Welcome to Novel Pastimes, Jozefien.
Please call me Josie. The other name brings back some hard memories.
Thank you for sharing with us today, Josie. It must be very difficult for you to talk about the past.
I’m glad to be here, especially after all that’s happened. I’m—
We don’t want to give away too much of your story right now. Just a glimpse.
Life is just a glimpse, isn’t it? A few lines to remember the beginning, middle, and end.
We’re glad to learn more than just a few lines about your journey. Could you tell us where you grew up?
In a beautiful village called Giethoorn. Idyllic, really. Do you know where that is?
I’m guessing it’s somewhere in the Netherlands.
We called it Holland back then, but yes, it’s on the east side of the country. Near Kamp Westerbork and the German border. Klaas and my brother, Samuel, and I would play for hours along the canals. The houses in our village were built on little islands, separated by the waterways. We’d have to cross over on bridges or with our canoes or, my personal favorite, swimming. And the flowers—I forget some things, but I could never forget the gardens of Giethoorn.
Now you had a relationship with Klaas . . .
We were friends, nothing more.
But he seemed to think there was more.
I suppose, in hindsight. If only he hadn’t chosen to . . .
That’s part of the ending, isn’t it?
I only want readers to forgive him. They didn’t know him like I did.
Did he know you were helping the Dutch resistance during the war?
I’m not certain when he found out, but I don’t think he knew when I was delivering money. Only when Samuel and I started to help the children.
You lost a lot as a result of your choice to help those kids.
I only wish I could have rescued more. We had no idea at the beginning of the war where the Jewish children were taken when they left Amsterdam. When we found out, we had no choice except to help.
You were a hero.
I was terrified! We all were. None of us thought of ourselves as heroes, but God’s call was quite clear on our lives.
Do you have any regrets?
I don’t think about regrets anymore. Once Samuel and I and all the others stepped into the horror, we had to press right through it. I don’t want to forget what happened, but I want to embrace all that is good now, not focus on what I should have done so long ago.
I can understand that. How do you recommend that our readers remember the Holocaust?
The Dutch lost more than a hundred thousand of their Jewish citizens during World War II. It’s impossible to remember all the names, but I pray we can honor their collective legacy by remembering their stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of nineteen historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels, including Hidden Among the Stars, Catching the Wind, Chateau of Secrets, and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor. Four of her novels have won Carol Awards, Catching the Wind won the Audie Award for inspirational fiction, and The Black Cloister won the Foreword magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year.
Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn’t writing, Melanie enjoys teaching both writing and public relations classes.
Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls.
Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com.
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