In an interview for DYI-MFA, a "show that will help you write more, write better, write smarter," Georgia discusses how to craft suspense, how to draw the line between fiction and non-fiction, and much more. Listen to the conversation here.
Read MoreFor the February 2018 release of We Were the Lucky Ones in Israel, Maariv magazine interviewed Georgia. "I wanted future generations to be able to pick up the book and understand from a personal, human perspective what their ancestors endured in order for us to be here today." For any readers of Hebrew, here's the full article.
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones was inspired, in part, by a high school "I-Search" project. In last month's Cupola magazine, put out by her alma mater, Moses Brown, Georgia talks about the discoveries she made thanks to that project, and about the journey to unearth and record her family history that followed.
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones has turned out to be a book club favorite. In this 3-minute video interview, Georgia reflects on her own book club experiences. If you or your book group would like some questions and topics for discussion, help yourself to the Reader’s Guide.
Read MoreIn advance of Georgia's talk at Interabang Books in Dallas, podcast host Jack Freeman asked her to reflect on the historical context of We Were the Lucky Ones, with thought-provoking questions such as "To what extent are the characters of the story agents of history, and in what ways are they the recipients of history?" Listen…
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones is featured as a "Best New Book" in the January 29, 2018, issue of People: "The author researched the experiences of her own forebears to write this gripping, emotional novel..."
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones just came out in paperback, landing at Number 3 on Publishers Weekly Bestsellers List. The PW review calls the book an "extraordinarily moving tale."
Read MoreThe Jewish Book Council has selected We Were the Lucky Ones as a 2017 National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in its Book Club Award category. Rachel Sara Rosenthal wrote the review for the Council. The awards followed a busy season of author talks and readings around the country, sponsored by the Council, for which Georgia also…
Read MoreKicking off the national tour for the paperback edition of We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia was interviewed on CBS’s News 8 Morning Extra program in San Diego. Watch the 5-minute feature.
Read MoreOne day after the paperback release of We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia fielded 15 interviews on podcasts and radio broadcasts across the country, including live programs such as The McGraw Show out of St. Louis, MO, and The Mountain Life out of Park City, UT. Get the Funk Out in Los Angeles posted an in-depth…
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones, an "epic historical novel," was Costco's Pennie's Pick for January. Thank you, Costco, and thank you, Pennie, for the honor!
Read MorePennie's Pick is Costco's monthly book feature - and for January 2018, Pennie writes, "First-time novelist Georgia Hunter delivers just the kind of story I love..." Hope Katz Gibbs reviews the "epic historical novel" as an Arts & Entertainment feature in the Costco Connection.
Read MoreIn advance of her upcoming appearances in La Jolla, CA, Georgia Hunter was interviewed by The San Diego Jewish World about We Were the Lucky Ones. The review concludes: "In short, this is a wonderful novel, filled with courage, honor, and uprightness, even in the worst of times. For anyone who wants to be uplifted by…
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones is coming out in paperback on January 2, 2018, and is available for pre-order! National book tour to follow - click here for dates, locations, and updates.
