The Last Waltz by GG Vandagriff

THE LAST WALTZ

by GG Vandagriff

Historical Fiction
www.GGVandagriff.com

3 autographed copies will be given away on Friday, November 20, 2009





About the Book:

In December 1913, the city of Vienna glitters with promises of the future for sought-after debutante Amalia Faulhaber. But life takes a dramatic turn when simmering political unrest escalates into the most deadly war the world has ever known. Amalia is devastated when her fiance, Baron Eberhard von Waldburg, breaks off their engagement to return to his native Germany and obligatory military service. But she soon discovers that her passion for democracy in an increasingly fascist world has put everything she loves in danger. Her family torn apart and improvished by the war, Amalia must now choose between an idealistic young Polish doctor, who shares her political views, and the wealthy Baron von Schoenenburg, an Austrian Cabinet minister who promises to provide safety and security in a violent, tumultuous time. Reminiscent of Gone with the Wind, this epic novel explores the nature of human character and the elusive search for love and peace.

Exclusive Interview with the Author!

1) THE LAST WALTZ sounds fascinating. Where’d did the idea come from?

This is a book I have wanted to write ever since I studied in Austria. My professors were Austrians who had lived through the time period of my novel (1913-1938). I became immersed in 20th century Austrian history, which I had never known. It is very different from Germany's story, and I realized most Americans only knew what they saw at the end of "The Sound of Music." The idea for a novel was born in graduate school when my Russian history professor said, "The best way to learn the history of a period is read a well-written novel from the period." I believe he used Dr. Zhivago as an example. While I was commuting by bus to a job in LA, I began the outline and the character sketches. However, as I worked on it, I realized I didn't have the kind of understanding I would need to write a novel of this emotional depth. An agent I knew wanted it, but she was strictly interested it as a romance novel. Although romance is a big part of it, it is actually much more than that. I finally realized it was an epic. I didn't know how to write an epic, so I let it sit for almost thirty years, while I "learned about life," and wrote light mysteries, a couple of non-fiction books, and one suspense novel. When I was finally got my manic-depression under control, I felt that I had experienced "sufficient suffering" to enter into Amalia's world of loss and redemption.

2) The story takes place in Austria during the time of World War I. Did you have to do much research to become familiar with this time and culture?

Because I had been immersed in this history while I lived and studied in Austria, went on to get a BA from Stanford and an MA from George Washington in the subject, I had boxes of material. Also, the story existed in my heart for many years until it became almost real to me. My problem, if anything was too much historical detail. My publisher loved it, but reluctantly made me cut it drastically so they could keep the cost down for the readers.

3) Amalia sounds like such a fascinating (and strong) character. If she could give the modern world once piece of advice from her time, what would it be?

That's an easy one. Her one piece of advice would be: don't lose faith in democracy. Allow the different parties to balance each other out. The dissolution of parliament in her time led eventually to fascism and Hitler's invasion.

4) You’ve written nine books so far! Wow! Has it gotten easier with time because you’ve gotten used to the process? Or harder because you have to keep yourself fresh and original?

My mysteries almost wrote themselves because I was dealing with my same group of eccentric characters as well as genealogical research (they are genealogical researchers turned detectives). They were like real people to me and all I had to do was hang on for the ride as they told the story and often times surprised me greatly. Non-fiction comes easily, so my two books (one on recovery from depression and one on genealogical research) were quick and fun to write. However, The Last Waltz, was difficult. I just couldn't seem to get it right. Finally, in desperation, I asked, "What would Tolstoy do?" I realized Tolstoy was in everyone's heads. My attempt to tell such an immensely complex story could not be told from the point of view of a one character. Once I got into Amalia's lover's heads (each of whom represents a different nationality and viewpoint), it all fell into place.

5) What are you working on now?

I am working on a new series that I am so excited about that every morning is like Christmas. It is women's fiction, about four ladies who are in a therapy group together. They are all single for different reasons, and after watching "Enchanted April," they decide that if life is so great in Italy, they want to go there. I just returned from a two-week research trip to Florence and Tuscany, and am really into this book! The challenge is that there are four heroines having four sets of experiences: A Cuban free spirit with serious issues that manifest in a neurotic hatred of the fact that she looks like Jennifer Lopez, a newly made widow who was once a concert violinist but now has arthritis and can't perform, a Vietamese-American OB-GYN who hates her job and practices the violin in secret every morning for two hours, and finally a perfectionist whose two-children, doctor-husband world has fallen apart. Each one of my "crazy ladies" will become whole in one of my four books in the series. The other three will take place in: The Greek Isles, Provence, and the Scottish Highlands.

Visit the author online at: www.GGVandagriff.com

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