FEATURED AUTHOR: RICA NEWBERY

ABOUT THE BOOK

It is 1942 in Oslo, two years into the German occupation of World War II. Maria and her three daughters are used to coping with the hardships of war, but when Maria’s husband leaves her for another woman and a German officer is billeted to their home, their troubles are only just beginning. Maria and her daughters must stop fighting with each other and find a way to survive through grief, dread and fear.

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT INTERVIEW WITH RICA NEWBERY

A few of your favorite things: 

Photos, my mother’s art, iPad and iPhone.
Things you need to throw out: 

Dresses from ten years ago, old photos, iPad and iPhone.


Things you need in order to write:

Reference books, my ancient lap-top - off line since lightning struck when it was plugged in, peace and quiet.
Things that hamper your writing: 

Getting distracted checking my emails and Facebook, interruptions, appointments, fatigue, procrastination, lack of confidence.


Things you love about writing: 

Getting lost in the world of my imagination, feeling the emotions of my characters, bringing them to life, storytelling.
Things you hate about writing: 

Self-starting, dread at reading what I wrote the day before, overcoming anxiety and inertia, no-one cares what you have written, no-one has asked you to do it, what if it is no good?

Things you love about where you live:

Living on the outskirts of Bristol with advantage of city and access to fields and woods nearby.
Things that make you want to move: 

To be nearer my daughter and grandson.

Words that describe you:

Lively, amusing, driven, honest, loving, quick witted.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: 

Talks too much, ‘not as funny as she thinks she is,’ disorganized, untidy, does everything in a last minute rush, could go on, but -

Favorite foods: 

King prawns, salmon, mangos.
Things that make you want to throw up: 
Fermented herrings 

Favorite music: 

Besame Mucho, "Dance Me to the End of Love."
Music that make your ears bleed:

Irish country music (sorry, I love everything else about the Irish, I’m married to one).

Favorite beverage: 

Sparkling wine.

Something that gives you a pickle face: 

Fermented herrings, see above.

Favorite smell: 

Chanelle No 5, creosote, lemon. 

Something that makes you hold your nose:
Those fermented herrings.

Something you’re really good at: 

Making people laugh.

Something you’re really bad at: 

Mornings.


Something you wish you could do:

Sing.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: 

Killer Sudoku, it’s so addictive.

Something you like to do: 

Travel, watch movies, listen to podcasts while walking my dog.

Something you wish you’d never done: 

‘Non, Je regrette rien.’ (Edith Piaf)

People you consider as heroes:

Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, Rosa Marks.

People with a big L on their heads:

Donald Trump, Donald Trump Junior, Ivanka Trump, need I go on?



Last best thing you ate: 

Grilled mackerel with beetroot and buttery new potatoes.  

Last thing you regret eating:

Huge slab millionaire’s shortbread in my car driving back from London, chocolate everywhere, waist expanded by several inches.

Things to say to an author:

'Wow, what a page turner!’ ‘I was so moved when . . .’  ‘It was so real.’

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: 

‘I fell asleep on page 2.’ ‘Of course, if you were a real writer….’ ‘Stick to your day job.’

Favorite places you’ve been: 

Darjeeling, Beijing, Lagos, St Petersburg.

Places you never want to go to again: 

Luton, Tierra del Fuego (aka ‘End of the World’).

People you’d like to invite to dinner:

Michelle Obama, Alvin Hall, Terry Gross (Fresh Air Podcast).

People you’d cancel dinner on: 

Jeremy Clarkson, Stephen Bannon.

Things that make you happy:

My family, my dog, my friends.

Things that drive you crazy: 

Noisy eaters, crinkly paper, loud music in cafés or restaurants.

Most embarrassing moment:

In a pub and pedophilia is being discussed and I say ‘Who is Peter Filiac?'

Proudest moment:

Becoming an adoptive mum.

Biggest lie you’ve ever told:

I never tell lies.

A lie you wish you’d told:

‘I did not report you to the DVLA.’

Best thing you’ve ever done: 

Adopt my 2 children, both babies when they came to us.

Biggest mistake: 

Reporting my mother to the DVLA. (Although I really had no choice.)

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: 

Traveled around China on my own.

