Annette Oppenlander's Blog, page 9

Holiday Special

Hand-illustrated 11×17 Map of Medieval Hanstein

I’m super excited about this awesome new map. Between now and December 31st I’ll send anyone who purchased “Escape from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath” this hand-illustrated medieval map by Bloomington top designer James Yount.

Simply send a copy of your receipt dated between12.15.2015 and 31.12.2015 and your address to escapefromthepast1 (at) gmail (dot) com.

This map will be a great reference for books 1 and 3.

I Feel Lucky – Why I Love Historical Fiction

An author once told me he preferred writing fantasy so he’d not have to waste time researching history. He just imagined details as he went, building fantastic worlds in made-up places. Well, let me tell you why I love historical fiction.

I have to admit I didn’t realize just how much time I’d spend researching when I began writing stories set in the past. But what can you do when that’s your passion? Over the years I’ve spent many months reading books about the periods my stories play in, studying old newspapers, websites, images, maps and so on. No detail is too small as I recreate the historical setting in my head.

Visiting Billy the Kid’s Grave

Sorting out the Puzzle

It’s sort of like a puzzle that starts with a location and a year. From there I work my way into the “atmosphere” of smells, sounds, vistas, clothing, foods, weather, my characters’ habits and lifestyles. And after a while when I’ve read and analyzed enough, I’m able to envision my historical world in great detail, so it becomes natural to move my characters through it.

Near Fort Sumner along the Pecos River

There are always things I miss and study while writing. For instance how much do a horse and saddle cost in 1881? Or what do you pay for a meal in a saloon? I also studied guns though I’m not a big fan. Of course, in the Wild West of New Mexico, pretty much all people carried them.

Research Visits are a Must

What I find most helpful is the actual research visit. Yes, I do go wherever my stories take place. Images, no matter how well done, never reflect what the air, sunlight, wind, spaces and vistas really look and feel like.

Exploring the Black Range

So in April of 2015 I took a 10-day trip to follow in the footsteps of my protagonist, Max Nerds. Beginning in Fort Sumner, NM, I visited the two Billy the Kid museums, went to the Kid’s grave, traveled southwest across the Rio Grande and into the mountains of the Gila Wilderness. I stopped in Chloride, a former silver mining and almost ghost town at the end of a bumpy road, a few residents are painstakingly refurbishing and rebuilding to return the village to its 19th century glory.

High Pine Forest in the Black Range

From there the trip led farther west and south into the Black Range. In the 19th century the Warm Springs Apaches called it home, traveling through the vast mountains, maintaining a nomadic lifestyle. On a whim we turned off the main road and found ourselves traveling up and down ridges, through beautiful pine forests smelling so fragrant I wanted to bottle their scent, valleys, shrubby hillsides and along lakes. All the while I imagined how the Apaches must have loved this place and lost it to the greed of the white man.

Vistas in the Black Range – the Land Goes on Forever

I Love Historical Fiction

What I came away with is as always flowing into my stories, each part a revelation. The way the sky is so huge and seems to go on forever. The way the land is peppered with prickly plants and shapes itself into folds and ravines, gravelly pits and high ridges. The way the wind whispers through the trees and pine needles form a carpet snuffing out your steps. The harshness of cold and hot every given day, the low moisture in the air attacking your nostrils.

Each detail is precious and an experience. For myself and for my characters. The way I see it, I’m lucky I write historical fiction.

Coming February 2016

On pre-order now

eBook pre-order December 2015

The post I Feel Lucky – Why I Love Historical Fiction appeared first on Annette Oppenlander.

I Feel Lucky

An author told me the other day he preferred writing fantasy so he’d not have to waste time researching history. He just imagined details as he went, building fantastic worlds in made-up places.

I have to admit I didn’t realize just how much time I’d spend researching when I began writing historical fiction. But what can you do when that’s your passion? Over the years I’ve spent many months reading books about the periods my story are set in, studying old newspapers, websites, images, maps and so on. No detail is too small as I recreate the historical setting in my head.

