Four yearsago, in January 2021, I published my first historical novel. Now, four yearslater, I’m beginning to write my seventh book. But today, I want to talk aboutthat first book I wrote, The Girl Under the Flag.

Every timeI start writing a book, I invest considerable time in choosing the supportingcharacters and their names. I try to link each character’s personality withtheir name; the meaning, the sound, and whether I want the reader to love orperhaps hate them. I imagine what the reader will think of the character whenthey first encounter their name.

Only afterI’ve named the supporting characters and developed their descriptions do Ibegin writing the book. There’s logic in this; after all, these characters,alongside historical events, will either help the heroine progress through theplot or try to harm her.

I don’tname all supporting characters. Those who appear only briefly remain anonymous,with the heroine referring to them by their profession or role in the story:the soldier, the baker, the train conductor. However, in my first book, TheGirl Under the Flag, one nameless character stands apart. I deliberatelychose not to give him a name.

He doesn’tappear throughout the entire story, but precisely because of his anonymity, heare my favorite character in the whole book, second only to the main heroine,Monique.

The GirlUnder the Flag isset during World War II and the Holocaust in France. While it’s true that manyFrench people collaborated with the Nazis, a lesser-known fact is that evenmore French people helped Jews.

Seventypercent of French Jewry survived World War II, with French farmers hiding Jewsin villages and farms, in monasteries, and in their homes.

By comparison, only ten percent of DutchJewry survived the Holocaust.

Theanonymous character in my book is a market merchant, dressed in dirty clothesand smelling of cabbage. He is a simple man, yet he saves Monique twice andprotects her life. To me, his character symbolizes the French nation during thewar. Despite being conquered by the Nazis, and without glory, France saved somany Jews.

Today,exactly eighty years ago, the Russian army liberated Auschwitz, and the worldobserves International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In honor of all the anonymouspeople who saved Jews, The Girl Under the Flag will be free on Kindletoday. You’re invited to download and read it.

Thank you

Alex Amit