Video Description: Author Martha Hall Kelly sits down to talk about her second novel, “Lost Roses,” a prequel to her popular true story, “Lilac Girls,” set in WWII Nazi Germany. Hall-Kelly writes about the unspeakable atrocities against Polish Catholic women and efforts by a real-life American actress to help them. Intrigued by “Lilac Girls” heroine, Caroline Ferriday, Hall Kelly delves into Caroline’s equally inspiring mother, Eliza in “Lost Roses.” She follows the lives of three resilient Russian women who lost everything in WWI and Eliza’s efforts to help them to freedom. Hear how Hall-Kelly crafts her characters and details about her upcoming third novel, set in the Civil War.

• Use the video in conjunction with a student activity that has them writing stories in the historic fiction genre. What insights do they gain from the authors and the discussion of the genre that they can use as they write their own stories?
• Use the video in conjunction with a student activity that has them focusing on character development. What insights from the author can they use as they develop characters in their own stories?