It’s sort of like a puzzle that starts with a location and a year. From there I work my way into the “atmosphere” of smells, sounds, vistas, clothing, foods, weather, my characters’ habits and lifestyles. And after a while when I’ve read and analyzed enough, I’m able to envision my historical world in great detail, so it becomes natural to move my characters through it.

There are always things I miss and study while writing. For instance how much do a horse and saddle cost in 1881? Or what do you pay for a meal in a saloon? I also studied guns though I’m not a big fan. Of course, in the Wild West of New Mexico, pretty much all people carried them.

What I find most helpful is the actual research visit. Yes, I do go wherever my stories take place. Images, no matter how well done, never reflect what the air, sunlight, wind, spaces and vistas really look and feel like.

So in April of 2015 I took a 10-day trip to follow in the footsteps of my protagonist, Max Nerds. Beginning in Fort Sumner, NM, I visited the two Billy the Kid museums, went to the Kid’s grave, traveled southwest across the Rio Grande and into the mountains of the Gila Wilderness. I stopped in Chloride, a former silver mining and almost ghost town at the end of a bumpy road, a few residents are painstakingly refurbishing and rebuilding to return the village to its 19th century glory.

From there the trip led farther west and south into the Black Range. In the 19th century the Warm Springs Apaches who traveled through the vast mountains, maintaining a nomadic lifestyle called it home. On a whim we turned off the main road and found ourselves traveling up and down ridges, through beautiful pine forests smelling so fragrant I wanted to bottle their scent, valleys, shrubby hillsides and along lakes. All the while I imagined how the Apaches must have loved this place and lost it to the greed of the white man.

What I came away with is as always flowing into my stories, each part a revelation. The way the sky is so huge and seems to go on forever. The way the land shapes itself into folds and ravines, gravelly pits and high ridges. The way the wind whispers through the trees, the way pine needles form a carpet snuffing out your steps. The harshness of cold and hot every given day, the low moisture in the air attacking your nostrils.

Each detail is precious and an experience. For myself and for my characters. The way I see it, I’m lucky I write historical fiction.

Coming February 2016

On pre-order now

eBook pre-order December 2015

Traveling Back in Time

On a Class Trip 1976

Okay, I don’t mean time travel like in the Escape from the Past trilogy. I wish I could travel around as I pleased, but we all know only Max Nerds can do that. But…I am returning to my old high school, Gymnasium August Dicke Schule in Solingen, Germany for an author visit. It’s a strange feeling to revisit the place I spent nine years from 5th through 13th grade.

It’s where I went through puberty and struggled with grades. Unlucky for us back then, we had only one “token”—sorry Michael—boy in our class. It must have been quite strange for him to be surrounded by hormone charged girls. I was quite shy back then and even more introverted than I’m now. Some of that shyness disappeared out of necessity, interacting with colleagues, raising kids and joining a community.

In Front of the ADS in 1973

So, I’m excited to return to the old walls of my school, talking to the teens who sit in the same spots I occupied forty years ago. Much has changed, of course. We didn’t have computers, cell phones, Facebook or Twitter. We wrote on paper, talked on a house phone and if we wanted to hang out we’d visit our friends face-to-face.

I’m a child of the seventies and I still remember wearing miniskirts my mother had sewn. After the Abitur we all went our separate ways. Of all the classmates I probably went the farthest from home. Not that I planned it that way. Life happened and one thing led to another. Out of a one-year market research assignment in Wichita, KS, grew a U.S. life with my husband and three children.

And as I’m preparing for my meeting with my old school, I realize that my least favorite subjects in high school were history and English. As a U.S. author of historical fiction this makes no sense. But then life is full of surprises and just about anything is possible.

Especially if you’re still in high school.

First Reading and Signing

Reading at Boxcar Books in Bloomington

Last Sunday, a group of heat-hardened, brave Bloomingtonians attended my first reading. I was nervous all morning, pacing, drinking coffee and rechecking my list of what to take. I needed books, of course, the new medieval map giveaways, reading glasses, bookmarks, business cards and my official signing pen.

Yes, authors are supposed to use a dedicated pen that doesn’t run, smudge or do other weird things on a precious book page. I’m the proud owner of several colors, green, blue and black.

