The Bread of Life

Hi Everyone,

  So many people who read The Last Daughter of Prussia ask me if the story is true. My answer is always, "Yes, the novel was extensively researched and everything you read is based in truth and steeped in anecdotes passed down to me by my family and my grandfather's diaries. It is an honest piece of rarely told history. However, the characters are fictional and certain parts were invented and intricately woven to make the plot interesting and real to the reader."

My East Prussian grandparents in peaceful times
before the trek
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

  There were many stories that I wanted to weave into the heart of the book but it would have been way too long and my editors were firm in their decision to cut anything superfluous and keep the narrative moving. Lately though, I've been thinking about the stories that didn't make it into the various chapters. I want to share one of them with you today because it speaks to what the people on the "Great Trek" out of East Prussia went through. More importantly, it speaks to faith.

My grandmother Edith von Sanden
before the war.
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

  I will try to tell it as my grandmother, Edith von Sanden once told it to me. I want it come through me in her voice, that soft, near whisper-of-words that has stayed with me ever since I was a little girl and we sat on her garden bench in Hüde, northern Germany, watching hazel pot beetles with red wings and  black heads crawl around the trunk of a large birch tree. Every so often she would touch my hand and point to a goldfinch flitting through the bushes. Sometimes her grey eyes would travel up to the sky, her gaze capturing an osprey that swooped down toward the nearby Dümmer Lake. She loved nature. For her, nothing in nature went unnoticed. The smallest ladybug, the tiniest wriggling earthworm, a broken stalk of flowering hawkweed, a green tree frog hidden in a bark crevice, stones with odd shapes, dragonflies, a shy hedgehog, feathers; they all caught her attention.

Hawkweed (painted by my grandmother)
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

Green frog
(photographed by my grandfather Walter von Sanden
 an avid naturalist)
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

Baby swallows in the barn nest waiting
to be fed.
(Photo  by my grandfather Walter von Sanden)
(C) Gottlieb Family

A dragonfly resting on a plant
Photo by my grandfather Walter von Sanden
(C) Gottlieb Family

A hedgehog looking at his reflection
in the water.
Photo by my grandfather, Walter von Sanden
(C) Gottlieb Family 

  But back to the story. When I looked up from the beetles to ask her about the war and the trek that had taken her so far away from her old home, this is what she told me:

On the trek
(photo from the internet)

The house my grandparents left in the winter of Jan 1945
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

  "It was so cold on the journey, child. Snow lay thick on the ground. In the bitter wind that turned against us that January, my hair, face and hands turned to ice. We travelled alongside thousands of refugees, the roads and fields jam-packed with carts and horses and silently grieving people. When we got to Elbing we learned that the Russians had taken the city. We were afraid. We were surrounded by enemy soldiers. They weren't far from the Frisches Haff, the frozen lagoon your grandfather and I had to cross to try and get to safety. I was so hungry. I hadn't eaten for days, not even a coffee or a crust of bread. The snow was dirty, the edges of the fields lined with bloated corpses so I couldn't drink any melted water. Overturned prams lay by the wayside, the little babies inside frozen, lifeless. I remember looking at your grandfather and telling him that I wanted to lie down in the snow beside them, go to sleep forever. I thought it would be a painless passing.

Awful images along the way

  Your grandfather started to weep and shook his head no. He said he loved me too much to let me go. I cried too. Everything cherished was gone: our home in Guja, our friends, our beloved Trakehner horses, the sparkling lakes and rich land that had been tended to for so many generations before us.

Gone were the horses
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

Gone the land tended to by caring hands for generations
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

No longer would my grandmother see the lakes at sunrise
Photo (C) Gottlieb Family

The horse drawn wood wagons would remain empty
Photo (C)  Gottlieb Family

  I saw your grandfather reach into his pocket and pull out a tiny golden, leather-bound bible that your Aunt Clara had given him before we fled. He carried it with him all the time. He wanted me to read it but I couldn't. I was too weak and I didn't care much anymore about God. Still, it reminded me of The Lord's Prayer so I recited it to myself to keep my mind focused on other things. When I got to the part that says, Give us this day our daily bread, I looked up at the sky and started to rail at God. I shook my fist at Him, raging at the grey clouds above me. "You said you would take care of us if we remembered this prayer, but you have forgotten your people! There is no food, no solace, only death. We're lost. Why don't you keep your promise dammit and help us!"

