Not the New Normal, Just the Old Crazy
About Me
I was raised in an ancient, at least 2,000-year-old, village between Munich and the Alps. With a DAAD scholarship in my pocket, I earned two MA degrees in anthropology and photojournalism from the University of Texas. My topics were the Texas-Germans, their language and identity, and a photo documentary of the New Braunfels Schützenverein. Texas was all attitude, just like Bavaria. Cowgirls and cowboys hither and tither.
My first book, the “Keltenschimmel” (Celtic Stallion) was born on several summer vacations to Bavaria. While raising my two girls, my home village catalyzed so many narratives. There were also a number of ghosts on St. George’s Hill (Georgibichl). Legend has it that this tiny chapel was built on a Celtic sanctuary.
My excitement went haywire when the burial site of a Celtic maiden was discovered in our neighbor’s house during renovations. The preserved remains and jewelry now rest in a diorama at the Bad Tölz Stadtmuseum. And all across local history there were remarkable events.
Not far from the truth, I cast my my high school heroine in the 1970s, put a number of stories together, and made her get in major trouble with her “shameless” writings and the boys. Now the Celtic Stallion rides again in my novel. His secret is finally lifted.
About “iMAKINations”
- i = international, me & myself
- MAKIN = masala (spice blend), my family name
- nations = the 3 nations and continents our family represents
About My Track
Since having read my first book, I had always wanted to write one. I started with local reporting in high school, did some radio, finally editing college textbooks, My articles have appeared internationally. I have worked at Bavarian Public Radio, survived a stint as a small-town newspaper photographer in Texas, and served as Production Editor for Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
My first novel, “Der Keltenschimmel,” was published on Amazon after many years of consolidating the narrative. Keltenschimmel thrives from the raucuous stories inside the main drama: a precocious teenager throws herself into ill-fated love adventures and ends up seeing ghosts. My second novel, “Kreuzfeuer in Texas,” in German, tells the fateful story of the German-Texan Unionist of Fredericksburg in the Civil War. Other books followed.
Words are magic. To create my world, I don’t need paint, or clay, or brick. A pen and paper will do. As some people stand up and shout, I sit down and write. Writing puts me in control. I can make anything happen. It’s magic!
My favorite saying:
Wherever you go, there you are.
About Reality, Insanity, and Recipes
My blog is about reality and insanity and why we get confused between the two so many times. In the end, humanitarian survival boils simply down to “Apostle” John’s saying: “All you need is love.” And a little food.
You’re not crazy for “believing” in global warming. It would be insane to ignore it when you see in front of your own eyes. Global warming is a reality.
Look at the gun issues in America. Guns are perfectly real, but our justifications for them are quite insane. We have moved on from front-loaders to automatic rifles. Keeping those out of only the hands of “crazy” people won’t do.
Because how do we know who is CRAZY?
Here comes the Catch 22 movie from 1970. Go see it! Captain John Yossarian wants to bail out of an air mission by pleading insanity. But there’s a catch:
— A catch?
—Sure, Catch. Anyone who wants to get out of combat isn’t really crazy, so I can’t ground him.
—Let me see if I got this straight. In order to be grounded, I’ve got to be crazy. And I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I’m not crazy any more—and I have to keep flying.
—You’ve got it! That’s the Catch.
So who is crazy now? Anybody can snap a trigger at some point.
So, eat something good! You don’t want to go crazy!
