by Cat Gardiner
Ask him! Just ask him! She took a step down, reaching out to touch his arm as he turned to walk away. “I’m new to the neighborhood and wondering … maybe … would you like to meet for coffee sometime. This house, and my father have interesting histories that you might find fascinating. He was a pilot of a B-26 with the 8th & 9th Army Air Forces and met Jimmy Doolittle in 1942.”
Nathan grinned. “A Marauder Man. Wow.”
She could see that he was intrigued. “He was a POW, too. My other father, the one I grew up with, built P-47 Thunderbolts during the war.”
“Really! Robertsen Aviation?”
“Yes. That’s us.”
He tilted his head, curiously asking, “Two fathers, you say?”
“It’s a long story—a good one, but long.”
“Now I’m intrigued. And the house—this is the Guggenheim honeymoon cottage isn’t it?”
“Yes! It’s perfectly preserved. My birth father bought it from the family in 1942. How do you know of it?”
He blushed, looking down at his tennis shoes, sheepishly replying. “My great-granduncle and aunt were Isidor and Ida Straus of Macy’s and A&S fame. Our families all belonged to the same temple for generations.”
She couldn’t help grinning at that even though the headline of the newspaper she just found read that they had perished aboard the Titanic.
“You said your last name is Martel? As in the owners of DeVries Diamond House?”
“Yes. There’s a fascinating story about the history behind the business here in America.”
Nathan looked her straight on, his light blue eyes filled with a sincerity that made her heart flip. “I’d love to take you out for coffee,” he said. “Your father sounds like my kind of guy, but for starters, I’d like to learn your story first.”
“Great! How about we meet at that little deli on Cortelyou Road,” she said, resisting the temptation to shamelessly flirt, not sure if she even remembered how.
“Is tomorrow too soon?” he asked.
“Not at all. How’s ten—for breakfast? They have great bagels and lox.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Nathan descended the steps and continued down the street with Doolittle leading the way in eager excitement. He stopped, turned, and waved to her.
Annette sighed and waved back, feeling quite confident that she had met her long delayed happy ever after. “Yup. I’m now convinced—It’s the house. It’s enchanted.”
Book Club Questions
for Discussion
Imagine you have inherited an old house from an unknown, distant relative. Would your immediate reaction be to: Call a realtor and list it, sight unseen? Make a visit? Search out information on the relative before taking action? Would the “time-capsule” condition of 300 Bradford Road intrigue or dissuade you?
The generation that participated in WWII has been anointed, in recent decades, as the “Greatest Generation.” Those who survive are, mostly, approaching their 90s. When you encounter individuals of that generation, do you ever reflect on the events and sacrifices they have experienced? Do you wonder whether you, yourself, or more recent generations would respond similarly to the choices and challenges they faced?
Given what we know of the historical events of WWII today, and in light of our current information “ease of access,” do you find it conceivable that Lizzy could have been so naïve and sheltered within her debutante lifestyle about the world around her?
To your knowledge, within your own family were there any “boycotts” of manufacturers or products based on their WWII actions or affiliations? Did your family express support of one company over another based on political sympathies? Are those preferences still consciously adhered to when you make a purchase?
Jack believes in looking only to the future, avoiding the disturbing, painful knowledge of his family’s past. Yet in order to overcome the pain from her past, Juliana seeks out her roots to explore who she is. As the novel unfolds, their positions and outlooks change. Discuss the parallels.
Do you think Will suffered more deeply because of Lillian and Louie’s silence about Lizzy marrying? Would his pain and anger have been lessened had they told him the situation before 1949 when he saw her after so many years?
Both Juliana and Jack are faced with the reality that their grandparents are pursuing romantic relationships after the deaths of their respective spouses. Can you relate to their displeasure? Their concerns?
In any way, can you understand Kitty’s deception and theft of the letters? And could you forgive her in that knowledge.
Given what Lizzy faced: her father’s perceived role in the arrest of Will’s family, Kitty’s endangerment, a pregnancy with a half-Jewish baby, and an imminent forced marriage to Gebhardt, do you feel that she made the right decision to marry John?
Given her obligations and society itself, did Lizzy make the right decision in 1949?
Discuss the rationale and subsequent ramifications behind Lizzy’s silence as it pertained to Annette’s parentage.
Forgiveness and atonement are key elements in A Moment Forever. Do you feel that Lizzy, Louie, and Kitty were forgiven too easily for the secrets they held? Or can you embrace, as Will eventually did, that “They couldn’t go back in time, only forward.”
How extensive were the repercussions of Will’s positive influence on young Lizzy and future generations?
