Hi

Today’s newsletter contains lots of good news. It’s almost summer here in Sydney, lockdown is finally over, and I have reached the end of the first draft of my new novel at last. Set mostly in rural England in World War 2, it’s called Out of the Ashes, and I’ve loved every minute of writing it. As always, there was a lot of research involved, and I learned a lot about the German experience of the war – the terrible conditions on the Eastern front and the complete devastation of Berlin.

After the first draft I’m usually at a bit of a loss to know what to do with myself – there’s always a feeling of immense relief and excitement, but also a slight sense of emptiness. The story is over and though I’ll be editing over the months to come, nothing quite compares to that first rush of interest as the story unfolds.

This time however, I’m having a very short break before beginning a post graduate course in health management related to my day job, which will provide a very good distraction. It’s been a long time since I did any university study and I have to confess I’m feeling somewhat overwelmed by it all. I just want to run back to 1940s England and hang out with my characters again, although I'm sure I'll be fine once I get back into the swing of it. It's good to have real world stresses and problems - as a writer it can be very tempting to shut yourself away and spend far too much time in fictional worlds!

Book of the Month

Return to Berlin by Ellen Feldman

I picked this up in my local bookshop partly because I loved the cover and partly because my new novel has some scenes in post war Berlin, and I read it in two days straight. A vivid and haunting story about a disparate group of characters who converge in the occupied city of Berlin, Return to Berlin raises pertinent questions about the persistence of shame and hatred, and the healing possibilities of forgiveness.

Till next month,

Happy Reading!

Samantha Grosser

https://www.samgrosserbooks.com