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You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic: The Story So Far

November 4, 2020 No Comments

It’s been a while since we discussed the wartime thriller. So let’s bring you all up to speed…!

Too often on this blog do I seem to be saying, “It’s been a while!” Apologies — been gone a few months. Needed a bit of a break from the fiction side of things while things picked up on the journalism side. Sales of Sin & Secrecy have been disappointing, to put not too fine a point on it — I’m putting that down to people being careful with money due to the pandemic. And also, I started a Masters in Creative Writing & Publishing at Bournemouth University, which has been taking up my time too. More on that if you’d care to hear it, but in a future post. This update is to be dedicated to my latest major project, You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic.

The last in-depth update I issued about this project was back in January 2019. And the main reason that nothing noteworthy happened to it in all that time is that I ended up revising and publishing Sin & Secrecy instead. It was always my plan to come back to it, and now, after a hiatus of nearly six months, I finally got back into it last weekend.

WHAT IS YOU CAN HEAR CHOPIN FROM THE ATTIC ABOUT?

In a departure from the settings explored in The Berylford Scandals, i.e. Regency period England, this new novel, You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic transports us to Berlin in 1943. Most of the action is set at the Heinrichsturme Hotel, one of the last luxury establishments in the city neither doubling as a hospital or a barracks, nor blown apart by bombs. The story follows Heinrich Oeunhausen, the precocious young manager of the hotel, whose duties are divided between keeping his guests satisfied, his business operational, and his staff safe. All of these are impeded by the presence of a gaggle of SS officers and other Nazi Party members, led by the formidable Standartenführer Leopold Upfauer.

Heinrich is pressured to join the Party himself, but is reluctant to do so for a number of reasons, not least because his young wife Sofie is mentally ill and a target of the Nazis. For her protection, he has her shut away within the hotel, her condition placated only by music provided by Itzhak Zylberman, an elderly Jewish musician who must play endlessly for the sake of his life. As if all these secrets weren’t enough, Heinrich’s latest trouble comes in the form of glamorous and impetuous journalist Cordelia Knesebeck, whose snooping quickly risks exposing everything he has set out to hide. But she has an agenda of her own, and soon enough, one is forced to help the other, with no shortage of casualties along the way.

 INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATIONS

Originally the idea came in a dream – literally the image of a pair of people climbing up to an attic, where they find an old man playing Chopin on the piano – specifically the Nocturne in G Major (one of my favourites). That slowly developed the more I thought about it into a story of false imprisonment – I don’t know when that all warped into the wartime thriller it has become now. Some of you may think there’s a parallel there with Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, the story of classical musician Władysław Szpilman. The story is a light inspiration, admittedly, but my Itzhak Zylberman will be an entirely different kind of character in the grand scheme of things.

The hotel setting is partly down to familiarity, as I have spent a lot of my working life in such establishments, so there are plenty of experiences to draw from. Both dramatic and comedic (there will be some light moments in this novel or it’s going to be awfully heavy). The decision was also made from an intellectual perspective — how hotels in Germany ran during the war is a largely unexplored topic (in fiction, anyway). As such, it will be fun to research.

Meanwhile, the characters’ appearances, personalities, and interrelationships are partly inspired by the people I was closest to at the time — my friends and colleagues from my days working at Nationwide Building Society.

Want to know more? Let me know if you want a Chapter Preview or a Character Profile for the next post about You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic. Why not let me know in the comments? For more author news and views, my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages are here.

