The Author

Hi,
my name’s Michelle Mittag and I was born in 1997. I grew up in the Ore Mountains in Germany. After I graduated from school in 2015, I went to university and also worked as a student assistant and tutor.    
I wrote "The Vandraren Stories" during my parental leave in 2018/19, although the idea for the story is already more than ten years old and was constantly extended and evolved.
Trivia: I...

•    am left-handed, like the main character of my story, Tamina
•    am a huge fan of medieval folk music myself
•    am an active member of my local music school, since I was five years old. Amongst others, I have learned to play the accordion and the cross flute
•    hold a bachelor’s degree in European History, topic of my bachelor’s thesis were the ‘Peasant cottage industries in 18th and 19th century Russia’
•    speak, apart from German (my mother tongue), English, French and Russian. In addition, I have learned Dutch and had classes in Latin and ancient Greek at university
•    have written my first books at the age of ten. They were about horses
•    want to set a statement with my stories against mobbing and discrimination – and to give all the ‘uncool’, seemingly ‘boring’ and ‘average guys’ a voice

Publications:

Articles:

Occassionaly, I also write articles about historical topics, mostly about the regional history of my home. Please find them here:

•  "Ein Projekt mit Spannung: Die Forschung am Elektromobil an der Technischen Hochschule Karl-Marx-Stadt”, published 10/2017 in Chemnitzer Geschichtskalender of the professorship Professur für Geschichte Europas im Mittelalter und in der Frühen Neuzeit at Chemnitz University of Technology.

This article outlines the studies on electro mobility in former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The article can be viewed as a PDF-document via the following link (please note: the article is available in German only):
•  "Über das Zisterzienserkloster Grünhain - vom Aufstieg und Niedergang eines Machtknotenpunktes im Erzgebirge”, published 06/2020 in Chemnitzer Geschichtskalender of the professorship Professur für Geschichte Europas im Mittelalter und in der Frühen Neuzeit at Chemnitz University of Technology.

This is a short documentation of the history of the monastery Kloster Grünhain, situated in the Ore Mountains near Schwarzenberg. The article can be viewed as a PDF-document via the following link (please note: the article is available in German only):
•  "Geschichten der Vergangenheit bewahrt für die Zukunft - Heimatforscher im Erzgebirge”, published 02/2021 in Chemnitzer Geschichtskalender of the professorship Professur für Geschichte Europas im Mittelalter und in der Frühen Neuzeit at Chemnitz University of Technology.

The article outlines the work and intention of local historians in the Ore Mountains. Presented are three well-respected local historians: Albert Straube (Grünhain), Dr. Siegfried Sieber (Aue) and Dr. Walter Fröbe (Schwarzenberg). The article can be viewed as a PDF-document via the following link (please note: the article is available in German only):
 Anthologies:
  • ERZählt - Kurzgeschichten - Aus dem Erzgebirge über das Erzgebirge, ISBN 978-3-00-075127-1, available from the publisher: Literaturverein "Literatur im Erzgebirge e. V.", published 2023. (available in German only)
  • ERZählt - Kurzgeschichten und Gedichte aus dem Erzgebirge - über das Erzgebirge, ISBN 978-3-00-079050-8, printed by: ERZDRUCK GmbH, Marienberg, published 2024. (available in German only)