A great part of my writing past is about to see the light of day on October 1.  For twenty-five years, I have been layering and reconstructing the novel now known as Pieces of Paris (which my long-time editor claims is my best work so far).  My original title, back in the eighties, was Paddle on the Right, named after a humorous canoeing incident in some river in Missouri where my husband and I capsized.  That scene has long been axed, and the novel has evolved to such an extent that it has gone through at least ten titles.  However, one thing remains.  The question: “What do you do when you find out you are married to a stranger?”

I am not talking about a dangerous stranger, a criminal, or any kind of person with a “shady” past.  I’m talking about a fairly familiar phenomenon.  We never know who the person we marry is in a complete, eternal sense.  As my heroine’s father says, “Why shouldn’t a good marriage be an endless process of exploration and discovery?”

I didn’t know that this book was emotionally biographical.  I was just confused about a lot of issues in my life that had never been resolved.  Alone with my three children most of the day and many nights while my husband worked, or was away, I began having flashbacks to these issues and experiencing long suppressed anger and feelings that had been been put to rest.    In my efforts to deal with these, I entered a sort of twilight life where I existed in the present, but my mind was caught up in the past.

Annalisse Childs, my heroine, has a very dramatic, passionate past, just as I did.  However, hers is full of different and far more interesting issues.  Once a European concert pianist, she is endeavoring to partner her idealistic husband of four years in his “Walden” experience on a farm in Southwest Missouri.  To his credit, Dennis knows nothing of her past except that she grew up on a farm in Wisconsin.  Because of tragic memories Annalisse has no intention of revisiting, she has cut music out of her life.  But, bit by bit, the pieces she once performed in Paris, accompanied by their ecstatic and terrible memories are the thin edge of the wedge.  Once she goes back to the piano, she cannot help the flashbacks from recurring.

As her husband witnesses the transformation of his stoical, practical wife into someone who makes public scenes, cries in closets and basements, and yet clings with superhuman tenacity to his heroic version of reality, he feels as if the ground beneath him has crumbled.  What should he do?  Does he have anything in common with this woman?  Why does she suddenly hate farm life and express a desire to sit up all night in Paris discussing the Opera?  Where is their marriage headed?

As nearly everyone who has read this manuscript has noted, Dennis is a thinly veiled version of my husband David.  Both are truly one-in-a-million amazing men.  And hopefully, reading the account of the hairpin turn in the fictional story will cause you to think deeply about your own relationships, and be filled with the kind of deep-seated well-being that accompanies the truest kind of love.

A MOMENTO: Pieces of Paris is now available for pre-order on Amazon.  Anyone who pre-orders and e-mails me (through my website http://ggvandagriff.com) a copy of their confirmation and snail mail address will receive a sterling silver charm of the Eiffel Tower! Deadline is the end of August.

EXAMINER CONTEST: The winner of the three copies of The Last Waltz are: Wendy Pop, Mary Deborde, and Kristine Armstrong!

If I were to die in the next few minutes, the things I hope I would be remembered for are that: 1.) my grandson thinks I am Supernana and that my stated purpose on earth is to wield a mean light-saber; 2.) that fed my children, even when in the midst of creating an earth-shattering plot twist; 3.) that even though it took a thousand rewrites, I succeeded in finally producing The Last Waltz: A Novel of Love and War.

The journey to the latter accomplishment is a microcosm of my adult life. The bare facts, the research, and the consuming need to tell the story of Austria between 1913 and 1938, had their birth in the Austrian Alps, 50 miles from Vienna at the Semmering Pass, where I dwelt in a hotel only partially restored from damage incurred by the Russian occupation. I lived with 79 other Stanford students, far away from urban Austrian life (except on our 3-day weekends) concentrating on the study of German language, Austrian art and architecture, Austrian music, Austrian history, and Austrian politics. Surprisingly, I knew very little about these things, as do most average Americans. I didn’t even know that seventy years earlier, Austria had been the center of European art, science, medicine, and music. In spite of or maybe because of this, large forces were at work to drag it out of its glittering past as the Waltz capital of the world into a new century where international socialism would enfranchise every man and there would be no poor. This made Austria’s aristocracy, stranded between past and future, extremely nervous and quite neurotic. Austrian historian, Frederic Morton has called this period a time of “Nervous Splendor.”

