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.)

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!

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. 
 

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.