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.

Wednesday 27 March 2019

Author Panel Details

A week from tomorrow, I'll be participating in that panel discussion I mentioned last week.

Here's a poster for the event, showing the rest of the panel. I'm looking forward hearing their stories.

If you're in the area, check it out.

Wednesday 20 March 2019

Ask an Author Panel

Thunder Bay has lots of interesting writers and a thriving community. I'm honoured to be appearing as part of a panel on April 4, 2019.

Sponsored by the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW), the Ask an Author panel gives readers and writers an informal setting to get some burning questions answered. (Or at least discussed.) Jean Pendziwol, Heather Dickson, Jeannette Lynes, and I will all read briefly from a recent work and then be open to pontificating about our experiences in response to your questions.

More information about the format and panelists is at this link: https://www.nowwwriters.ca/workshops.html

Other relevant details: April 4, 2019; 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Mary J L Black Library at 901 S. Edward Street in Thunder Bay.

See you there!