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones is a 2017 favorite in the Prose & Pastime online book club. "Occasionally, you find a book that moves you, that stays with you, that demands you share it. A story that is simultaneously heart wrenching and gratifying. One that is too unlikely to be true, yet it is true. We Were the Lucky Ones is that…
Read MoreRansom at six months, enjoying a warm October day in Rowayton's Pinkney Park Well hello! It's been a while. I left you last in March, at the tail end of my book tour, and (in case the photos didn't give it away) seven months pregnant. I had grand plans to circle…
Read MoreFor the literary site Running 'n Reading, November 2017 is non-fiction month. As part of this deep dive, the editors chose Goodreads Finalist We Were the Lucky Ones to pair with its non-fiction selection, The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan, also set in World War II and highly researched. Although told from different perspectives, both books are lauded as…
Read MoreThe 20 titles on this year's list were chosen "on the basis of their appeal to reading groups, which seek books that open up lively conversations about a myriad of timely and provocative and diverse topics, from the intimate dynamics of family and personal relationships to major cultural and world issues." According to Shelf Awareness,…
Read More"This heart-stopping yet heartwarming story of the Kurc family ebbs and flows beautifully, but always leaves the reader with the desire to keep going, keep turning the pages...I came away with a greater understanding [of the Holocaust]...and I also walked away with a new sense of, and pride in, the human spirit." --more from Historical Fiction…
Read MoreEven though it's early, this year is already jam-packed with winners: spellbinding author-narrated memoirs, poignant and timely young adult novels, captivating original productions, and more. Explore some of the best audiobooks of the year so far across your favorite genres, plus...the books listeners like you have been wishing for the most this year. --Audible, June…
Read MoreGeorgia Hunter (We Were the Lucky Ones) and Jillian Cantor (The Lost Letter) share their insights on the intricacies of writing historical fiction: One of my absolute favorite genres to read is historical fiction. I loved being transported to a different time and place and I enjoy combining learning something new with falling in love with…
Read More"If you love historical fiction and are looking for a new author to read, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest recent historical fiction debuts. Featuring new releases from first-time novelists, these reads will transport you from Civil War America to 1970s South Korea." --BookBub
Read MoreKim Berns and Meredith Bach of WGCH radio (out of Greenwich, Connecticut) talk shop with Georgia Hunter about the process of unearthing, recording, and publishing her historical novel, We Were the Lucky Ones:
Read MoreGeorgia Hunter speaks about the research and inspiration behind We Were the Lucky Ones on April 4, 2017, at the Chappaqua Public Library in Chappaqua, New York.
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Greetings, and happy Spring! (Does a snowy April still count as Spring??) Outside the Moveable Feast presentation on Pawley's Island, SC, with my mother, Isabelle I thought I'd send an update to fill you in on what's been shaking in the world of We Were the Lucky Ones. I hit the…
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It's been six weeks since the launch of We Were the Lucky Ones---a milestone made all the more monumental by the photos that flooded my inbox in the days that followed---photos of friends with the book in their laps at the beach, on an airplane, at home cozied up on the couch; photos of the U.K. edition spotted at Waterstones in London…
Read MoreVirginia Magazine highlights We Were the Lucky Ones as one of six New & Noteworthy new books from alumni and faculty:
Read More"...a striking re-creation of the breathtaking courage of an ordinary family inspired by their deep love for one another" --Anne Garvey of the Jewish Chronicle
Read More"Brace yourself. I am about to introduce you to the next big thing in literature, Georgia Hunter. Her first novel, We Were the Lucky Ones, is already receiving fantastic reviews. And having read an advanced proof I can tell you first hand that is is exquisitely written and heartbreakingly good. It took Georgia almost a decade to…
Read MoreMost writers are terrified of the blank page. Not the Hunters, the father-daughter duo and former East Siders who know how to spin a yarn and then some... --Elizabeth Rau of the East Side Monthly
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones ranked #18 on the Indie Bestseller list for hardcover fiction!
