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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

A Writer's Life

The writing life can be a lot of fun.

For example--this month, I've attended a book club meeting, where SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR was discussed. It was interesting to hear local readers compare notes: "Did you know about that?" "No, not until later." "I had no idea." "We walked back there often." "We went to the circus ever summer!" "My husband's grandmother refused to talk about her life before immigration." Et cetera. 

The books have been disappearing from the local chain bookstores, which means people are buying them. (Or they're lost in a back room somewhere--we are coming out of the busy season for all retailers, so that's possible.)

I've been chatting with many other writers working on books of history--fiction and otherwise. Having a book out there for people to read helps give me gravitas, though who knows whether I have earned it. 

Although "having written" and "having published" is fun, so is working on another project. 

For my companion novel to SILENCES, I've researched symptoms of lung disease, medical terminology from 1955 and earlier, the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths, and phases of the moon. 

My publisher and I are looking ahead to 2019 events. FinnFest, the celebration of Finnish culture, is in Thunder Bay this year--stay tuned to hear about our plans. 

Writing is a lot of fun--but it wouldn't be possible without readers. Thank you to everyone who reads, especially those who read the work of your friends and neighbours! 

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.

Signing this Saturday at the Thunder Bay Chapters!

This Saturday, August 18! From noon until 4!

I'll be at Chapters in Thunder Bay to sign copies of SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR and otherwise represent my publisher, Shuniah House Books.

Many other writers from the region will also be there--why not come see what's happening in the Northwestern Ontario literary world? (Psst: it's air-conditioned in there!)

The most up-to-date list of other participating authors: Sandi Boucher, Sam Convey, H. Leighton Dickson, Roma Fisher, Makenzi Fisk, Deanna Ford, Eva Kakepetum, Rob Kozak, Michelle Krys, Kyle Lees, Terrence McParland, Merk, John Pringle, Shannon Robertson, Evan Sills, and the Friends of the (Thunder Bay) Library.

Hope to see you there!

Signing

I thoroughly enjoyed boring chatting with readers about all things Finnish Civil War at Saturday's signing at Coles. Here's the evidence:

Thanks to all who stopped by or cheered me on from your seats at the BluesFest! I very much appreciate all the support local readers show to local writers.

Stay tuned for information about an Author Extravaganza of some sort in August, sponsored by Chapters.

See You Saturday!

A reminder: I'll be signing copies of SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR this coming Saturday in Thunder Bay at the Coles at Intercity Mall, from noon until 4 p.m.

Come by to say hello, reminisce about Port Arthur in 1955, or share your parents'  or grandparents' emigration/immigration stories.

Many thanks to Coles for arranging this event.