Beyond The Surface: A Novel

In 1944, Anna Mitchell is running from a life bound to suffocate her, the life her mother mapped out for her. She tosses aside that figurative map to draw a new one, enlisting as a U.S. Army nurse. Despite her mother’s vehement protest, Anna embarks across the Atlantic, not knowing what to expect — certainly not expecting Paul.

Paul O’Reilly is part of the Army Specialized Training Program, which is supposed to keep him safe while World War II tears through Europe. But when the program is disbanded, he finds himself on the front lines with the rest of the 66th Division, the Army’s promises dissolved.

When Paul meets Anna, he can’t deny his feelings, though she pretends he doesn’t mean more to her than any other soldier. When the SS Leopoldville transports the nurses across the English Channel one week before Christmas, Anna could never imagine that same ship would sink to the bottom on Christmas Eve with Paul and the rest of the Black Panthers left to fight for their lives.

Beyond the Surface is a story of going the distance for one’s calling. It is also a tribute to the men of the 66th Division and a remembrance of their sacrifice, bringing to light what was long kept in the dark. The survivors of the sinking of the SS Leopoldville bore witness to a tragedy so great they could have easily been pulled beneath the waves that engulfed them on Christmas Eve, never to surface again. Still, they rose, battered, bruised, and worse for wear, but no less strong. Perhaps even stronger than before.