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writerchristophfischer

Monthly Archives: November 2013

One year as published writer

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

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One year ago to the day

THE LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS

was first published.

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Since then it has reached the homes of more than

14,000 people

topped the Jewish Fiction Charts,

the Historical Fiction Charts and reached

#15 in Free Downloads

and it has also received good average ratings:

5 stars from 85 out of a total of 99 reviews on Amazon.com

down to

1 star from one person on Goodreads

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THANKS EVERYONE FOR THEIR HELP!!!

The year has been emotional and exciting, a steep uphill struggle but extremely rewarding and encouraging.

The Luck of the Weissensteiners (Three Nations Trilogy Book 1)

In the sleepy town of Bratislava in 1933 a romantic girl falls for a bookseller from Berlin. Greta Weissensteiner, daughter of a Jewish weaver, slowly settles in with the Winkelmeier clan just as the developments in Germany start to make waves in Europe and re-draws the visible and invisible borders. The political climate in the multifaceted cultural jigsaw puzzle of disintegrating Czechoslovakia becomes more complex and affects relations between the couple and the families. The story follows them through the war with its predictable and also its unexpected turns and events and the equally hard times after.
But this is no ordinary romance; in fact it is not a romance at all, but a powerful, often sad, Holocaust story. What makes The Luck of the Weissensteiners so extraordinary is the chance to consider the many different people who were never in concentration camps, never in the military, yet who nonetheless had their own indelible Holocaust experiences. This is a wide-ranging, historically accurate exploration of the connections between social location, personal integrity and, as the title says, luck.

On Amazon: http://bookshow.me/B00AFQC4QC

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/12Rnup8

On Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1bua395

Trailer: http://studio.stupeflix.com/v/OtmyZh4Dmc/?autoplay=1

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-luck-of-the-weissensteiners-christoph-fischer/1113932211?ean=9781481130332

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“Love is Never Past Tense” by Janna Yeshanova

29 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Black Sea, history, review, romance, Russia, USSR

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“Love is Never Past Tense” by Janna Yeshanova is a great love story at heart. Two people fall in love by the Black Sea during the times of the USSR and in the whirlwind of their attraction the two get married. But they are too young to appreciate what they have and divorce, only to experience the regret and continuous magnetic pull towards each other.
Circumstances and wider political developments push the two further on their individual path.

The book is beautifully written and told with a complex narrative that takes us back and forth in time. Such fragmented telling of a story does not always work for me but in this case it succeeded to show the disjointed nature of their relationship, the back and forth of their feelings for each other and the inevitable ending. A good choice.

The romance part of the book is heart breaking and took this often cynical reader by surprise. The portrayal of Communist and post-1991 Russia is brilliantly done and made the story so much more than ‘just’ a romance. For me this turned into an unexpected compelling reading experience. Making the outer circumstances and the changes in Russia have a personal impact on the characters brought the tragedy home to me.

For an interview with the wonderful Janna follow this link:

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/janna-yeshanova-love-is-never-past-tense/

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Aaron David: The Tale of the Ancient Marina

28 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Aaron David Marina

“The Tale of the Ancient Marina” by Aaron David is a very entertaining blend of humour with crime suspense.
Told as an inner dialogue by our protagonist we witness his running and often sarcastic commentary on the odd and chaotic happenings in his life: His tedious train journey to London, the dubious job offer, his getaway from London and his life back home in the safety of Northern England – or is he safe?
The book lives much more from the hilarious observational humour and the quirky characters than the action part of the story, although later on in the book that aspect does change into higher gear.
For me intelligent silliness and absurd humour usually works, but the author does a particularly great job at it in this book. I detect hints of Tom Sharp in the writing but it would be misleading to compare one to the other. David has his own brand of humour and thankfully does not go over the top as Sharp does.
David’s language is explicit and realistic, the writing flows smoothly and is generally well paced. This is great understated fun. Humour is personal and you’ll have to try and see if it is for you. I happily give it all of 5 stars and look forward to more by this brilliant writer.

Aaron dictionary

His second book is FREE TODAY AND TOMORROW http://bookShow.me/B00GT1HK5W

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NEW RELEASE: PRINCESS MADELINE AND THE DRAGON by KRISTIN PULIOFF

27 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Dragons, kingdom, Kirstin Pulioff author, Madeline, prince, princess, Soron, young adult fiction

NEW RELEASE: PRINCESS MADELINE AND THE DRAGON by KRISTIN PULIOFF:

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My review:

“Princess Madeline and the Dragon” by Kirstin Pulioff is the third in her series about a head strong princess in the Kingdom of Soron.

