https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XGPBJP1/
Golden Mountains looks like an exciting story. Can you tell us a little about it?
Golden Mountains takes place partly in 1990 in The
Netherlands and partly in 1907 in Rhyolite, a booming town during the Gold
Rush. The inhabitants were rough guys, hungry for gold. The main character is
Caroline, who lives in Almere in 1990, a fast-growing city in The Netherlands.
She earns very little and craves to have more money. One day she finds herself
back in the booming city of Rhyolite. She has no idea why she suddenly appears
there. Caroline finds her way in this city, unknown to her. She was a well-respected woman there until she befriends a young prostitute. When a high-profile
murder is committed, it changes their friendship.
Is the story based on true facts?
Yes, the book plays in two-time areas: 1990 (The Netherlands) and 1907 (the USA). The parts that take place in America are true stories. It really happened.
How long did it take you to write Golden Mountains?
It took about three years. I did some research in Rhyolite,
Nevada. First, I published the book in The Netherlands, where it gets 5
star-ratings everywhere. Last year there was an English translation.
What inspired the idea for your book?
The book is about time travelling. Caroline goes back and
forth between 1990 and 1907. I was flabbergasted by the fact that Rhyolite was
a booming town with over 8000 inhabitants. Now it is a ghost town. The ghosts are
coming back in this book.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Golden Mountains are mountains with gold in them. In this
book, everybody wants to get rich with that gold. In Dutch ‘(I promise you)
Golden Mountains’ is also a saying that you can compare with the saying ‘I
promise you the moon’: someone is promising you something that can’t be real.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
Undoubtedly the parts that play during the Gold Rush. It is
fun to write about a woman who lives in these modern times and finds herself
back in a time and place she doesn’t know. Who is she? Where does she belong?
That was really fun to write.
What was your hardest scene/section to write?
That is difficult to say, because I have to reveal a part of the story. But ok, someone dies in the book. The funeral-scene was difficult to write. Though, it became a beautiful chapter!
What do you like to do when not writing?
I am a writer and also a journalist. Writing is my lifestyle. I always
write things: story’s, poems, columns. But I am a hypnotist also. It is really
fun to do and help people with problems they have.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
You can read more about me on the website www.marcelbeijer.com . On that page I
give attention to other Dutch writers, too. On Facebook there is a group called
Golden Mountains. It has over 4,5K followers. On YouTube you can search ‘Marcel
Beijer’ and you will see some short clips about Rhyolite and this novel.