Am Samstag, dem 30. November 2019, erschien auf der Kulturseite des Solinger Tageblatts ein Artikel, besser gesagt ein Interview, über meinen Vater und mich. Redakteur Philipp Müller besuchte uns in der vorherigen Woche zu einem persönlichen Gespräch. Den Artikel finden Sie beim Solinger Tageblatt online. Mein Vater spielt ja eine der beiden Hauptrollen im biografischen […]
In der Solinger Presse Read More »
Wer mehr über mich wissen möchte, kann z.B. den Artikel im Solingen Magazin oder das Interview beim Verlag tredition lesen. Interview bei tredition tredition: Was unterscheidet Ihren Roman von anderen? Annette Oppenlander: Der zweite Weltkrieg ist ja in der Literatur schon sehr gründlich behandelt worden, vor allem der Holocaust und die Erfahrungen der Soldaten. Meine
Im März 1945 wurde mein Vater Günter zum Volkssturm eingezogen. Er war damals 16 Jahre alt. Hitlers letztes Diktat an die Zivilbevölkerung befahl, das Vaterland zu verteidigen. Mein Vater sollte sich nach Marburg durchschlagen und von der Hitlerjugend trainiert und ausgestattet werden. Natürlich war dieser Befehl wie so viele davor glatter Wahnsinn, denn der Krieg
47 Tage – Neue Novelle über den Volkssturm Read More »
If you read Surviving the Fatherland, you will likely enjoy When They Made Us Leave, the new WWII novel that I based on true-life accounts of participants in Hitler’s youth evacuation program. It is a love story, a historical adventure, and like Surviving the Fatherland provides a glimpse of German civilian life during the war”through
Four Weeks Until Release of My New WWII Novel Read More »
Reading As a member of the Solinger Autorenrunde I participated in a wonderfully diverse reading organized by the Monheim Public Library. In the garden, framed by picturesque brick walls and flowering plants, we read and listened to amazing stories and poems. In-between we enjoyed refreshments and guitar and song music. I read the beginning of
After the lull I mentioned in my last blog post, I have found my new story. Well, as much as a pantser can know at the beginning of a manuscript. Two Failed Tries I’d been thinking about a couple of narratives for a while. The first had to do with my grandfather, Willi, who also
When You Know, You Know! Read More »
Sometimes after publishing a book, a certain inertia sets in, a kind of lull. Some authors don’t experience any pauses, others take months or even years until they return to writing. For me this ‘phase’ typically doesn’t last very long. Very soon, I’m antsy again and my brain searches for the next great story. After publishing
I look back on 2018 with utmost gratitude. A year ago, my husband and father suffered strokes within the span of three weeks. I spent months worrying about their recovery, watched tentative steps grow into wobbly walks. Neither man is fully recovered, yet they are moving, talking and exercising. My father just turned 90 and
A Happy New Year to All Read More »
Last month I offered NetGalley readers a chance to review my bestselling and award winning WWII novel, Surviving the Fatherland. Here are snippets of their reviews, which I have to admit, are great fun to read. “Definitely 5 stars. I can see why this book is so loved. Very engrossing, deeply moving and character you
New Reviews of ‘Surviving the Fatherland’ from NetGalley Read More »
Walking through my hometown, Solingen, in Germany, you’ll come across some old structures. I don’t mean historic districts like Gräfrath, after WWII the only preserved part of town. No, I’m talking about bunkers (bomb shelters). One could ask why there are still around? Too expensive to remove? Would we use them again? I doubt it.
Why we Need Reminders Read More »