An excerpt from Behind the Lines:
A Chance Meeting
of a Businessman and an Abbé
During the
morning of Thursday, August 20, 1914, on a hill within a newly built suburb east of
Brussels, a small crowd of neighbors and passersby gathered. Such a coming
together normally would have been filled with greetings, handshakes, embraces,
and conversations, but that day nearly everyone stood silent and still. Those
who did talk did so in frightened and anxious whispers. Parents held tightly to
their children.
They had come to
watch the beast enter their city. Off in the distance they saw the long, waving
line of soldiers marching resolutely along “like some monstrous grey reptile.”
The head had long since passed from view, moving with relentless resolve toward
the heart of the Belgian capital, while the end was miles away.
 | |
| The German army marching into Brussels. |
Standing in the
small crowd on the hillside, watching this spectacle of massive force, were two
men who were nearly a head taller than those around them. Neither man would
ever have thought that a few inches of height would make the difference between
life and death for people they had not
yet met, nor give hope to an entire nation. History would say otherwise.
Eugene van Doren
was “for a Belgian . . . uncommonly tall,” slim, and with sloping shoulders. He
had a scholarly look that was accented by close-cropped hair and pince-nez
(glasses with a nose clip rather than ear pieces). At thirty-eight years old,
with a wife and five young children, van Doren was a successful cardboard
manufacturer with strongly held political beliefs. His blue eyes “were mild and
thoughtful, but . . . they quickly reflect his feelings and occasionally flash
with unexpected fire. His mouth, extremely mobile, smiles easily, and he has a
ready laugh, when his eyes gleam boyishly.” Altogether, he was a passionate,
enthusiastic man who was never afraid to show both.
Standing not far
away, the Abbé Vincent de Moor, vicar of the nearby Church of Saint Albert, was
“no ordinary priest.” He was “broad-minded, iron-willed, fearless and as strong
as a horse,” with black hair and the “jawof a fighter. There was devil in his dark
eyes and his mouth was like a steel trap. But the hard mouth frequently
softened into a broad smile which, with the twinkling eyes, gave the aggressive
features an unexpected and wholly attractive gaiety.” That day, no doubt, de Moor’s
jaw was set, and his mouth was tightly resolute.
If not for their
height, the two men might have missed sharing a look of disgust and anger.
Though they had never met, van Doren was compelled by the moment of eye contact
to move through the crowd and introduce himself to the priest. “In that chance
meeting van Doren found the man who was to become one of his staunchest allies
and a life-long friend.” And, together, they would accomplish the nearly impossible,
all the while bedeviling the German civilian government, generating a
50,000-franc reward for their capture, and creating an obsession to stop them
in the mind of the German governor general of Belgium, Baron Moritz Ferdinand
von Bissing, a seventy-year-old Prussian officer.
But their actions
would also lead ultimately to the imprisonment of many and the execution of
some, including a heroic twenty-three-year old Belgian girl, Gabrielle Petit,
who gave up a chance for freedom and said good-bye to her fiancé so she could
work for their cause. She was to be one of eleven women the Germans tried,
convicted, and executed by firing squad in Belgium during World War I.
My
Post: It’s now mid-February and somehow time has once again
slipped through my fingers like money on pay day. And sadly I don’t have a lot
to show for its passing. It will probably be a few more weeks before I start
writing Book Two—if I do. I feel, however, that there are some acceptable
reasons for not having started the writing process yet.
Research
I’m currently reacquainting myself with the mountains of
research I’ve already done. Since I’ve now identified five sections to Book Two
(see Post #26), I know what files I have to revisit and have begun doing so.
Additionally, I went to Stanford in January and spent three
days at the Hoover Institution Archives doing some fill-in research. Once again
I was helped by David Jacobs and Carol Leadenham (thank you!). I came across
some wonderful new stories that I can’t wait to tell in Book Two and/or Book
Three.
I also rehired Wesley Beck to do some research at the
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. He’s already turned in his work (thanks,
Wes!) and I’ve started reviewing that.
Book
Promotions
While I’m trying to focus on writing Book Two, I need to continue
to promote Behind the Lines and the proposed series. This includes sending
out review copies, looking for new avenues of exposure, and querying
traditional book agents and book publishers to see if they’re interested in
handling Book Two and Book Three. I’m happy to report that through the kindness
of two friends, Behind the Lines is now
in the hands of a couple of movie-related people in Hollywood. I have no idea
where those leads might take me and the book, but I’m open to anything!
Personal
Appearances & Talk Shows
As my wife will tell you, I’m a ham at heart. I’d never turn
down an opportunity to take the stage, no matter how small. Because of the book, I’ve been invited to speak at a number of
venues and to a variety of audiences:
* Honors history students at the
University of Denver
* 6th and
7th graders with fellow book author, Paul Aertkers (who wrote a terrific book
for
middle-school kids, Crime Travelers: Brainwashed
at the Ricks Center for
Gifted Students
* 75
patrons of Denver’s famous Tattered Cover Bookstore at a book presentation and
signing
on Jan. 15
* Peter
Boyles Denver radio talk show, Jan. 15. He said I’d be on for about a half
an
hour; he kept me on the air for two hours! You can hear the podcasts of
the
interview
by clicking here.
* Stu
Taylor’s national radio show on Jan. 27, which was syndicated to 16 U.S.
cities.
Surgery
– ouch!
On my birthday, Dec. 27, 2014, I discovered a rather
unpleasant present—a hernia. I postponed the inevitable surgery until after my
research trip to Stanford and a visit to my sick sister in Portland, Oregon. I
went under the knife this past Monday, Feb. 9, and am still in recovery mode.
It hasn’t been too painful, but it still has taken my focus off the book.
To
Write or Not to Write
As my friends and family know, I spent $35,000 of my
retirement savings during the two years it took to research and write Behind
the Lines. This does not include my everyday living expenses (which
also came out of my retirement savings).
Now I’m faced with a dilemma: On one hand, my retirement savings cannot afford to have me
write and publish Book Two and Book Three. On the other, I can’t seem to bring myself to abandon this
incredible story that all Americans should hear.
You can probably understand why I feel a little like a
push-pull-me toy.
I am continuing to try multiple avenues for possible
financing, from the above-mentioned querying of agents and publishers, to
crowdfunding on Kickstarter (failed), to requesting a grant from the
CRB-founded Belgian American Educational Foundation, (no
word yet), to selling translation rights, etc.
I’m currently stumbling along, continuing the research and
planning to start writing soon in hope that something will come through.
Anyone out there who’s reading this, please keep your
fingers crossed! This great American story of humanitarian aid needs to be told.
I’ll keep you updated here on what happens.
End of Post.
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