When was antoinette van heugten born

When I used to walk into my studio, a magical feeling would come over me. All it took for me to go into myself and find the words that spilled themselves out onto the page was for me to sit down. Turn on the computer. Look at the blank page. And then a fugue would come over me and the words, ideas, crazy characters, thrilling plot twists, would all pour out and onto the page. Okay, so maybe not all of those things happened at once.

But the feeling was that it was happening. Or would happen very, very soon. But a strange and horrible phenomenon came over me after the second novel came out. I had done so many interviews, read so many warranted or unwarranted critics slam into my books and find me wanting, was so struck by the attendant responsibilities that seemed to accompany the fact that I was — finally — a published author — that I truly lost my compass.

How could or should I proceed? Why was I paralyzed? It took me months to realize that my passion had become a job. I fell into a deep, inconsolable depression, derived primarily from total confusion about my future.

Where the hell do you go from there? And, when I finally realized that my greatest passion had become work , the mystery and muse deserted me. Annie Dillard who has no social media presence as she wants her work to speak for itself wrote a wonderful book, which I will quote ad nauseum until I die. It contains pithy words of wisdom for fools such as I, writers who face the desired conundrum of being published, yet want to remain true to their voice and chosen vocation. I have spent the last fruitless months clueless as to why I could not just sit down, go into my typical writer zone, and just, damn it, well… write.

Ask my husband. Those of us who must use the written word to define and give meaning to their lives, when incapacitated, are miserable excuses for humans. Yet he persevered in his boundless faith that I would recover. My work. My sanity. Which was all bullshit. I had become one of those… whiners. There is nothing so unattractive as a writer who has been successfully published complaining about the negative effects of being published.

I had become such a creature. Shame on me! The other truth: I hate social media. Not that I even honestly did this, which would have been, to me, bad enough. And they did it extremely well. It killed my soul. I felt like a total sell-out. Every morning I felt obligated to post something in keeping with my website on FB or Twitter or write a searingly interesting blog.

Funny, witty, sarcastic — yes, I can pull that off quite often. But to be under the gun to do it for my own self-aggrandizement just felt…wrong. Well, I had to come to a decision. I like that one. I have to force myself into my studio and do whatever crazy-ass thing it takes to get me into the book, the characters, the zone, the insanity where my most sane self lives. And that I intended to do. I promise to blog more than once a year. Apologies to those who have come to the website expecting to hear something from me.

I am going to do better. Without you guys and your feedback, what is already a lonely pursuit is fairly intolerable! Many thanks for your patience. To say that he is one of the very best is an understatement. So I asked myself: What makes a great interview? The interviewer. No question. And what makes a great interviewer? Here are a few ideas. Related questions. When did Ton van Heugten die? When was Remy van Heugten born? What has the author Wim van Heugten written?

When was Ton van Klooster born? When was Ton van Osch born? When was Ton van Engelen born? When was Ton van Otterloo born? When was Ton Van Royen born?

When was Ton van Loon born? Is Antoinette van Heugten's Saving Max nonfiction? What is the setting of saving max by Antoinette van Heugten? When was Ton van Duinhoven born?

When was Ton van der Velden born? What is the mood of the story saving max by Antoinette van Heugten? What is the birth name of Ton van Duinhoven? What actors and actresses appeared in Ton van de Ven - ? When did Ton van Otterloo die? What ton is a Chevy Astro van? What is the birth name of Ton van der Velden? I actually met Loe de Jong in BRC: It seems this story could have been told in more of a straightforward mystery format regarding the puzzle of Anneke's murder and also the identity and motivations of Rose's kidnapper although, of course, other intriguing mysteries do remain far into the book.

Why did you choose to reveal so much right away? AVH: As the novel is a thriller, not a mystery, I found it important to begin with the shock of the murder and the seemingly incomprehensible kidnapping of Rose.

It was also necessary to establish at the outset that the protagonist was Nora, not Anneke. Did immersing yourself in this story affect your emotions maybe by making you more fearful or sad?