Something you chickened out from doing: 

Walking up Ayer’s Rock, (Uluru) had to stop after 10 metres at ‘Chicken Rock.’

The last thing you did for the first time: 

Arranged a retrospective art exhibition for my mother’s work.

Something you’ll never do again: 

Run a half marathon: could hardly walk for days afterwards and now my knees will only do five kilometers. 



CHATTING WITH RICA NEWBERY


Rica, tell us about Reluctant Courage.

It is 1942 in Oslo, two years into the German occupation of World War II. Maria and her three daughters are used to coping with the hardships of war, but when Maria’s husband leaves her for another woman and a German officer is billeted to their home, their troubles are only just beginning. Maria and her daughters must stop fighting with each other and find a way to survive.

Why did you decide to write this book?

My mother, Brit Maja Holmsen was eight years old when the Nazis marched into Oslo, her home town. She grew up to become an artist and a very powerful and magnetic character. Like most of us she had her flaws, and I wanted to understand her, to imagine the hardships she endured, and how this must have shaped her as a person. I also wanted to feel closer to my Norwegian roots.

Reluctant Courage is fiction but based on real life. What research did you do for this book?
I did a great deal of research for this book, including visits to the Resistance Museum in Oslo and Falstad Museum in Ekne, near Levanger in the North of Norway. The courage of the Norwegian people recorded here is an inspiration. My aim is to bring the war years in Oslo, as experienced by Maria and her three daughters, to life. The characters in my book are fictional, however, and are not true to any real people.


Who are you?
I am a retired psychiatrist living in Bristol with my husband and Elkhound. After being totally immersed in work and bringing up two children, I finally came up for air when I retired. I enlisted for a Creative Writing course with the Open University and knew then that I was going to write a novel inspired by my mother’s life.

I hope you enjoy my book. If you do, I am sure you will feel the same admiration for the survivors of the war that I do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rica Newbery is a retired psychiatrist, living with her husband in Bristol. After completing an Open University course in creative writing, she wrote her first novel Reluctant Courage. Although her novel is fictional, it is based on much research and inspired by haunting stories from her mother’s childhood in Nazi-occupied Oslo.

Buy the book:
Amazon UK  |  Amazon US  |  Book Venture Online Book Store (USA)

FEATURED AUTHOR: ERIC YATES

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the history of Britain there is a shortage of Second World War stories detailing the lives of ordinary families living in poverty, the children’s games and the black market profiteering that history has forgotten.

The story of young Eric and John is here to set the record straight. Two boys growing up in the midst of rationing, with a flair for mischief and a sense of humour history will never see again – what could happen? Quite a lot, apparently, if the exciting family life of Eric and John is anything to go by. Telling of their family life in war torn Birmingham where poverty was rife, Eric’s account is full of wit and the kind of humour history should remember. From the infamous Bread Pudding Incident to the charming children’s games like ‘Penny on the Brick,' you will find laughter and warm memories of time spent in an age before computers, when children had to entertain themselves. Yet there is poignancy here, too, as Eric and John find themselves swept up in the greater tide of war as evacuees, made to travel to the country with no chance of looking back . . .

EXCERPT FROM EPITAPH TO 'NICKLE ECK'

Chapter 11 ‘Evacuation’ 

The Billeting Officer then sent us to lodge with an elderly couple called Golland, who must have needed the money.

We shared our attic room with a youngish woman who appeared each night after we had gone to bed. She never put the light on but undressed in the dark, discarding about seventeen garments. A large bowl of assorted nuts was then pulled out from under her bed, and we drifted off to sleep to the sound of cracking shells and grinding molars. Each morning she would be long gone, leaving evidence of a monkey’s meal behind her.

“Funny woman,” I remarked.

“A nutter,” said John. Ah! He was so witty.

In an old outhouse one day we found dusty bottles of homemade elderberry wine. The description ‘wine’ we thought a little presumptuous considering its humble origin, but amusing enough. We got into the habit of swigging a few mouthfuls now and then and replacing the missing quantity with tap water. The ‘wine’ was sweet and made us feel squiffy for a while – and bolder, with disastrous consequences.

