International Memoir Writers Association would like to congratulate
2023 January Member of the Month…Heidi Langbein-Allen!
Please take a minute to read Heidi’s interview with IMWA President, Laura Engel.
LE: Congratulations Heidi! It’s exciting to have you with us at IMWA and we are thrilled about your new book, Save The Last Bullet- Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler’s Army! Have you always been a writer?
HLA: No, I never expected to write a book, until I realized that I was the steward of a story that needed to be told.
LE:Have writing classes made a big impact on your writing?
HLA: Definitely. I put myself through Marni Freedman’s Memoir Certificate course to learn how to write. I would not have been able to write the book without the class.
LE: We would love to hear about your newly published book and your journey of writing and publishing.
HLA: My father was yanked out of his childhood and thrown into war in one of the darkest periods of world history. He managed to survive and pledged his life to building a free, democratic Europe. For years I begged him to share his story with me, but he refused. I kept bugging him. Finally, when he was in his seventies and had time to reflect on his legacy, he relented. He narrated his story onto 16 cassette tapes, I listened to them in fascination and put them away in a drawer for the next nine years. In 2016, I realized that my father was eighty-six years old. His health was rapidly deteriorating. I did not have much time left to ask him questions about his story. I set out to translate the tapes from German to share the information with my children. One day, a couple of months after I had started this task, I mentioned what I was doing to a work colleague, who happened to be a writer. He looked at me and said “you have to publish that story.” I laughed him off, thinking him delusional. How could I possibly? I had never written a lick of poetry or prose, had no formal training, presence or platform anywhere. He dragged me to his writer’s group meeting, where they promptly told me to go learn how to write. In early 2017, I signed up for a memoir class and the rest is history, to use a cliche. 🙂
LE: Gosh, I love that story and I just started reading your wonderful book. What an amazing and important thing you have done. What are you working on now?
HLA:I am writing the story of my mother growing up in the Spanish Civil War and the resulting dictatorship, while dealing with mental illness.
LE:That sounds fascinating. Can’t wait to read it. Heidi, what are some of your favorite memoirs?
HLA: Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor, although it isn’t technically a memoir; Wild by Cheryl Strayed; The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls; Born a Crime by Trevor Noah;
LE: Heidi, any advice for new writers?
HLA:Stay the course, don’t let others discourage you. Go to writing groups. If you want it bad enough, you will get it done. Never give up.
LE:Excellent advice! How can our members reach you and learn more about you and your book? Website? Social Media addresses?
HLA:You can visit my website, www.heidilangbeinauthor.com, which contains more information about the book, and links to the podcast that features excerpts of my book, as well as links to my Instagram and Facebook pages, and to Amazon where my book can be purchased.
LE: Once again, congratulations Heidi on publishing your book and being our January 2023 Member of the Month. Heidi has a book signing event with a fellow writer, Mark Jackson, author of Blue Rivers of Heaven, at the Koi Zen Winery in Poway, on Saturday, January 14th, from 6:30PM to 8:30PM. You are all invited! Hope you can make it to celebrate and support our fellow IMWA member Heidi!