So I learned this when I was twenty. It became part of me, more so than the rest of my education because I had seen the art, listened to the Vienna Philharmonic, heard the stories of the survivors from that time, and most of all because I had visited Auschwitz. A personal quest was born to figure out the dynamics of a world where such an unimaginable horror could happen.

During a very hated job as an international banker while putting my husband through Law School, I had an hour and a half bus commute to and from Los Angeles through the slums of East L.A. This is when I personalized all the forces of that Austrian age into the characters of my novel: the debutante turned democrat, Amalia Faulhaber, the German Lieutenant with the soul of a violinist, Eberhard von Waldburg, the naïve but charismatic socialist, Uncle Lorenz, the proud aristocratic grandmother, Eugenia von Hohenburg Reichart, the passionately nationalistic Pole, Doktor Andrzej Zaleski, and the outwardly misogynistic Baron von Schoenenberg. In a single bus ride, I outlined the plot that was to be built upon and developed as I learned to write during my three children’s growing up years.

The time came when they were all grown up, and I realized I knew next to nothing about the kind of suffering that would occur during a World War in the trenches, the loss of an empire, the loss of status, and nearly all physical possessions. At best, my novel was only a superficial rendering. So I set it aside and wrote light fiction—my Alex and Briggie genealogical mysteries—for nearly fifteen years. Then I suffered a serious medical condition that resulted in my inability to write and eventually sapped all my hard-won skill.

Ten years later, I miraculously recovered, and slowly rediscovered myself as a writer. But there was a change. My soul and awareness of suffering had deepened. I now understood what it took to be a survivor.

I also remembered that my writing idol, Tolstoy, had not written his epics from the point of view of one person, and certainly would not do so from the point of view of a nineteen year old debutante. And so I went into the heads of all my major characters, which finally gave the depth to my work that I had been seeking for so long.

My years of development as a writer, to this particular juncture, owe all to the learning process of writing The Last Waltz. I can only hope that my next book: Pieces of Paris (Fall, 2010) will continue that process.

My oldest son christened our household “V-City” and published a regular newspaper about our fascinating existence in our small Ozarks community many years ago.  This newsletter contains all our recent news in the scaled down Provo V-City!

First of all, Happy Easter!

Easter is my favorite holiday, because there is such an abundance of things to be grateful for at this time of year.  I am most grateful for the atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ that makes redemption through his infinite love.  I am also thankful for Spring in Utah which is always amazing when seen from my office “The Cranberry Tower” that looks over Utah Valley.

In writing news, I am pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Discovering Annika , (working title) this fall.  It used to be called The Only Bright Thing, but my publisher disliked the title and the name (Sigrid) of the main character.  So, I’m hoping that they go with this one.  Am also hoping that they come up with a cover as nice as my other books.  This is not a mystery or an historical novel, like my previous offerings.  It is straight women’s fiction.  However, it does have a minor mystery, and a good deal of romance.  The real kind of romance that readers of The Last Waltz will expect from me.  It digs deeply into the origins of romantic feelings and demonstrates different kinds of love.

The story was begun 25 years ago in the Ozarks, when I was mentored in the craft of writing by an outstanding editor, who taught me the art of cutting away the dross and allowing the true story to shine.  It was a painful process and took about five years.  Since that time, the novel has undergone many incarnations, but when I submitted it to my product director last year, she said, “You need to go deeper with this.”  So I began digging once more into the psyches of my characters.  I was surprised at how much my perspective on love has changed from my first writing of this tale.  The waiting was good, for I learned a lot in those many years of letting it simmer.

Annika is living a double life, plagued by flashbacks to a former very passionate relationship and a career as a concert pianist in Europe.  Her husband knows nothing of that Annika.  He thinks she is his stoic, Scandanavian Eve and that he has found Eden in the Ozarks. Annika has never given him the slightest clue about her past, because she is determined to begin a new life with Dennis.  But, as most of us know, if we don’t deal with our emotions properly, they will hold our bodies and our lives hostage until we have let ourselves feel the feelings we have been shutting down.  Dennis must piece together Annika’s real personality, while Annika must decide whether she is the past Annika or the Annika that is living with her husband and three and a half year old son on the Peach Tree Farm.  I can promise you that if you like character-driven fiction, this will be a good, and perhaps even an enlightening read for you.

