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Travelling…
I almost only travel when I go to book fairs or conventions, lagging boxes of books. Last weekend I celebrated a good friend’s birthday. We had to do a bit of travelling for it, towards the Black Forest, almost to the French border. A party location that was perfect for medieval festivities. I had dressed accordingly. My wardrobe still holds a lot of things from the time when I was still actively attending fantasy festivals as my alter ego Gaoith na bhFharraige, the Bard. That was a lot of fun. Lately, I’ve been going less to such festivals, not because I suddenly dislike the people, but rather because of my health-related inability to sleep in double-decker beds or having to walk half a mile to the loo at night. I had also made some garments for my Beloved, but as my talent for needle and thread is as good as…
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The Reading Season has started
In two weeks, “Schlange des Bösen” (Part 1: The Student) will be published by Torsten Low. I’m really looking forward to it. The English version “Serpent of Malice” will be published a little later. The first reading will take place a week before the official publishing date, and I hope the audience will all pre-order the book immediately in great numbers. They won’t have to wait long, just a week or so. This first reading will take place at CaveCon in Aschaffenburg. That’s a cozy, small roleplaying convention that also has a few book stands (e.g. mine) and at least two readings. The people there are truly nice. Readings at RPG cons are not always easy, because when everyone is playing and RPG campaign, the players often don’t like to interrupt to listen to a reading. But I promise it’s worth it. It will be exciting and funny. The story…
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Caution! Politics! Better not read it!
An American SF author and friend of mine has asked me if I’d like to go to a major SF fantasy convention in Boston. He could get me to be one of the ‘guest authors’. However, that will be in 2026. The disadvantage: I would have to pay for the flight myself. The advantage: I could present my English-language novels to a native-speaker audience with a reading and presentation. I really don’t know what to say to him. Apart from the flight costs, the USA doesn’t really appeal to me as a destination at the moment. Who knows what will happen by then? Will the orange-coloured harasser of women have restricted democratic rights there to such an extent that, as a creative and free-thinking person, a) you won’t feel comfortable there and b) you might even have reason to be scared? Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I am worried. Of course…
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My new Award
I love winning awards. Who doesn’t? Two weeks ago, it happened again. I gave a reading at BuCon (Book Fair Convention on Frankfurt Book Fair Saturday) and was sitting at my book table, striving to sell as many books as possible. That’s not easy. The hall is packed with writers’ stands and publishers’ booths. We all have very much in common, not least that we endeavour to reduce the number of books we brought to the event by offering them for sale to an interested readership. And there were a great many interested readers at the event, who pushed their way through the aisles and filled their bags with printed matter, while both dealers and authors alike were keen to fill their pockets with money. My new novel ‘Sturmkrallen’ (=Stormclaws) was extremely popular and I soon ran out of copies. But my wonderful spouse valiantly mounted his bike and travelled…
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Hobbies
Life is not just about writing. Nor is it just about cleaning, shopping, preparing food and physiotherapy appointments. I, for example, sing. I used to write a lot of songs myself: Filk / singer-songwriter stuff / fantasy ballads. This then increasingly gave way to writing books, as if my muse were too overworked to deal with both songs and novels at the same time. Perhaps there has also been a departmental change: Euterpe (music) has ceded me to Kalliope (epic poetry). They may have shuffled me back and forth for a while. Or they’re taking turns and I just haven’t understood their schedule yet. At least I have to start practising again now, because I’m reading at the Festival Mediaval in Selb from 6 to 8 September 2024, and I’ve been asked to sing something to accompany the reading. I don’t know why I said yes. Apart from practising, it…
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Old friends
It’s always great when you meet up with old friends and realise that nothing has changed except the number of wrinkles on your face. I went to school with Renée. She was a year above me. One Monday morning she came to me with starry eyes. “Yesterday at church…” Her father always made her go to church each Sunday and she usually went to the English-language mass. As a diplomat’s daughter, she could pretty much choose her language. “…I turned round and looked into the most beautiful eyes in the world. He is the man of my life! It’s him or no one.” She was 18, I was 17, and to be honest, I didn’t take this spontaneous declaration of love very seriously at the time. I should have done so. They got married and are still together today, decades later. That’s quite extraordinary. Here’s to love! Übrigens, das…
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The Paracryptozoological Annual Conference
Last weekend saw me busy at an extraordinary event. The Annual Paracryptozoological Conference took place at the “Bakerstreet“ in Saarbrücken. I was a speaker there. If you don’t know right away what is hidden behind the word paracryptozoology, don’t be embarrassed: It is a field of research that basically does not exist. Paracryptozoology deals with “creatures that are so extinct that they probably never lived”. To sum it up: the little creatures we are researching have sprung from our eccentric brains. And what an impressive number of eccentric brains they were! I am proud of us. A glance at the programme reveals the infinitely important and sometimes very dangerous creatures we deal with. I, for example, or rather my scientific alter ego, Dr. Rosa-Eleonore Meyer-Hübschlieb, am concerned with the Diantus Glandularis Sugens = the carnation sucker, a worm-like parasite with a carnation head, which in its most dangerous form finds…
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Quotes from my books
Occasionally I throw quotes from my books into the internet world hoping that someone will find them so exciting that they will want to buy the book immediately. I do make an effort to hunt through the manuscripts and perhaps create suitable background images. Here I throw you a few quotes – with the same hope.
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Some of my Favorite Books
I recently took part in a promotion project: Shepherd – explore * discover* read The best books that combine fantasy with “the past” (shepherd.com) . Here authors present one of their own books together with five of their favorite books that fit the subject or subgenre. A simply wonderful idea! I don’t know yet how many readers it will generate. With advertising and PR, you never really know beforehand, but the idea in itself is great. Have a look at their list of best historical fiction books It’s interesting to put yourself in the context of your own preferences; also in the context of what might have inspired you as an author. Context is ultimately networking. I sincerely hope that readers who have the same preferences as I do will also be inspired to become curious about my book. Choosing five favorite books was not easy. My world is full…
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My Contribution to an RPG Rulebook
Well – not really. In fact I haven’t made any active contribution to an RPG role-playing game other than allowing my likeness to be included in the volume as a drawing. The drawing is by Sylvia and I think it turned out really well. I hereby inform you about this crowd funding project in the very own words of one of the editors: “It’s time: The crowdfunding project of the 100 Questen Gesellschaft e.V. for the SAGA OF SILVER & WAHNSINN (has)start(ed) on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on Startnext. The campaign in 13 single adventures was originally written 30 years ago by Steffen Schütte for the “Stormbringer” role-playing game. Now finally it will be released after several years of preparation. All game values of the campaign were transferred to MYTHRAS and the background world was designed in such a way that all terms are recognizable for those familiar with the…