Aunt Clara who gave my grandfather the bible
working on a tapestry in the garden before the war.
She didn't make it to the west
Photo (C)  Gottlieb Family

  A short while later we came to a wood. I had to empty my bladder so I trudged into the forest to squat behind a bush. As I looked down, I saw the most amazing thing: a loaf of bread, half hidden in the snow and slightly gnawed on the top by a horse whose teeth had been unable to bite through the hard frozen mass. It was the turning point for me. Hugging the loaf to my chest, I fell to my knees and sobbed out thanks for this bread of life. I knew for certain that God had given me a sign. He had heard my prayer. He wasn't angry at my railing. Instead He restored my faith. From that moment on, I knew we would survive, no matter how treacherous the journey. So remember this story my child, when you grow older and, God forbid, you face hardship. There are miracles that happen, not just in holy places but in our lives. Whatever happens, hold fast to your faith. Don't be afraid to trust your unknown future to a known God."

And planting a kiss on my forehead, she bent forward to let a beetle climb into the palm of her hand.

Photo courtesy of Christine Matthai

Until next time.
—Marina Gottlieb Sarles

The Big Apple, Shelter Island and More

Hi Everyone,

 I'm just back from a great trip to the Big Apple where I was invited to do a reading from my novel The Last Daughter of Prussia at a wonderful literary venue called KGB Literary Bar. It was a treat to read in New York (my old stomping grounds) with two other Wild River Books authors, the brilliant Joy Stocke who wrote Anatolian Days and Nights—A Love Affair with Turkey and the bright, shining Kim Nagy who read an excerpt from her soon-to-be published book The Triple Goddess Trials. I saw friends that I haven't seen in 20 odd years along with many faces I don't know.

Me reading from The Last Daughter of Prussia
at the KGB Literary Bar in New York City.

Kim Nagy of Wild River books reading about her
imagined encounter with VirginiaWoolf at the Strand bookstore.

  From NYC on to New Jersey — a great event at Waterlilies restaurant with fine food, sangria and enlightening conversations.

Kim Nagy of Wild River Books and me after setting
 up the book table at Waterlilies in NJ.

Great evening with interesting discussions
and heartfelt connections.
Thank you everyone for coming.

Shelter Island, NY was next on the tour. What a gorgeous place. I had the great pleasure of being invited to speak at the Shelter Island Public Library. Denise DePaolo is the Library Director there. She was so warm and supportive. After I read, the evening turned to deep discussions about family stories that have been held in silence for many years, stories that need telling so that healing can happen. Several courageous audience members shared fascinating and traumatic experiences about their families, allowing  tremendous honesty to fill the room.  What an honor for me to be present to such heartfelt openings. This is my prayer for The Last Daughter of Prussia—that untold stories be told and held in compassion, that the hearts and souls of people in both present, past and future generations find peace and comfort, and that greater healing and understanding evolve in our world.

Me with Denise DePaolo at the
Island Public Library.Shelter

On Saturday we took the cool ferry ride back to the mainland where I spoke with the director of the legendary East Hampton Library. It is one amazing home for books! It smells of history, wisdom, new and old books and I could have stayed there all day. I have been invited to speak there on Sept 21st, 2013 at an event which I look forward to with great enthusiasm.

My  friend, publisher, editor, PR person extraordinaire
Kim Nagy of Wild River Books
at the the beautiful East Hampton Library.

Playing Peek-a-boo at the Library with Christine Matthäi,
my dear friend and "might as well be sister" for many years.

Lastly, a gorgeous evening book signing at Dering Harbor Real Estate, with champagne and friends— a lovely party thrown for The Last Daughter of Prussia by my sweet friend Christine Matthäi.

Our table for The Last Daughter.

Old friends

My dear friend, great mentor,
drive-me-everywhere publisher and advisor Kim Nagy.
She has been so kind and generous with her time, smarts and skills
I can't thank her enough.
We have a great dog and pony show!
(Photo Courtesy Christine Matthäi)

I'm back home again. It's good to see my beautiful little family. They are so supportive when I go away and all the cooking and food shopping grinds to a halt and they are left to fend for themselves.

Here they are my two Real Estate boys:
James Sarles: my husband
Nikolai Sarles: my son —both of
Coldwell Banker/James Sarles Realty Freeport Bahamas

And now I'm off for a swim in  what I call God's Pool!