So, you ask, what about The Crazy Ladies? Well, that book has turned out to be an amazingly wonderful and difficult project.  I have never written any serious fiction this fast and it is a challenge.  I am on my second draft, incorporating the ideas and edits of my three alpha readers.  I will need to add a lot of new material at the end.  Hopefully, you will see it in 2011!

David’s book I Need Thee Every Hour: Applying the Atonement in our Everyday Lives, is steadily climbing the bestseller charts.  You will see it on page one of both DB and Seagull.  In the Seagull retail stores, it is currently #8 in the bestsellers.  It is wonderful Easter read, and his reviews have shown that many people find it to be a life-changing book. You can read daily postings on http://www.atonementblog.com/.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for our second Crazy Ladies research trip–this one a cruise to the Greek Isles.  It promises to be fascinating and exhausting.  Am trying to up my capacity for both aerobic activity and walking and climbing after more than a year of little or no exercise due to my orthopedic problems.  I have a brand new stationary bike, and plan to resume my neighborhood walks.  I have also bought an impressive array of shoes.  I think I may need to take an extra bag, just for shoes!  Everything from silver sandals to Sketcher orthopedic walking shoes!  Wish me luck!

And for goodness sake, if you are an Alex and Briggie fan, be sure to enter the great contest on the contest page of my website: http://ggvandagriff.com/contest!

(where you never know where you’ll be tomorrow!)

If you haven’t gathered it by now, I have wanderlust.  If you decide to enter my alternate reality (I’ve been making them up since I was nine) you never know where it might take you–the wilds of Wales (Arthurian Omen),  Surf City in the summertime (Hidden Branch), or even turn-of -the century Vienna  (The Last Waltz).  Running away from home is my specialty.  That is because I used to live in a tiny town in the Ozarks where my only transportation was my imagination.  It wasn’t until I moved away from there that I could write about hillbillies in a humorous way (Poisoned Pedigree).  I used to sit in my study and moon over pictures and memories of my two magical vacations at Oxford (Of Deadly Descent).

Now that I am receiving reasonable compensation for my writing efforts, I am no longer bound to my house, and that means you and I are going to be taking some great trips together!  I have a series planned that will take us (God willing!) to Florence, the Greek Isles, Provence, and the Scottish Highlands.

I know some of you have issues with my leaving Alex and Briggie behind, so be assured: I have not absolutely given them up.  However, I do have some important stories to tell first.  And then there are those who plaintively accost me on e-mail, begging for a sequel to The Last Waltz. Well, at least I have that outlined!  Once again, I can only say there are other things to be written first, and hopefully you will find them equally compelling.  I am very happy that my readers take to my characters and alternate worlds so passionately.  That means I’m doing my job!

INTERNET LAUNCH

See my contest page for the rules for winning big in my Internet Launch of my newest Alex and Briggie–The Hidden Branch.

SIGNING TOUR

See my appearances page for my signing tour for The Last Waltz.  I am in the midst of it now, staying close by the air conditioning in Phoenix.  A wonderful new friend, Marjean, has taken me in hand, making sure I get where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Two of my closest friends have new books out:  H.B. Moore’s Alma (see review below) and Rachel Ann Nunnes’ Saving Madeleine (see interview below).  You might want to pick them up when you go to the store to get Hidden Branch  or  The Last Waltz.

On the tail end of my convalecense, I am finishing up my final edit of The Hidden Branch, which I think may be my final mystery.  The Last Waltz has given me a taste for more nutritious fiction, although good escape fiction will always have a place in my life.

Alex and Briggie get mixed up with a crowd of wealthy Armenians who live in Orange County, California.  Don’t ask my why.  My brain just convulsed and out came the plot—a rather strange one involving ancient Armenian treasures, professional surfers, kidnapping, a crisis in the relationship between Alex and Charles, and a big surprise in Briggie’s life.  Full of humor and suspense, I hope it will provide a good finale to the series.