Mr. Golland was a very keen gardener, somewhat constrained by a gammy leg which caused him to use a walking stick. We often helped him, but only with mundane tasks like weeding or watering the pots in his greenhouse. This greenhouse had a brick base about three feet high, surmounted by the usual glass and wooden framed top, with only one narrow door.
One day, growing tired of watering the individual pots, John suddenly exclaimed, “IDEA!”

My heart contracted and my breathing became shallow. John’s ideas always worked, after a fashion, but I usually came to grief.

“Wha’?” I enquired, trying not to sound too keen.

“Water the greenhouse,” John replied, pointing to the brick surround. “We’ll put the hose pipe through a broken window into the base, jam the door tight with cardboard, turn the water on and - after a while - the level will reach the pots and do the job automatically.”

After a few swigs of elderberry wine I was game for anything.

We lined the potted plants up on slatted staging, put the hose pipe along the floor, jammed the door and turned the water on. The level was slow at first as the water soaked into the gravel floor, but soon the depth increased. We watched fascinated as the brick base turned into an indoor swimming pool and lapped at the bottom of the pots.

“That’s enough,” said John, “turn the water off.”

I hurried to the tap and met Mr. Golland on his way to the greenhouse.

“What are you two up to?” he asked.

“We’re watering your plants and cleaning the shelves,” I replied loudly, to give warning to John who was removing the hosepipe.

Mr. Golland sniffed and said that he would inspect our work. He hobbled onward as John and I stopped breathing and watched, frozen with horror, as he grabbed the door knob and pulled. The door stuck. Mr Golland was having none of this; he put his stick over one arm and, using both hands, gave a mighty heave. The door crashed open and a huge rolling wave engulfed him. Frothing whitecaps lapped round him as he surfed past on his way to his supper, surrounded by bobbing plants and his stick.

“This is going to take some explaining,” I thought.

Amazingly, Mr. Golland accepted that we had accidentally left the hosepipe on. We retrieved the pots and his stick, and begged his forgiveness. I did my wide-eyed innocent cherubic act, and John reminded him that the greenhouse wouldn’t need cleaning out for some time.

As Mr. Golland went towards the house to change, John pointed out that he should really be quite pleased, as we had watered the whole garden as well as the pots. This intelligence was greeted by another sniff as Mr. Golland went inside.

All would have ended, if not well, at least amicably had Mr. Golland not sent his wife to the outhouse for a bottle of her elderberry wine to help his recovery from the storm-tossed sea. John and I stared at each other. The wine by now was much diluted and was merely pink water. We didn’t wait for the repercussions but postponed the inevitable return of the Billeting Officer by going for a long walk in nearby Nottingham Forest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric did two years' National Service as an Army Education Officer in Cyprus, and seven years with the Kenyan Police in East Africa where, as a Customs & Excise Investigation Officer, he swam in shark-infested waters looking for hidden contraband. Whilst living in Africa, he joined the National Theatre of Nairobi where he performed in Shakespeare, the Classics and drama.

For almost 20 years he worked for Bass Charrington, controlling licensed premises throughout the Midlands, and also for Mitchells & Butlers in Birmingham, during which time he was with the Hall Green Little Theatre and became a stalwart member of the Blossomfield Club in Solihull, where for many years he performed, directed and was co-writer of original musical comedies produced and performed there.

At one time a presenter for BBC Radio Birmingham, Eric spent ten years with the Monitoring Section of the BBC World Service in Berkshire, becoming well-known locally for his acting talent, especially mimicry and humour, winning numerous awards over the years.

Eric was married twice and met his second wife in Henley-on-Thames, when she directed him in J.B. Priestley's When We Are Married. At that time he was semi-retired working as a warden at Windsor Castle, where he endeared himself to his colleagues but was often reprimanded for displaying his unique brand of humour to the general public.

Retiring to Devon in 2001, Eric enjoyed boat restoration, brewing very strong cider, cultivating rare trees and plants and reading. He began writing his stories in 2004 - and also began tales from his adult life, regrettably unfinished. He and his wife performed in Salcombe, where he is celebrated in the South Hams for his performance in the famous music hall sketch 'Dinner for One' (YouTube - Dinner for One, Eric).