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"Thirty-thousand Jews lived in the town of Radom, Poland, at the start of World War II, a number that would shrink to fewer than 300. One of many, the Kurc family is ripped apart as one sibling tries to flee Europe, another is forced into exile and others hide as gentiles in plain sight."--New York…
Read More“Turning history into fiction can be tricky, especially when using real names and details. Hunter finesses the challenge. Her novel brings the Kurcs to life in heart-pounding detail, from passionate young love and beloved traditions to narrow escapes, heartbreaking choices, starvation, imprisonment and torture. We come to care deeply about the fate of each of…
Read More"...We Were the Lucky Ones serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit and ingenuity. It, and accounts like it, should form the basis of what we understand about the Holocaust--it’s all very well reading dry, academic texts about what happened, but the lived experience of that dreadful time is so much…
Read More"There are many lessons to be learned from reading this book other than how people cope with great sadness. It is about resilience, the strength of the human spirit, family, and love. Hunter is a writer to watch." ---more from Bookworming Tonight
Read More"I thought hard about penning my book as nonfiction--I’d done all of the research; the facts were there--but in the end I decided I wanted the story to feel immersive, visceral. I wanted it to read like a novel, not a history book. Whether creating your own work of historical fiction or simply curious about…
Read More"Maybe it's the foreboding sense of uncertainty in the current political climate, or maybe it's the countless hours in the last decade I've spent thinking about what it means to be a refugee...whatever the reason, I'm haunted now not only by what the Kurcs endured, but by the fact that around the world today, hundreds…
Read MoreHidden in a Stash of Old Letters, a Grandfather I Never Knew "Nine years ago on a rainy day in January, I sat down with a binder full of condolence letters my mother had saved after my grandfather died. I remember the day well, as I had circled it on my calendar as the one on which…
Read More"I left Radom understanding why my great-grandparents had decided to raise a family there – the city was quaint, liveable; I appreciated its understated, small-town vibe. But I couldn’t help but also feel the presence of the 30,000 Jews who had once inhabited the city (a community that was reduced to fewer than 300 by…
Read More"The story that so grippingly comes across in the pages of We Were the Lucky Ones isn't strictly fiction—the characters and events that inhabit this Holocaust survival story are based on her family's own history." --Newsweek Magazine
Read MoreHonored to speak with Robin Kall on Pub Day about the research and writing of We Were the Lucky Ones. Listen here!
Read More"Although Hunter has been researching, interviewing and writing for several years, this novel seems quite timely; it is a heartbreakingly realistic reminder that we all share the same desires, the same needs, the same humanity. It is also a reminder that the most horrifying, traumatic experiences of our lives never leave us; rather, they become…
Read More"Hunter did a masterful job at keeping the story moving along, making it feel like a “quick read” in a page-turning sense, even though it’s not a short or light book. Rather than the war itself, the story is more about what life was like during the war for a Polish Jewish family and Hunter’s…
Read MoreCool Material recommends We Were the Lucky Ones as one of 11 New Books You Should Read in 2017: "Most of the time, when we talk about the horrors of the Holocaust, we do so with sweeping statements and big picture statistics. We don’t actually dive into the minutiae of what it meant to be one of…
Read MoreQuiet Fury Books reviews We Were the Lucky Ones: [Hunter] puts us there, in the heart of the Holocaust, from beginning to end. She lets us feel what the characters felt. She shows us what they see. Her research is impeccable...This book is powerful, aching heartbreak wrapped up in hope and love, and tied together with beautiful writing."
Read MoreWaterstones highlights We Were the Lucky Ones, to be released February 14 in the UK by Allison & Busby "When I was fifteen years old, a year after my grandfather had passed away, my high school English teacher assigned our class an “I-Search” project – a study in looking back at our roots. I sat down with my…
Read More"WWII and its heartbreaking history have served as the backdrop to some of my all-time favorite novels (Code Name Verity, The Nightingaleto name a few). It is in these dark times that we search most desperately for a person’s humanity – and these stories all share incredibly brave, yet incredibly human, characters. Georgia Hunter’s debut novel We…
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Believe it or not, in less than two weeks, We Were the Lucky Ones will be out for the world to read. To the family and friends who have cheered wholeheartedly (and waited patiently) throughout this near-decade-long journey, and to the teams at The Book Group and at Viking that have offered immeasurable support and guidance along the road to publication –…
Read MoreThe Historical Novel Society calls We Were the Lucky Ones “an amazing piece of historical reconstruction, expertly translated into fiction . . . The novel is full of tangible details but has thriller-style pacing. Reading it is a consuming experience.”
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones is selected by Harpers Bazaar as one of 14 Books You Need to Read in February…"a tale of resilience and commitment to one another amidst the direst of obstacles."
