Thursday, 6 June 2024

The Devil's Violin: Myllysilta's History

So my newest novel has hit the shelves, both literal and virtual. THE DEVIL'S VIOLIN: MYLLYSILTA'S HISTORY is available in Thunder Bay at Entershine Bookshop on Bay Street. It's also available on Amazon, here.



This book grew out of my first published novel, SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR. Although it happens in the same world (what my wife calls "the Jussiverse") of SILENCES, it's not necessary to have read SILENCES before cracking open THE DEVIL'S VIOLIN.


While researching SILENCES, I spent a lot of time looking at photos of war and its consequences--definitely the stuff of nightmares. Although SILENCES focuses on Jussi Mantere, I knew his response to the war's violence and futility wasn't the only response possible. 


And so I began to wonder what motivated Antti Myllysilta, known in Port Arthur in 1955 as Andrew Millbridge. He and Jussi had "met" late in 1917, just as the Finnish Civil War was brewing. Their life paths continued to intersect. 


But Myllysilta was different, with different initial experiences that set him on a different path. Once there, he continued to make choices that let him have many successes as well as failures. 


Although Myllysilta/Millbridge was sometimes a challenge to be fond of, several of his friends and relatives were enjoyable to write and revise--in general, to spend time with.  


Naturally, now that it's published I still see a few flaws, some of which we'll correct for future printings. Alas, imperfections are inevitable, no matter how many proofs we dissect and read carefully.  


All in all, I'm happy it's out and on the shelves. I can't wait to hear what readers think of it. And now I can start bugging my wife (and publisher and editor) about the next book. 

Thursday, 21 March 2024

Remarks and Update

Last May, the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop gave me the Kouhi Award. For more about that experience, you can go here


In their quarterly magazine, NOWW recently published my remarks. You can see them in the photo--but don't worry, they're printed below to make reading them easier.



The Kouhi Award

Remarks by Roy Blomstrom on receiving the Kouhi Award, May 12, 2023


Why do I write?


I write because when I was in grade three my teacher complimented me on my story about Peter the Parrot who accidentally flew through a window in the Empire State Building.


I write because my grade five and six teacher, Mrs. Cupples, chose me to read aloud to the class for half an hour at the end of each day while she marked papers at the back of the room. She taught me to read - really read - and how to make my own writing expressive.


I write because my grade seven teacher was Fred Goodfellow of the Founders' Museum. He taught me to examine what seemed to be old junk - but junk that became items of importance when he talked about it - keys that unlocked the past when it was examined closely and against the march of time.


I write because my grade eight teacher, Mrs. Perrier, showed me how to simplify the complex and how to reveal the importance of what sometimes seems trivial.


I write because Jim Smithers put me in charge of his adult education class the summer I turned seventeen, and a year later let me teach his grade 11 summer school class for a few weeks when he needed to be absent.


I write because Joe Stocking, a prospector, took me under his wing in the summers of both 1965 and 1966. I learned how to hunt for gold, how to paddle a canoe, how to help run a portable diamond drill, and even how to build a toilet out of a young tree. And I learned that even prospectors can get hooked on science fiction.


I write because in the summers of 1967 and 68 I unloaded grain from the boxcars that rolled into various grain elevators. At noon I learned how to read people. I learned how to play poker and win. I learned I could become any person I wished to be.


I write because in the summer of 1969 I worked on the railroad and, because the modern track-laying trains had broken down, I learned how to lay track as it was done in the 1800s. I learned how to live in the past for a time, and write about it.


I write because the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop has made available opportunities for me to share my work - poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and plays. We writers appreciate audiences.


Thank you very much for this award. It's an honour to have my name associated with the previous winners, as well as with Elizabeth Kouhi herself. I knew her only briefly at Sir Winston Churchill C.V.I. before she retired from teaching, but I remember her dedication and skill at making poetry and prose come alive for her students.


Now, why do YOU write?


~ ~ ~


Receiving this award remains one of the great honours of my life. I'm very grateful for the recognition--it's always nice--even though I acknowledge that I also love the process of writing something and making it better. Which is lucky, because that's a much longer process.


Speaking of which: My next novel, THE DEVIL'S VIOLIN: MYLLYSILTA'S STORY may make it into the world in the foreseeable future! I've also been revising two other novels and collecting prose and poetry.


My publisher, Shuniah House Books, tells me that we'll be participating in the literary market/book fair on May 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Thunder Bay Baggage Building Arts Centre. Come by for a gander at our books and all the other bookish fun happening in the region!


It's part of the NOWW LitFest activities that occur on Friday and Saturday and are bringing award-winning fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay to Thunder Bay. For more info about workshops and signings, click here.    

Thursday, 1 June 2023

News and Updates

Hi, folks! Welcome to 2023, perhaps not yet post-pandemic, but certainly post-vaccine. 

I have news! Since I last posted, two great things have happened. 


Recently, the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop presented me with the Kouhi Award. I was surprised and of course gratified. In my decades in the classroom, I had the honour of teaching at Churchill High School for a year or so while Elizabeth "Betty" Kouhi was there, and her dedication to students greatly impressed me. After she retired, she wrote some outstanding poetry rooted in both Finland and Northwestern Ontario. It's an honour to have my writing associated with her.  

