I've Always Been a Book Person

... but now my writing is also flourishing again!

Me at a reading in 2013

Books, books, books - I LOVE reading!

I’ve always been a book person.

Reading them (usually more than 100 a year), buying them, recommending them, selling them, selecting them, lending them, studying them, writing them, editing them, sharing my enthusiasm about many of them.

Organising readings.

Helping children to master the first crucial steps to literacy and always have an exciting book to support them on their way.

Oh, and I always read two or three titles parallely at any given time.

(See, what I mean?)

How it started

I read. A lot. Always have. Although my parents read to me regularly as a child, family memories claim that I taught myself to read at an early age with the help of my beloved treasure chest of Pixi Books, because I just couldn’t wait to get to the next story and then the next.

One of my favourite childhood places (apart from my grandparents’ garden) was the small public library in my home town. I would have moved in there, if they had let me. (Well, I got a key to the building when I was 40 and started working there, so childhood dreams sometimes actually do come true.)

Professional life

It was (kind of) inevitable that books became my profession.

I trained as a bookseller in a lovely independent book shop and worked there for some years before going to university for studying sociology and German language and literature.

For some time, I worked as a freelance editor (among other jobs like being a town guide).

From reading to writing

Writing became another passion along the way (almost inevitably, wouldn’t you agree?). I started a historic novel (not finished), wrote two contemporary novels (finished, but, to be honest, not good enough), then switched to short stories. That went much better.

Several short stories have been published in literature magazines and anthologies, some even won prizes. I also had academic papers published and wrote four local history books.

(If you want to learn more about my published work (all in German), you are very welcome to visit my website.)

This was such a special award. I won first prize in a short story competition and they incorporated a sentence from my text into the granite sculpture.

Being a librarian

I started working as a librarian, dedicating my time and energy to help making the best possible match between readers and books. I also tried selecting the most interesting books, so people would find something new every time they visited and could go on unexpected adventures, find a cosy read or an exciting thriller, explore new topics and writers.

Children in particular were close to my heart. I especially loved the visits of the primary school classes when I had the honour to show them around, tell them how the library works, and got into lively conversations about pets, siblings, their favourite sports, fairies and dinosaurs, comics and Minecraft, horses and all sorts of topics under the sun. I made it my mission to always find a book for them.

They were so excited to explore what our small library had to offer (even the cool boys). It was just heartwarming to meet them at their next visit, with one of their parents in tow, clutching a book, beaming, waving at me and calling my name (and asking me if I remembered theirs).

We also had regular visits from Kindergarten groups. It was an absolute delight to read them whatever book they put in my hands. They could never get enough. (Just like me.)

A sudden halt

I loved my job as a librarian and later on as deputy head of the library, at least for several years, I put all my energy into it. And I mean that literally.

However, it wasn’t just very bad for my health, especially my menthal health, it unfortunately took another toll: I stopped writing. (Well, actually I did a lot of writing there, too, but non of it was creative.)

Over the years I lost my energy, my ideas, my creativity, what I had to say, that I even might have something worthwile to say … all gone.

I missed it. A lot.

A new start - Happy Quiet Life

After quitting my job in the library due to burnout and a year of recovery, I tentatively started writing again at the end of 2023.

A bit clumsy at the beginning and not knowing what to write about. But that changed soon. I opened myself up to different genres and new text forms, pursued every idea to see where it would take me (of course there were some dead ends, but not all), followed every interest, every spark, even if I had no idea if it might turn into a project later, and felt rewarded just by that alone.

Some months later, I realised to my great astonishment that I had never been so creative in my entire life.

Ideas were flowing. It was as if all these ideas had been suppressed or were in hiding while I tried living a “normal” life as an employee, working fixed times and having had to focus more and more on administrative tasks (and to deal with some very unpleasant interpersonal problems).

The more I recovered though, the more I left behind, the more I rediscovered who I really was behind all the masks and the pressure, the social expectations and everything, the better I felt. Also with my writing.

For a year now, ideas have been flourishing, inspiration hits under the shower, just before I fall asleep (of course), while gardening, while eating - and often when I don’t have a notebook ready. Aaaah!

I’m loving it, I’m incredibly happy with all these ideas and projects. I could never have imagined after some very ugly and emotional draining years, I would get back into swing of things and be as creative and write in as many different ways as I do now.

I am back to writing novels, a contemporary one and the start of a crime series (well, hopefully, if it all works out). I’ve also started several children’s and picture books and I still write short stories sometimes. (Admittedly, not that often any more. So many ideas, so little time! And I still have to be careful with my energy.)

Blogging, however, has been an entirely new adventure (and I owe it to

Molly Ella

that I found Substack in the first place, thank you!) and although I’m just four months in, I’m already loving it!

Showing the real me. Telling of my view on the world. Taking a stand. (To be honest, it felt a bit like a coming out, openly introducing myself as introverted and HSP when I tried to hide it as good as possible for decades.)

Writing daily. Publishing several times a month. Not having to wait if a competition jury or a publisher likes my texts, getting back to me half a year or so later. (I know, I know, I am very late to the party, blogs have been around for a loooong time, so has self-publishing, but I followed a more traditional route and then stopped altogether. So, it’s new and exciting for me!)

But none of this would be as much fun without you and this wonderful, interesting, supporting community!

Thank you so much for reading, for commenting, for taking an interest! I’m so happy that you choose to read my texts, take the time and interest to comment, like what I write, subscribe and get in touch.

It means the world to me!!

Happy quiet life!

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