Thoughts and words

Inspiration: those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

Have a look at this woman below. What do you make of her? She could be the lady who lives next door, couldn't she? The neighbourly neighbour we would all like to have. She lived in the US for 20 years and, sure enough, neighbours and friends described her as... Read more →

Cash for corpses: inspiration from real life

Quite easy this. The chances of getting caught are minimal. So, you have access to the sick and dying because you are an ambulance worker. You inject a vein with air - causing death by embolism. Then, you recommend a funeral agency linked to the Sicilian mafia. You get a... Read more →

Inspiration: Christmas greetings from Stalingrad 1942

Have a look at this drawing (charcoal on paper). It was sketched by Dr Kurt Reuber (1906-1944) in his "medical" bunker in Stalingrad Christmas 1942. The drawing depicts mother and child. Round the edge of the paper, Dr Reuber has written: 1942 Christmas in the Kessel - Fortress Stalingrad -... Read more →

Inspiration from the past - Carla's Birthday

I am often asked where I get ideas from. "You must be very imaginative," people say. Well, not really. Most of my ideas come from real life, that is - real situations, real conversations (often overheard conversations) and real people - past or present. For example, meet Cora Pearl (nee... Read more →

Using music to evoke the past in "The Poor Singer of an Empty Day."

Music is very often associated with people and/or places from the past, whether we like it or not. The soundtrack of our lives - those songs or other pieces of music that will forever be associated with certain events and people that influenced us. Writers can use this phenomenon, too.... Read more →

A Christmas message of love from the Russian front in 1945

There is nothing remarkable about the village of Dornheim in Hessen. But you might take up the invitation written on this memorial to "verweile und gedenke" or "stop and think" in English. In 1939, Dornheim had around 2000 inhabitants. By 1945, about 200 of Dornheim's men had either gone missing... Read more →

Inspiration from personal experiences - The Poor Singer of an Empty day

I get the impression that many people believe writers write about themselves. I cannot say whether this is true or not. All I can say is my novels are not about me! Why should anyone be interested in the author? However, I can say that I use some of my... Read more →

Inspiration for the novel Lost Property - the past is present

Lost Property was partly inspired by the current refugee crisis in Germany. But I also wanted to draw parallels with the refugee crisis in post-war Germany. In 1945, Germany was in ruins and yet it had to accept and assimilate ethnic German refugees kicked out of their ancestral homes in,... Read more →

Mind games - music and inspiration

People often ask me where I get inspiration from. Well, there are many sources of inspiration. I have tried to share some of my thoughts on this subject in my blog. One source of inspiration I have not touched on yet is music. I would not say that I have... Read more →

In the beginning was the word. Inspiration from opening lines

In my previous blog about novel endings, I suggested that these are rather like the finale of a musical or an opera. A good ending will send you out of the theatre whistling a catchy tune and, hopefully, the tune will remain in your consciousness for a long time. The... Read more →