Let's see, Hannelore:
Do you know Christine Hohlbaum. She is also an expat living in Deutschland!
Glad you liked the Amazon stuff. There is more detail in the Frugal Book Promoter. How to make what you do work--focus on the angles and target your efforts.
Now, about fiction. Let's start with italics. They are being way over used for internal thought. You will find fine authors using it but if you do and you're a first time author, it will limit you. Most agents HATE it when writers use it. If you take classes at the best writing university's you'll find that it's a no-no. So why risk it?
Because it makes writing internal though easier. In fact, it often becomes a crutch. I advise against it in my class unless you can verbalize a very good reason for using it. And, yes, I know this is controversial. Many writers have a vested interest in my being wrong becasue they have books out there in which they have used it.

And that's one reason I list it here. For the dialogue. For the controversy. (-:

If anybody has an example, I might be able to show you how to get around using it by using other--more widely accepted--techniques. (-: And yes, there's a section on this in the Frugal Editor. You'll have to excuse me but you'll see that it's hard to rewrite a chapter. (-:

Best,
Carolyn