The Citizen of Auschwitz

When an American Jew, Daniel Birnbaum, learns his anti-Nazi, illegitimate son, Geir Gallen, has been drafted into the Wehrmacht and will be sent to the dangerous Eastern Front, he and his beautiful step-daughter, Hedy Ritter, get fraudulent German passports and come to Geir's aide. Geir and Hedy are immediately taken with one another, so they marry before he leaves. On the Eastern Front, Geir is wounded and, after returning to Berlin, becomes an undercover resistance fighter in Auschwitz. Hedy, a nurse, working in a hospital twenty miles away, stands by, if necessary, to back him up.It's January 1945, and the Russians are five days away from Auschwitz ... So, except for 9000 prisoners, the camp was evacuated, with the SS ordering those who remained killed. Geir, disguised as SS, vows to keep them safe... But will he be able to do it until the liberating Russians arrive? Then, something threatening and unexpected happens that leads him to a startling discovery.The Citizen of Auschwitz is based on an unusual story a man I interviewed told me shortly before he died. He'd been conscripted in the Wehrmacht and believed it to be a true story. Although, the number of gaps in the story required the addition of some fiction.Kymberly Hastings, the author of ten historical and contemporary romances, tries to hide below the radar by writing under a pen name. She holds a bachelor's degree in theater and a master's in Englisl1. Over the years, she has taught school, acted in film and theater, written for newspapers and magazines, and done both modeling and teaching for John Robert Powers. However, writing novels and scripts is what she loves the most. A world traveler who has visited all seven continents, she currently resides in the U.S. with her husband, five dogs, and two cats.Hobbies include gourmet cooking and fashion coordinating.