Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Canadian author and I set my novels here. When I first attempted to write a book, I chose historical fiction because I thought it would be easier to get my characters into trouble—without cell phones and other modern conveniences to bail them out. I wasn’t wrong. However, the research involved with writing good historical fiction soon gave me a whole new appreciation for the genre and I was hooked. I find the WWII era far enough in the past to provide historical insight into humanity’s many weaknesses and strengths, yet near enough to make it relatable. I’ve been thrilled with the feedback on my faith-based stories.


I wrote

Rose Among Thornes

By Terrie Todd,

Book cover of Rose Among Thornes

What is my book about?

When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairies to work…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of All the Light We Cannot See

Terrie Todd Why did I love this book?

Similar to my own book, this book explores a relationship between two people on different sides of the war. Marie-Laure is a blind girl living in Nazi-occupied Paris and must live with a reclusive great-uncle in a tall house by the sea, guarding a valuable gemstone. Meanwhile, a German orphan named Werner is forced into the Hitler Youth, where his talent with radios is discovered, plunging him into service across enemy lines. I could not put this book down as the characters’ journeys collided in a heart-wrenching story of love, devotion, and compassion.

By Anthony Doerr,

Why should I read it?

47 authors picked All the Light We Cannot See as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION

A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II

Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.'

For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic…


Book cover of The Nightingale

Terrie Todd Why did I love this book?

I’ve only published one split-time novel to date, but it remains my most popular. If you adore split-time as well, you’ll love how Kristin Hannah keeps the contemporary portions of The Nightingale a mystery throughout, as you wonder which of the two sisters remains to receive recognition for her contribution during WWII. I loved the contrast between Isabelle and Vianne—one bold and wild, the other cautious and responsible—but both prove themselves irrefutably courageous in the face of impossible odds. Though technically on the same side of the war, their approach to it could not be more different. The story provided a unique and eye-opening glimpse into the horrors faced by average French citizens during the occupation by the Nazis. 

By Kristin Hannah,

Why should I read it?

29 authors picked The Nightingale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale is a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.

This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II when women's stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.

Kristin Hannah's…


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Book cover of The Forest Knights

The Forest Knights By J. K. Swift,

The greatest underdog story of the medieval age.

A wild land too mountainous to be tamed by plows. A duke of the empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambitions. A young priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests.…

Book cover of Snow on the Tulips

Terrie Todd Why did I love this book?

I love how Tolsma sets up a very believable story of a Dutch war widow who ends up harboring a wounded Resistance worker. Although saving him means risking everything and although liberation is within sight, Cornelia’s faith won’t allow her to turn the man out. Fearing their story will end before it even begins, she must make an impossible choice between relative safety for her brother and herself, or joining Gerrit in the Resistance. I learned so much about what the Dutch went through during WWII.

By Liz Tolsma,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Snow on the Tulips as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A stranger's life hangs in the balance. But to save him is to risk everything.

The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she's endured, war widow Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding.

When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, to Cornelia's doorstep, their ives are forever altered. Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia's faith won't let her turn him out.

As she…


Book cover of Come from Away

Terrie Todd Why did I love this book?

Obviously, I love that this book is set in Canada, like all my own novels. A little-known story coming out of Nova Scotia involves Nazi sailors leaving their U-Boat one evening, on a bet, to attend a small-town dance without their identity being discovered. Graham has artfully taken this possibility on its ultimate “what-if?” journey. What if one of those sailors didn’t make it back to his submarine before it blew up, killing everyone aboard? What if he found a deserted trapper’s cabin to hole up in? What if he met a young Canadian woman whose three brothers were serving overseas? Isn’t it a tantalizing setup? Graham totally delivers in this page-turner.

By Genevieve Graham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Come from Away as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of Tides of Honour and Promises to Keep comes a poignant novel about a young couple caught on opposite sides of the Second World War.

In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker’s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about “wolf packs” of German U-Boats lurking…


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Book cover of Sor Juana, My Beloved

Sor Juana, My Beloved By MaryAnn Shank,

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, this brilliant 17th century nun flew through Mexico City on the breeze of poetry and philosophy. She met with princes of the Church, and with the royalty of Spain and Mexico. Then she met a stunning, powerful woman with lavender eyes, la Vicereine Maria…

Book cover of All We Left Behind

Terrie Todd Why did I love this book?

Of all my choices, this book is the most like mine in that it involves a Japanese-Canadian family removed from their home in British Columbia and forced into an internment camp during WWII. Hayden and Chidori are in love. But after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Chidori and her family are seen as the enemy. Longing more than anything to help them, Hayden joins the Royal Canadian Air Force believing it’s the swiftest way to bring the war to an end. Thoughts of Chidori are all that keep him alive. You’ll learn so much history as you absorb this story and cheer for its valiant characters.

By Danielle R. Graham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All We Left Behind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

'Heart-wrenching. Emotional. A powerful story of wartime love and devotion' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan

A powerful and incredibly moving historical novel inspired by an untold story of the Second World War.

Vancouver 1941

As the war rages around the world, Hitler's fury is yet to be felt on the peaceful shores of Mayne Island. Sweethearts Hayden and Chidori are in love.

But everything changes after Pearl Harbor.

Now seen as the enemy, Chidori and her family are forced into an internment camp. Powerless to help them, Hayden joins the air…


Explore my book 😀

Rose Among Thornes

By Terrie Todd,

Book cover of Rose Among Thornes

What is my book about?

When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairies to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, budding pianist Rose Onishi’s dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war or surviving the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep. Can Rose and Rusty overcome betrayal and open their hearts? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?

Book cover of All the Light We Cannot See
Book cover of The Nightingale
Book cover of Snow on the Tulips

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Book cover of Aftermath: Into the Unknown

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