My Ocean.
(Photo Courtesy  Christine Matthäi)

Until next time,

— Marina Gottlieb Sarles

Moths, Myths and Storytelling

A few weeks back I was invited to speak at a Ladies Book Club hosted by my friend Penny Ettinger here in Freeport, Grand Bahama. As we were chatting one of the women said, "Look, there's a moth in Penny's house."

Now, in the Bahamas, Black Witch Moths such as the one you see in the photo above, are locally known as Money Moths and Bahamian folklore says that if one lands on you or on your door and stays there for a while you will come into money. (Lucky for my friend Penny! Reminds me of that song, Pennies from Heaven!)

In Jamaica the same moth is called a Duppy Bat and is seen as the embodiment of a soul not at rest. Hawaiian Black Witch Moth mythology, though associated with death, has a happier note in that if a loved one has died, the moth is said to be an embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye. There are even places in Mexico, where people joke that if one flies over your head, you'll lose your hair.

I like the Bahamian and Hawaiian legends. That's why you see me holding The Last Daughter of Prussia up to the noteworthy moth. As I stood there I said a prayer for all the people and Trakehner horses who died in East Prussia on the Great Trek during WW2. Hopefully, through writing my book and bringing their untold story to light their souls will find peace. And if the Hawaiian myth holds water and someone did come back to say goodbye, then I know my grandmother's spirit was right there on Penny's door wishing me well and thanking me for completing the task she called me to so many years ago when I first began my writing journey. Lastly, what author wouldn't want their newly released novel to benefit from a good luck legend that promotes prosperity and success? So, yes, I confess I was wishing for that too.

My grandmother, Edith von Sanden-Guja
who came to me repeatedly in my dreams
and called me to the task
of writing The Last Daughter of Prussia.

In conclusion, I want to say that stories—especially old stories, myths and folklores—are crucial to our lives, our society. They strengthen the bonds and values of our cultural communities, our world communities. They preserve elements of history and wisdom for future generations. They must be kept alive. It is a necessary measure now to transcribe them before they fade into nothingness. For without stories who are we?

Deep in my heart and on a more personal level, I also believe that every family has a story. However, if the story is too traumatic or shameful, if it remains a secret or taboo in the ancestral bones, it can have an unwanted effect on all the generations—past, present and future. The dead won't rest in peace until their story is compassionately brought into resonance with the collective field and the living, unconscious of this exclusion may carry unresolved issues into their present day lives without ever knowing why, while acting out in unhealthy ways. For this reason, I believe that every story must be told in order for healing to occur. No tribe, no person, animal, insect or living earthly thing should be excluded.

Until next time...

—Marina Gottlieb Sarles

Back from an Awesome Book Tour

Feeling like a true author now—getting ready for
 a signing at Barnes & Noble in Princeton.

Hi Everyone,

I just came back from my first official book tour in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. It was rich, exciting and fun and although it left me falling into bed totally exhausted at night, I LOVED every minute of it. I met wonderful people with whom I had lively discussions and in-depth conversations—some had never heard of the Great Trek out of East Prussia and were fascinated by that untold story of WW2, while others I spoke to came from the area and lived through that frightening time, escaping over the ice as my heroine and grandparents did.

My publicist took advantage of every second on the road, cramming in a full schedule of book signings at big bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and smaller ones too. She presented me and my novel at hosted events, private parties, radio interviews, book clubs and wherever she could find an open ear. Whew! What a whirlwind!

Although a novel has many words, I still think a picture can be worth a thousand of them, so I hope you don't mind if I share the journey with you via photos.

The kick-off!
This very first event was held at my amazingly generous
friend—Sandy Fox's beautiful home in Medford, New Jersey.
 Her daughter Sarah is a wonderful chef who served the most delightful tidbits -
pea-soup in tiny tasteful glasses,
finely barbecued roast beef kebabs, and so much more.

My long-time friend Gloria Pearlstein who drove up
from MD with her husband Rich.
We've travelled many roads together
 on the path of transformation.
I'm so thrilled she was there along with my soul sister Sandy Fox
to to support me at the very start.

From Sandy's house to the Barnes & Noble in Marlton.
The gentleman holding the book is Tim Ogline,
my extraordinary book cover designer !
The lady in green is Karenne Snow—
Community Relations Manager and a real sweetheart.
And that lovely little lady on the far left
is my amazing publicist/publisher, Kim Nagy.
Honest to goodness, she drove me everywhere!
Bahamians don't like driving on the right side of the road!

