British publisher launches debut novel

An Umina author has had her debut novel published by a British publisher.

Harper Collins UK imprint HQ Digital officially launched Ms Lana Newton's debut work, The Story of Us, on December 5.

A historical love story, The Story of Us tells the tale of a Ukrainian woman who falls in love with a Hungarian soldier during the Nazi occupation of Kiev.

Underpinning the novel are the themes of love and the unrivalled endurance of the human spirit, Ms Newton said.

Russian born Ms Newton said she had grown up hearing tales of the war and the horrors inflicted upon Europe by Hitler and the Nazi regime.

"I grew up on the stories of my parents and grandparents," Ms Newton said.

"Thankfully, my parents were too young to be involved in the war but they still had memories of those times and heard the stories from their parents about their involvement in the wars.

"It became a fascination to me," Ms Newton said.

Ms Newton started out writing short stories and, almost 10 years on, recalls how the idea for The Story of Us first came to her.

"I had written a short story that had been picked up by a local magazine at the time," Ms Newton said.

"It was based on an old newspaper article about a famous Soviet actress.

"In the article she recounted her experience as a child growing up during the German occupation.

"She told the story of how, every day, a German soldier would come into her neighbourhood and ensure all the children in the area were fed.

"The actress puts this incredible act of kindness down to the reason she survived the war and ever since reading the article I've never forgotten her story or the compassion of that soldier," Ms Newton said.

Unexpectedly, many people who read Ms Newton's short story came to her with questions about the wartime setting, the historical accuracy and the human experience of war she portrayed.

It inspired her to continue to research the human aspect of the war.

Ms Newton spent years pouring over memoirs, diaries, newspapers and anything else she could get her hands on that told the everyday stories of people living through the Nazi occupation.

"It became a sort of obsession," Ms Newton said.

"It was just so fascinating, so surreal, to be reading the thoughts of these people who could have been executed just for writing these things down," she said.

After months of research, Ms Newton set about transforming her short story into the novel.

It took Ms Newton over a year of writing and editing before she was satisfied enough to send the draft into Harper and Collins.

She was blown away by their response.

"As a writer you get used to sending things away for consideration and not hearing anything back so when I got the call from HQ Digital I was floored," Ms Newton said.

"They loved the draft and then I spent another eight months working with their editors to perfect the story.

"It was an amazing experience which really helped me improve my work," she said.

Ms Newton said initial reviews of her debut novel had been very positive and hoped that readers enjoyed the story which focuses on the fundamental perseverance of the human spirit in light of adversity.

SOURCE:

Interview, 12 Dec 2018

Lana Newton, Umina

Reporter, Dilon Luke