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

Nassau Tribune Interview /Last Daughter

Hi Everyone,

I've been away for a bit but now I'm back as a bionic woman with a new titanium/ceramic hip which was implanted in Berlin four weeks ago. Just before I left I was interviewed by The Tribune in Nassau. I wanted to share some of these questions and answers that you might find interesting.

Question: Can you give us a brief on what " The Last Daughter of Prussia" book is about? 

The Last Daughter of Prussia is a historical novel based on a tragic moment in history that has not often been recounted. It is the story of the largest mass exodus ever recorded yet the one least discussed. This evacuation took place in East Prussia at the end of WW2 and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. It is a love story between two unlikely young people, a bold and beautiful East Prussian woman and a gifted Romani Gypsy doctor. The backdrop is the bitter winter of 1944/45 as the Soviet Army, intent on retribution, is advancing on Germany systematically raping and killing women and children. In this chaos the lovers are torn apart—Joshi is captured by Nazis and taken to a concentration camp while Manya who knows she must flee the Russians or die at their hands embarks on the The Great Trek out of her homeland, riding her prized Trakehner stallion, Aztec. She travels along the only escape route open—a dangerous, frozen lagoon pitted with craters made by Russian bombers where many people fall to their icy deaths.  Will the lovers ever be reunited? Well...for that you must read the book. 

Question: Where did the inspiration for writing the book stem from?

 I wrote the The Last Daughter of Prussia because I wanted to shed light on an untold moment in history. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died on the Great Trek. Their deaths could have been avoided if Hitler had not forbidden them to leave under pain of death, calling them traitors if they did. When the people finally defied his orders it was too late. The Russians were on their doorstep. It is thought nearly 3 million women were raped by Soviet soldiers— many to death. In a land where the corpses of genocide were piled high and the atrocities Hitler committed could never be made good, these women kept their silence. Others who survived the trek were too ashamed to talk about their suffering and the loss of their home, East Prussia—a land which vanished after the war. 

My grandparents Edith and Walter von Sanden were part of this trek. The diaries they kept along this journey and the stories they passed down to me were the inspiration for this book. I wrote The Last Daughter for them. I wrote for the women, children and old people whose voices have remained hushed for the past 60 years. By making my hero, Joshi, a Romani Gypsy, I wrote for a people whose fate is a forgotten holocaust. Over half the Romani population in Nazi-occupied Europe was exterminated by the same methods employed for murdering the Jews, yet again this fact is rarely mentioned. I wanted their voices to be heard and not forgotten. Lastly, I wrote for the Trakehner Horses. Theirs is one of the most moving animal stories ever. For me their bravery and loyalty to their human families is as compelling as the love story between Joshi and Manya. They were the true heroes of the Trek. While the bullets and bombs fell, they saved thousands of people by hauling carts through giant snow drifts, across the frozen ice, and over rutted fields where automobiles could not travel. They didn’t care about race or cultural differences, only survival. They gave their lives for their human families. 

Question: Do you have a specific writing style? Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I don't know if I can say that I have a specific writiing style but my desire has always been to convey a sense of truth, honesty and emotion in what I put to paper. I want my audience to imagine the story they are reading—be in it, so to speak. I want them to be involved with the characters and the pull of the narrative as it draws them forward. I try to write in my own true voice.
parents, Dr Ejnar Gottlieb and Owanta Gottlieb von Sanden —both medical practitioners who immigrated to The Bahamas from Germany in the late 1940's— were fantastic storytellers. My interest in writing was piqued by them, by their humor, courage, sensitivity and stories about life and people and the war. My grandfather Walter von Sanden was a well-known writer in East Prussia, and my mother, Owanta, wrote her amazing life story in her autobiography called Angel Stand by Me. So, writing is in my blood.

Question: Is there a specific message in "The Last Daughter of Prussia" book that you want readers to grasp?

The Last Daughter of Prussia is a story of hope and faith and the indomitable will that humans beings bring forth in order to survive. For me the real message is one of compassion. You see I believe that everyone’s story must be told. Every side must be heard. Only when compassion is felt for all beings, for all slain tribes and for every unjustly slaughtered animal can true healing occur in the heart of humanity.

Question: Where is your book available for purchase?

Actually the publication date of The Last Daughter of Prussia in the USA is just coming up in April 2013. We did a pre-publication launch here in The Bahamas to start the buzz and let my community read it first. What this means is until April the book can be pre-ordered on amazon Here in The Bahamas, books can be purchased at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas gift shop, Nassau. You can also purchase it at Unexso and Garden of The Groves gift shops in Freeport and Monkey's Uncle in Marsh Harbour, Abaco.

The Last Daughter of Prussia—Celebrating the Book Launch!

I am so grateful to all the family and friends who came out recently to The Pelican Bay Hotel's Canal House on Grand Bahama Island to help me introduce my new historical novel—The Last Daughter of Prussia.

To share this moment with my family, dear friends, publishers, book lovers, and a supportive community was a very special moment. Here are some photos from the evening (photos by Christine Matthäi):

Thank you all for being there and for the wonderful reception and reviews the book is receiving. 

The Tribune featured an interview recently that you can read here. And The Freeport News also covered the launch here. Many thanks to Dave Mackey and The Bahamas Weekly.com for taping my remarks during the evening and making them available here. 