His final memorable performance was at the 2011 Dartmouth Drama Festival, five months before he died, where he brought the house down in the two miming sketches from Michael Frayn's Alarms & Excursions, directed by his wife. His expertise was as sharp as ever and, as always, he received tumultuous applause.

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Featured Author: David K. Hayward

VirtualBookworm.com brings David K. Hayward

 here today to talk about his non-fiction book, A Young Man in the Wild Blue Yonder, Thoughts of a B-25 pilot in World War II.

About the book:

David Hayward, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps, takes the reader through his adventures and challenges as a young man serving his country in World War II. Would he “wash out” of flying school? Would he survive the dangers and fears of flying 53 combat missions as pilot of a B-25 medium bomber in the China-Burma-India theater of operations?

You will experience the thrill of his solo flight; the frightening day when a Japanese fighter plane flew alongside; an awesome flight over the highest mountains of Tibet, searching for an enemy transmitter luring friendly cargo planes off course; attacking enemy supply lines along the east coast of China; and the sorrow of losing close friends.

David Hayward tells of serving also at Air Force Headquarters in Washington, DC, transporting VIPs (very important persons) on their inspection tours, and as courier to Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall. The reader will join Hayward in developing a veterans association and gathering at annual reunions, and making six return trips to China to relive the pleasant and the sorrowful.

The story is illustrated with 119 images and conveys thoughts and concerns of David Hayward through his most unusual experience.

Interview with David Hayward

David, I believe this book is a memoir of sorts. How long have you been writing, and how did you start?
   
Since 1987, when I became Secretary-Treasurer of the 22nd Bomb Squadron Association, a group of World War II veterans. I started writing a newsletter which led to additional publications.

What inspired you to write this book?

My associates convinced me that the material should be made available for my family and the public to enjoy. I welcomed the opportunity to gather together all relevant material I had written over the years and consolidating it into a single book.

How long did it take you to write it?

Four months from the time I began gathering information until the book appeared on amazon.com. That was from September to December 2013.

That's fast! What do you hope readers will get from this book?

A feeling for what it was like to witness our country’s entry into war and my subsequent experiences as I progressed along the way. That covered all forms of emotion from fear to relief, from failure to accomplishment, from sorrow to joy and from boyhood naivete to maturity. The book also contains valuable history of the air force squadron and its times.

How did you come up with the title, A Young Man in the Wild Blue Yonder?    

The Air Force Song’s opening line is “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder.”

I think you're retired now, but do you have another job outside of writing?    

I am retired, but my time is spent principally as Secretary-Treasurer of the 22nd Bomb Squadron Association.

Give us the elevator speech for A Young Man in the Wild Blue Yonder?    

David Hayward describes excitement, fear and adventure as pilot of a B-25 medium bomber in World War II, through pilot training, combat in India, Burma and China, and reassignment in Washington, DC, serving leaders in the war effort. He tells of reunions and revisiting China after the war.

How did you come up with your cover art?     

The photo of me sitting in the pilot’s seat of a B-25 was taken at our air base in India in 1943.

Tell us about your favorite scene or chapter in the book. 

The first chapter tells of my first combat mission, where we encountered a large formation of Japanese airplanes. Our airplane, the slowest in the formation, was left behind as a straggler. A Japanese fighter plane flew alongside, scared the dickens out of us, and finally flew away.

What song would you pick to go with your book? 

The Air Force Song.

Who are your favorite authors?

Somerset Maugham, Clive Cussler, Ken Follett, and Nelson DeMille.

What was your favorite childhood book? 

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island

What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?

Clive Cussler, The Devil’s Gate. Hardcover.


Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?

In the morning and afternoon.

Where do you prefer to do your writing?

In my office at home.



Name one thing you couldn’t live without.

My loyal wife.

If you could only keep one book, what would it be?

The Bible.

Where’s home for you? 

Huntington Beach, California.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?

Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.

What three books have you read recently and would recommend?

Clive Cussler's The Devil’s Gate and The Storm. Bill O’Reilly's Killing Jesus.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Live theater.

What are you working on now?

A second book: WWII DIARY: Stories by the Airmen of the 22nd Bomb Squadron of World War II.

