This work of fiction draws upon the events of the author's father's youth and military service in the First World War. He rose to a command position through his knowledge of German, even though he was born a poor Polish ranch boy. His success as a Viennese physician is a measure of his determination to excel in Medical School in post-war Austria.
Alice Rene wrote her award-winning memoir, Becoming Alice, after a grandson interviewed her about her early life when Hitler marched into Vienna, foreshadowing WWII. She followed this work with a historical fiction/ romantic thriller inspired by true events, The Other Side of Him. The working title of her next book at this time is The Lieutenant from Podolia.