Read MoreWe Were the Lucky Ones is picked by Glamour as one of the Best Books to Read in 2017! “Based on a true story, this novel tells the tale of how the Polish, Jewish Kurc family was separated by World War Two and eventually found its way back together, traveling across continents and years and through all manner…
Read MoreBustle includes We Were the Lucky Ones in their “15 New Authors You’re Going to be Obsessed With” roundup! “Based on the true experiences of the author’s grandfather, Georgia Hunter’s debut novel We Were the Lucky Ones tells the gripping and moving story of three generations of one Jewish family, the Kurcs, who are ripped apart at the…
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“We Were the Lucky Ones is the most gripping novel I’ve read in years. Georgia Hunter pulled me into another world, vivid, horrifying, astonishing, and heartbreaking, and I walked with the Kurc family as they traversed the edges of life and death.” —Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of City of Light and And After the Fire.
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“The Austin Adventures experience strikes a perfect balance between the familiar and the exotic, the planned and the impromptu, the challenge and the reward. Because what fun, really, is one without the other?"
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“Explore an eye-popping frontier unchanged since the days of the Klondike Gold Rushers. Embark on a mystical trans-Himalayan trek, reliving the legend of the Second Buddha. Ride horseback across the Chilean/Argentinian border in the hoof prints of General José de San Martin’s Army of the Andes." The Explorer's Passage
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“An extraordinary, propulsive novel based on the true story of a family of Polish Jews who are separated at the start of the Second World War, determined to survive—and to reunite . . . A novel of breathtaking sweep and scope that spans five continents and six years and transports readers from the jazz clubs…
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“Elegantly executed and always clear, Hunter evokes pre-war Poland with loving detail, clearly showing what was left behind and lost . . . We Were the Lucky Ones immediately bring[s] into sharp relief the millions of displaced today: Syrians, Yemeni, Somalians, and others. They, too, are musicians, doctors, sophisticated and well-educated humans, individuals with lives worthy of…
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“Georgia Hunter’s We Were the Lucky Ones is a skillfully woven reimagining of her own family’s struggle for survival during World War II. Hunter takes us from the Polish ghetto to Siberia to Brazil, all with spectacular historical detail. This emotionally resonant, gripping portrait of the war is filled with beautifully drawn and wonderfully heroic characters I…
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“Reading Georgia Hunter’s We Were the Lucky One is like being swung heart first into history. Her engrossing and deeply affecting account of how the Kurc family survive the Holocaust, against every possible odd, will leave you breathless. But the true wonder of the book is how convincingly Hunter inhabits these characters, each modeled after…
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“In her debut novel, We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia Hunter has crafted her own family history into a sprawling, yet still intimate portrait of those swept up in the devastation of war and scattered to the winds. It is an astonishing saga of hope, of luck, of destruction, and most remarkably of love, made all…
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“When Georgia Hunter learns that she is a descendant of large family of Holocaust survivors, she knows that she is destined to be the recorder of their story. This is the result of years of research to gather as much detail about her relatives as she possibly can...an inspiring read, and one that honors the…
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“The story Hunter tells through the eyes of her grandparents, great-grandparents and other relatives is one of amazing endurance, bravery, determination and unwavering love . . . Hunter does an excellent job of bringing history to life . . . conveying the desires and hopes of the Kurcs as they fell in love, got married,…
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“Debut author Hunter excavates the remarkable history of her own family this this chronicle . . . Hunter side-steps hollow sentimentality and nihilism, revealing instead the beautiful complexity and ambiguity of life in this extraordinarily moving novel.” —Publishers Weekly
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“One of my favorite parts about our [Havasu Canyon] hikes was the water crossings. We wore mesh shoes and plodded through knee-deep water that cooled us from bottom up, a welcome reprieve from the canyon’s 105-degree heat."