AVH: It did not make me fearful, but often during the writing of the novel, I did feel sad. It was inevitable that I would think of my mother and father and the hardship they suffered.

It brought to mind photographs of my mother, so emaciated you could count her ribs, her legs toothpicks. Immersing myself in that time was thus often painful. BRC: Can you tell us a bit about this book's path to publication? For example, how long did it take you to write it? Had the idea been percolating for a while before you began the writing process?

AVH: I had actually written a different form of this novel many years ago. It had to be ripped apart and changed entirely, but the general idea was there. It took me about a year to write, primarily because I did a very thorough job of going back into my research, updating and checking it. AVH: What fun! As you may remember, Marianne escaped from the courtroom at the end of the novel.

Can Danielle, Max and Doaks find her? Will Marianne get her just deserts? Stay tuned! Take our poll » Past poll results ». Enter contest here » Past Entries ». Danielle is a good lawyer so we are told over and over, but only glimpse it here. The ending is suspenseful, and actually quite good--but that does not save this book from being a bad read.

All in all, if you could read only the diagnoses scene and the very end, you would not have missed much. Apr 01, Lissa rated it it was amazing Shelves: read , favorite-novels , psychological-thriller. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I honestly dont know where to start.

This novel captivated me right from the beginning. The second I started it, I couldnt put it down. I finished it the same day. I was up until in the morning, and listening to my tunes. I was so moved by Danielle and Max. I would picture it, and it was just unreal. I hated Jonas's mother since the beginning. I knew something was up with her. I just can't beleive someone would go to that extent. Mariannes journals were absolutly horren OMG! Mariannes journals were absolutly horrendous.

I remember putting my hand to my mouth so many times. I even cried at the ending. I was so happy that the charges against Max, Danielle and Tony got dropped. I can't imagine what they went through. The only thing that disappointed me with the novel, was the ending. I thought that the author should have added more after Mariannes disappearance. I really hope that she writes a sequel.

But all in all Antoinette van Heugten has my 2 thumbs up. I really look forward to her future works. This is a highly recommended novel.

View all 11 comments. Mar 27, Wanda rated it really liked it Shelves: own , reviewed. Okay now I need to write a review about this book even though I decided not to finish reading it. Danielle has a high function autistic son who has asperger's. Now autism is a disorder that is not contagious and it affects 1 out of children born today. Like Danielle's son my son is extremely high functioning as well. Danielle explains how her son was a sweet boy.

How he was lovable and sweet. She explained Okay now I need to write a review about this book even though I decided not to finish reading it. She explained how close they were, before he reaches his teenage years where things change from bad to worst. All this reminds me of my own son, except the bad to worst part because my son is still young. Now the fact that this book is about a mom and her autistic son is what captivated me to this book.

So Danielle's son has taken a downward turn with his autism. He started using drugs and becoming violent, suicidal, etc. So she decided to take him to a country known clinic to have him tested and try to find help and managing his outbursts.

But one situation started happening after another. And she finds herself thinking what's going on with her son. He was acting out in ways she never seen before. So she became suspicious of the staff and found herself questioning the staff and the treatment they using with her son. Refusing to believe their prognosis about her son, she started to investigate and realized they didn't tell her everything they were doing with him.

So when she decides to take him out of the hospital and get a second opinion, they won't let her take him. Now that's where I stopped reading.

It's my own denial. I pray that I never have to go through what the character in this book went through. And since the author wrote her story so vividly, I started going through my own denial about her case and praying that it never happens to me. So this is a good book if you consider yourself strong enough to read and accept facts that she has written in this book.

Now I'm not saying I'm not strong but I'm not strong enough to read what my future may hold for us View all 16 comments. Aug 23, Sue rated it it was amazing. Reading other reviews, people seem to either love or hate this book. I am one of the ones who loved it! It's a quick read because I just couldn't put it down. Now there are a few bits that are rough around the edges, but in the main it's an unusual psychological thriller. Danielle is a single parent to Max, who has Asperger's Syndrome.

