How do story ideas and location come together? Here is a worked example, from when I visited Berlin, where my thriller Blood Summit is set. The visit also unleashed the idea of doing a reading in the Reichstag.
The Reichstag and “Blood Summit”
The primary goal of my visit to Berlin was the Reichstag, where much of Blood Summit takes place. It is a sombre building with a tragic history of arson, destruction, occupation and dereliction. In Blood Summit it takes more punishment. Yet on a sunny day it can look quite innocuous:
The lawn in front of the Reichstag suggests accessibility and openness: features of the building which are problematic in “Blood Summit”
A top video-maker
I was delighted to meet film maker Sibylle Trost at the Reichstag (click on the link for her website, also available in German). Sibylle, whose documentaries for German TV receive audiences of four million and who also works freelance for companies and others, is a fan of Blood Summit and made a top quality video of my first reading from the book, in Vienna in 2018 (links in bold italics are to other posts on this site).
Reading “Blood Summit” at the Reichstag
Here is Sibylle’s video of me reading the book at the Reichstag.
A German-language video is at the end of this blog/Deutsche Video am Ende des Blogs
This visit also led directly to my reading in Berlin in February 2020, weeks before the coronavirus lockdown.
Sibylle Trost filming at the Reichstag
The Reichstag, close-up
To get a feel for the weight and size of the Reichstag, it helps to come close. The picture below shows one of the four towers, which feature in the novel. Snipers posted on each, above titanic stone figures representing German workers, are powerless to halt the terrorist attack:
Sibylle and I discussed the novel, and how it related to the Reichstag, in the shade of the building:
We tried another take, close-up. The Berlin Wall used to run within fifty metres of the Reichstag.
It was a pleasure to work with Sibylle and I recommend her services as film-maker, journalist and media adviser. I learned a lot.
I also enjoyed myself immensely:
If you like the sound of Blood Summit but are not quite sure, you can read the opening chapters on this blog.
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P.P.S. Wenn Sie mehr über “Blood Summit” auf Deutsch erfahren möchten, schauen Sie mal her:
One Response
Gratuliere zu den Berlin-Verbindungen – dorthin gehört “Blood Summit” ganz besonders. Schade, dass ich nciht dabei sein kann.