I’d like to share an interview with Christine
Schimpf, my writing student and friend, who recently published her book Nick, the Journey of a Lifetime. It’s no
secret to any reader of my blog that I love all things ethnic. How could I not
love a story like Nick’s?
Gail:
Tell me about your book, Chris.
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| Christine Schimpf at a book signing |
Chris:
What I have heard the most about my book, from those who have read it, was “It
was hard to put down.” The story begins with an aerial view of the village of Calma,
Yugoslavia, formerly the Austrian-Hungary Empire. The reader enters the world
of a small ethnic group of people known as Donauschwabens. Soon the reader is walking
in the shoes of the Nicholas Russ. He’s a young man working a carpentry
apprenticeship. The coins in his pocket are jingling as he walks down the
cobblestone walk, making his way to local Gausthaus to meet up with his favorite
girl Theresa.
Gail:
Interesting
background. How does the story take off?
Chris:
Well,
the reader soon discovers that Nick has a bit of a problem. He finds out that
his sweetheart, Theresa, has been promised to a butcher in the next village. Now,
this is not that unusual given the time period. Parents often arranged
marriages for their offspring to benefit not only their child, but themselves
as well. In this case, an alliance with a butcher would be welcoming, as meat
was a scarce commodity. Unfortunately, this arrangement is not what Nick had in
mind, so he does what any man in love would do.