In other news, David’s book on the Atonement—In Common Hours—was accepted for publication by Covenant.  Still don’t have a release date.  He is writing a marvelous fantasy, in between nursing me and spending time on his business.

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!

Have you ever wanted to go to Vienna?  To take a virtual tour, visit the website – http://www.last-waltz.com/ – my brilliant husband just created, and be certain to visit the Vienna section—all of it.  You will see panoramic views of gorgeous buildings inside and out.  Those of you who have read my book, will love to visit the place where all the action took place!  The only objection I have is that Rudolf doesn’t look like that.  He looks like Richard Armitage.

I have some mental pictures of what Amalia, my heroine in The Last Waltz, would look like and have played the game of trying to decide which actress would play the part if there were ever a movie.

My husband, David, is working on a website for the book and has found some wonderful photographs and paintings from turn-of-the-century Vienna (19th into 20th).  Following are two paintings by the great Viennese artist, Gustav Klimt, that fit my image of what Amalia would have looked like.

The first portrait is of Amalia at the beginning of the book, a girl of 19 just entering into society.

The second painting is Amalia in her late 30’s, involved in politics and Viennese society as the wife of a minister in the Austrian government. 

The actual portraits are of Sonia Knips, painted in 1898, Emilie Floege, a Viennese fashion designer and long-time friend of Klimt, completed in 1902.

When I was a freshman at Stanford, I became friends with an effervescent, beautiful girl named Christy Eitner.  She was a tremendous tease about all my LDS values, but despite that fact, we were fast friends.

Her father, a native Austrian Lorenz Eitner, was my art history professor when I lived in Austria.  He led me through the beauties of Vienna, many of which I would have missed on my own, and originated for me the passion that I have for that city.  Interwoven in his art lectures, were bits of information about the history of Austria.  These things have stayed with me for 41 years!

Just recently, Christy wrote to tell me of her father’s death and I was greatly saddened, for I was planning a trip to see Christy and her parents this Spring, and I was anxious to tell him about The Last Waltz and how he inspired me.  Now it is too late.

In my own family, my father cheered me on for the past 33 years, urging me almost desperately to get the book published.  I kept telling him that it wasn’t finished.  That I didn’t know enough emotionally to write a believable novel about such a world-changing period.  That my heroine was insipid, no matter what I did to make her otherwise.

The last talk I ever had with my father, a year and a half ago, he repeated his plea.  He told me everything that was unique and true about the book and that I just didn’t have enough confidence.  Shortly thereafter, he died suddenly.

I took the novel out of storage and asked myself “What would Tolstoy do with Amalia?”  The answer was immediate.  He wouldn’t tell such an epic story from the viewpoint of a 19 year old innocent!  He would use multiple viewpoints!  I was on fire.  The book finally felt right as I dove into the characters of all the men in Amalia’s life, and told the story from their viewpoints.  At last, I had tapped into the Vienna that Dr. Eitner had taught me about.

However, even though I have dedicated the book to my father, it is too late.

I have learned a lesson the hard way.  Don’t let your insecurities hold you back.  Attack them!  Work with the Lord to make your weaknesses strong, for you never know what will happen when you do.  The Lord knows who we are.  We don’t.  Not really.

These are questions people are asking as they read The Last Waltz.

To my great surprise, David looked it up and said Andrzej was pronounced On-zhay.  No r!  I’ve been saying it wrong for 33 years.  I don’t know if I can change it!

As far as a sequel goes, that’s up to my fans.  If there is sufficient outcry, I will embark upon one, but you must all realize that it will take at least a couple of years, plus a trip to Europe for background.  I would love to write a sequel, because I love that period, I studied it in detail, and I’m very attached to my characters.

Chocolates are ready to be sent to my volunteer bloggers!  Hope you’re not finding the read too onerous!

Just had one of those experiences where one of my characters in my latest mystery rises up and slaps me silly, “That’s NOT what I would do!!!”  Since this is a main character, it means a major rewrite.  And the dang book is due Apr. 15!  So back to the drawing board.

The Last Waltz should be in stores by this weekend.