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Two weeks ago, I had the honor of being invited by Penguin Random House (PRH) to join a panel of six authors with forthcoming titles at an Open Book event in New York. Our assignment, we were told prior to the event, was to speak for ten minutes each about our books to a group of 100 librarians from…
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The novel is based on your grandfather’s family’s experiences in Poland during the Holocaust. Why was this a story you needed to tell? Growing up, I had no idea that [fleeing the Holocaust] was a piece of my grandfather’s past. He had chosen to put it behind him. I discovered it at this age when…
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Fact for first-time authors: if you think your work is complete when you turn in a final round of manuscript edits---think again! We Were the Lucky Ones is officially off to print and somehow the last six weeks have been a whirlwind of book-related events and assignments. The fun began in early October, when Viking organized a media lunch in my honor, inviting literary…
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Last year, Robert and I set off on a weeklong, 685-mile journey through Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria, following in the footsteps of my relatives, who traveled the same path seventy years before. A few weeks ago, we hopped the pond once again to complete a second leg of my family's post-war exodus, this time with our four-and-a-half year old son…
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What a week it's been for We Were the Lucky Ones (and it's only Wednesday!). On Monday I turned in a final round of manuscript revisions---minor catches and tweaks that will help, I hope, to make the book feel more polished---and by final I mean final. As in, the round of revisions I've been looking forward to-slash-dreading…
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We Were the Lucky Ones has a launch date---February 14, 2017---yes, Valentine's Day! The countdown to publication is finally, officially, on. February may feel eons away (especially as we've just dipped our toes into summer), but I've come to realize there will be plenty to report between now and then. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with the publicity and marketing teams at…
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I never would have guessed that the first person I'd share my new working title with (outside of my immediate family) would be Markus Zusak, author of the (mega)bestselling novel, The Book Thief. I had the pleasure of meeting Markus yesterday, at a book signing event in Connecticut. The Book Thief, narrated by none other than death…
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It's hard to believe that over two months have passed since Robert and I set off for Warsaw. Our Eternal Quest, as we dubbed it, left me energized and eager to get back to the book, which is lucky; on returning I received a new round of feedback from my editor, Sarah. I knew this round would be more specific than the last, and I'd be lying if…
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The other day, when it registered that Wyatt would be starting school in a couple of weeks, I realized just how much of this summer has been devoted to The Eternal Ones. In some ways, it's as if I've been living two parallel lives---one in the moment, and one in an alternate universe, seventy years in the past. July was…
Read MoreEarlier this month, my agent deemed my manuscript polished enough to pitch to publishing houses. "I think we're ready for primetime," Brettne said. I agreed reluctantly---even after our latest round of revisions, I still felt the pressing need to tinker, to make it better. But it was time, Brettne assured me, to let it go. Brettne pitched The Eternal Ones to over a…
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The agent search, as any first-time author will tell you, is daunting. It requires an ungodly amount of due diligence, and a hearty dose of self-esteem. Rejections are inevitable; it can take months, years even, for a literary agent to bite. And so, when my editor Jane and I put together an A-list of names to query about my manuscript, I was…
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I'd like to begin with a shout-out to my followers (yes, you!)---I don't check my site stats all that often, but I've been putting together agent queries and I was thrilled to discover that my blog has received over 10,000 visits! To all of you who continue to frequent the site, thank you. It means more to me than you…
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I left you last month with a post about my editor---and I promise to update you on Jane's encouraging feedback at a later date. This post, however, I'd like to dedicate to my grandmother, Caroline, who passed away on Tuesday, two days short of her 100th birthday. Left: Young Caroline with her parents and brothers…
Read MoreOn Tuesday, I sent the latest version of The Lucky Ones to Jane Fransson, an editor who's worked with a host of successful authors, several of whom I've read and loved (e.g., Pamela Druckerman, Bringing up Bébé; Sadia Shepard, The Girl from Foreign). Admittedly, I held my email captive in a draft folder for a full day until I finally summoned the courage to set…
Read MoreCan it be--August already? What a summer it's been. Mine (in a nutshell) has entailed exploring Nova Scotia's seaboard with family, cavorting with friends in Charleston, beach-hopping with Wyatt in Rowayton, tackling boatloads of travel writing assignments, and, of course, pushing to complete a second round of edits to my manuscript. Dvora said her mother…
