It’s summer and happens anew every time.
Lounging somewhere in nature, my gaze gets lost in the fleeting clouds,
as if on its own, the last year passes
in review. What many people do
at the end of December is easier for me when everything around me
is blossoming, buzzing, fluttering, and
one or the other dog’s paws stretches next to me in the grass. Stories and experiences then appear in a softer light,
thoughts follow a lighter rhythm and often new perspectives arise as if by themselves. Not long ago, the smartphone reminded
me that exactly one year ago I was happily sitting on the terrace in the sun. And not only
with bright paint and brushes, but also with a book, Queenie Malone‘s Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan. My daughter Pauline had enjoyed reading it,
and recommended it to me. Since I intended to
improve my English, this book came in handy.
Before I knew it, I was lost in the plot and relishing Ruth Hogan’s beautiful language.
No sooner had I finished it, I was immediately devouring her two other novels, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. Six months later, we were slogging through winter lockdown and a great part of it felt constricting and dark. Writing my new stories wasn’t happening, there was always something going on.
As so many others also experienced, the daily routine was accompanied by, among other things, homeschooling, zoom meetings, home office, and when, who, where, for how long someone needed absolute quiet, also hope of good wifi reception, and seemingly endless cooking and baking. Therefore, it was easier to focus on the Interview Project. I stepped through the magical portal of the internet daily, reading articles, researching, listening to podcasts, and sometimes slipping into an Instagram time hole. One dark winter day, I was thinking about who I could win over for the interview project, and my eyes were drawn to the bookshelves. It seemed like the colorful books by Ruth Hogan were literally waving to me. Since Pauline had loved reading Queenie Malone‘s Paradise Hotel so much, and this project is dedicated to her, the next logical step seemed to write to the author in person. It wasn’t easy for me at the time, though, because shortly before I had gotten several rejections and optimism was hibernating then. I breathed in and out, mumbled motivational phrases, and got started. Sent my request in writing, full of typos and spelling mistakes – accidently too soon. Yes, to a British author.
But shortly afterwards, I received a very friendly and personal reply. Ruth wrote that she understood that the current situation was making everyone’s work difficult and that I was welcome to send her my questionnaire. She would look at it in the coming weeks and then get back to me.
Her uncomplicated manner brought momentum back into the project and optimism was back on the rise, moving towards the morning sun again. As promised, she sent me her smart answers just before the publication of her most recent book, Madame Burova. A novel, which like her others, I can only recommend. When I look at this photo from last year, I am delighted that dreams, you never suspected existed a few months ago, sometimes do come true.
Lounging somewhere in nature, my gaze gets lost in the fleeting clouds,
as if on its own, the last year passes
in review. What many people do
at the end of December is easier for me when everything around me
is blossoming, buzzing, fluttering, and
one or the other dog’s paws stretches next to me in the grass. Stories and experiences then appear in a softer light,
thoughts follow a lighter rhythm and often new perspectives arise as if by themselves. Not long ago, the smartphone reminded
me that exactly one year ago I was happily sitting on the terrace in the sun. And not only
with bright paint and brushes, but also with a book, Queenie Malone‘s Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan. My daughter Pauline had enjoyed reading it,
and recommended it to me. Since I intended to
improve my English, this book came in handy.
Before I knew it, I was lost in the plot and relishing Ruth Hogan’s beautiful language.
No sooner had I finished it, I was immediately devouring her two other novels, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. Six months later, we were slogging through winter lockdown and a great part of it felt constricting and dark. Writing my new stories wasn’t happening, there was always something going on.
As so many others also experienced, the daily routine was accompanied by, among other things, homeschooling, zoom meetings, home office, and when, who, where, for how long someone needed absolute quiet, also hope of good wifi reception, and seemingly endless cooking and baking. Therefore, it was easier to focus on the Interview Project. I stepped through the magical portal of the internet daily, reading articles, researching, listening to podcasts, and sometimes slipping into an Instagram time hole. One dark winter day, I was thinking about who I could win over for the interview project, and my eyes were drawn to the bookshelves. It seemed like the colorful books by Ruth Hogan were literally waving to me. Since Pauline had loved reading Queenie Malone‘s Paradise Hotel so much, and this project is dedicated to her, the next logical step seemed to write to the author in person. It wasn’t easy for me at the time, though, because shortly before I had gotten several rejections and optimism was hibernating then. I breathed in and out, mumbled motivational phrases, and got started. Sent my request in writing, full of typos and spelling mistakes – accidently too soon. Yes, to a British author.
But shortly afterwards, I received a very friendly and personal reply. Ruth wrote that she understood that the current situation was making everyone’s work difficult and that I was welcome to send her my questionnaire. She would look at it in the coming weeks and then get back to me.
Her uncomplicated manner brought momentum back into the project and optimism was back on the rise, moving towards the morning sun again. As promised, she sent me her smart answers just before the publication of her most recent book, Madame Burova. A novel, which like her others, I can only recommend. When I look at this photo from last year, I am delighted that dreams, you never suspected existed a few months ago, sometimes do come true.