About the Book

Book: The Missing Songbird

Author: Kathleen J. Robison

Genre: Christian Historical Mystery

Release date: May 7, 2024

Lina, after growing up in austere post-WWII Wales, only has one dream—to one day find love and sing on the stage in London. But when her father, her only champion, suddenly dies, that dream seems as far away as London itself.

When charming Captain Everette and his side-show come to town and offer a path to fame, it’s like all her dreams are suddenly coming true. It seems she’s willing to leave behind not only her hometown, but even the one man she’d always imagined marrying for this one shot.

But the path Lina has chosen turns rocky and treacherous, as everyone she meets seems to have their own plans for the beautiful, diminutive singer. Things turn awry when she finds herself suddenly imprisoned for a murder she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to and everything hanging in the balance, how will Lina trust God and His will for her life?

With an equally beautiful writing voice, Kathleen J. Robison draws in her readers with suspense, mystery, and romance.

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About the Author

Kathleen is an Okinawan-American. Born in Okinawa, raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels lend themselves to the settings in her books, and her large family provides fun fodder for her characters. She and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with sixteen grandchildren, and more on the way! Her ethnically diverse family of 33 plus personalities presents many opportunities to write about God’s amazing love amid trials, tragedies, and blessings. He is the one true inspiration and hope for us all.

More from Kathleen

More from Kathleen:

The Missing Songbird is so dear to my heart. But do you want to know a secret? I never really wanted to write this book! Yet, God has a way of turning our “never” into always. I made the decision to write it because I felt God’s leading, and “always” is how I feel about The Missing Songbird now. I’ll always love that I was invited to join Celebrate Lit’s Ever After Mystery Collection, Fairy Tale retellings set in the 1940s. Of all the books I’ve written so far, it’s my favorite, and my husband’s too. I hope it will become yours.

Initially, my plan was to retell the children’s story, The Steadfast Tin Soldier. It was a tale that had always held a special place in my heart. I can still recall the bittersweet emotions it stirred within me as a child. I even have a faint memory of a black-and-white movie adaptation. So, I envisioned a unique twist, setting the story in Okinawa during World War II, with an Okinawan girl and a soldier. It was a concept that excited me, and I was eager to bring it to life.

My mother was a trained Okinawan folk dancer, so I thought it would be perfect. But another author had chosen that fairy tale, and after much deliberation and research, I chose Thumbelina. I came to find out that not many had even heard of the story. However, in Thumbelina, the numerous difficulties faced by a thumb-sized little creature provided me with lots of ideas, so my story was born.

The Missing Songbird revolves around Lina, a charming, talented little person who lives in the rural outskirts of a Welsh town. According to the Little People of America, adults under five feet ten inches tall may have a condition of dwarfism that includes both proportionate and disproportionate body types. My mother was only four feet, ten inches, and I’m four feet, eleven inches, so I can somewhat relate! It happens that Lina is proportionate, and her first love interest is not a little person, but of average height. Later on, you’ll meet Richard, the conflict in a love-triangle, who has disproportionate dwarfism.

I loved developing a beautiful love story between individuals who face many trials living as little people, especially so back in 1947. Although the story is not about Lina and Richard’s body types, it’s because of this that I found a way to share God’s redemptive themes of trust, love, and acceptance through difficulties in facing prejudice, bitterness, and pride.

I don’t remember why I chose to set the story in Wales, but perhaps a fairy tale’s lyrical prose tends to lend itself to ancient places. My husband’s grandmother was born and raised in Dowlais, Wales, and we visited her relatives back in the 70s. In my memories, I still envision the old coal mining town in black and white. It wasn’t till we toured the green, lush countryside that the beauty of the land transformed to living color. I felt like I stepped back in time.

Although I only met my husband’s grandmother here in the US after we married, her imposing figure made quite an impression both in person and through the many stories my husband shared with me. He was raised by a single-working mom, so his grandmother was prominent in his life. Food, customs, idioms, and her sing-song accent still fill my mind and make me smile.

As you delve into Lina and Richard’s love story, set in the enchanting world of Wales in 1949, I hope you’ll feel God’s presence weaving through their lives. I trust that, in some small way, The Missing Songbird will touch your heart, leading you to experience God’s love and His remarkable works in your own life. Thank you for embarking on this journey with me.

Interview with the Author

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

“Till We Have Faces,” by C. S. Lewis. Previously, one of his lesser-known works. It’s gained quite a bit of popularity as media and movies have made Lewis’ works of fiction and non-fiction so recognized in the modern age, and rightfully so. But when I first read Till We Have Faces, I taught the book in a literature class. My students and I were mesmerized, puzzled, and inspired by the depth of this complex story. C.S. Lewis expressed that it was his favorite of all his books. The book delves into themes of identity, love, and sacrifice, and the narrative is a masterclass in storytelling. I highly recommend Till We Have Faces.

The book’s themes about love, life, and faith left us enjoying a brilliant story yet stirred questions that weren’t all answered. I highly recommend Till We Have Faces.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

Read more. I hated reading when I was young. I read fast and had no problem reading, but I much preferred day-dreaming or hanging out with friends. I’m embarrassed to say I tended toward the superficial.

As an adult, I’ve embraced reading with a fervor. I’ve learned from every author, whether I’m intentionally dissecting a book or getting so absorbed that I gasp at a plot twist. I’m one of those people who teeters between wanting to know the ending and never wanting the book to end. It’s a journey I never thought I’d embark on, but now I can’t imagine my life without it.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Travel…or currently dream of traveling. In the midst of my busy days, I’m always thinking of lovely places to visit. I’m so entrenched with grandkids, gardening, crafting, and cooking that every minute of my time is eaten up. In the few snippets of downtime I do have, I conjure up unique destinations to visit and I love flipping through West Ways Magazine, AAA’s travel rag. It allows me to dream! But the Lord has graciously given me hope and patience while I await the means to visit my children in Japan!

I admit that I suffer from wanderlust, and I can thank my father for that. My family traveled extensively when I was a child, and I miss it so much. When I wrote The Missing Songbird, I set it in Wales, one place my husband and I visited so long ago. As do most destinations, it inspired me more than I knew possible.

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be, and what would you cook?

This is an interesting question. As Christians, don’t we all want to say Jesus? I did, but now I’d rather wait to dine with Him in heaven! Nothing could beat that.

But randomly, Melanie Wilkes from Gone With The Wind comes to mind. She’s a lovely, gracious, self-sacrificing character, and I’d love to glean from her kindness and Christ-like character. Her portrayal in the book has always resonated with me, and I believe there’s much to learn from her. I would host her for an afternoon tea. My favorite summer salad would be the main course. I make a scrumptious chicken salad with walnuts, raisins, apples, and grapes served inside a scooped-out papaya resting on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Of course, we’d have scones. Lemon-blueberry might be the flavor, and I’d finish our tea off with a dessert of a delectably rich, ganache chocolate torte.