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Ann Marie rated A FLOOD OF EVIL *****

… it was amazing … In A Flood of Evil, Lewis Weinstein has written a novel that is both compelling and riveting

… The love, strength and courage between Anna, the Jewish journalist and Berthold, the German boy is a real page turner.

… The mix of historical facts and and realistic characters makes this a must read book.

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10 days to go … Amazon Giveaway … winners will receive a FREE copy of A FLOOD OF EVIL in kindle format … click to enter …

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A Flood of Evil (Kindle Edition)

by Lewis M. Weinstein

Average rating: 4.9 stars

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Entry Deadline: Jul 20, 2017 11:59 PM PDT

Hosted by Lew Weinstein, author

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Every once in a while, I re-read Elizabeth George’s book, looking for refreshment of old lessons and new perspectives based on where I am in my own writing.

Here are my 2017 Elizabeth George refresher notes, along with some notes to myself …

• Analysis of character is the highest human entertainment; each character is different and human character is the greatest of puzzles

• What we take away from a good novel is mainly the memory of character

• An event alone, nor a series of events, cannot hold a story together … only characters effecting events and events effecting characters can do that

• Real people have flaws … are riddled with doubts … make mistakes … have lapses of judgment … experience weakness

• Characters are interesting in their conflict, their misery, their unhappiness, their confusion … they are not interesting in their joy and security

• Give characters flaws and self-doubts … put them into conflict … allow them to grow and change … LMW: characters may also regress

• Create a written analysis of each major character … LMW: compare where Berthold & Anna are now with where they were before and where I expect them to be later

• Look for opportunities to relate something about a character’s past … expand the reader’s understanding … do so through the character’s words and actions, not by telling about them

• Personality quirks and telling details can have great cumulative impact on the reader’s perception of that character

• Create atmosphere … setting triggers mood … a character’s environment shows who he is … everything else is interpreted by the reader

• Your setting should be a place you and the reader want to know more about … LMW: Warsaw and Berlin in the 1930s … Auschwitz & Dachau … not a travelogue but as Berthold & Anna see them

• In rendering a setting, rely on telling details … put your place into action … details in motion

• Setting used to its fullest can elevate an ordinary scene into one which is unforgettable

• Use the climate of a location … weather, sounds, scents, animals … stimulate the reader’s senses and imagination

• Every person has an external landscape … a certain look, a way of acting, clothes, a house or office … all can pass information about the character to the reader … use specific and telling details … LMW: use Berthold’s SS uniform as a continuing motif

• A character’s internal landscape is revealed in momentary reflections … also longer monologues (whether spoken or thought), letters, diary entries

• Anything in a character’s environment can serve as an indicator of his internal landscape … LMW: Berthold’s recurring experiences of death … Dietrich … Mueller

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I was thrilled today to have a 90 minute conversation with Julia, Petra, Patrick, and Diana, all of whom offered thoughtful observations on the various core themes with which my characters in A FLOOD OF EVIL struggle.

The group began with the observation that my book was in many ways different from the tens of thousands of histories and novels which have been written on the Nazi period. In particular, there was an appreciation for the way I structured the book to show how and why many Germans were both enamored by and trapped into acceptance of Hitler.

to arrange your own book discussion … 

send me an email at authorlewweinstein@gmail.com