About the author:

David Hayward had a passion for flying. When World War II came along he knew what to do. After attending Pasadena Junior College in California, he took flight training in the U.S. Army Air Corps and won his wings and commission as second lieutenant. David flew 53 combat missions as pilot of a B-25 medium bomber in the 22nd Bomb Squadron in the China-Burma-India theater of war and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In 1949 David earned a Bachelor degree in mechanical engineering at Caltech in Pasadena, and, later, a Master degree in petroleum engineering from University of Southern California. He worked for Texaco as a petroleum engineer, developing and producing oil fields in California. In 1951 he married Jeanne Thompson. They produced three fine sons, Gary, Eric and Kirk.

The 22nd Bomb Squadron veterans formed an association and held annual reunions. David served as secretary-treasurer and newsletter publisher, collecting stories and events for the book Eagles, Bulldogs & Tigers and five additional publications.

David returned to China six times with veterans’ groups. At age 91, he assembled this book, bringing together material from his previous sources. David lives with his wife of 62 years in Huntington Beach, California.

Connect with David:
Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Featured Author: Christoph Fischer

About the book:

In the sleepy town of Bratislava, in 1933, Greta Weissensteiner falls for Wilhelm Winkelmeier, a bookseller from Berlin. The couple and their families are increasingly challenged by the disintegration of the multi-cultural society of Czechoslovakia. The story unfolds further as war comes to all of Central Europe, with its torment, destruction and unpredictability – even after the fighting has stopped. The Luck of the Weissensteiners is  historical fiction.

Interview with Christoph Fischer

Welcome, Christoph. Congratulations on your debut book, The Luck of the Weissensteiners, being a Top 10 Indie Book on theindietribe.com. How long have you been writing, and how did you start?

I started writing only a few years ago; I never had an inclination or ideas until then. What started off as an experimental short story, primarily written to see if I could do it at all, ended up as a complete, although still unpublished, novel. After that, I could not stop writing as new ideas keep flooding in.

Why is the first novel you wrote still unpublished?
I did not have the guts to publish until I had almost written seven novels. The first one still needs work, as many first novels are often experimental. At my current output rate it will be with you hot from the press in autumn 2014.

Excellent. Tell us about your two-computer writing system!

That was implemented during the editing for The Luck of the Weissensteiners, which involved several editors.

To keep one master document at all times, I used one laptop to view the suggested changes and one laptop or computer to then work on said master copy.

What do you like best about writing?

I enjoy most that I never quite know what is going to happen to my characters. I begin with set ideas for plot and characters, but it all takes on a life of its own, and it is like I am being told a story, so I am eager to return to the desk to write and find out more every day.

What’s your least favorite thing?


I would have said that editing and proof reading is my least favorite part of the experience, but over time I have come to appreciate the art of fine tuning and polishing and no longer see it just as necessary evil but as a creative and rewarding process. (I still prefer writing drafts, though.)

I love the title of your book. How did you come up with The Luck of the Weissensteiners?

The name Weissensteiner is ‘borrowed with permission’ from a dear friend of mine. I always thought it was a great name. The part about “Luck” just came into my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. Whatever muse whispered it into my ear, I would heartily like to thank. It was spontaneous, not planned or constructed.

How did you create the plot for this book?

The plot is loosely based on my grandmother who lived in Czechoslovakia until the end of World War II. She and her sister (Greta and Wilma) lived together in Germany until their death in the 1980s. Greta divorced her husband in the 1930s while pregnant with my father.


When deciding to tell their story, I read a lot about the times and the history and from many different stories and historical anecdotes a vague idea started to form.


While writing, I kept going back to the history books and the Internet to double check that what I had written was historically correct, and that often brought in more new ideas.

Do you have imaginary friends? When do they talk to you? Do they tell you what to write or do you poke them with a Q-tip?

Don’t tell anyone, but I do imagine a Jewish scholar with a great sense of humor dictating me those stories, maybe that is why I have so many Jewish characters in my books, despite me being a gentile. His name is Avram, and he pokes my right toe when he is ready.

Your secret is safe with me and my imaginary friends...and maybe a few readers. When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?

