Our new house mate has arrived! His name is Edward and he is a vampire!  But he swears he doesn’t suck human blood and we trust him. He still has to get used to the new place, he’s looking a bit critical, doesn’t he?

I’m very happy to present an interview with one of my favourite authors here today: the American writer Cathleen Schine! After having been introduced to my first book of hers when my friend Evelyn gave me “Rameau’s Niece” way back at university in the nineties when we were both struggling with our final papers, I got hooked and read all of Cathleen Schine’s books as soon as I got hold of them. Some of them both in German and English. Some time ago I “met” herself on facebook.

No idea how many times I have read her books already. I get back to them again and again and also find a lot of inspiration in her style of writing. The novels I like most are: “The Evolution of Jane” and “The Love Letter”. You can read more about Cathleen Schine’s books on her website linked at the end of this interview.

• What made you start to write and what do you like most about being a writer?

Honestly? I couldn’t do anything else. And I did try to do other things – graduate school in Medieval history, then tried to get a job as a buyer in the fashion industry – because, although I had always wanted to write, I was too afraid to. But, finally, it is the only thing I really know how to do. Which is pretty lucky for me.

I like the freedom of not having a normal job, although there is also a lot of anxiety and financial insecurity that goes along with that. But what I like most about writing is… writing. After the procrastination has been strung out as long as possible, when I finally get started, there is nothing more thrilling.

• Do you have the complete story and all characters in mind before you start to write or do you develop it all while writing?

I usually have a character or characters who interest me or a relationship that I want to explore and the story grows out of that. The one time I wrote a full outline, I looked at it and thought, “Why bother to write the book? I already know what’s going to happen.” It was too boring to go on. I abandoned that one. I usually discover what happens along the way.

• I adore the use of language in your books, especially when it comes to the ways the characters think. Is that a language you only use in writing or are you talking/thinking like that yourself?

First of all, thank you! And second, that’s an interesting question that no one has ever asked me before. I never use that kind of language when I speak. I’m often pretty inarticulate. I do think in the language of my characters when I think about them. And I often write passages in my head when I walk the dog or take a shower. But I would say that the language in the books reflects the language around me more than my own inner monologue. I love to listen and I’m a good listener, and often one single phrase or intonation overheard on a bus or from a relative at a holiday dinner will inspire a character or a scene.

• Would you say your novels are rather written for women?

In the United States, most of the people who read fiction are women, so I’m guessing that most of my readers are women. Certain books, “Rameau’s Niece”, for example, appeal more to men than others. It’s also true that most of my novels are told from the point of view of a woman. But I don’t write for women. When I write, I try very hard not to think who I am writing for. Marketing people have to ask: Who’s the audience for this book? The author doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t. If I do, it warps what I’m doing. I write for the characters, for the language, going from word to word. Thoughts of possible readers, men or women, young or old, are distracting and depressing. I mean, what if there are, finally, no readers at all? That particular thought can distract me for hours. Or: What if the readers hate it? Then: Maybe I shouldn’t do this, maybe people like this other kind of thing better… I find that worrying about who I’m writing for simply undermines and dilutes what I’m working on.

• Which of your books was the most difficult to write and why?

The second: “To The Birdhouse”. It took me seven years. Why? I had two babies! It was much for fun to play with them than to work.

• You once said your characters are “very real” for you. Which one of your characters is your favorite and why?

I’m very fond of most of them, when I think of them. But usually I am thinking only of the characters in the book I’m working on at the moment.

• In another interview you showed the parallels between your own life and the things that happen in your books. Do you need own experience as a starting point to write?

No, but there has to be some personal imaginative moment, certainly, something that strikes me a kind of urgent curiosity. With the exception of my first two books, none of the novels is really autobiographical, but I do always incorporate things and relationships and dialogue and characters that figure in a greater or lesser degree in my experience.

• What do you think about the changes the book business is going through due to the new digital ways of distribution and how do you respond to that yourself?

I wrote my first book on a typewriter, before there was such a thing as the personal computer, so things have changed tremendously over the course of my career. I see so many friends, more and more every day, lose their jobs as print publishing and print journalism shrink, and that is a terrible aspect of the changes. The traditional publishing world has been very good to me, so all this change is threatening, like any revolution, and this is a revolution, obviously, as disruptive and full of promise as the invention of the printing press. On the other hand, I love the internet, I love being able to do my research so quickly, I love everything about it. I am an addict. I mean, I can read poetry on my iPhone. It’s great. But… I love real physical books in an almost primitive way, and I just hope the bound book does not completely disappear in my lifetime.