Discuss how Will’s war experience enhanced his religiosity and strong feelings as opposed to his brother’s experience and turning from his faith.
Do you believe in soul mates? That love can span the test of time and that one moment in time can last forever?
Author Note
Thank you, friends for traveling with me back to 1942 and 1992! I have thoroughly enjoyed the learning process that came with writing A Moment Forever.
Creative liberty was taken in several instances, changing names of various locations. The most important to note is the Long Island Holocaust Museum. A fictitious name with a fictitious history, the novel’s museum was loosely modeled both in its locale, appearance, and in its mission after the noteworthy Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) located on the former Pratt Estate, Welwyn Preserve in Glen Cove, Long Island. “HMTC was the first and only Holocaust museum and education center to serve the nearly 3 million people of Long Island.” ref: museum’s official website here. Please visit their website to learn more about their incredible work and mission at tearing down the walls of intolerance and injustice.
Primrose Cottage, located at the fictitious address of 300 Bradford Road in Beverley Square West, Victorian Flatbush, Brooklyn is modeled in both its historical background and architectural design after an actual historical landmark. According to the Brooklyn Historical Society the house in question still exists today. It was named the Honeymoon Cottage built in 1901 for one of the daughters of the Guggenheim family.
Both Meercrest and Greystone were visually inspired by the residences of the late Captain Joseph Raphael DeLamar. The former, an estate named Pembroke was located in Glen Cove on the Gold Coast of Long Island and has since been demolished. All that remains is Lizzy’s water tower. The latter, a townhome in the Murray Hill section of New York City was sold several times after 1923 and is now the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland.
For all visual inspiration for A Moment Forever visit the Pinterest board. Here
Acknowledgements
There are many people who have traveled back in time with me in the creation of A Moment Forever, each one blessing it with their special talent, advice, and encouragement. The most special is my husband. William you have been my rock during the two-year process in bringing this novel to publishing life. You are my forever love, mine until the end of life’s story. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Thank you, my BFF, Sheryl for the tedious edits from the very beginning when it was born from just a tiny prologue, a plot bunny that had so much potential one morning over coffee
. But your gifts and touch upon this story are deeper, a magnificent experience that I will cherish forever. You saw me through thick and thin at a time when life had challenges that threatened to derail me and this novel, much like Pistol and Ducky written in these pages. Love you, kiddo. Kristi, your talent and commitment in the editing process has made AMF a stronger novel and helped me to tell the story that I needed to without distraction to the reader. Thank you for your tireless commitment. You are a gem and a beautiful person! In appreciation to the lovely, generous ladies who assisted with their talent, beta edits, and insight when the novel humbly began as a forum read: Estee, Kari, and Jean. A special shout out to sweet Daniela, A Moment Forever’s greatest cheerleader who withstood the angst and tears, and loved the journey through it all. You bring joy with you wherever you go.
No acknowledgement page could be complete without thanking my Heavenly Father for inspiring me and teaching me through this story, and for my mother and father, heaven-sent angels on earth.
Lastly, I want to sincerely thank my dear friend and publishing partner at Vanity & Pride Press, award-winning novelist Pamela Lynne for all your support and encouragement to follow my dream.
About the Author
Cat Gardiner is a born and bred New York City girl who has fallen in love with the romance of an era known as the Greatest Generation. She and her husband love to explore the 1940s home front experience as living historians, wishing for a time machine to transport them back seventy years.
“I'm inspired by those everyday young adults who changed the fate of the world, and I write about them ... taking you on a romantic journey during WWII. My historical fiction novels always begin in my beloved Big Apple and surround the reader with the sights and sounds of a generation through Pinterest boards and music playlists.”
She is the author of eight Jane Austen-inspired contemporary novels. However, her greatest love is writing 20th Century Historical Fiction, WWII-era Romance. A Moment Forever is her debut novel in that genre and a 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Romance Finalist.
A member of National League of American Pen Women and Romance Writers of America, Cat loves pulling out her vintage frocks to attend U.S.O dances, swing clubs, and re-enactment camps as part of her research for her WWII-era novels. It is her belief that everyone should have an understanding of The Forties Experience.
facebook.com/cat.t.gardiner
vanityandpridepress.com / twitter.com/VPPressNovels
cgardiner1940s.com / twitter.com/40sexperience
Other Novels
by Cat Gardiner
Lucky 13
Denial of Conscience
Guilty Conscience
Without a Conscience
Villa Fortuna
Undercover
A Vintage Valentine
A Vintage Victory
Other Historical Fiction Novels
by Vanity & Pride Press
Dearest Friends by Pamela Lynne
Family Portraits by Pamela Lynne
Sketching Character by Pamela Lynne