The book is available in Grand Bahama at UNEXSO (Underwater Explorer's Society) gift shop, at The Garden of The Groves gift shop, and at Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty. The Last Daughter of Prussia will be released worldwide in April 2013.

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

A Timely Tweak

Wow! How time flies! I realize that it has been quite some time since my last post. Just to fill you in, I was in Berlin recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery. All went well. My surgeon is a fabulous doc and amazing friend who considers food and wine therapy to be almost as important as physical therapy.

Me in the hospital in Berlin
with my wonderful friend and surgeon, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Noack.

Anyway, I didn't have a chance to write, but here I am, now and I want to share what happened just before I left for Europe. On the morning of my departure I took a last look at the cover of my upcoming book, The Last Daughter of Prussia. On a strong whim of intuition, I sent it off to the expert on Trakehners, Erhard Schulte, who is also the author of Trakehnens Pferde, Cadmos Verlag. For those of you who have been following this blog you know that Trakehners are beautiful horses whose lineage stems from East Prussia. Two of the main characters in my novel, Aztec and Shambhala, belong to that fantastic breed.

A stallion in Trakehnen.
Stallions there were treated like royalty,
housed in their own beautiful barns like the one in this photo. 

Stallions in the meadow
Taken from the book —
Von Memel bis Trakehnen, Rautenberg Verlag

Although the horse on the cover (see below) was striking, I knew in my heart it wasn't a Trakehner. This bothered me. After all, The Last Daughter of Prussia is about Trakehners and their struggle for survival as they flee over the ice in the last winter of WW2 with the avenging Soviet Army right behind them.

This was the first cover.
Though I think it is beautiful it was not accurate.
The horse is a coldblooded horse.
You can see that in the heavier tufted legs
and the head that is not as defined and elegant as
a Trakehner's head would be.

So... not to have a real Trakehner didn't feel right, especially as this book has been a labor of love and intense research. All through my writing of it I took pride in searching out details and references to historical information. I consulted with experts on subjects ranging from concentration camps, Romanies, fauna and flora, to seafaring barges and shipyards. I talked with people who were on the trek and women who were raped along the way. I even visited East Prussia (now Poland) twice, traveled to Guja to find my grandparent's estate and spent time in the Stutthof—that ghastly prison where so many innocent people were murdered. I walked the beach along the Nehrung where amber cobbles drift up like honey-colored stars and stuck my Bahamian toes in the freezing Baltic Sea, stopped to look across the Frisches Haff - the lagoon that was the only escape rouyte in winter, finally making my way to the Wolf's Lair—Hitler's hidden headquarters where von Stauffenberg almost managed to assassinate him. I went on these journeys for the sheer purpose of discovery.

Hitler's Wolf'sschanze where Claus von Stauffenberg
attempted to assassinate him.
Hitler had trees planted on the buildings to disguise them from the air.
It was a creepy place and so weird to think
that he had walked the very same paths we were on.
Photo (C) James Sarles

Stutthof Concentration camp in winter
(Photo-Property Stutthof Museum)
I wrote an article about visiting this place in Wild River  Review
It is a feeling that has never left me, one that haunts my memory and my heart.

The road along the Nehrung spit - the only way to Danzig.
Millions fled on this icy road in winter to try and get to the west.
Photo (C) James Sarles

Before reaching the road above, the weary refugees
 had to cross this lagoon—the Frisches Haff.
It was frozen but pitted with large craters
made by falling bombs, so many fell to their icy deaths
Photo (C) James Sarles

Me sticking my Bahamian toes into the icy Baltic Sea.
Photos (C) James Saarles

After all this, how could I not have an accurate cover? And time was running out. The book was almost going to press. Besides my publisher had already signed off on the design. Five minutes before I left for the airport Erhard Schulte wrote back. He too felt the cover needed a real Trakehner. Oh my God, now what? Where would I find the right image in high resolution? Would my publisher agree? All these thoughts raced through my head as I flew over the Atlantic. They were still with me the next day when the sleep inducing needle was placed in my vein and I was wheeled into the operating room. When I woke up, my husband was standing by my bedside. The first thing I said was, "Jamie, we have to find the right horse!"

That's what happens when you're consumed by a book you have written.

So, right there he pulled out his computer and sat on my hospital bed. Although I was half asleep, we scoured the internet. The creative muses must have been with us because in a short time we found the perfect horse! Thankfully my publisher Wild River Books was wonderful. They could have easily said, "It's too late, live with it!" But they didn't. They are just as dedicated to detail as I am and they honored my input, pulling it all together in that very last minute. I love them. I thank my lucky stars too, for Erhard Schulte, because he spoke the truth and when he saw the new image he immediately wrote to say, "Now that is a noble and sensitive warmblooded Trakehner. One that suits your book!"

Hallelujia!

And so here it is... the timely tweak.

The new cover of The Last Daughter of Prussia.
Can you see the difference in the  horse?
This one is so full of expression, grace and power.
I'm pleased.
The book will be sold in the Bahamas starting in December .
It will be in the USA in the Spring catalogue,
for sale then in bigger outlets.
Cover Design Tim Ogline

'Til next time,

—Marina Gottlieb Sarles

(c) All content and photos are the private property of the Gottlieb family, unless otherwise stated or linked,  and may not be used without permission.

(c) Privatbesitz Gottlieb Familie