Reading from my new book, Escape from the Past – The Duke’s Wrath

We arrived in time to set up a book table where I could sell and sign copies. After that I remember little. Okay, I’m kidding. I do remember standing in front of the listeners, realizing I couldn’t see well through my reading glasses. Usually, I don’t wear any, but the print is just small enough that it strains my eyes. Unfortunately, the distance between my eyes and book were somehow off and I tried to adjust back and forth. I would’ve preferred to put the book on the stand, but the stand was too low so that didn’t work either.

Well, I made it through almost two chapters before the time was up, sold a few books and met and spoke with really nice people. I’ll definitely do it again as soon as I get the chance. A huge thank you to the Bloomington Writers Guild for organizing the event.

Freebies Coming Your Way

To celebrate the release of my newest historical teen novel, Escape from the Past – The Duke’s Wrath, I’m giving away free stuff this week.

Everyone who’s purchasing a copy by 7.31.2015 will receive

A PDF of the coolest medieval map to accompany the story. The map will also be helpful for book 3 which also takes place in medieval Germany.
A ten-page wandering through the castle as it stands today, including interesting info that didn’t make it into the book.

If you’ve ordered a copy, simply send me an e-mail at escapefromthepast1@gmail.com with a receipt of your purchase by 8.5.2015. Some of you who bought directly from me, just send a note to the same e-mail.

 

 

What’s New

I thought I’d share a few updates:

Currently Researching/Writing

I’m in the midst of finishing the first draft of “Broken Journey,” a story set during the American Civil War. This novel is written from the points of view of a teen slave and his best friend, a white farm boy. To make this work, I’m using a close third person point of view instead of my staple, the first-person perspective. You can read an intro to the story here.

One of the challenges I’m facing with Broken Journey is the historical information known about the Civil War. It’s absolutely amazing how many details have been recorded of every battle, skirmish, troop movement and leadership change. As a result I’m working very hard to make sure I adhere to the actual history. Of course, the Civil War only serves as a backdrop to the plot, and I’m super excited about my two boys, Adam and Tip, getting into incredible adventures.

Free Giveaway with New Release

The new book, Escape from the Past – The Duke’s Wrath will be released the end of July. I’m planning a free giveaway of a couple of cool items to accompany the book release, so anybody who orders the book before it releases on July 31 will receive these giveaways. Both items will be very useful when reading the book. I’ll reveal what they are shortly.

#1 in Amazon’s Teen Historical/Medieval Category

Escape from the Past spent several days in the #1 spot in this special category. It made me feel really good, but as you know, nothing lasts very long—Amazon updates book rankings hourly—so it’s a fleeting thing.

NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****NEWS

Reading/Signing

August 2nd, 3 p.m. at Boxcar Books on 6th Street in Bloomington. Come and visit, bring your book for an autograph, bring friends and let’s have some fun. I’ll be reading from Escape from the Past. I’ll also have a limited number of books for sale.

******************************************************************************************************************

Next Published Book

A little update on the sequel which is called Escape from the Past – The Kid. I’ve received copy edits from my publisher and now have to edit one more time. Meanwhile I’m waiting for several endorsements from advanced readers. These endorsements will go on the back cover. Sorry, don’t have a cover yet. Here is a little story intro.

Goodreads Giveaways

If you’re a member of Goodreads you probably know about giveaways. Currently, until June 24/25 both my books, A Different Truth and Escape from the Past have giveaways of autographed copies.

Autograph for your eBook

If you order an eBook and would like my autograph, visit authorgraph.com and request an electronic autograph. I’ll be notified and my note and signature will appear on your eReader. Isn’t technology cool!

 

 

From Writer to Author

So here it is. Finally after six years of intense writing, editing and rewriting. After finding a literary agent and letting him go, after endless rounds of edits, I’m officially published. I expected this occasion to feel momentous, yet I’m finding that I’m more anxious than excited.