Here are some more photos. It was a really nice event--and although we're still cautious from the pandemic, it was also good to be in the company of writers.




The plaque has a place of honour on the wall of my den, just above my computer screen.

My second piece of good news is that THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE was released (very quietly) during the pandemic. If all the talk about the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once has made you hungry for more multiverse stories, give this story of David and Caroline a shot. 

I've been curious about the nature of reality for some time, and I wanted to write a book that conveyed how I think a couple of reasonably intelligent people would respond to sudden shifts in place. It's available locally at Entershine Bookshop (and Chapters should have some shelved), and online. 

And of course, it's available as an e-book, should that be your preference. When you've read it, leave a review somewhere! (My publisher asked me to say that. But I'm curious, so let me know what you think of it.)

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

SNEAK PEEK into THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE

 Last winter, the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop, a regional writing organization, published a sneak peek into THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE in their members-only magazine. 


Since then, of course, Caroline has made her way into the world, but not everyone in North America seems to have bought a copy. Mysterious! 


If you are one who has not yet read THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE, either by buying a copy or checking out a copy from your public library, you might enjoy this chance to see what you're missing. Click here: NOWW Blog: Caroline. 


If you HAVE read about Caroline and David, thank you, and you might also enjoy revisiting their world. 


It's about brush wolves and tsunamis, and worlds that lack an essential sort of human kindness. 


Did you know that books--especially thoughtful adventure stories--make excellent gifts for any number of winter holidays? Well. They do! Mine are available at amazon.com and amazon.ca. Enjoy!

Wednesday, 3 November 2021

Author Talk "At" Nipigon Public Library




Thank you to the Nipigon Public Library for inviting me to present an Author Talk, via Zoom.


It's happening on Thursday, November 25. For connection information, contact the Nipigon Public Library directly (info on this page) or check out their Facebook page


I look forward to sharing some behind-the-scenes information about my books, how I write them, how I research them, and how I decide what fascinating information I (sob) have to leave out. 


Each talk is an interesting opportunity to note changes to the publishing landscape, too. Years ago, less information about the Finnish Civil War was available. Now a lot more resources are online. It's a great development. 


I'll also be mentioning THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE, which is now available in Thunder Bay at Entershine Bookshop and Fireweed, and of course can be ordered from Amazon.ca here and Amazon.com here. 


I hope you can join me at this event! 

Wednesday, 4 August 2021

Interview with Thunder Bay Public Library

The kind folks at the Thunder Bay Public Library interviewed me for their Off the Shelf column. Shauna Kosoris asked really great questions and allowed me to rattle on at length. 



I even had the chance to mention Mrs. Cupples, who set me reading aloud to the class as a young kid. I wonder if she knew what she set in motion.


Go here to read the full interview. 


Support your local libraries--and perhaps request that they procure copies of THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE as well as SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR. 
 

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

Newly Published!

I'm proud to announce that my second novel, The Iterations of Caroline, has been released by Shuniah House Books!




This novel has been a long time in the making--even before the pandemic showed up, I'd been working on it for many years. 


It's about ... a lot of things, really. What would it be like to experience the many universes of the multiverse? What would that do to your sense of reality--to your sense of self? How can we know we aren't, actually, skipping from version to version of the multiverse?


You know, the small things. 


As the back cover says, "The Iterations of Caroline is the story of a woman growing into her power, the man who loves her, and the evil that pursues them both." 


There are also lupines, discussions over coffee, the Spanish flu, Terry Fox, and Route 66.


Here's more from the back cover:


On a summer afternoon, David Williamson almost--but doesn't--run into a miror version of himself in his upstairs bedroom. Downstairs, he finds that his world has changed, and so has he, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. 


While investigating this same-yet-different world, David meets Caroline Reynolds. Caroline's ex-husband, Rey, is trying to kill her, and soon, Rey wants David dead as well.


From a former student and a network of physicist friends, Caroline and David learn that they're traveling through the multiverse--multiple versions of the universe. And ominously, Rey seems to be in charge of their trip. 


I'm happy that this book is making its way into the world. My publisher assures me that discussion questions and a Q&A are coming soon to the publisher's website: shuniahhousebooks.com. 

And if you have a moment, my publisher would also appreciate it if you left a review at Indigo or Amazon. That not only lets us know your opinion, it also helps others who might enjoy reading it find the book. 

 

 

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

Congratulations to the Finalists for the Whistler Independent Book Award





Although SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR was not a finalist for this award, I'm proud that it finished on the shortlist. I think it's a good book, and a relevant book. 

As people are stressed, that stress trickles down into our social norms and institutions. Historical fiction, like SILENCES and other stories and novels, can help us all understand the all-too-human choices available to us. I'm pleased that SILENCES has resonated with readers, and continues to do so.

Kudos also to the Whistler Independent Book Award. It's no small feat to organize an award at any time, and I appreciate their continuing to offer the award in this time of COVID-19. More about the awards is here. 

