During the process of writing Hitler's Zeitmaschine I set about exploring what I wanted to feature on the book cover. In my mind I had an idea of what I imagined Karl Hartmann might look like. He had to be good looking (to immediately attract the attention of Linde) and of suitably high rank (to be allowed access to Hitler). I searched through the internet sites offering free images and came across this wartime portrait of Helmuth Schreiber. I could hardly believe it! This was the very person I had pictured in my imagination - the face and uniform were a perfect match. I followed up with a little research and gleaned the following short bio of the man.
Helmuth Schreiber was born in Giessen 25 March 1917. He joined the Waffen SS and saw action in the Anschluss of Austria and the occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class in December 1941 and served as the Company commander of the SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment He was also awarded the Knight's Cross in July 1943, and was promoted to Sturmbannführer, assuming command of the Deutschland Regiment where he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Gold, in May 1944. Schreiber survived the War and died 6 December 2008.
Of course, one can't go pasting images of
real life people on book covers without their (or their family's) permission. So, after a vain attempt to contact the family I abandoned the idea of using this real image but nevertheless sent it to the book cover designer, Wordzworth. They were able to utilise the uniform and modify facial features to yield the character of Hartmann which presently graces the cover.
The background was another adventure. Browsing through free pictures available on the web I was immediately drawn to the image of the 'time angel'. This picture hinted at the inclusion of Linde Engel ('Angel' in German) and of course the receding clock spiral was a perfect depiction of the time-travelling construct in the novel. However, I was not convinced that use of image would be entirely 'free' if used for commercial purposes and so decided to approach the originator for permission. After poking around a bit, I discovered the author was a photographer in Germany (coincidence!) by the name of Stephan Keller. I visited his web site, and with some difficulty, found an email address. However, after a confusing exchange of emails, he advised the image I had chosen was not of his creation. You wouldn't believe - after further research I discovered there was another Stephan Keller (this one without a web page and coincidentally also in Germany) who had indeed produced the sought after image. After a few emails explaining my quest he graciously gave permission to use the time angel on my book cover and I subsequently sent him a copy of the work after publication to show my appreciation.