In front of the “Billy The Kid” museum in Fort Sumner, NM

All these years I’ve written in the privacy of my office and now my product is available to the public. While that sounds cool, it also opens the door too being criticized “in public.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned to accept and even appreciate critiques because they are what makes us better writers. Six years in writing groups teach you a lot about writing and yourself. Learning to take advice is just one of many valuable lessons.

The other part that makes me anxious is that as an unpublished writer one can concentrate on writing, writing and writing. Nothing else matters, but to develop craft, write, edit and do historical research.

Official Billy The Kid Grave (the original location is unknown because the graveyard was flooded in the early 1900s.

As a published writer we’ve just added a slew of extra tasks, the dreaded marketing. In today’s publishing environment, most authors have to take on serious amounts of public relations, advertising and personal involvement. We must visit schools, stores and book clubs. We must create an online presence. We must create a platform, blog, tweet, Facebook and do blog tours.

All of a sudden my tranquil day of writing in the mornings, editing in the afternoons no longer works. I’ve got to spread myself thin, create lists, send e-mails, post updates and contact book stores. My daily load has doubled, maybe tripled. This is even more pronounced because I have a second novel being published this summer.

Historic marker near Lincoln, NM where Billy shot the two deputies and escaped.

As a result I am frazzled. It’s like swimming in murky waters without knowing where to find land. As I’m working on one thing, the back of mind whispers I should get busy with another. I’m in the middle of editing book two of the historical trilogy Escape from the Past, yet I seem to get stuck after two pages because there are so many “new” distractions.

All I can hope is that with time things will settle down. I will fall into a rhythm. Maybe…

I’d love your thoughts. Maybe I’m making this sound way too complicated.

Get Your Free Copy Now

I put together a cool collection of facts about the Middle Ages. For those of you who enjoy medieval stuff, all the information comes from Germany. There is a description of torture methods, a collection of illnesses and a lot of info about the way peasants and nobility lived.

After putting this piece together I have to say I’m very glad to live in today’s society. It may have its faults, but the creature comforts we have today are worth the occasional dissatisfaction.

If you’d like a copy, follow the link on the right and sign up for an occasional update from me. I promise I’ll only send brief and important news.

Combating Homesickness

Every year around this time in December I experience a longing for home. Well, I have a home, of course, a beautiful one I share with my husband and two adult twins. I’m talking about the nostalgic idea of my former home in another country—Germany. A long time ago I left to start a life in the U.S., but still consider Germany my other home.

Typically I visit there around this time of year, so I can heal my homesickness. This winter I’m not going because I’ve got too much to do. Instead I’m trying to figure out what this thing, homesickness, really is and how to combat it. Because I know in my rational mind that what I’m missing is for the most part not in existence anymore. I miss things I remember from long ago: the feel of my house around Christmas time, visiting my grandparents upstairs and across town, eating Lebkuchen, the smells of fresh-baked bread and cookies, the Advent calendar with chocolate treats behind each door, Solingen, my hometown, decked in lights, trees and red bows and of course, lots of music.

When I visit home now, much has changed. My grandparents have long passed. My mother has been gone for ten years, the house I grew up in, empty except for my elderly father. I can count myself lucky to still be able to visit the same place I grew up in. Many of us have no places to return to, our homes gone for one reason or another. Some people cannot return to the place they grew up in. I once spoke to a woman who lived in a village in Poland that no longer exists today. How hard it must be to have no home, no place left to identify with. My hometown has changed so much, it’s hardly recognizable. Many buildings have disappeared, there is a new American style mall, many of the retailers have vanished and made room for dollar stores.

On a rational level I know that no matter how I try, I cannot recapture that feeling of home even when I visit. Because I was different then and the people who made it possible are gone. What I have done every year since is to instate traditions similar to those I grew up with. Everything from ornaments to candles to chocolate, the way we celebrate Christmas Eve with music and dinner, the imported German cookies and chocolates we enjoy as a family. I find myself searching for ways to heal my longing heart (sorry, sounds like a cheap romance story), listen to old German Christmas songs. I light candles and look at photos.

Soon it will be time to snap out of it, get busy with life and writing. Work has always been the best distraction. And I remind myself that change is a good thing, that it is healthy and that life consists of change.

Just like a good story.