A historical fiction novel told from the perspective of a son fighting on the battlefields of Europe during World War II and his mother, struggling with worry and uncertainty as she tries to maintain a normal, happy Christmas holiday
Norma Hayes has always tried to make Christmas special for her family, but 1944 will make that more difficult with money being tight and wartime rationing making everything hard to come by. Aware of his mother’s hardships and the worry from having her eldest son at war, Norma’s second son, Dennis, is determined to buy his mother a special gift this Christmas: a lavender blue dress he hopes will bring her comfort.
Meanwhile, on a battlefield far from home in Holland, Norma’s soldier son catches a familiar scent of lavender, which briefly transports him back to the homefront and to the perfume scent his mother wore, giving him a short respite and reuniting the family once again—if only in his imagination.
Dean Hughes is a bestselling and prolific writer who published his hundredth book in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Weber State College and master’s degree and PhD from the University of Washington. He has attended post-doctoral seminars at Stanford and Yale Universities and taught English at Central Missouri State University and Brigham Young University.
Kirby Heyborne has received critical acclaim for his starring role in the award-winning World War II drama Saints and Soldiers. He has had starring roles in eight other features and two short films and has also appeared on the WB's Everwood and many national commercials. He has garnered rave reviews for his narration over the years and is considered one of the finest narrators working today.