Jocelyn was our winsome Keynote Speaker at the 2018 Cedar Falls Christian Writers Workshop. She gave sessions on keys to being a successful writer, ways to bolster historical research, love languages for writers (she coauthored The 5 Love Languages Military Edition with Dr. Gary Chapman), promotion, and the author e-newsletter. All over her sessions gave excellent food for thought, and for trying out here at home.

Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage. The honors her books have received include the Christy Award in historical fiction, and gold medals from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Heroines Behind the Lines Series

This set includes all four books of the Heroines Behind the Lines Series: Wedded to War, Widow of Gettysburg, Yankee in Atlanta, and Spy of Richmond.  The Heroines Behind the Lines Series highlights the crucial contributions made by women during the Civil War.

Wedded to War

Book Description: A Christy Award-nominated title for best new author.

When war erupted, she gave up a life of privilege for a life of significance.

Tending to the army’s sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she’s combating more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey’s letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look at what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War, a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war.

My thoughts: Charlotte wanted to help with nursing Union soldiers, against her mother’s wishes. Her sister goes with her to be near her own soldier husband, as they follow after the battles and work to try to save terribly wounded men. In spite of her unorthodox choices–of nursing in abhorrent circumstances and befriending a woman with a questionable past–Charlotte wins the hearts of more than one suitor. The author provides a rich “History behind the Story” as well as a bibliography and biographical sketches of the characters in the novel. 

Widow of Gettysburg

Book Description: When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering–and a Rebel scout who awakens her long dormant heart.

While Liberty’s future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty’s hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.

In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it?

My thoughts: A remarkable Civil War story, not only in the details of battle and of medicine and shortages, but of the spiritual and emotional struggles of war within our own country. I have slave-owners in my background, and an ancestor who fought with the Confederates (although he later deserted and ended up with the Union), while his own brother fought on the Union side, so I found this story especially interesting. I also appreciated “The History behind the Story” at the end, a link to find primary source materials, and the “Selected Bibliography.”

Yankee in Atlanta

Book Description: In Yankee in Atlanta, soldier Caitlin McKae wakes up in Atlanta after being wounded in battle. The Georgian doctor who treated her believed Caitlin’s only secret was that she had been fighting for the Confederacy disguised as a man. To avoid arrest or worse, Caitlin hides her true identity and makes a new life for herself in Atlanta. When Sherman’s troops edge closer to Atlanta, Caitlin tries to escape north, but is arrested on charges of being a spy. Will honor dictate that Caitlin follow the rules, or love demand that she break them?

My thoughts: Two stories intermingle–the North and the South, with secrets on both sides. And secrets from earlier books in the series. Complex and rewarding, the story and the characters and the very real history are fascinating. Learning some history of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a surprise. I went to college and was married there. I always relish “The History behind the Story,” which this book includes, including Cedar Falls’ connection to the orphan train adoptions. The author also supplied a Selected Bibliography and a Discussion Guide.

Spy of Richmond

Book Description: In Spy of Richmond, Union loyalist Sophie Kent attempts to end the war from within the Confederate capital, but she can’t do it alone. As Sophie’s spy network grows, she walks a tightrope of deception, using her father’s position as newspaper editor and a suitor’s position in the ordnance bureau. When her espionage endangers the people she loves, she’s forced to make a life-and-death gamble.

My thoughts: My favorite of the Heroines Behind the Lines series, this story weaves Civil War history around Richmond tighter and tighter, involving both white and black citizens and soldiers, real spies, love interests, and even a a treacherous sister. The author says that this book “is peppered with historical events and figures.” Yes, and delightfully and suspensefully so.  Also included are The History behind the Story, Selected Bibliography, a Discussion Guide, and a website with photos and other resources.