Me talking about The Last Daughter in Princeton
 at the Barnes and Noble.
 I wish I had a pic of the Community Relations Manager
Nagla Badr-Erdogan. Not only is she strikingly beautiful
but helpful and kind beyond words.

The Bank of Princeton Lambertville 
hosted an amazing event for The Last Daughter,
thanks to the kind efforts of the gorgeous
Marianne Rosato Romano.
The woman you see there is my publisher
Joy Stocke of Wild River Books
 standing beside the book table manned by Julian
of the Farley's BookShop, New Hope
We sold a lot of books that day!

We're still at the Bank of Princeton here.
Kim Nagy my publicist is standing and introducing
me just before I give a reading.
What a beautiful event and what a great turn out of
interesting people.

The Book Garden in Frenchtown, NJ.
What a splendid afternoon.
Robert Rando and Caroline Scutt are the owners.
They have created a virtual oasis of peace, beauty
and excellent books!

The Book Garden in Frenchtown, NJ
Three women who have all written books.
Myself on the left with The Last Daughter.
In the center, Caroline Scutt—Owner of the bookstore
and author of Some Girls— a great book
which helps teens face the pitfalls of youth
and grapples with the topic of
unwed pregnancy.
On the right is my friend and publisher, Joy Stocke
who is also the author of Anatolian Days and Nights
—a book about her love affair with Turkey.

So...here we are with the Radio Talk Show Hosts
Rob Bell and Vinnie Verderosa
In The Green Room.
The show was interesting mix of discussions
ranging from  The Boston Marathon Bombing and peoples' rights
to The Last Daughter and the stories that have remained unspoken
because people in that era felt they had no right to talk.

The Wilmington Barnes & Noble in Delaware was fantastic.
Here I am with my amazing helpers and friends
Joyce Belmonte and Cornelia Elsaesser.
This was just before the crown arrived.

So much fun signing and talking to people
 who were interested in The Last Daughter's story.

This is me and a gentleman named Manfred who was born
in East Prussia and who lived in a town called Tilsit
(where Tilsiter cheese comes from).
Tilsit is only a short distance to the north of Guja—
the estate that my grandparents
Walter and Edith von Sanden owned.
Manfred was very young when the Russian Army
arrived and like my family, he too escaped over the ice.
It was such a pleasure talking with him
and finding out about his story.

Here I am again with an elegant gentleman named Binnie.
Binnie loves The Last Daughter of Prussia and that makes me proud
because he reads a lot and knows so much about history!
 He's an American Englishman who was in
Germany as blond -blue-eyed youngster
right at the beginning of the war.
While we talked, he told me how the Germans he was with
would stand him on a table and try to make him say Heil Hitler.
Even then as boy he would not utter the words.
Instead he said Heil Roosevelt!
I love that story!

Okay everyone, almost at the end.  I have a ton of photos but I want to keep moving on.

John Martosella Sr. of The Book Swap in Haddonfield, NJ
Such a sweet man and great book store!
I have to say I think Haddonfield is a gorgeous town.
And the shopping! Wow.
Luckily I didn't have enough time to
spend all my husband's money!

After The Book Swap signing I was invited to a fabulous
Ladies Book Club in Haddonfield.
I was so honored to meet these women,
and discuss The Last Daughter  in person,
hear their questions and discover their reactions
to various components of the novel.
I must confess I LOVE talking at Book Clubs.
It's so relaxed and yet serious points come to light.
Well...okay not only serious points but it seems
the sex scenes get their fair share of discussion too.
And we always have a good laugh.
These ladies were wonderful.
On the bottom left is Cheryl Squadrito,
 my PR go to at Media Friendly.

A well deserved break after the whirlwind!
Kim Nagy and me at Martine's River House.
What a restaurant—amazing food. Yay!

Here we are at the end.
This photo was taken by a reader
Robin V Schwoyer whom I'll quote
"A serene setting for resting and reading.
 Marina Gottlieb Sarles' book,
The Last Daughter of Prussia is a powerful story
told with grace and beauty of a time of pain,
brutality and loss in the midst of love and courage."
Thank you for this Robin.

My thanks to everyone who helped make this book tour so meaningful for me. Thanks to my readers and all those who support The Last Daughter.


Until next time.

—Marina Gottlieb Sarles

Recent Interview for The Last Daughter

http://tinyurl.com/bnuyyyk     

  Last night I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Elsie Kerns a wonderful advocate in the field of empowerment and holistic healing. A wellness educator, Elsie attended (as did I) The Barbara Brennan School of Healing and The Center for Intentional Living—an in-depth experiential learning community that explores the interface of the psychological and the sacred.

