Lisa Barr sets the bar...plus a book giveaway

We are so excited to have Lisa Barr back at CLC today to celebrate the publication of her latest epic historical fiction novel, The Goddess of Warsaw. Melissa read it recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can see what she thought at her Bookstagram and she'll be reviewing soon, as well. We had a quick chat with Lisa and really enjoyed reading her answers to our questions. Thanks to HarperCollins, we have one copy to give away!

Lisa Barr is the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of WOMAN ON FIRE, THE UNBREAKABLES, and the award-winning historical thriller FUGITIVE COLORS. 

In addition, Lisa served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and as an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous “handshake” between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House.

Lisa has been featured on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. In exciting book news: Actress Sharon Stone is set to produce and star in the film adaptation of WOMAN ON FIRE. Lisa lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three daughters. (Bio adapted from Lisa's website.)

Visit Lisa online:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:

Los Angeles, 2005. Sienna Hayes, Hollywood’s latest It Girl, has ambitions to work behind the camera. When she meets Lena Browning, the enormously mysterious and famous Golden Age movie star, Sienna sees her big break. She wants to direct a picture about Lena’s life—but the legendary actor’s murky past turns out to be even darker than Sienna dreamed. Before she was a Living Legend, Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew whose life and family were destroyed by the Nazis.

Warsaw, 1943. A member of the city’s Jewish elite, Bina Blonski and her husband, Jakub, are imprisoned in the ghastly, cramped ghetto along with the rest of Warsaw’s surviving Jews. Determined to fight back against the brutal Nazis, the beautiful, blonde Aryan-looking Bina becomes a spy, gaining information and stealing weapons outside the ghetto to protect her fellow Jews. But her dangerous circumstances grow complicated when she falls in love with Aleksander, an ally in resistance—and Jakub’s brother. While Lena accomplishes amazing feats of bravery, she sacrifices much in the process.

Over a decade after escaping the horrors of the ghetto, Bina, now known as Lena, rises to fame in Hollywood. Yet she cannot help but be reminded of her old life and hungers for revenge against the Nazis who escaped justice after the war. Her power and fame as a movie star offer Lena the chance to right the past’s wrongs . . . and perhaps even find the happy ending she never had.

A gripping page-turner of one of history’s most heroic uprisings and an actress whose personal war never ends, The Goddess Of Warsaw is filled with secrets, lies, twists and turns, and a burning pursuit of justice no matter the cost. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Utterly gripping, The Goddess of Warsaw is a transformative and immersive story so powerful and captivating that I could not put it down. Rarely does a protagonist leap off the page and win over the heart like the unforgettable Bina Blonski. Truly one of the best books I’ve read.” 

— Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

"With its well-crafted plot, memorable characters, and a captivating blend of history and fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw is an enthralling page-turner that keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." 

— Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

"Utterly spellbinding and wholly unputdownable, Lisa Barr's latest historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw, is a dazzling tour de force that grabbed me from the first line and wouldn't let me go until I raced through its final, pulse-pounding pages."

— May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
A compliment that I received just yesterday from a book reviewer. She wrote, "The Goddess of Warsaw is the best piece of Holocaust fiction I’ve read … Lisa Barr knocked it out of the park."  

Yes … This, of course, made me feel great BUT the part that really made me tear up is this: "In a world filled with so much hate these days, I keep thinking about your quote for your protagonist, the legendary actress Lena Browning, as you highlighted her courage and perseverance. She tells the young actress (who is directing a film of her life):  'Scared? Hah! Fear is the heart of the whole damn story, young lady. I learned long ago that the secret to fighting back is to become empowered. If you run on fear, you lose, period.' Thank you for your powerful words – it’s a reminder for me to channel my own fear into empowerment to make this world a better place."  I read this, and BAM --  Mushball Central. 

 
What is one thing you'd tell the debut novelist version of yourself?
Don’t worry … it will happen. Keep following your passion. Stay in your lane. The ‘No’s” will one day turn into a big fat YES. Believe in yourself, write what you love, and I promise, you will get there. 
 
What is something you learned from writing your other novels that you applied to The Goddess of Warsaw?  

Righting the wrongs of history … that’s what I’m about, that’s what ALL my books are about. It’s about never giving up …a fight to the finish line. Those are the characters I gravitate toward – both in my book life and REAL life --  especially fierce and fiery women faced with AGAINST-ALL-ODDS scenarios with a choice: SINK OR SWIM . I choose SWIM for my own life and all my characters every single time..  I choose rising instead of falling, but like all of us –like LIFE itself-- nothing good comes easy. There are no straight lines, and I always find the road less traveled the most interesting to read and to write. My stories never  tie up in a pretty bow … but always, always … my books will leave you with HOPE. 
 
And just for fun, if your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
It’s a toss-up between Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis. Ladies, how ‘bout it? 

Thanks to Lisa for chatting with us and to HarperCollins for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends June 2nd at midnight EST.

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