This was a deeply emotional book to write as the inspiration came from my mother’s childhood. She was born in Linz and grew up during the war years. Sometimes, she spoke of the allied planes appearing as she picked wildflowers in the hills; how she lay flat on the grass, the engine noise deafening and the smell of diesel making her feel sick. She spoke of the gnawing in her stomach as she went to bed hungry each night.
I spent many happy summer holidays in Austria, swimming in the lakes and walking in the mountains as well as visiting beautiful towns such as Salzburg and Vienna. And I came to love the town of Linz.
But no one spoke about the pre-war years and how it happened that Austria was annexed, becoming part of Germany in 1938. It was only much later that I discovered Hitler’s connection to Linz. During my extensive research, I came across a memoir written by a close friend of Hitler who wrote about how they spent their young years together in Linz and a particular event that got me thinking…
The main characters in the book are fictitious but many of the supporting cast are real; Ludwig Haase, the artist, the Swiss border guard, Paul Grüninger who saved the lives of countless refugees, and the infamous Göring brothers. The story centres around the true events of Hitler’s arrival in Linz, and the people’s vote with the terrifying consequences thereafter.
The Villa Rosa that features in the book, although fictional, is based on the numerous Bride Schools that operated throughout Nazi Germany, a subject that fascinated and horrified me during my research. Although I have read many WW2 stories, my research uncovered numerous lesser-known elements which I included in The Austrian Bride. I hope readers enjoy the story of how ordinary people came to their choices, and the impact those choices made on the world around them.