May. 14th, 2020

ewein2412: (verity text)
Welcome to #TheEnigmaGame virtual launch party and giveaway!



Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in the UK on 14 May 2020, The Enigma Game is a World War II thriller set in the world of Code Name Verity. If you’re familiar with that world, you’ll be familiar with Jamie Beaufort-Stuart, now flying Blenheim bombers, and Ellen McEwen, working as a driver for the Royal Air Force.



But you can pick up The Enigma Game without ever having read any of my other books. This one introduces teen Louisa Adair, half Jamaican and half English, as a major new character and narrator. Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen come together on a remote airfield in Scotland in the winter of 1940-41 to do some unexpected code-breaking that allows them to remain a few steps ahead of the enemy – but that enemy is closing in on them.


Where:

Here on my blog, on Twitter ([personal profile] ewein2412), on Facebook (Elizabeth Wein), and on Instagram (ewein2412) – but also at my front and back gates! I have a few signed copies to give away, so if you’re on your daily walk in Perth, stop by and pick one up. I’ve made bookmarks, too. Take a selfie and post it to show you’ve gone to a book launch today!



From 7- 7.30 pm BST I'll be discussing the book with Sara Barnard on Twitter to celebrate the launch. Join us there!



Guests of Honour

Meet some of the real life airmen and women who inspired The Enigma Game</>!

The Caribbean women who served in World War II

Wonderful Pathe footage of aircrew and planes at a Bristol Blenheim bomber station in 1940. It really gets to me how young these airmen are.

Lilian Bader, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force

Alastair Panton, Blenheim bomber pilot


Refreshments

Contraband butter from the Isle of Man, a pint of heavy if you’re of age (a wee dram of whisky will cost you two and six), spam sandwiches, or ersatz coffee. Louisa has decided not to drink any more coffee till the war is over or she goes back to Jamaica, whichever comes first.

You might also enjoy a PIMMS, which is what Jamie's flight section is named after.




Entertainment

Here I am reading a sneak peek from The Enigma Game! Thanks to Porter Square Books in Boston, Massachusetts, for originally publishing this video.



We're also running a blog tour all through this week and next. Feel free to stop by!



Here are links to some of my guest posts:

'Louisa Adair Takes to the Sky'

'Flying & Factories: Women & War'

I've also got an interview about The Enigma Game posted at School Zone on Readingzone.com.

'Perception and Belonging'

Music is so important to Louisa – and to the airmen she plays for sometimes. Here are a few of the dance tunes they listen to:


'Moonglow' – Cab Calloway




'Jitterbug' – Cab Calloway




And Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture' – it’s in the book trailer (above), too. It’s an orchestral piece, but I chose this amazing piano (8-hands) version because Felix Baer, the German pilot in The Enigma Game, plays it on the piano and makes Louisa cry.




'Ave Maria' – Music by Bach and Gounod. Johanna von Arnim is the stage name of the old woman Louisa cares for, and this 'Ave Maria' is her first record. I couldn’t find a recording of a mezzo soprano in her mid-50s made in about 1915, so I went for Maria Callas.




And of course, there's 'The Spitfire Song'!




Oh – and if you're looking for entertainment - how about a ride in a Bristol Blenheim bomber?


Ready to leave?

If you’re heading out, here are some virtual museum exhibits that might interest you:

The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre: Not far from the imaginary RAF Windyedge, RAF Montrose in Scotland was Britain’s first military aerodrome, opening in 1913 for the use of the Royal Flying Corps.

Pilots of the Caribbean: Volunteers of African Heritage in the Royal Air Force

Here’s the actual plane that inspired the German defectors in The Enigma Game, among the RAF Museum’s online collection.

And while you’re at it, take a virtual visit to the pub and the airbase that helped me visualize the setting for The Enigma Game: The Blue Bell Inn, Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England. (If you scroll through the picture gallery, you’ll find shots of the airmen’s coins stuck in the pub beams.)


Giveaway! (Ends 22 May 2020)

If you can’t stop by my back gate, I’ll post out three signed copies (international as long as your postal service is currently receiving mail from the UK – please do check if you’re not sure). To enter, please comment and let me know why you’re looking forward to The Enigma Game!


Mission:

And finally, here’s your War Work. Sometime in the next week, if you’re interested and able, order a book from your local bookstore or buy one on line. Then Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, comment on Goodreads, or blog about your purchase, using the tag #TheEnigmaGame – and ask your friends to stop by here.

From your couch to the front lines, spread the word about the giveaway, and above all, enjoy!

You can buy The Enigma Game here.



Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the party - and that you enjoy the book!

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