Just like a woman’s work is never done, being an author is a lifestyle. While I maintain a regular writing schedule made easy by my 30-second commute to my office, I constantly brainstorm about plot points, how to get my guy or girl out of the sticky situation s/he is in, and new story ideas. I think about it in the shower, while driving and walking the dog. So you could say I’m a workaholic. Except it doesn’t feel like work. I really enjoy it. Below are the next few manuscripts I’m currently working on.
New Two-Book Novel THE LIFE WE REMEMBER
I’ve always been fascinated with the stories of American ancestors, those brave men and women who came from other parts of the world to settle in America, start a life from scratch with barely more than the clothes on their backs. Therefore, I began researching immigrant stories, people moving from Germany and Ireland in the late 1840s. Many millions came from Ireland, but Germans also emigrated by the millions, starting entire German cities.
Last fall, I visited Fort Wayne and Bloomington in Indiana to research German and Irish settlements. I also traveled to the emigration museum (Auswandererhaus) in Bremerhaven, Germany which is dedicated to Germans permanently leaving the country. The subject of emigration and immigration remains an important one as millions of people today are fleeing their home countries because of wars and economic hardship.
The new cover will follow soon.
Surviving the Gulag (Working Title) – Postponed
Based on the story of my grandfather, Wilhelm Kronen
Courland, May 8, 1945: Five years have passed since Willi Kronen left his family in Germany. Five years he fought for the German Army, the last eight months wedged in by the Russian Red Army in the East and the East Sea in the West. He knows the war is lost and it is just a matter of time before Germany must capitulate.
Then he hears the fateful words across the wire. Germany is defeated. Hand your weapons to the Red Army.
At last he can go home to his wife, son and daughter. But warning bells sound in Willi’s gut, a skill which has helped him survive so far. In horror he watches as Russian soldiers are shooting surrendering German soldiers, play Russian roulette or take them prisoner. On a whim Willi and his men decide to make a run for it. They head for Libau, a port city on the west coast of the East Sea. There they hope to catch a boat home.
It takes them three days to reach the port, always hiding, always dodging spying eyes. They’re in luck. A German boat is about to leave. But then disaster strikes. The Red Army reaches them just as Willi’s men are embarking. Willi hesitates and with that makes the biggest mistake of his life. He is taken prisoner and soon finds himself heading east, away from everything he knows, away from freedom.
More to come…