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Well folks, I'm mid-way through a second round of book edits, and if I squint hard enough, I think I can see the finish line! A pre-war ad for my grandparents' fabric store in Radom. Translated: "Silk goods, woolens and cotton, ladies' and men's, and a great range of curtains and caps,…
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Last spring, I contacted the Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in DC, in hopes of tracking down some family records through the International Tracing Service (ITS), a German archive containing ~3o million WWII/Nazi-era documents. I submitted five separate inquiries, one for each of the Kurc siblings. I never heard back, and after a month, I marked ITS on my list…
Read MoreI'm excited to report that an excerpt from The Lucky Ones has been published! Last month, the non-profit writing center 826 Seattle released its 2014 anthology, What to Read in the Rain, featuring works by "famous and not-yet-famous" adult and young writers. My submission, entitled No Looking Back (a chapter found midway through my manuscript), is set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Poland; it describes my…
Read MoreI've been out of touch, and I apologize---this has been a difficult post to craft. Writing it sends me back to the day at the end of October when, half way through our pregnancy, Robert and I lost our baby girl. We spent the first half of November cocooned in our home. We held each…
Read MoreGreetings, friends! I'm sure many of you are as reluctant as I am to bid summertime adieu---although I must admit, I'm looking forward to some downtime this fall. Robert, Wyatt and I have been moving nonstop, it seems, hopping between family reunions, horse shows, adventure races and ultrasound appointments. Turns out the reason I've been so…
Read MoreWhen it rains it pours. That's certainly been the case here in Connecticut, where the past few months have brought weeks of torrential downpour (and I thought we'd left the rain behind in Seattle!), along with---on a much brighter note---several unexpected opportunities to promote The Lucky Ones. Shortly after I completed my piece for the Gordon…
Read MoreA couple of months ago, I received a request for alumni updates from Siobhan Welsh at the Gordon School in Rhode Island, where I attended 1st through 8th grade. When Siobhan heard about my book project, she immediately asked if I would consider coming in to speak with Gordon's 8th grade class about my family's story.…
Read MoreAs a new mom, I'm always on the lookout for tips on parenting. A year and a half ago, when I was still sporting a baby bump, my shelves were piled with the usual prerequisites---Baby 411, The Happiest Baby on the Block, What to Expect: the First Year. Wyatt, one month old, stares…
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I'll never forget the day I got the call. I was at my uncle's house in Warwick, Rhode Island for dinner. My cell phone rang as we were sitting down to eat. Who did I know with a 919 area code? And then it dawned on me. Eliska's voice was deep, with a thick accent,…
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Greetings and happy 2013! I hope you're as excited as I am for what the new year has to bring. #1 on my list of resolutions this year is to complete a draft of The Lucky Ones by summertime. Wish me luck! I left you last with a snapshot of life for the Kurc siblings in December of…
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Last April, I received a letter from the Memorial Center in Moscow---an organization I contacted in hopes of tracking down additional information about my great-uncle Genek, who was deported from Poland in 1941, along with his wife Herta, to one of Stalin's Siberian gulags. The letter I received from the Memorial Center in…
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The Sunday before last, the New York Times published an article entitled Proudly Bearing Elders’ Scars, Their Skin Says ‘Never Forget.’ In it, journalist Jodi Rudoren describes a movement among twenty- and thirty-somethings to replicate the tattoos worn on the the forearms of their Holocaust-survivor relatives. I found the piece both chilling and inspiring. …
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Neck deep in research on Stalin's Siberian gulags, I was consumed with the burning question of how and why Genek and Herta were sent off to Siberia in the first place. By recommendation of the Kresy-Siberia Foundation, I contacted Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Amazingly, I heard back right away---not only did Hoover have a record of Genek's name, they had…
Read MoreAfter six weeks of squatting with friends and another six weeks of tackling travel writing assignments and endless piles of boxes, we're (nearly!) settled in our new home...which means, at long last, I can return to my book. Inspired by a recent visit from my cousin-once-removed, Michel (visiting New York from Brazil), I thought I'd…
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I've been thinking a lot recently about the meaning of "home." A month ago, after a seven-year stint in Seattle, Robert and I packed up six-month-old Wyatt and all of our belongings and caught a one-way flight to Connecticut. The day before our move, however, our CT lease fell through, and our world turned upside…
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