Not at all. I tend to write novels with an ensemble cast because I like to shine light on a situation from different perspectives. Some characters are known to me from the start, others pop up out of necessity and become very central--it is the beauty of writing for me, the many surprises.

Which character did you most enjoy writing?

In my new book Sebastian, there is an elderly couple who have a love-hate relationship after many years of marriage. I enjoyed writing their arguments.


In The Luck of the Weissensteiners, my favorite character is the Countess. Despite her aristocratic background, she has a liberal mind and an appetite for art and extravagance. I also loved Johanna, the mean and selfish woman who eventually discovers her softer side.

What would your main character say about you?

Did you really have to make us go through all that drama? Couldn’t have written a comedy, could you?

Are you like any of your characters? How so?

I think I am in each and every one of my characters. I try to see the story from their perspective and for a brief moment become them, otherwise I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting anyone read about them. They are a catalogue of my best and worst parts and of who I would like to be.

I would love to have the jovial kindness of Jonah Weissensteiner, the spirit of The Countess, and the selflessness of many other characters. Maybe creating those characters will help me get there more quickly.

If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?

No doubt, the Countess. Strong, diplomatic, eloquent, big hearted, and extravagant.

With which of your characters would you most like to be stuck on a deserted island?

Jonah Weissensteiner, such a lovely and warm father figure.

Tell us about your cover art.

I had what I thought was an excellent black and white idea of mountains and clouds, but a friend of mine, Darren Smith, pointed out how amateurish it looked. Amongst other occupations, he runs a design company. We exchanged a few emails about it, and he skillfully uncovered what I really wanted. He went searching in a photo library and suggested a few options; all of which were excellent. In the end I left him to it, as he clearly knew what he was doing more than I did.

What song would you pick to go with your book?

My friends say that I have terrible taste in music, so I would give you a choice:
"Don’t Give Up," by Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel
"Bulgary Melody," by Deep Forest
"Only Teardrops," by Emmilie de Forest

Which author would you most like to invite to dinner, and what would you fix me? I mean, him. Or her.

Definitely you, Amy. I can make a mean vegan salad. Hello...you still there?

Yes, sadly I am. I started to make my way to your house, but then I thought I'd better finish the interview first. What book are you currently reading and in what format?

I just finished Elsie – Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913 – 1916, on my Kindle.

Tell us a book you’re an evangelist for.

Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
Satan Wants Me, by Robert Irwin
The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas
The Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
We need to talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

How do you handle criticism of your work?

Surprisingly well. At first, of course, it stings a little, but it is important to hear all opinions on your work. Some of these may well have a point, and that will help me in my further writing. Others are opinions I disagree with and, fortunately only occasionally (so far), someone has a rant and becomes unpleasant, in which case you tell them to redirect their anger where it originally belongs and send them love from the Universe.


I like that attitude. Tell us one weird thing, one nice thing, and one fact about where you live.

Weird: My sleeping pattern is ruled by the moon.
Nice: I have three dogs who I adore and who I always make time for.

Place: I live near a chicken farm and the noise is surprisingly calming.

Hmmm...I think that last one is kind of weird, too. What books have you read recently and would recommend?

The Judas Kiss, by Angella Graff (urban fantasy)
The Spirit Box, by J.H. Glaze (horror)
Daughters of Iraq, by Revital Shiri-Horovitz (historical fiction)
The Lost Pearl, by Lara Zuberi(literary fiction)
The Warrior, by Ty Patterson (thriller)

Are you sure that's all? Did you maybe forget a great mystery you just read? A humorous southern mystery? I'm sure it was just an oversight. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

California, Arizona, or Capetown.

If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?

New Zealand.

What are you working on now?


I am proof reading Sebastian, my next book, and I am editing a Scandinavian war drama set in Finland in the last century.

When will Sebastian be published?

I am going live on May 1st. Check out my Goodreads page for it in the meantime.

And I expect to see you back here in June to tell us more about it!

About the author:

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany in 1970 as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers, he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years, he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today. The Luck of The Weissensteiners is his first published work.

Connect with Christoph:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Facebook (Weissensteiners) | Facebook (Sebastian) | Goodreads | Twitter

Buy the book:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble