A Call to War

WWII Historical Fiction · Epic · Bravery

Elaine Hume Peake

Elaine Hume Peake was born on Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, the site of the first United States Army Bomb Disposal testing and training base. Here her father, Captain Edward Hume learned the fundamentals of BD and became part of the first American army ordnance squads of World War II, setting the stage for the origins of the historical drama series, “The Kaboom Boys”.

Elaine studied journalism/mass communications at Towson State University leading her to a multi-year career in television news. She received multiple journalism awards including Emmys and the George Foster Peabody Award for her 9/11 coverage.

In 2019, Elaine completed “The Kaboom Boys” as a feature-length screenplay when, during the pandemic via LinkedIn, she was introduced to 96-year-old French woman Michelle Desrues who knew her father during the summer of 1944. Hearing stories of her as a precociously brave nineteen-year-old, Michelle inspired Elaine to write how Michelle befriended Edward and two other U. S. Army captains. During hot summer days Captain Hume and his squad handled multiple bombs and deadly devices throughout Normandy while at night the foursome, along with her extended family, enjoyed memorable dinners. Elaine developed a close multi-year friendship with Michelle who died in her 100th year in 2023 yet lived on as the character Hélène Leriche.

Elaine lives in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee with her husband Christopher where she writes and has been enjoying life with their precious golden retriever Lucia.

Don Keith

Don Keith is a native Alabamian and attended the University of Alabama where he received his degree in broadcast and film. He has received awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for newswriting and reporting. He is also the only person to be named Billboard Magazine "Radio Personality of the Year" in two formats, country and contemporary. Keith was a broadcast personality for over twenty years, owned his own consultancy, co-owned a Mobile, Alabama, radio station, and hosted and produced several nationally syndicated radio shows.

His first novel, "The Forever Season." received the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award. Keith has written extensively on historical subjects including World War II, submarine warfare, and fiction, biographies, and non-fiction works on a variety of subjects. He has published more than forty books, two of which—HUNTER KILLER and COLORS OF CHARACTER—have been adapted for the screen.

Mr. Keith lives with his wife, Charlene, in Indian Springs Village, Alabama.