• Is there a new novel in the making and can you tell a bit about it?

Yes, and actually, at the moment anyway—it can still change, I’m only on page 30 – the narrator is a man looking back at his life at fifteen in 1964. It’s a bit if a departure for me. It’s invigorating, doing something so different.

• Where can others find you on the web?

I have a website, cathleenschine.com. I have a blog there.

Thank you very much, Cathy, for this interview!
Photo of Cathleen Schine: James Hamilton

There is this really hilarious sketch of German comedian Hape Kerkeling about Finish Eurovision songs (even if you don’t understand German it’s still great!). I always thought he had made up the songs but…

…BUT! These songs really exist!

Song no.1 was performed in 1988 by “Boulevard”:

Song no.2 was performed by Fredi (!) in 1976! And I can’t say which is more funny – Hape Kerkeling or the original:

Here’s another story from our nephew Lorenz: he’ll be four years old soon and as it happens with age he claimed his eyes being not as good anymore… He absolutely wanted to see an eye specialist but all signs showed he had no sight problems at all. In fact the neighbor’s daughter had just been to an eye specialist and then come home with brand new, very cool looking glasses, while Lorenz didn’t have any…

That’s why his granny had the idea to give him one of Thomas’ old glasses:

As you can see there is no glass inside but – what a miracle! – as soon as Lorenz got HIS glasses, all eye problems were gone! He says: “Now I can finally see properly again!”

Okay, wahrscheinlich hab ich’s nur wieder nicht mitgekriegt, aber gerade bin ich auf YouTube auf den deutschen Trailer zu New Moon gestoßen (die Stimmen sind lange nicht so gut wie im Original) und was sehe ich im Abspann? Kinostart ist nicht – wie es bislang hieß – der 2.Januar 2010, sondern nun doch schon der 26.November 2009 (also nur 6 Tage nach der Weltpremiere)!

Hier der aktuelle Trailer im Originalton (aber mit deutschen Untertiteln – und dem englischen Premieredatum):

*

Yes, call me crazy! What else should you call a grown up woman getting into the hype of a movie and book series about highschool love and vampires? But hey, those who know me, should be used to such things already.

Yes, I have ordered a lifesize Edward-cutout – well, in fact it was my husband Thomas who ordered the twilight Edward version for me but amazon.co.uk first took the order and then emailed us saying they could not send it (for reasons that were not mentioned). That’s why my friend Mer directed me to forbiddenplanet.com where the New Moon Edward version (which imho is looking better than the old one anyway) can be pre-ordered. Delivery hopefully in November! Woohoo! (Delivery was Jan 4th 2010!)

And in the meantime I’ve already decorated our bedroom and bathroom door with the film posters:

After going out for dinner this evening we made a short walk along the riverside in great light. Here are a few snapshots we made of us:

More on my FlickR

Die Website unseres Freundes Timo war ein handcodiertes Schmuckstück in CSS-Design. Aber wie das so mit handcodierten Seiten ohne CMS ist, es macht Arbeit, sie immer wieder auf den neuesten Stand zu bringen. Dialogfähig sind solche Seiten auch nicht. Und so dämmerte Timos statische Website in den vergangenen Monaten nur noch vor sich hin. Was extrem schade war, denn Timo stellte dort vorher regelmäßig seine superguten Fotos online.

Daher bin ich jetzt besonders froh, dass Timo sich entschlossen hat, die alte Website durch ein schneller zu handhabendes Blog zu ersetzen. Es trägt den Namen “Timos Fotobuch” und ging heute Nachmittag online.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Geburt dieses Onlinebabys
an den stolzen Blogvater!

Ich wünsche Dir zahlreiche Besucher und Kommentare für Deine tollen Fotos!

Here are two videos I made from our nephews. So here is Samuel (7 months old) speaking his mind on a hot and humid summer day:

And here comes his brother Lorenz (3.5 years)  with his new bubble pipe
(but somehow the camera is more interesting):

]]> http://blog.nettesite.com/2009/07/07/videos-from-the-nephews/feed/ 1 Annette Schwindt http://blog.nettesite.com/2009/07/06/back-from-the-nephews/ http://blog.nettesite.com/2009/07/06/back-from-the-nephews/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:59:35 +0000 Annette Schwindt http://blog.nettesite.com/?p=796 ]]>

Just in case you have been wondering where I’ve been during this past weekend: we went to our nephew’s christening. We’ve only just returned. So here are a few preview photos. More to come.