Books, Writing, History, and Me
In “Books, Writing, History, and Me” I share my thoughts on travel, cooking, van-life, books, the process of writing, the experiences of an indie-publisher, WWII, the Holocaust, and anything else I feel might be of interest to readers of my books. Please send me comments and let me know what you like and what you want to know more about. Everything in this blog reflects my personal ideas and feelings–a memoir of sorts, it is my perspective and any errors or omissions are mine.
World War II POWs in the United States
In Immigrant Soldier, Herman and his unit captured a young German soldier who hated the fighting and killing. After Herman interrogated the youth, he sent the soldier to the prisoners’ infirmary. “He hoped that the boy would be on the next transport to the coast and a ship to the United States. Maybe he…
The Real Clara Lang: Holocaust Survivor
When I speak with book groups, they almost always ask me questions about the real people behind the novel’s characters. Women readers especially want to know more about Herman’s mother, Clara. “Did she ever see Albert again?” is one of their most frequently asked questions. Telling readers more about…
A Writers’ Workshop -“Turning a True Story into Fiction.”
Last summer, as I planned a trip to the Dayton area, I contacted several organizations in southwestern Ohio which I thought might be interested in hearing one of my presentations and was pleased when I heard from the Dayton Metro Library that they were intrigued by my proposal for “More Than Simply…
Camp Ritchie, Maryland – Development of the Intelligence Training Center
The 400 acres that was to become the Camp Ritchie Intelligence Training Center, began life in 1889 as the property of the Buena Vista Ice Company. They created two manmade lakes where winter allowed natural ice to form which could be shipped via the nearby railroad spur to Washington, DC. The lakes also served as…
World War II Posters and the War Advertising Council
When I visited the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, last October, I paused in the meeting room after my talk to enjoy their display of World War II posters. They reminded me vividly of the passion and self-sacrifice the American people were expected to display at that time in…
World War II slogan, Loose Lips Sink Ships
The novel Immigrant Soldier is interspersed with letters Herman writes to his mother. These letters are based on actual correspondence treasured by our family. One of these letters, the one Herman wrote during his Camp Ritchie training, is notable because it is composed on special stationery with the slogan, “Idle gossip sinks ships” printed at…
The True Story of General Patton’s New Boots
My last blog explained the process of expanding and fictionalizing the true stories Herman told me. This imagining and expanding of Herman’s memories was great creative fun. Far more difficult, but equally important, was culling redundant or irrelevant sections so the novel maintained a momentum to keep the reader engaged. …
Truth vs Fiction: A Book Group Question about Immigrant Soldier
When I am speaking with book clubs who have read Immigrant Soldier, one of the questions I am most often asked is: “What parts are true and what bits are totally from the author’s imagination?” Naturally in the limited time we usually have, and in the limited space of a blog post, I cannot go through the…
Camp Young, Desert Training Center, World War II
On Sunday, June 19th, I celebrated Father’s Day as part of a panel of authors of military literature, an event sponsored by the Friends of the San Juan Capistrano Library. The other panel member was Frank McAdams, who wrote the Pulitzer nominated book, Vietnam Roughrider: A Convoy Commander’s Memoir. Before the panel started, the moderator, Pat…
The Ritchie Boys and D-Day
I have just returned from a trip to France which included almost a month in a Brittany village and a tour with Road Scholar. Because of my interest in World War II, the highlight of the tour was the two days dedicated to learning about the Normandy Landings on D-Day. We visited…