Is This a Dream?

Behind the podium about to give a talk on my novel
The Last Daughter of Prussia.
I really feel as if this is a dream.

  I'm standing behind a podium looking at a group of women—members of The Canadian Women's Club—who are listening to what I'm about to say. I'm a little nervous because in my dream this is the first time ever that I am going to talk about my novel in public. I introduce myself and begin to tell the story of The Last Daughter of Prussia, why I wrote it and so forth. Reaching down, I pick up the Advanced Reader Copy of the book itself, holding it up for my audience to see. The beautiful Trakehner horse whom I have named Shambhala canters out of the cover on finely chiseled legs, shaking her silky mane and looking at my audience with dark liquid eyes that tell a story of survival, love and loyalty.

The book in my hands. Is this really happening?

  I swallow and smile and suddenly it dawns on me.... this is not a dream! This book I'm holding is real. It's the result of many years of research, writing, re-writing and editing. Blood, sweat and tears if I were to use those well-worn words. Its pages have taken me on inner and outer journeys far too vast and deep to even attempt  to explain in the few minutes I have to speak. Those journeys were like lifetimes.

  I pause reflecting on how it all started—the night I woke up at 3am and was drawn by invisible threads to my computer where I entered a hitherto unknown word into the the search engine and suddenly saw a black and white picture of a long column of horses pulling carts full of sad and desperate looking grandfathers, grandmothers, women and children through snow drifts that had mounted up on a frozen lagoon. The novel was conceived right there. And in that weak moment,  I decided I would write about The Great Trek—the tragic evacuation out of East Prussia which took place at the end of WW2. I had no idea where my journey would take me. While making the flash decision I didn't even remember that my grandparents Walter and Edith von Sanden were part of that treacherous journey. I just knew—like we sometime know things— that it was my job to tell this story.

The photo that caught my eye in the dark of night
and evoked my
decision to write The Last Daughter
(the photo is of the internet)

  I look up. Oh God, how long was I quiet? My audience is waiting for me to carry on. I return to the moment and read an excerpt. When I finish the room is quiet. A voice says, "Can you read more?" That touches me and I end my talk by thanking everyone for listening, for being there with their hearts to hear a piece of this dark corner of history, one that that cost the lives of many innocent people yet was filled with hope and faith, love and the indomitable spirit of human beings.

  I see a woman rise and come to the podium. She takes my hand and kisses it. There are tears in her eyes. Mine too. She was just a child on The Great Trek. She thanks me for writing about her story, about this chapter that has remained hushed in the bones of Germans too ashamed to speak of their own plight because of the atrocities committed by Hitler.
  "When can I get your book?" she asks.
  I tell her that I will be launching it soon and give her the date.

The Save The Date announcement for The Last Daughter of Prussia.
I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have a friend in my life like my
talented inspiring graphic designer friend Paula Boyd Farrington who put
this announcement together in a blink of an eye.
Well it seems that way butI know how hard she works,
how committed to perfection she is.
A detailed invitation will follow shortly.

  I return to my seat. Everyone is clapping. It is a reality now. That actually was me standing up, talking, holding The Last Daughter in my hands. The hardback copies of the book are being printed as I write this blog and will be out in December. Wow.

  I look back at this blog that you, my readers, have so faithfully followed. This is the 56th post. In German there is a saying Gut Ding braucht Weile. It means good things take time. It's true. It's taken a long time but now the time is here.

Til my next post... and hope to see you at the book signing .

—Marina Gottlieb Sarles

Final Countdown

Hi Everyone,

I'm down to the final elements that make up the cover of The Last Daughter of Prussia. Here's how the process of publishing my novel is unfolding for me. We're so close. I'm waiting in excited anticipation for the final countdown.

The front cover of my SOON-TO-BE-PUBLISHED novel.
I am so excited!
I wanted to tell you that the ARC's are coming out next week.
I didn't actually know what this acronym stood for but now I do!
Advanced Reader Copy
So, the process goes like this...
As a marketing tool, publishers 
(in this case my wonderful publisher WILD RIVER BOOKS)
provide free copies of new titles to 
reviewers, booksellers, journalists and even celebrities.
This happens before the book is printed for mass distribution.
When a celebrity reader or journalist gives an endorsement,
that's added to the dust-cover and other promotional items.
Reader books are normally distributed three to six months
before the book is officially released to reviewers, bookstores,
magazines and in some cases libraries.
As you can see on the spine, 
The Last Daughter will be officially released in April 2013.
 However, for all my Bahamian friends and followers
we are planning an advance publication launch and booksigning 
right here in Freeport, Grand Bahama BEFORE Christmas.
Time, Date and Venue to be announced.
So please stay tuned.
For my friends who aren't here in the Bahamas,
maybe you'll come down for the launch and 
some R&R in the sea and sun.

Here are endorsements that I have already obtained 
and that have been used for the back cover.


I thank Patricia Clough, awesome author whose fabulous book and account 

of
 The Great Trek–the evacuation of East Prussia–stayed
 on my desk 

throughout my entire writing journey of The Last Daughter of Prussia.


I wrote to her hardly expecting an endorsement because she is so 
busy and well-known, 

yet she was kind enough to read my novel and write a beautiful comment.


Denise Rutzou is the president of the Australian Trakehner Society.


She is such a doll for writing this touching endorsement.


I feel like we struck up a friendship via e-mail and I've told her

 
I want to visit her in Australia one day to meet her 
and her beloved Trakehners.


And then there is Ian Hancock. What a learned man!


He has brought huge awareness to the Romanies
 and their little understood culture.
 

He has represented the Romani people at the United Nations and


served as a member of the U.S. HolocaustMemorial Council 
under President Bill Clinton.


I never in my wildest dreams imagined he would write an endorsement,
 

but again he took the time and I am ever so grateful.


Perhaps many established authors remember 
what it was like when they first started writing.


I have other amazing endorsements too.
 

Erhard Schulte, the Trakehner expert in Germany 

who 
never tired of answer my questions.


Dr. Christoph Hinkelmann, East Prussian Museum, Lüneburg, Germany


who took the time out of his busy schedule
 to read the novel, give super advice and comment.

Anne Hampson, Bestselling Romance Novelist 

who
 is also my dear friend and mentor.


The publisher has said that their beautiful comments
will definitely be used in the marketing of my book.


THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

And here you have the blurb that gives you
a taste 
of what the book is about
and hopefully whets your appetite to read more.

Until next time...

Marina Gottlieb Sarles