Location: Canada
Member Since: July 29, 2010
5 users have added this author as a favorite.

Wendy Bertsch


Biography

Wendy Bertsch is a pragmatic Canadian with rather eclectic interests and a pervasive sense of humour. She lives by the lake in Toronto with a motley collection of dogs and a cat – all but herself being of unknown origin.

A voracious and discriminating reader, she left a successful business career to focus on writing. Everyone knew it had to happen.

Once More...From the Beginning was the first book she brought before the public, followed by Dodging Shells, but there are more, pacing in the wings, impatiently waiting to take their turn on stage.

Recently, she initiated the well-received website Past Times Books, bringing together many of the best new historical fiction authors and their books for HF fans.

Where to find Wendy Bertsch online

Website: http://wendybertsch.com
Twitter: PastTimesBooks
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://wendybertsch.com/my-blog

Books

Dodging Shells    by Wendy Bertsch
Price: $2.99 USD. 49960 words. Published on September 30, 2011. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
War is not for sissies. And an irrepressible young Canadian soldier fighting his way through Italy in World War II has to make his own fun. That’s what Tommy tells his sister in his letters home. It’s not easy. People are shooting at him…and they’re not always missing!
Once More, From the Beginning    by Wendy Bertsch
Price: $2.99 USD. 61890 words. Published on July 29, 2010. Fiction.
(5.00 from 6 reviews)
The Bible is a funny and preposterous book, with humour and outrages, like jewels, just waiting to be mined. Inspired by these nuggets, I have retold the story of the Old Testament, digging out and presenting the most amusing bits. My interpretation is not that of the men who wrote the Bible. Their show has had a nice long run. Now it's time to look at that world through a woman's eyes. And laugh

Wendy Bertsch’s tag cloud

biographical novel    canadian soldier    feminist humour    historical fiction    humour adventure    humour historical    satire and religion    women in bible times    women in history    wwii humor    wwii in italy   

Wendy Bertsch's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Wendy Bertsch

  • The Tuzla Run on Dec. 17, 2010
    star star star star star
    Even readers like myself who don’t seek out action thrillers will love this book about a convoy making a dangerous run through war-torn Bosnia. There’s excitement enough for anyone, right from the beginning, but the focus on the intriguing characters adds great dimension to the story of a dangerous episode I, for one, had never given much thought to. Davidson’s personal experience allows him to weave a compelling tale that pulls us into the action and confronts us with a cast of characters that most of us would take pains to avoid in real life. And he has the skill to draw from us a grudging respect for some of those characters. But not all. Oh, definitely not all! We’re gripped by the tension between the two major players, and this dynamic does not fail us to the very end . . . which I loved!
  • The Purples on Feb. 20, 2011
    star star star star star
    I have just now finished reading The Purples by Warren Berger. It is the fictional story (albeit anchored in fact and well researched) of a group of Jewish mobsters in Detroit during the 1920’s and early 1930’s. It is told through the words of Joe Bernstein himself -- leader of the gang, and a guy you can’t help liking, however you resist the urge. Brutally pragmatic, Joe makes you see the world through his eyes, and a savage world it was, peopled by the quirky, sometimes disgusting but always fascinating members of the famous gang and the lawmen who brought them down. And we mustn’t overlook their ladies, the weak and the strong, as individual and riveting as the men. All I can say is that this was the most entertaining book I have read in a very long time. It came at a time when I badly needed amusement, and not a page disappointed me. Joe’s phlegmatic sense of humor lightens the darkest passages and illuminates the kind of mind that could remain human while embracing an absolutely horrific lifestyle. Read this book. You’ll be doing yourself a favor.
  • The Red Gate on June 03, 2011
    star star star star star
    An Irish shepherd, early in the twentieth century, narrowly avoids a muddy death, and escapes with an ancient relic. A good luck charm? Not much. The academic world casts an acquisitive eye on the site, and isn’t too particular how they get it. Amidst haunting, evocative descriptions of the Irish countryside, Sutton presents the Irish country folk with a remarkable dignity of character. They’re simple in their lifestyle, but they’re definitely no fools. And he contrasts these with villains you’ll love to hate. The outcome is intriguing and mysterious, with a uniquely Irish touch of the paranormal.
  • No Roads Lead to Rome on Aug. 07, 2011
    star star star star
    This tongue-in-cheek adventure chases a Roman centurion and his Jewish conscript through Spain in a delightfully ridiculous effort to successfully complete what he hopes is his last mission. All he wants is to retire comfortably . . . to Rome. The action bounces back and forth between Valerius the Centurion and the decadent governor he serves. There are a few places where blocks of time appear to have been misplaced, but the missing transitions just keep us stumbling along like the faulty paving stones under the Centurion’s feet, doing the story no harm at all and reinforcing the rollicking pace. It brought to mind Don Quixote, with its wry humor. I’m not a big fan of farce (Don Quixote itself has never been a favorite of mine), but it’s presented here with such an insouciant touch that I enjoyed it right to the last irresistible image in its final line.
  • Deception on Oct. 30, 2011
    star star star star star
    What a wonderful surprise! Here's a fascinating short story to enjoy over coffee (I just did). Sensitively written, and with a terrific ending. You won't see it coming! Davidson is an author worth following.
  • Appointment in Sarajevo on Nov. 03, 2011
    star star star star star
    The cold-blooded skill with which the protagonist here carries out her mission may surprise some. It doesn't surprise me. The fact is that the female of our species is quite as deadly as the male, when provoked. And she will level the playing field with skill, not with the unlikely flexing of muscle. That point is made by Mr. Davidson with without coy equivocation or flamboyant bravado. It's the truth, he knows it's the truth, and he lays it out here with skill and insight. I've read The Tuzla Run in its entirety, and this is, in fact, a fair sample of the exciting whole. I enjoyed revisiting it here.