Angelle Cook is the Program Director at A Place to Be, a certified and practicing drama therapist, and now, a published novelist, writing under the pen name, Angelle Petta. She was also my theatre professor at Lord Fairfax Community College, and as a friend and former student, I couldn't be more proud to see the release of her debut novel, The Artist and the Soldier.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, The Artist and the Soldier is a historical fiction story that follows two young men who fall in love amidst true, miraculous events that took place around the time of the war. Cook said that the inspiration for the story came to her while visiting Rome three years ago.

"When I heard these stories, I was like, 'how do I not know about this? How do people not know about this?" Cook exclaimed. "So I decided that somebody needs to tell these stories."

To ensure historical accuracy, Cook delved into an extensive research process.

"My first part of the process was research, but I knew I wanted to get into the characterization before digging into the history," Cook said. "So I spent about six months writing and researching, and then another six months of just research. My research on World War II was very in-depth, specifically focusing on Rome. I knew some history of the war, but certainly not specific battles or events that would drive the plot forward."

Cook naturally approached the prospect of representing true events with some apprehension, but found a way to add her creative voice while still retaining the historical authenticity.

"I was definitely nervous about representing real people, which is why I wanted to make the main characters totally fictional," Cook said. "I was very hesitant to use real people, but because it's a real story, I had to use them in some context. When describing these characters, I had to be very careful with my words, and tried to use as much real information as I could. Something that someone might say in a casual conversation isn't exactly available for research, so I had to do some guessing for that. I hope that if anyone who is related to these people reads it, they are okay with my representation."

When asked what the book means to her, Cook movingly described love's ability to endure, and to outshine overwhelming ugliness.

"It was really interesting to dive into the ugliness of World War II, and to come out of it having learned about the positivity of human nature," Cook explained.

And what does she hope that her readers draw from the story?

"I want other people to know about the things that happened, because I thought that these stories were fascinating," Cook said. "I read a ton of historical fiction in order to learn about history, and I think there is a great responsibility for writers of historical fiction to accurately portray what happened at that time, because it really is an educational tool."

Cook has written three books prior to this one, and in addition to valuing the responsibility to write authentically, has some sage advice for aspiring writers.

"Don't stop writing, and don't stop reading, because those are the most important things that a writer can do to learn," Cook advised. "One of the biggest things that I've taken for myself as a writer is as long as I know that I am trying my hardest on my own personal craft and putting everything into it, and I feel good about what I put out, it doesn't matter if someone else doesn't like it. You have to put your ego to the side, and just do what you know, and write what you know, and there's no right or wrong. You have to be able to stand up for the thing you created and say that it's worthwhile, but also have the humility to understand that there are a million things better than it."

With the writing process for her latest work behind her, Cook has described her current feeling as "overwhelming, but happy."

"I'm trying to stay in the moment, because I will only have one debut novel," Cook said. "In that way, this will never be harder, and it will never be easier; it will never be harder, because you only have to do it for the first time once. So I only have to navigate marketing and publishing once, but it will never be easier because the market is constantly changing, and where I place my next book may be totally different, and that's if I can even place it."

But amidst all of the exciting emotions, Cook has never forgotten her reasons for writing.

"As much as I wrote this novel for me, I also wrote it for the people who need a story like this," Cook said. "I hope people read it and take something from it that they can carry with them."

To receive a signed copy of The Artist and the Soldier, you can visit Angelle's book launch at A Place to Be on Sunday, May 6, from 5 - 7:30pm. The launch will consist of the opportunity to purchase signed books from 5 - 6, followed by a brief reading and Q&A session. For more information, visit Angelle's author site, angellepetta.com