Thoughts and words

Nostalgia as inspiration

At least 3 of my novels have been partly inspired by nostalgia. “The Poor Singer of an Empty Day” came to life while I was living in Herrenberg, Germany. One morning I woke up feeling nostalgic for England and, in particular, for my childhood – hence the dedication and the... Read more →

Inspiration from the newspapers: remembrance and learning from the past.

I found the photo below, and the article to which the photo was attached, in the Sonntags Zeitung - 5 November 2017. The Sonntag's Zeitung is a weekly evangelical publication, and it appears in our postbox every Friday. Several of its articles have grabbed for my attention because the stories... Read more →

Inspiration from the past - beauty and horror on Monte Pasubio

Three old friends and assorted family members set off to climb Monte Pasubio just over a week ago. There were 10 of us. The youngest was just 11 years old. The oldest was 67. We spent the night at 1900 metres in the WW1 military refuge shown in pic 4... Read more →

July 2017 - Return to the Schoenbuch Forest 2

I used plenty of poetic licence when writing "The Schoenbuch Forest." Nonetheless, when writing about the protagonist's first meeting with Ulrich Schneider, I had the places above in mind. Picture 1 shows the interior of the church in Herrenberg. Picture 2 shows the Apostles Steps, which lead down to the... Read more →

What local papers said about the novel "The Schoenbuch Forest."

For those German speakers out there, here are two articles from the local Herrenberg newspaper about the novel "The Schoenbuch Forest". The first, published in 2007, was written after an interview with the author. The second is an article about Viktor Wagner, his grave in the forest and what it... Read more →

The importance of theme.

The theme of a novel is the heart of the story and will have a universal human appeal. Your theme must not only appeal to the reader, it should animate and inspire you if you are to spend so much time working with it. Examples of themes in my own... Read more →

July 2017 - Return to the Schoenbuch Forest 4

The first photo above shows the entrance to the cemetery in the centre of Herrenberg. It contains the graves of several soldiers who are known to have been with Viktor Wagner when he died. His death and the ensuing mystery inspired my book. On the last day of my stay... Read more →

July 2017 - Return to the Schoenbuch Forest 3

This description of Joerg Eisenmann's garden was inspired by a garden I used to pass every day while living in Herrenberg between 1997 and 2000. The garden has changed a bit but I guess the people who lived there 20 years ago are still living there. The two pictures below... Read more →

July 2017 - Return to the Schoenbuch Forest - Herrenberg and the church

Herrenberg is the gateway to The Schoenbuch Forest. The author lived here between 1996 and 2000. He began work on the novel in 2001 but the thoughts behind the book had been churning away for some time before that. There is also no question that a sort of homesickness for... Read more →

The Power of Nostalgia

At least 3 of my novels have been partly inspired by nostalgia. “The Poor Singer of an Empty Day” came to life while I was living in Herrenberg. One morning I woke up feeling nostalgic for England and, in particular, for my childhood – hence the dedication and the fact... Read more →