Destination: Berlin Blog Tour Stop

Just a little about me:
I was born and raised in Manchester, NH with a hungry appetite for reading gothic romance, especially by Victoria Holt. I served in the Army for 11 years from 1986-1997 and spent 7 years in Germany. My time in Europe inspired two passions – my love of history and the paranormal. Currently, I live in California and work for LAPD as a 911 Dispatcher.

"Destination: Berlin" was the first novel I wrote, and I used a pen name. (SG Cardin, my maiden name). It is not an inspirational romance, but a "sweet" military romance between Corporal Sharon Cates and Soviet Jr. Sgt. Dimitri Nagory. (The couple share several tender touches and a kiss near the end.)
Stuck in a routine job in Cold War Germany guarding nuclear weapons, U.S. Army Corporal Sharon Cates thinks she is going to Berlin to attend an orientation tour. Unknown to her, the briefcase she carries contains top-secret information that the Stasi and KGB are willing to kill for.

THE BLURB:

Soviet Junior Sergeant Dimitri Nagory is an assistant to a high-ranking Soviet officer in his country's embassy in England. Dimitri isn't expecting a great adventure as he boards the duty train for a routine trip to headquarters in Berlin, and he certainly isn't expecting to meet any Americans.

The Stasi derails the train in the middle of East Germany, expecting to take the information from Sharon's dead body. But when the sudden explosion hurls Sharon and Dimitri from the train and into each other, Dimitri, too, becomes a target. With Sharon nursing badly bruised ribs and branded by her country as a traitorous thief for stealing top-secret documents, Dimitri goes against everything he's ever been taught to ensure her safe return to the West.


The Blurb:Excerpt:

Dimitri and Sharon silently followed a petite East German waitress out onto the patio of the small bistro restaurant. Dimitri indicated he wanted a table out of the view of the street and the waitress immediately accommodated him.

They sat down, not across from each other, but perpendicular so they could lean over and quietly talk to each other. The waitress handed them menus and began talking to Dimitri in German. He easily conversed with her. Then she turned to Sharon and asked her what she wanted.

In her best German, Sharon ordered the goulash soup, some bread, and a soda – all with a thick American accent.

As soon as the waitress left, Dimitri leaned forward and spoke softly. "You surprised me, Sharon. I was prepared to order for you."

She flashed him a smile. "I've been out to the restaurants a couple of times in West Germany. About the only thing I can do is understand a menu. "

"I'm proud of you."

"Well, I can understand German better than I speak it. I can pick up the meat and bones of a conversation, but I couldn't converse back to you."

He returned the smile.

"So, what did you say to her? She seemed to know you," said Sharon.

"The people here have gotten to know Major Orlov and me."

Sharon nodded her head. There were three authorized ways to travel to Berlin. One was the duty train and one was via airplane. Usually, only the higher-ups, commanding generals, and important personnel traveled by airplane. The other way was to travel by car. There was a specific route you had to follow, which ran the length of Bundestrasse One. You would have to stop at the East-West German border and process through Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt-Marienborn. That included passing through the American checkpoint which double checked your paperwork and then the Soviet checkpoint. If your paperwork was in order, the Soviets let you pass. You had three hours to go from Checkpoint Alpha to Checkpoint Bravo. Bravo was where one checked out with Soviet forces and entered into West Berlin. Then there was Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous checkpoint of all – the entrance to East Berlin.

"She won't turn us in, will she?" Sharon asked. She surveyed the bistro. It was small, but it was after lunchtime, around two thirty in the afternoon. There was another couple dining toward the front of the patio.

"Major Orlov and I have always been generous to her. You don’t have to worry. We'll quickly eat our meal and leave," he explained.

***

Here's a link to Destination: Berlin's Book Trailer on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuav1ZTlWOA

Destination: Berlin is a Print book only. Here's where you can buy it: Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Destination-Berlin-S-Cardin/dp/0595164196/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277131006&sr=8-3

Barnes and Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Destination/S-G-Cardin/e/9780595164196/?itm=1&USRI=Destination%3a+Berlin

IUniverse: http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000008175

Goodie Time: Post a comment. I'll pick two lucky winners out of a hat to receive an autographed postcard of the cover. Follow me on my blog tour and earn a chance to win an autographed copy of Destination: Berlin. To find out the dates on the blog tour visit my blog, "Romance Under the Moonlight."

Visit me at:

SG Cardin/Stephanie Burkhart Online
http://sgcardin.tripod.com

Romance Under the Moonlight
http://sgcardin.blogspot.com