Online for Authors Episode 12-28-24

​Captured Moments: A Choice Between Dreams and Duty with Author Melissa Clark Bacon

Guest host Carole O’Neill’s guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Melissa Clark Bacon, author of the book Through Her Lens. Melissa took her first photo with her grandfather’s Kodak instamatic camera, complete with a bluecoat flashcube. By high school, she transitioned to 35mm black and white film and a PentaxK-1000. When the four corners of single silver gelatin prints she made constrained her storytelling, she moved to collections of images and finally to the written word.

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I'm thrilled to share a fascinating journey today - diving into the incredible world of Melissa Clark Bacon, a photographer turned novelist who's uncovered a remarkable piece of World War II history that's been hiding in plain sight.

Imagine this: It's World War II, and while most stories focus on battlefield heroics, Melissa's novel explores Operation Crossbow - a critical reconnaissance mission that could have changed the entire course of the war. Her protagonist, Millie, is a pioneering female photographer documenting top-secret German rocket technology that threatened to devastate Britain.

What makes this story extraordinary? 
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• Women were specifically recruited for reconnaissance because of their "attention to detail"
  
• They used innovative stereoscopic photography techniques to create 3D maps
  
• Female photographers like Millie were instrumental in identifying potential threats

Melissa's journey from professional photographer to novelist is itself a compelling narrative. She transitioned from analog film to digital photography, always seeking to maintain the "hand's touch" in her creative work - even incorporating embroidery into her photographic process!

Her next project? Exploring women's roles during Prohibition as unexpected whiskey runners and drivers. Talk about untold stories! Want to dive deeper? Continue the book talk at Novels N Latte Book Club for your chance to win a copy of Melissa's book!

Purchase Through Her Lens on Amazon:
Paperback:https://amzn.to/3Zl9niI
Ebook: https://amzn.to/3OprZI6

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.