In this episode we are drawn right into a well written prologue: a fast paced action scene that introduces the dragon hunter Lord Hawthorne who is after the magic of dragon eggs.

When the Kingdom is attacked by a dragon, King Theodore gets injured, leaving his children to decide on the right path of action. The new King Braden and his sister Madeline try to do this not least by attempting to decrypt a message from their late mother which predicted a time of the dragons.

Of the three books this has the most suspense and action scenes. The young characters are forced into more responsibility and with their unique personalities and their gradual development since the first book they serve as excellent vehicles to carry this story forward.
Carefully planted clues and plot pieces from the previous two books, like the reason behind their mother’s death and her riddle-like predictions now come into play and make me wonder how many more tricks Pulioff has up her sleeves. By now the characters feel like part of my family and with the clever plotting and long sighted set up this series is just getting started.

The story is engaging on many levels, as is Pulioff’s writing, but on this occasion I was mostly drawn into the action and the mystery as how to prevent the worst from happening.

This is great entertainment and should do well across a wider age range.


Princess Madeline and the Dragon on Amazon

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Biography
Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University (Go Beavs!) with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home mom. When she’s not writing, she is busy with her kids, church and the family business.

I love to hear from my readers and fans. Please connect with me on my other sites:
Webpage: http://www.kirstinpulioff.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kirstinpulioffauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KirstinPulioff
Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/author/show/6558842.Kirstin_Pulioff

THE BLACK EAGLE INN

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

b3-full book

Review by Joss Landry: Brilliant Study of Human Nature, November 24, 2013

The Black Eagle Inn is the sort of novel–I love family sagas–I sometimes worry will drag me away from everything else and never let go. Bull’s eye! Christoph Fischer’s story thrilled and pulled me deep inside the Hinterberger clan to the point that I was talking to them out loud, remonstrating when they didn’t get it right … or got drowned in righteousness. What I especially enjoyed was the presence of mind and clarity with which the author depicted each family character. I’ve been studying people all my life, and Anna, Markus, Maria, even Antoine and Esat were dead on. I have also known some Hans-Ulrich’s and a few Lukas’ in my day. I could not have portrayed them any better.

The tale is not an uncommon one. A big family, torn apart by war and famine. Can greed and jealousy be far behind? What make this story so unique, are the rendition and the voice behind the premise. As you round the first few chapters, you slowly let go and begin to trust Christoph Fischer’s rhythm, promising all dilemmas will lead to solutions or well-deserved changes. This is how the decades seem to fly by until sadness seeps in when you realize the people you’ve befriended have come to the end of their journey.

Thank you Joss.

Joss Landry is actually a gifted writer herself and you can find more about her on her blog

http://josslandry.com/meet-the-author/

http://josslandry.com/book-reviews-and-other-news-the-black-eagle-inn/

images (14)The Black Eagle Inn (Three Nations Trilogy Book 3)

The Black Eagle Inn is an old established Restaurant and Farm business in the sleepy Bavarian countryside outside of Heimkirchen. Childless Anna Hinterberger has fought hard to make it her own and keep it running through WWII. Religion and rivalry divide her family as one of her nephews, Markus has got her heart and another nephew, Lukas got her ear. Her husband Herbert is still missing and for the wider family life in post-war Germany also has some unexpected challenges in store.
Once again Fischer tells a family saga with war in the far background and weaves the political and religious into the personal. Being the third in the Three Nations Trilogy this book offers another perspective on war, its impact on people and the themes of nations and identity.

On Facebook: http://ow.ly/pAX3y
On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/pAX8G
On Amazon: http://bookshow.me/B00FSBW2L6
Trailer: http://studio.stupeflix.com/v/mB2JZUuBaI/

download

SIENNA ROSE – BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

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Today I am pleased to announce the recent publication of the audio book for one of my favourite books of the last year [ reviewed earlier here: https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/sienna-rose-bridge-ices-before-road/ ]

The year is 1970. In a blue-collar suburb of Boston, two eleven year-old Catholic girls struggle to come of age in a culture still very much dominated by men.
They watch in dismay as their fathers and priests determine the lives of the women around them. Loyalty to family and church is paramount; women and children suffer in silence rather than expose the men who do them harm.
Frances Orillio is an adopted, only child; she is self-critical, anxious, and vulnerable. Maddy Malone is one of six children, and grew up in a rough housing project scrapping with the boys. Although they are strikingly different in temperament, they forge an enduring friendship on the path to becoming strong, independent women.
Together, they battle the tangled jungle of ignorance, racism, and homophobia that goes hand in hand with the culturally entrenched discrimination against women. Like the treacherous roads in a New England winter, the way is fraught with hidden dangers.
Family secrets and lies are like the invisible black ice on a bridge: if you don’t watch out for the signs, it can be deadly.

