It has finally come to be. After those many hours of research, writing, listening, learning from you, “De Mastmakersdochters“ is now available at:

http://heijink.mijnbestseller.nl/magento/geschiedenis/de–mastmakersdochters.html

The printed book with color photographs is available at €20 plus shipping and the E-book at € 8,50. I decided to by-pass the the mass internet distributors and the retail book stores, which would have added about €10 to the price. I am counting on you to spread the word, after you read the book. I am working on the web site www.DeMastmakersdochters.nl to further promote the book. This is a unique story about a very special woman and her group of 200 women prisoners, how they managed to survive Dutch prisons and three German concentration camps. Two cousins by the same name but yet going into two totally different directions. It is different from the standard Second World War story. It takes a look at the suffering, sacrifices Fascism forced on the German population. Did you know that the third largest prison population, after the Poles and Russians, at Ravensbrueck were Germans? Do you have any idea of the number of Dutch female prisoners executed by the Germans, other than Hannie Schaft? I made many more discoveries that are not common knowledge, yet.  

Ik ga nu even werken op Uw wereld bekende Hollands goede geweten. Koop het boek! Mijn moeder en ik danken U bij voorbaat. Ik heb het geld hard nodig. En dat is het minste dat U kunt doen om Uw waardering voor deze blog te betogen. Maar ik verkoop mijn ziel niet aan de Company Store. Ik blijf U vervelen met mijn rapporten over welke kerk ik  de laatste zondag bezocht.

Thursday evening there were just a few club members who braved the weather. I had just settled on the pricing of the book. Paul Beving put his €20 on the bar. This earned him the distinction of being the first buyer. A while later three friends joined us, in my euphoria I ordered drinks. But my club card was short of credits and I did not have my wallet with me. So the €20 went back to the club for another chit card. So, the moral of the story is: your €20 or € 8,50 is not put under the mattress.

My brother in law, Herman, saved me from going into the deep freeze. The mercury dipped to minus 10 centigrade on Friday night. Lisa, Corinne and her boy friend Euan and I were invited in Haarlem at my nephew Dirk Jan and his partner Fransje‘s home for another Sinter Klaas experience. My daughter Lisa (my # 1) and my nephew Dirk Jan (my sister’s first born) are six years apart. They had not seen each other since 1983. In 1976 when Dirk Jan was 18 and Lisa 12, Dirk Jan stayed with us in the Pacific North West. I had bought my very first sail boat that year. He was on our first overnight cruise. I hooked up to a mooring buoy in a bay on the island of Cortez in the San Juan Islands only to discover that it was a crab pot float, the next morning, floatig in the Straits of San Juan de Fuca. The moral of this story is: Do not be discouraged. Fools can eventually circumnavigate. The Dirk Jan de Ruiter/ Fransje van Luin family are the Dutch Family Robinson. After dinner we climbed up to the attic. Lukas, 12 year old plays virtuoso on their baby grand, 16 year old Daniel plays the tenor saxophone, Fransje the soprano sax. Euen played the base on their guitar. And they just Jazz jammed. My favorite “Take Five” from Dave Brubeck and many more. If I can be taught to put a book together would it be possible to learn to play an instrument?  I spent the cold Friday night in a warm bed at my sister’s and Herman’s home. Saturday morning I waved Lisa out on her way back to SeaTac. I am so blessed with my children, wished she could have stayed longer. Second Sunday of Advent I attended the local R.C. church. A woman lay preacher led the service. The name of the church is “De Engelenbewaarders“. Which translates to “The Angels Keepers”. Unusual. The parish celebrated its 75 th anniversary this fall. The interior walls are painted in sort of a Hieronymus Bosch style. Distracting. But maybe if I would have attended all of the 75 years I’d be perfectly comfortable with it.

Tomorrow I shall go to pick up 50 copies of “De Mastmakersdochters” at the printers in Alphen a/d Rijn. This Sunday there is a socal gathering at the Yacht Club and a book auction in the evening. I expect to sell a few of the books to the club members and Paul Beving will get his # 1 issue. I  will also deliver/mail a book to the group of Dutch editor friends who made this happen.