What was the most difficult part of writing this book?

People would ask, “Have you written before?” Yes, I wrote real estate marketing ads.  In 2009, my son Johnny suggested that I blog my research. At the time, I’m not sure I even understood what “blogging” meant. He designed my website, and I took off. Johnny was right. I connected with people from all over the world, and they found me.  www.LibertyLadyBook.com

I’ve said so many times that the research was fun. Some highlights:

1. I went to Sweden twice.

2. Attended 2 reunions of my Dad’s 8th Air Force bomber group, the 306th.

3. My initial research was at the library of the National Museum of the Mighty Eight Air Force Near Savannah, GA.

4. Rode in a B-17 bomber.

5. Interviewed many WWII veterans.

6. Spent 2 weeks at the National Archives near Washington, D.C.

7. Visited the Air University Library at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama, twice.

8. Toured the OSS exhibit in the CIA headquarters at Langley.

9. Watched hundreds of WWII movies.

10. Read dozens of WWII books.

11. Blogged faithfully at www.LibertyLadyBook.com

So, the research was fun. Sitting down and putting it all together as a book was the hardest job I’ve ever done.

If you could tell yourself anything as a younger writer what would it be?

Don’t be intimidated. Do your research, and get it done.

What motivates you as a writer?

What motivated me for Liberty Lady was pulling together all the research I did to create a historical record of what was happening in Sweden during the war.

How old were you when you started writing?

When I began the research for this book, I was 64 years old.

What marketing have you done for your book? What worked and what did not work?

Most of my marketing has been via my website, email, and Facebook. I held several book launch events.

 

Recently, I’ve been invited to do an author talk at the Mighty 8th Museum in Savannah. This will be later this year or early next.

Did you start marketing before your book was launched? If not, do you regret that decision?

I suppose I could say I began marketing in 2009 when I began to blog my research. The book was published in 2016.

Any advice you want to pass on to other authors looking to self-publish their book?

Use professionals to help you, and do your research. Beware of the many “vanity” publishers who will charge a lot and do very little. Again, Jera did a great job for me and I can highly recommend.

Anything Else?

When I (thought I) was 90% finished writing my book, I had the opportunity to interview an author who had written one of my reference books. When I told him how many words I had written so far, he told me my manuscript was too long. I took his advice and cut, honed, and edited for several more months. This was great advice and I’ll pass it on.