Here is a review, taken from theindietribe

Bridge Ices Before Road, by S. Rose
A Great Book Reviewed, by Charlie Bray

The book opens with Frances Orillio, like most children of her age, learning her way. But unlike most children she is not developing in the midst of a caring, loving family whose very existence revolves around its offspring. She is trying to plot a course through a plethora of secrets and lies, unaware of where she comes from and with little idea where she is headed. She is, nevertheless, brought up to observe certain values and standards, and to know her place within society. She knows that, whilst by no means affluent, she is certainly not at the bottom of the pile. She is taught that Negro children, for instance, play in their park and white children play in their park. When she challenges this she is treated to a back-hander from her dad for being ignorant. She is told to avoid certain dodgy alleyways around her neighborhood, which are apparently infested by equally dodgy individuals. So when she inadvertently finds herself in one, and is confronted by Mad-Dog Malone and her brother Tommy, her minder, in a dark alley, she is treated to a crash course in life at the bottom of the pile.

It is during this encounter that the incredible skill of the author, Sienna Rose shines through for the first time. Almost paralyzed with fear, Frances flays around for common ground in the hope that the similarly aged tomboy, Mad-Dog will refrain from attacking her. The superb dialogue that ensues throughout this scene, and the undoubted bond that rapidly develops between the two, is actually the catalyst of the whole story. We are privileged to follow the girls into early adulthood and to witness how burning issues of the time – homophobia, women’s rights, racism, abuse and hypocrisy are dealt with so clumsily that, in hindsight, the reader’s toes curl with shame and embarrassment.

Another area in which the author excels is the one of setting. She paints a breathtakingly accurate mental image of the period, and is very adept at depicting every detail of deprived locations. The reader is actually in there amongst the characters. What a way to enjoy a book!

And quite apart from dialogue and setting, the main characters themselves are given so much depth that they will never be strangers to the reader, who will always care deeply what happens to them.

Two action scenes portray how adept this wordsmith is at that particular category. In one horrifying scene, Mad-Dog’s drunken father is violently assaulting his children, who try hard to protect each other. He is interrupted by an unexpected visit from the local priest, who decides discretion is the better part of valor and creeps sheepishly away. I was that absorbed and emotionally charged by the skillful writing of this scene that I dearly wanted to dive down into my kindle and sort Mad Tommy out myself. I know, they’ll be coming to take me away anytime now.

The other scene is a raging inferno, so intense in description that the reader does well to avoid being burned.

In conclusion, this book excels in all areas. Relationships are tenderly explored, social issues are dealt with in keeping with the era that the book is set within, dialogue continually moves the plot forward, the setting is created with such clarity that the reader seems to be part of it all and the action scenes are quite breath-taking and often harrowing.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough and urge you to read it.
Available in Paperback and Kindle from Amazon.com
The audio version of this book is available now on Amazon, as well as audible.com. The voice of the narrator, Jeanne Whitehouse, suits it perfectly. She is a top producer for Audio Creation Exchange, and those who happen to enjoy audio books can be assured of a high quality professional product.

The audio version of this book is available on audible.com and the narrator, Jeanne Whitehouse, suits it perfectly. She is a top producer for Audio Creation Exchange, and those who happen to enjoy audio books can be assured of a high quality professional product.

Find the Book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Ices-Before-Road-Rose-ebook/dp/B0096CGGAG/ref=la_B009JDVGKM_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384948417&sr=1-1

and audible.com:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Bridge-Ices-Before-Road-Audiobook/B00GJ09ZM4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1384948020&sr=1-1

Sienna Rose is a Massachusetts native, born in 1959 and residing in Florida since 2002. In 1996, she earned a BA in psychology from UMASS Boston, and in 2001, an M.Ed. in school counseling from Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA. Because she has always been concerned with those who are different and vulnerable to bullying and abuse, Ms. Rose wrote her master’s thesis on the needs of gay/lesbian/bi/trans youth in school. In addition to school counseling, she is licensed to teach English, social science, primary education, and exceptional student education in the state of Florida. In 2011, Ms. Rose started an educational consulting and advocacy service, ESE SOS, in order to assist parents of children with disabilities in school. Bridge Ices Before Road is her first novel.

A Free Book to Celebrate My 13th Wedding Anniversary!