Thursday, 4 June 2020

SILENCES Recognized

This year so far has been ... interesting. My wife and I are hunkered down, working on my next novel, THE ITERATIONS OF CAROLINE. We hope to release it at the end of the summer, pandemic permitting

Meanwhile, exciting news! SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR is on the shortlist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards.

My book is one of six recognized in this way. Three finalists will be announced in mid-July, with winners announced in October--pandemic permitting, I suppose.

To learn more about the awards, click here.

It's welcome news, to know that people are reading my book and (apparently) enjoying it.

And even as the sun and warmth returns, we're still mindful of the little we know about COVID-19, its prevalence--and I suppose its malevolence, although it's not fair to anthropomorphize. It's just doing what viruses do.

So sometimes we mow the lawn, sometimes we rake last year's leaves, and we always keep an eye on our view. This year, we have redwing blackbirds nesting down near the lakeshore, and they're brave to take on and chase away the ravens that plunder their nests. Meanwhile, the ravens (joined by gulls and even crows) harass the eagles.

They all, too, are just doing what birds do. People, though--we can do better. We don't have to kill each other. I think the characters in SILENCES, from Jussi to the Solbakkens to Jimmy, would all agree.

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

Speaking Soon

The members of The Writer's Circle, a Thunder Bay writing group, have invited me to talk with them at their November meeting--it's the 27th at 7 PM at the Waverley Branch of the Thunder Bay Public Library.

I'll of course answer any questions they might have, but I'm planning to speak about some of the following questions: why write about this war (and how did I do it), and why set half of the book in the summer of 1955 in Port Arthur. 

Of course, the underlying, unanswerable question that I will, nonetheless, attempt to answer: How do you DO it? How do you write a historical novel?

Here's what I'll say. 

Start with an event in history that you are, yourself, interested in. Read a lot about it. This is why you need to be interested in it--you'll be spending a lot of time with it.

Develop a central character who will be changed by this thing, this event, this time period. Who is this character? Where does s/he start, and where does s/he end up?

Then, more fun: more in-depth and focused research on the time period and places.

At some point, you have to start the actual writing part. My way is to organize it in your head, and just start writing it. 

Once you have a chronology of the character moving through the event, you can play with the order of events--add a prologue or tweak the order in which the reader learns about events. 

It's that easy, and that complicated.

So that's what I'll say to those writers, who are so kind as to invite me. Meanwhile, my publisher and I are working on a new novel, one NOT about the Finnish Civil War. More about that later. 

Wednesday, 10 July 2019

Local Book, Local Author

So many local folks are interested in local history. It makes for some great reading about this region. Alan Wade recently joined the pack of local writers.

Alan Wade's Prehistoric Lakeheaders--the 90-Century Story of Pre-Contact Thunderbayans is an interesting, easy-to-read history of the people who lived in this region long before the arrival of Europeans.

He writes about three distinct civilizations as categorized by their different technologies--the use of stone, copper, and pots. The reader will learn as much about the archaeological process as about the people who lived at the various sites.

Alan's style of writing is both enthusiastic and demanding. His tone is that of someone who has a gripping subject that he wants you to feel as fascinated by as he is. His interest--in the discoveries that various people have made, in the technology that each of the three peoples developed, and in the methods the archaeologists employed to make sense of it all--is infectious.

Want to know how amateur archaeologists work with professionals? Want to know how a dig is mapped out and the finds recorded? Look in Alan's book.

Nice work, Alan.

You can buy his book here: Prehistoric Lakeheaders.

Wednesday, 26 June 2019

Thank You!

The summer season is officially beginning, with all the sun and rain and growth. Hard to believe in the throes of January.

A huge THANK YOU to Ron Harpelle and Kelly Saxburg, organizers of the Finnish Festival 2019 celebrations in Thunder Bay this past weekend.

So much music, so many vendors, so much celebrating. I appreciated being able to participate with fellow Finnish Fiction (and non-fiction) authors Liisa Kovala and Mark Munger. They shared so much of their paths to their work. Go check them out.

Liisa: https://www.liisakovala.com/
Mark: http://cloquetriverpress.com/

Also, thank you to Thunder Bay's own Finnish Bookstore, part of The Kitchen Nook at the corner of Bay and Algoma. They now have copies of SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR available. It's an honour to have work supported so well in the community.

As for what else is happening--some revising, some writing, some waiting, a lot with the chainsaw and loppers and splitter.

On a related note: Did you know that alders grow quickly? It's a fact I get to remember every year.


Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Finn Festival 2019!

Finn Festival 2019 is coming up. This cultural get-together is held in different locations every year. This year it's in Thunder Bay, and I'll be speaking about SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR.

The festival runs June 20 through 22. Events will be held in what we locals still call PACI (Port Arthur Collegiate Institute), even though it's housed the Lakehead University law school for several years, as well as Waverley Park, Trinity United Church, and St. Paul's United Church.

I'll share more dates and times as I know them. Meanwhile, start exercising those wife-carrying muscles.