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Written by: Dale Hurst

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The Berylford Scandals (1. Lust & Liberty, 2. Sin & Secrecy) 📚
Podcaster | The Dale Hurst Writing Show🎙️

Dale Hurst | Author
Another frequently asked question from friends and Another frequently asked question from friends and family - where exactly do I get my ideas for my stories? New blog post explores a few of my usual places of inspiration, plus some hints about the ideas on the back burner! Link in comments 📚📖📝🖊️✍️
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#writingwisdom #writerinspiration #mondaymotivation #authormotivation #writingcommunity #ignovelist #authorsofinstagram #writersofig #creativewriting #amwritinghistfic
Why do a lot of aspiring authors gravitate to the Why do a lot of aspiring authors gravitate to the fantasy genre? One of the few topics discussed with @dpride_877 on that first episode of the podcast 🎙️📚📖🧌🧜‍♀️🧙‍♂️🗡️🛡️
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#writersofinsta #podcastaddict #writingpodcast #podcastsofinstagram #thedalehurstwritingshow #listennow #amwritingfantasy #fantasywriting #writingcommunity
It's a podcast post! But not my own for a change. It's a podcast post! But not my own for a change. I had the pleasure of joining the Seven Questions segment on this week's edition of the @twoindieauthors podcast, getting to talk about my experiences – good and bad – of being an indie author 😁😁😁 I appear at around 41:00 but it's well worth listening to the whole thing! Link's in the comments 📖📚📝🎙️
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#indieauthor #podcastsofinstagram #igpodcast #writingwisdom #writersofinsta #writingcommunity #writinglife #podcastaddict #selfpublishedauthor #authornetwork
As this love/hate relationship with my new book co As this love/hate relationship with my new book continues, I've come to a few conclusions about the story that I'll probably need to address in the redrafting process, plus one point that a follower raised for me! For catharsis, I've noted a few down in this latest blog post on my website (link in comments 🔥) ✍️📝📚📖
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#amwritinghistfic #historicalnovelist #historicalfiction #writinglife #creativewriting #novelist #newblogpost #youcanhearchopinfromtheattic #writingcommunity #authorsofinstagram #authornetwork
The fantasy genre seems to be a go-to for a lot of The fantasy genre seems to be a go-to for a lot of new and aspiring authors. And many of the stories draw inspirations from ancient mythologies, legends and cultures. 
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If you think you might have a fantasy novel in you but want a little inspiration, try looking into some of the suggestions in this post... 🧜‍♂️🧌🧙‍♂️🗡️🛡️
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There's more on fantasy writing in Episode 1 of my podcast (link in comments)
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#amwritingfantasy #fantasywriting #epicfantasy #highfantasy #mythsandlegends #writingwisdom #writingcommunity #authorsofinstagram #authornetwork #amreadingfantasy
Little advice post to end the week. 5 ways of insp Little advice post to end the week. 5 ways of inspiring your own #histfic efforts.
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‼️ DON'T FORGET ‼️ I'm hosting a Genre Breakfast for Historical Fiction writers as part of #bournemouthwritingfestival on 23 April – looking forward to seeing some of you there 😉
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#amwritinghistfic #historicalfiction #writingwisdom #bournemouthwriter #writersofig #writersofbournemouth #authornetwork #writingcommunity #historicalnovelist
A bit of journalistic work business took me to Bri A bit of journalistic work business took me to Bridport the other day - West Bay, specifically, which people may know as a place they filmed the series Broadchurch. Strange how nature can inspire... I couldn't resist taking a few shots of the coast, and a cheeky landslip at the end 😆... (I only look so uncomfortable in my portrait because I still had shingle in my shoes 😅)
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Does nature inspire you to be creative? If so, how? 🌊⛱️📖📝
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📸 Richard Tarr (portrait)
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#mondayinspiration #amwriting #westbay #dorsetwriters #writersofinsta #coastphotography #bridport #authorsofinstagram #writersofig #writingcommunity
Happy World Book Day 📚🎉 What's everyone curr Happy World Book Day 📚🎉 What's everyone currently reading? I'm currently working through Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen 😀 
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By the way, make an author's day and share their work around 😊
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#bookday #worldbookday #booknerd #booklover #currentreads #amreadingcomedy #amreadingcrime #authorsofinstagram #writersofinsta #indieauthor
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