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

“Home for Love” by Aneesa Price is a sweet and steamy romance about single mother Bree, who after seven years absence returns to her home town Devil’s Peak in Alaska.
She reconnects with Todd, her childhood sweetheart and the father of her daughter Amber, who up until then did not know about Amber’s existence.
The two manage to come to an amicable arrangement about the child care but his mistrust of her and her distant behaviour towards him make a rekindling of their romance seem impossible.
Bree and Todd are great characters, believable as grown ups who have the best interest for their child at heart, both dealing with issues beyond their love life and struggling with life in their small and sometimes claustrophobic community.
Price seems to be in her element in the romance genre, confident, charming and cheeky. A welcome change from love stories that are overly complicated or hyped up, this was a very pleasant read.

Melodie Ramone: After Forever Ends

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

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“After Forever Ends” by Melodie Ramone is an absolutely charming and enchanting love story. Told by Silvia, an old widow it is the tale of her love to her husband Oliver, whom she meets at the age of 15 and whom she loves ever since.
Their wonderful, sweet, honest, romantic and deep love for each other crosses the paths of a few other significant people, not least Oliver’s twin brother Alexander and Silvia’s sister Lucy. This is the story of their life in Wales, their struggles and their ‘forever’.
The book is written in a most enchanting style and leads us through the stages of the couple’s life in wonderful detail, thoughtful, humorous, inspiring and heart-warming.
I can’t stress enough just how beautiful this book is without crossing the line into unnecessary drama or kitsch. The romance is heart-felt, realistic and magic at the same time as Ramone has created very likeable characters that are not always totally perfect but are trying to be. Although the book begins with Silvia at an old age and being widowed it ends on a positive note and left me happy and cheerful. It is a credit to this author to have handled the sadness as well as this and bring happiness to a time when forever has ended.
I am massively impressed with this effort and urge you to see for yourself how lovely this book is.

For an interview with Melodie follow this link

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/melodie-ramone-after-forever-ends/
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THANK YOU!

18 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

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The last week saw my first ever GiveAway of books on Amazon.

THE LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS and SEBASTIAN

were free for five consecutive days and boy was there a run for it.

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More than 12,000 downloads for THE LUCK OF THE WEISSENSTEINERS alone

and 7,000 more for SEBASTIAN.

THANK YOU!

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download (5)

Many many thanks to everyone who shared, tweeted and talked about it, downloaded the book and told their friends about it.

Apologies to anyone whose comments, wishes and messages got lost in the overwhelming amount of support I received. I did not get round to reply to some. It has been a fantastic week, a frantic and chaotic week but absolutely worth while. Thanks everyone!

THANK YOU!

Weissensteieners reached #15 in the Free Kindle Chart and finished at #61 when the price returned to normal.

It also peaked at

#1 in Jewish Fiction
#5 Historical Fiction

during that period

Currently it is # 16 in Jewish Literature in the paid Kindle Chart.

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Sebastian reached #44 in the Free Kindle Chart and finished #95.

It peaked at

#1 Jewish Fiction
#2 Family Life

during that period

Currently it is #41 in Jewish LIterature in the paid Kindle Chart

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THE BLACK EAGLE INN, my third book in the Trilogy, sold a lot of copies during that time in a bizarre knock on effect and stayed in the TOP TEN of the GERMAN HISTORY CHARTS throughout the promotion.

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Intriguing Memoir: “When I Was German” by Alan Wynzal

17 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Today I am presenting one of my reading highlights of the year.

I accidentally stumbled upon this via a tweet and am pleased I am able to share this remarkable memoir with you all today.

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“When I Was German” by Alan Wynzel is a bitter sweet childhood memoir of a young man growing up in his own private war zone that is the marriage between his German mother and his Jewish father in America during the 1960s and 1970s.

It is a moving tale about a child caught in the parent’s volatile relationship, the clash of their cultures and personalities and the resulting identity issues for the young men brought on by conflicting ideas and role models.
Wynzel’s perception of the Jewish and the German cultures is a very interesting perspective and one that benefits particularly from being told by the point of view of an adolescent. His childhood fantasies, his perception of films and comments about Germans in the US (particularly about the 1976 Munich Olympics hostage drama) and the descriptions of the family holidays in Germany are insightful, heart breaking and thought provoking. Being German myself and living abroad – even twenty years later than this book’s story – I can relate to many of the author’s experiences.

Wynzel does an excellent job at describing his experiences realistically and honestly, making this an engaging and compelling page turner for me. This is an interesting and unique life story that deserves to be told and read.

For an interview with the author follow this link

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