article by Cindy DiDonna, Chronicle Lifestyle Editor, about Carol Hegberg''s new novel
DeKalb author Carol Hegberg's recently published novel, "Pen Pals," is an inspirational story that encourages people, through the story's main's example, to make choices to forgive those who have wounded them.
More than half of "Pen Pals" is set in Germany.
Several years ago, Hegberg and her family hosted her own pen pal's family from Germany, and from there and research, she gleaned ideas to include the information in a novel.
"Pen Pals" takes place in Munich and its Olympic Park, built for the '72 Olympics.
"The Park contains interesting webby, tent-like structures. They immediately caught my eye, and I knew my protagonist would be a gymnast," Hegberg said about her choice of Germany. "It helped that my daughter studied gymnastics, and Sue Plapp, a former DeKalb gymnast, forced me to find a good reason to allow my character to travel to Germany so close to the Olympics."
She also chose Olympic Park because of the story of the old holy man, Timothy, who was real. According to one German source, he died last year at about the age of 115.
"It is said God told Timothy to travel to Munich (from Poland) to build a church on the Oberwieisenfeld, where the city dumped the war ruins, and 'The world would come and see.' He had no money, so obediently he built it out of war ruins, and when the world decided to hold the Olympics in Munich, they left the church intact," Hegberg added.
While Hegberg has had short stories, articles, skits, plays and poems published, "Pen Pals" is her first published novel.
Her purpose was to see if she could accomplish the process.
"I've always been a writer, and it was a natural progression from child writer to adult journalist, editor, story writer to novelist. The hardest part was finding the process that worked for me. While I learned techniques and read about other writers' ways, I had to discover the way the artist developed in me. And with each novel, it is not easier or clearer. Writing a novel takes immense faith in your muse and your writer self, self-discipline and obsessive delight in writing."
Hegberg writes features for the Daily Chronicle and is an online book editor.
"Pen Pals," published by PublishAmerica, is available through bookstores or online through www.amazon.com or www.publishamerica.com/books/5578.
The Barnes and Noble Web site compares "Pen Pals" to "The Notebook" as far as similarity in style and story. Hegberg is planning a booksigning at Barnes and Noble and possibly Borders.
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