The Great Trek out of East Prussia at the end of WW2

  You may ask what healing has to do with my WW2 novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia. I would answer "a lot." I might be "putting myself out there" as the saying goes, but truthfully I feel this book was guided from the start. In the interview I talk about how, in my meditations, I often heard a compelling voice that urged me to write. I didn't know what the subject would be, but then in a string of synchronistic occurrences and in what I almost would call an epiphany, I realized I was being called on a soul level to bring to light a dark, untold chapter in German history—one that involved my family and one that lies hushed in the bones of the East Prussian people. Every family has a story, but sometimes if the story is too traumatic or shameful it remains a secret. Secrets affect all generations both past and future. The dead often can't rest in peace and the living, if they don't know about the secrets, can carry unresolved issues into their lives. Elsie Kerns and I talked about these things in the interview and how telling untold stories can heal and liberate.

My grandparents, Walter and Edith von Sanden who
survived the trek and later called me to the task
of writing the story of their vanished land.
(Photo (C) Gottlieb Family)

  I hope that by writing The Last Daughter of Prussia I have broken the festering silence and taboos long held in the hearts of many East Prussian Germans who felt they could not speak about their suffering and loss in the face of Hitler's atrocities. I hope too that I have given them a voice and honored the horrendous journey so many of them embarked upon in those final winter months of the war.

The Last Daughter of Prussia can be ordered on

AMAZON

in both Hard Copy and Kindle Edition

http://tinyurl.com/bnuyyy 

Here's the link to the interview once more. 

When you open it there will be slides that depict East Prussia

and that time during the war. 

It takes a moment for the black screen to change  

and for the slides to come up

so please be patient.

Until next time,

Marina Gottlieb Sarles

You Tube Video—The Last Daughter of Prussia

On the beach with my book,
getting ready for a shoot with Dave Mackey.
(Photo: Courtesy Christine Matthäi) 

Hi Everyone,

  The other day I sat down in front of a camera belonging to my talented friend, Dave Mackey of Mackeymedia Productions who asked me a number of questions about my novel, The Last Daughter of Prussia.

  The session turned out to be 3 hours of in-depth questions and answers about my book and the writing process. The footage was then sent to my publicists and the production staff at Wild River Consulting and Publishing. They took this footage—which will have other uses in the future—edited it down and combined it with images from East Prussia and family photo archives to produce a 30 second promotional video which is now part of my media kit. I thought you blog readers might like a first glimpse. If you do, click on the link below:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfYEJ1ILx9U

Until next time,

Marina Gottlieb Sarles

PS The book can be ordered on Amazon. Click here for the link:

American Women's Club meets The Last Daughter

American Women's Club Grand Bahama.

  Last week I had the privilege of speaking to the American Women's Club—a wonderful group of friendly expatriate women who live in Grand Bahama and have decided to make Freeport their home. The organization represents an interesting cross-section of educated and charitable women from all over the USA and looking around I saw several Canadians, Brits and Bahamians as well. From what I've read, every nationality is welcome.

  My hat goes off to the work they do in our community and to the objectives they hold—namely to bring women together, and to develop a friendly and social-minded spirit amongst each other while promoting and organizing activities in educational, artistic, literary and philanthropic fields. Women of all ages, interests and experiences belong to the club and I could sense that they are all united by a dedication to community improvement through volunteer service. So it was an honor to be allowed to speak to them in the literary field about my new book, The Last Daughter of Prussia.

Laurie Tuchel, the program co-ordinator and me

  My friend, Laurie Tuchel, who is also the program co-ordinator, set up the talk in a super relaxed format. We sat at a table where she asked pertinent questions about the characters and my writing process. I have to say it was fun and more relaxing to be "in contact and conversation" with an interviewer than to stand and talk—although I enjoy that too. Many of the women present had read the book and as an author it was heartwarming to hear live feedback from readers who normally are anonymous entities. Their faces came to life and when they spoke of their identification with the novel and the characters, I was deeply touched. As an author that is what I hope to accomplish.

  So thank you to the American Women's Club of Grand Bahama. You created a fabulously safe space for me to warm up and practice speaking before my Book Tour starts in April. I will be on the East Coast first—New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Shelter Island, The Hamptons, and other cities—the dates are being finalized by my publisher Wild River Books. The West Coast is next.

'Til next time,

Marina Gottlieb Sarles