Hello, hello, From London, UK, 198 Fans, 260 Hubs, Joined 7 months ago
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Habee interviews Hello, Hello
A German expatriate in Britain, Hello, Hello explains her passion for writing
Not long after joining HubPages, I discovered a delightful writer by the name of Hello, Hello. I first fell in love with her hubs after reading her account of growing up in Hitler’s Germany. She’s an amazing personality, and her warmth and humor are evident in her writing. Do yourself a favor and enjoy a few of her hubs today!
1. First of all, I have to ask: How did you choose your HP name?
First of all, I must mention, I have a funny brain. Things and thoughts just come to me, and don't ask me from where. I don't think I really chose it; it chose me. However, I thought it sounded welcoming and might get a few friends/fans. It sounds friendly, and I don't want to reveal who I am. I still feel that the wolves are prowling round my front door from my divorce and break-up of my house and family. These wolves know how to cause trouble and distractions. Also, I don't want our son to be embarrassed. He got hurt enough. He knows I am writing.
2. How did you find HubPages?
That is a question which I can't answer. I completely forgot how I came across it. I was also writing on Triond and Helium, but I was impressed with neither. Especially Helium. They cheated me. HP is easy to write on, and this is the truth. Also, the community is so friendly. I feel like I am in paradise. I was always a bookworm but never wrote a lot. There again, it suddenly came to me and I took a correspondence course. It helped some but wasn't all that great. With HubPages I really caught the bug. It is definitely addictive.
3. Your topics are all over the place - history, world leaders, recipes, short stories, international celebrities, animals, gangsters, and travel. How do you decide on your topics?
You’re telling me! My brain is like a beehive. I am laughing about it and have to laugh about myself. I mean it. I am sitting here over a hot computer, tapping away and giggling away. Sometimes, I see an article in the paper, then my memories kick in and I think of a subject which I find fascinating, and I do the research. One thing I can't do is write about something my heart is not in. I can do it, but it doesn't read right, and after a few sentences I wipe it off. I think that is why freelancing is not for me - they give you subjects and you have to write about those. I love history and that triggers me. I was inspired to write about gangsters by reading about the Kray brothers; recently somebody wrote an article in the papers. I love animals, and that gave a niche. The same goes for travel. Short stories, my funny brain has to answer this because they just come to me. One more point is that I get bored with writing about the same subject.
4. In your short stories, you often use George and Harry and Laura and Charlie as the main characters. Are these based on people you know?
No, definitely not. They are just fiction but I like to write a serial, especially Laura and Charlie...I have other fiction pieces half written and tried to publish them but had to open a recycling plant to recycle the rejection letters. I still can't believe people praise me for my short stories on HP - some to quite an extent.
5. You've turned out 249 hubs in just six months. Do you write full time?
Yes, I write full time to get all my stories and hubs out. I enjoy it, and I really mean that. There are hundreds and hundreds still buzzing in my brain, and I could do with more hands. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am doing something I thoroughly enjoy.
6. Your hubs about your childhood in Nuremberg during World War II are nothing short of amazing. Would you share just a little of that experience here?
I have been thinking many times about it that I have to write another episode. Now are quite a few again. Then I see something else and I forgot.
I have to confess that when I wrote the first one, I was having many doubts about how it would be received, knowing the past of Germany and the attitude of people, which I can't blame.
After I wrote it, I was sitting here in front of the computer and wondered a thousand times whether to wipe it off because of the very name of Nuremberg. I can't believe myself what happened there. Then I thought maybe it might also add to the records of history about my little life in the worst turmoil. So I thought I would put it up, and if people objected, fair enough - I would delete it.
Thank you for the appreciation of a subject which is not easily to read about but also to accept it in the contents I meant it to be.
7. How and why did you leave Germany for the UK?
I love learning, and especially love learning other languages. My parents at that time did not have the money to send me to college, so I decided to go to England and then I wanted to go to France and from there to Italy. But my black star was shining on me, and I met my ex-husband, and that was it.
8. Have you ever been to the United States? If not, do you plan on visiting in the future?
I have never been to the United States. I practically grew up with American soldiers all around us because Bavaria, which is in the south, was an American zone. The American Officers had to keep contact with the Germans, so my parents were asked to have social evenings and contact with them. No, not me. My parents made a lot of friends, and when posted back they corresponded for years, and I mean for years.
I would like to visit the United States because I love travelling and seeing other places. But at the moment I have, like everybody else, great money problems. That cuts my wings.
9. Tell us a little about your community in the UK.
We don't have any community in the UK anymore, especially in London or any other big cities because of all the troubles from the scums. Everybody is scared. Where I live, we once had a lovely neighborhood. I was friends with the neighbors, and they accepted me. Then that generation died, and the new owners never bothered to want to get to know me. The very few who are still here just say hello, but that is all. Also, I noticed after my divorce everybody in the neighborhood kept their distance. Luckily, I am an introvert and don't need anybody. Everybody just lives in their house and that is it.
10. What are your favorite hobbies, other than writing?
My hobbies were numerous once, but I stopped a lot because of time and age. I loved knitting, gardening, stamp collecting, swimming, skating, travelling, and collecting ornaments and books. I still love reading and gardening. Gardening I had to scale down to my back garden. I had an allotment.
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