“Marcel’s Letters” has found a publishing home

You know those times when you have news so big to share it feels surreal to actually share it? This is one of those moments. I am thrilled to tell you “Marcel’s Letters” has found a publishing home, and will be released as a hard cover book by NY-based Skyhorse Publishing.

The book weaves together two narratives: the modern-day story of the development of a computer font based on Marcel Heuzé’s handwriting — a project that started after I found his letters at an antique store in Stillwater, MN — along with the obsessive year-long search to learn if he lived. Along the way, I learn about the deportation and forced labor of ordinary French civilians, an aspect of WWII that has been largely forgotten. The letters, which Marcel mailed to his wife and daughters who were back home in rural France in 1943 and 1944, are full of love and longing, along with extraordinary testimony about survival inside the Berlin-Marienfelde labor camp. I am grateful the Heuzé family has provided their express permission for me to share Marcel’s letters; due to complex French privacy laws, it is the only way his letters can be made public.

For those of you who have heard the story, be assured there are twists and turns that have never before been made public. Some of these twists will make you cheer. Others will fill you with anger. Overall, I believe readers will be touched by this story of hope, tenacity and enduring love.

 

The exact release date is still to be determined. If you want to get special project updates, be sure to sign up for the newsletter (at the right).