At sixteen he is getting worse, and she checks him into a renowned psychiatric unit for short term assessment. However, within a few days he is accused of the bru Reading other reviews, people seem to either love or hate this book.

However, within a few days he is accused of the brutal, and bloody murder of a young fellow patient. Saving Max brings up all sorts of issues, and would make a great book group book for discussion. How far do you go to protect your child?

Can you hand on heart say "My child didn't do this" when your child is mentally sick and in a psychotic break? Can you trust an institution just because the medical staff seem so well qualified? Can you trust the justice system to get to the truth when judicial rulings can seem so random? Can other people present a mask to you that is so good that you never can see the reality beneath? And just how far would you go against the system before you caved in? My tiny negatives are nothing against the pluses in this book.

Why call the Head Nurse by the name of Kreng. And why did we have a random character such as Naomi? I felt that she was put in just to muddy the waters. Also there were a couple of occasions when I felt that the author had Danielle do something that I felt was unbelievable. It seemed as if she couldn't think of any other way to move the plot along with the next bit of information.

Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and interesting, and I look forward to reading the next book by this author. Apr 27, Debby rated it did not like it. When I first got into this book, I thought I was going to end up with a three-halfer or four star. The story captured my attention from the very beginning. A single mom is raising a special needs child who is autistic with other non specified mental health issues.

The mom makes a fateful decision to take her son to a special psychiatric hospital for treatment. But treatment doesn't help and the son is accused of murdering another patient.

The mom, a lawyer herself, faces criminal charges of her When I first got into this book, I thought I was going to end up with a three-halfer or four star. The mom, a lawyer herself, faces criminal charges of her own related to the murder and must fight to clear her name and her son's.

Great plot for a murder mystery However, the story loses all credibility because of several factual impossibilities and improbabilities. For instance, this is written by an attorney There were many more of these inaccuracies the author tried to slip in.

They did nothing for the story except make it laughable Aside from the inaccuracies,the author creates a ludicrous love interest. Why ludicrous? Well, the love develops immediately upon the consummation of a one-night-stand where, by the why, the female lies about her identity and everything else.

So really, how can love develop under those circumstances??? My advice View 1 comment. Nov 21, fleurette rated it really liked it Shelves: crime , legal-thriller. I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I read it very quickly and easily. I really couldn't pull myself away from it once I started it.

On the other hand, there are many things that usually annoy me in my books and this one was no exception. It's always easier for me to say what I don't like than what I like.

Therefore, let's start with good things. Although the beginning is rather slow and not much happens, you read this story really fast. The chapters are short, there are I have very mixed feelings about this book. The chapters are short, there are no long descriptions, and even the first ten chapters, though introductory, are not very boring. The plot is also remarkably interesting.

It is a combination of a legal and psychological thriller. Of course, many things can be predicted from the very beginning but still some elements surprised me. All the time I wanted to know what would happen next.

Now let's get to what I had a problem with. Danielle very often behaves really stupidly. First of all, she lies to her lawyer. At some point, she justifies it by not wanting to go to jail for these acts. But who would report her to the police? Her own lawyer and the detective they hired?!

There is such a thing as a legal professional privilege! Danielle as an excellent lawyer herself should know this and be honest with her own lawyer. Hiding things from him, hoping he won't find out, doesn't help her case. Danielle also does a lot of other annoying things. Breaking parole rules comes a little too easily to her. She runs away from her lawyer and detective who are there to help her.

Without a second thought, she goes headfirst into dangerous situations. For such an intelligent woman, she does really stupid things. And you can't justify all that with the fact that she is desperate. There are also at least two moments when her personality is inconsistent.

That is, when she finds out about her son's diagnosis and during a meeting with doctors to discuss it. I was convinced that it would turn out that she was given some medicine without her knowing about it. But it turns out that it was her own reaction. Her behaviour at these moments does not match her character. And finally, we have this bizarre romance.

This is completely unreliable. I mean, I don't mind Danielle and Tony meet in such circumstances and are interested in each other.

But love?!