Cindy Hurst's Blog - Posts Tagged "murder-mystery"

Hello WORLD!

I'm Cindy Hurst: Mom, research analyst, writer, author, Navy officer, runner, gardener, cancer survivor, promoter, jane-of-all-trades, and I'm blonde.

Now that my first novel, Berlin Dancer, is finally out, I'm also a blogger since that seems to be the next step in this process of trying to go from oblivion to breakout author in one fell swoop. Of course, who am I kidding? It doesn't happen that way. Most authors remain in oblivion and never seem to go beyond their tight circle of friends. It's a sad reality.

Having put an inordinate amount of time and work, especially research, into Berlin Dancer (I'm insanely obsessed with getting every detail perfect in everything I write) I'm determined to make it a success. I want to share the twists and turns of the story with the world, so that others can feel what I felt as the story unfolded. I also want them to fall in love with the characters. So far so good according to reviews on Amazon.

I hope you will come back as I keep you updated and share with  you some of my many adventures in and thoughts about writing. Really! Writing can be an adventure. I've also learned many lessons over the years, and am still learning! Feel free to ask questions as the answer might make a perfect blog entry!

I will soon have another blog (same information, but more easily accessed), connected to my website cindyhurst.com.

One of the biggest challenges in writing Berlin Dancer was not researching the actual history, but rather bringing my characters to life in a realistic setting. There was a plethora of information available on the political and military situation of the time. However, there seemed to be very little information available about the lives of individuals beyond a bird's-eye-view.

To Americans, it is impossible to understand the kind of struggle that German citizens experienced during post-war Germany. I thought I understood at first, but eventually learned that there was so much more to it.

I shared one of the first drafts of the story with a historian who kindly told me, "Your characters are living a life of luxury." This prompted me to go back to the drawing board to make life tougher, and more realistic. Through numerous articles, interviews, and pure imagination, I was finally able to rework parts of the story.

In post-war Berlin, there were countless struggles. The Soviet invasion was frightening. The soldiers were brutal, taking what they wanted, including the women. The Soviets were not the only threat. The citizens were cold and starving. Even boiling a potato was a challenge. Real coffee was unheard of. The black market became rampant. I read through several diaries written by women who had lived through those times and I spoke with people who had spent time there and who had even grown up behind the Wall. The research was eye-opening.

In Berlin Dancer, a murder-mystery, the characters live through these times and in these settings. Therefore, the scenes have to be realistic to add to the flavor of the story. We have to immerse ourselves in the characters' lives. The reader becomes steeped in history without even realizing it. Truly, Berlin Dancer is about the characters and not the history, but you can't have one without the other.

It was dark outside. The wind howled through the branches of the trees, tossing the leaves about violently. Andrea found herself standing alone in the street. Everything appeared massive – the buildings, the streets, the few parked cars around her. Suddenly she heard a bone-chilling scream. It was a familiar scream. She followed the piercing sound as it grew louder and louder, almost becoming deafening. Her body became paralyzed and her breathing labored. Before her she saw the image of her mother, hunched over on her knees. The woman looked up and saw Andrea. Her arms came up, reaching, reaching. But something held Andrea back. She struggled to free herself from the invisible force, but her struggles proved to be futile. Then, in the corner of her eye Andrea saw him, a faceless man, cloaked in black. He began marching toward her. He was floating, yet Andrea heard his footsteps grow louder and louder until the sound was too unbearable. Then, he reached out for her, and as he did she saw the image of a cat begin to emerge from the back of his hand. The cat turned into a lion with fire in its eyes. Andrea opened her mouth to scream but nothing would
come out.

“Andi, run!” echoed the haunting voice of her mother. It sounded like a thousand voices, trapped inside a chasm. “Andi, run or the lion will kill you!”

Andrea clamped her eyes shut…
Berlin Dancer