Mouw wrote From Ashes Into Light beginning with a research trip to various locations in Eastern Europe, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (in the 1990s). Her research took her places like Dachau, the concentration camp, a Jewish graveyard in Prague, and the streets of Salzburg.
Mouw is a prolific and award-winning poet and her poems have appeared in literary journals such as Praire Schooner, Practical Mystic, The Chariton Review and others. Her collection of poetry called Wife of the House was published in April 2014. Mouw won first place in a short fiction contest at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference in 1992. From Ashes into Light will be her first published novel.
For More Information
- Visit Gudrun Mouw’s website
- Visit the author’s blog..
- Connect with Gudrun on Facebook.
- Find out more about Gudrun at Goodreads.
About the Book:
Friede is born during WW II to a Bavarian soldier and an East-Prussian mother. As those around her struggle with the inevitable chaos and paradox of war, young Friede opens her heart to gruesome enemies, at times helping her family members escape atrocities.
With war behind them, the Mai family immigrates to the US, where Friede, her veteran father and ex-refugee mother, struggle with reverberations of trauma, suspicion and prejudice. Upon leaving home, Friede meets her spiritual guide and confidant in her fiancé’s Rabbi, who helps her see that the voices from her past are teachers and the horrors of history also contain beacons of light.
For More Information
- From Ashes Into Light is available at Amazon.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Thanks for this interview, Gudrun. Can we begin by having you tell us about
yourself from a writer’s standpoint?
As a child, I was an avid reader,
fascinated by the expanded world of knowledge and insight that books provided.
I had several inspirational English teachers who encouraged my interest, and I
began to write down my own experiences in journals. My first creative piece came
from an intense dream which woke me up, and I could not go back to sleep until
I had written down the story. I was an enthusiastic student of poetry and
literature throughout my college career and began writing a novel shortly after
receiving my M.A. in English.
When not writing, what do you like to do
for relaxation and/or fun?
I find yoga and meditation to be very
useful practices to help me relax and to clear the mental palate. I adore
nature. Hiking through wilderness areas is one my favorite activities. I also
have a love for music and art.
Do you have a day job? Or a night one?
I am a yoga and meditation teacher.
Would you say it’s been a rocky road for
you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth
sailing? Can you tell us about your
journey?
This novel has had a long birth. I started
it in the late 1980s, but when my personal life took an abrupt turn, it was a
while before I had the time and felt settled enough to continue the work. As a writer, I prefer
to allow things to evolve in an organic way and not force a specific schedule
on projects when that is possible. On the other hand, I also get intensely
focused when the writing currents of energy, ideas, time and space come
together, or when my publisher has a specific request. I usually have a number
of projects going on, so that “writer’s block” doesn’t seem to be something
that I consider to be a problem. Though I admire other writers who say they
only allow themselves a certain number of re-writes, I also understand that I
can only be true to my own, most natural way of approaching a writing life.
What is it about the novel genre that
appeals more than any other genre you would choose to write?
The beauty of the novel, for me, is the
extended space it allows for the evolution of characters and concepts.. I enjoy
the process of letting an initial idea grow in a way that allows me to step
back, taking almost the role of a transmitter, or witness, rather than being
the controlling, intellectual creator.
If you had to summarize your book in one
sentence, what would that be?
This is the story of three characters
guided by a sense of higher consciousness, symbolized by the phoenix narrator,
which unites each of their journeys towards growth and transformation.
What makes your book stand out from the
rest?
It is a book whose theme of honoring unity
in a world of differences is a significant topic, I believe.
If your book was put in the holiday
section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
Perhaps, Thanksgiving would be a good
holiday for my book, because of this novel’s depiction of the human capacity to
move from suffering to gratitude.
Would you consider turning your book into
a series or has that already been done?
I see the book as a potential movie.
Where do you get your information or ideas
for your books?
From a broad range of
experiences--personal, historical, literary--I have come to appreciate how the
smallest, most everyday event can have universal implications.
What’s next for you?
I have several ongoing projects in the
wings--another novel, a non-fiction book, a poetry collection.
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