The middle grade novel, “Behind the Locked Door,” is a semi-autobiographical account of my family’s time living in West Germany during the Cold War. I had several motivations for writing this book.
In the early years of my teaching career, I would often share personal stories to make the material more relatable to my students. Now, as a retired teacher, I often hear from former students who fondly recall those stories. Sharing these anecdotes allowed me to delve into the richness of my formative years and gain a deeper understanding of my personal growth. Over time, I realized that these stories were not only inspirational and motivating but also helped explain why things are the way they are today.
The protagonist in “Behind the Locked Door” is based on me. Although I changed the character’s name and gender, the adventures are true, well…mostly true. The main character is curious, an explorer, somewhat timid, and a thinker. The other characters are also based on real people. My counterpart was a very courageous and outgoing troublemaker. Nothing seemed to faze him, and he was the instigator of many escapades, including exploring the tunnels under the German farm.
The German Shepherd in the story was a real dog we had for three years. Unfortunately, when we returned to Canada, we had to leave the dog in Germany. He was re-homed with the veterinarian who had initially assessed his suitability as a working dog.
I won’t spoil the story for you, but the preface alone provides a compelling reason to read the book. You can purchase the paperback novel or eBook on Amazon.
PROLOGUE – “Behind the Locked Door”
GERMANY 1939–The Beginning of World War II
One telephone conversation changed everything.
“Yes, Boss. Let me get this right. You want me to stop all work on the staircase and on the concrete floors and move my construction teams to the other site on the farm to work alongside Manfred’s team. You want that job finished in one week? Is that even possible, sir?” asked the manager of the construction company contracted by the property owner to renovate and extend his family’s holdings on the farm. The manager was perplexed by the new orders, but he accepted the boss’s instructions and immediately left his office to speak to his construction site supervisors.
“Gerhardt, Petr, Max. The boss wants us to shut down this work site. We’re moving our operations.”