Author J.L. Witterick has been leading two lives. She is the president of one of the largest investment counseling firms for international investing in Canada. And now she's a best-selling author.
Her first novel was inspired by what she learned during Holocaust Education Week in Toronto. There she heard the story of Franciszka Halamajowa and her daughter, Helena. The two hid 15 Jews and a German soldier in secret spots within their tiny home while the Nazis occupied the streets outside their front door. They risked their own lives for strangers and were ultimately honored at Yad Vashem in Israel as "The Righteous Among The Nations."
Witterick wrote the book in her spare time and self-published it. It was soon picked up by Penguin Books and is being published across Europe, Asia and in the U.S.
Witterick will be talking about My Mother's Secret: A Novel Based on a True Holocaust Story this Friday night (Jan. 31) at the Carrollwood Barnes and Noble.
