Changes Ahead

Summer is over, autumn is arriving. The leaves on the birch--the one that stands proudly between the house and the Lake Superior shore--is turning yellow, branch by branch. 

I'm proud, in the most un-Scandinavian way, that my next book is finally coming into print! We test-drove a few titles and finally landed on START WITH A SHOVEL: POETRY, PROSE, AND PLAYS.

It's about 200 pages of my work (poetry, prose, and plays, as you might have guessed from the title), written mostly in the past 25 years (but a couple of pieces with beginnings pre-2000).

I hope it finds readers (you?) and that they (you?) enjoy it.

Other changes are in the offing, as well. It's time to simplify some elements of our lives. My wife (and publisher) says that the Shuniah House Books website will be undergoing a few changes--she hopes they're not too jarring to visitors.

Also, I won't be writing here. As many of you know already, I was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago, mostly affecting my short-term memory. I still play with words in various ways, but I likely won't write much for public consumption. (Never say never, my wife says.) 

This site will remain up, and she'll update it with news about my books and relevant links to the new website, when it appears. So if you come here looking for a link to (for instance) reader questions for any of my books, you'll find it. (Not yet, my wife says.)

I understand that dementia can be a frightening diagnosis, and some days I feel discouraged and frustrated. But what is, is.

Moreover, "when I consider how my life is spent" (Sonnet 19, Milton), I'm amazed at the life my parents made possible. Both of them--so intelligent, in different ways--chose to come to North America, to a life in which their intelligence would be underestimated again and again because of their accents. They persevered, and through their examples, I learned about hard work, community, and keeping my word. 

Today, I can't count the ways in which my life has been wonderful. The leaves on the birch--the one that stands proudly between the house and the Lake Superior shore--is turning yellow, branch by branch. Summer is over, autumn is arriving. 

Readers and Writers

Since publishing SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, I've been involved in a lot of discussions. At the two signings this summer, some readers were surprised (and, I hope, interested) to learn that there even WAS a civil war in Finland. Others remembered summer in 1955 in Port Arthur (or Fort William or anywhere else, really) and enjoyed reminiscing.

A few reviews of SILENCES have appeared on Amazon. I've had generous, thoughtful email from readers and friends-of-friends who recognize places or attitudes or events.

I appreciate all of it. I have come to see how readers can help keep writers going.

Although researching and writing about war for SILENCES was no treat, my interest in the characters and how they responded to their choices forced me to keep wrestling with the material until I found out what happened.

Fitting together the pieces of my next novel, a companion to SILENCES, is requiring me to learn about corruption in business and government--what, in a crime novel, might be called the "seedy underbelly" of life in Canada in the early 20th century. It's more than a little sobering to see how easily people could move through the world without much regard for others. As with SILENCES, I'm writing to find out what happens.

I also think about how generous readers have been with their time and attention. I hope to exceed their expectations.

Thank you to you all.

Toivo Waske's CROSSING BORDERS

I recently had an email from Lea (Waske) Springer, letting me know about CROSSING BORDERS, her father's memoir.

Subtitled "From Refugee to Freedom Fighter," the memoir is available from Amazon.ca at this link. Toivo Waske began writing his memoirs in the 1980s. He was born in 1918 in Finland, where his family had fled from Russia to avoid the Revolution. In 1924, his family returned to Russia. In later years, he lived in Finland and Sweden before emigrating to Canada.

The book includes an account of Toivo's involvement in the Winter War and Continuation War. Described as "the ordinary patrol member's view," the memoir provides a fascinating account of everyday events during wartime.

I appreciate reading this first-hand account of turbulent times--which could describe all of  Europe in the 20th century. Kudos to the family for making this memoir available!