Gabe's Meanderings- Exploring the Past

The Silence of Trees

2012-01-31T16:07:00.001-08:00

Just finished reading Valya Dudycz Lupescu's book, The Silence of the Trees. I enjoyed it - but thought the first half was a lot better than the last half. In fact, I wanted to just hurry up and finish it, although, I knew where it was going and there didn't seem to be a point to finishing it. (That sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it?) I hate saying negative things like that out loud. Forgive me. Overall I do recommend reading the book.

The writing was beautiful and the story - about the atrocities at the end of the war - tragic and important. The layers of Ukrainian myth and folklore gave the whole piece an other-worldly quality which was quite enchanting.

One of the pleasures of owning books is being able to mark favorite passages. Here's mine from page 90:

"What do you know of it? Nothing. You know nothing of what I lost. Nothing." I pounded my fist on the table. "For all your schooling, you have not learned about life. You can't learn history from just a few books. History lives in the people who were there, not in numbers. Not in names of battles ..."

All alone

2012-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

It's one of those all too rare afternoons. I'm home alone. What to do? I light a candle. Then answer the phone. Yes, I tell my overly-health conscious university-going son. I'll marinate those chicken breasts for you. Then I sneak myself a glass of wine - in the best house glass. Right. I don't have to sneak. Only the black cat - who's too old to see properly - and the golden dog - who doesn't care - can see what I'm doing.

The phone rings again. Teenage daughter at her weekend job. She forgot her cellphone. Could I drop it off when I walk the canine? Sure. Then I wait. Will the husband come home, saying he forgot his wallet? I listen for the sound of wheels in the snowy driveway. But the peace of silence stays on.

And then I walk around the house and think. Things aren't so bad, are they? I have a house, warm with twenty-some years of memories. I've finally got myself that new couch I promised to get when my first book came out. I have books - okay, just one of mine - but shelves and shelves and shelves of wonderful books that I've spent countless hours reading. I have a sweet little laptop which lets me access the whole internet for way more time than I should.

But this time alone is too precious to share with my laptop. I stare at the little candle - my fireplace substitute - and I think. Things aren't so bad. Things really aren't so bad.

And then I marinate the chicken, fold some laundry, sweep the floor, and pile on the gear to face a prairie January walk with the dog to drop off the cellphone.

Marie Halun Bloch

2012-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the author Marie Halun Bloch. Several of her books focus on 20th century Ukrainian issues, which was what attracted me to her work. Bloch was born in Ukraine in 1910 - making her a bit older than my mom. She immigrated to the States in 1914 - so that would be before the Bolshevik Revolution. Very good timing on her parents' part. Bloch died in 1998.

I managed to track down two of her books for young people. The Two Worlds of Damyan (published by Atheneum in 1966) tells the story of a young student living in Kiev who uses the Dniepro River to practice swimming. In his dreams, he's swimming at the Olympics against the Americans. Considering this was written in '66 - this Soviet competition against the Americans would be strong.

The two worlds mentioned in the title are the Soviet world and the private family lives. In the Soviet world there is no religion and no Ukraine. In the private family world, they celebrate Christmas and also the dream of Ukrainian independence.

In Displaced Person (William Morrow, 1978) Bloch explores the confusion of a young boy - a Ukrainian refugee. He, along with the Ost workers - young people forced into labour by the Nazis - don't want to return to the Soviet homeland. The climax occurs when the Soviets and the Americans share and divide the many war refugees from eastern Europe. At one point, Bloch refers to the forced repatriation and massacre at Lienz, Austria in May of 1945.

It's an important book because it tells a true story about the casualties of war that has received little attention. Here's a quote:

"It would appear ever so neat and orderly - for only orderly wars are fought in history books - with dates fore and aft to box them nicely in. But everyone who had been there would know it all for a lie. Because the truth was anarchy and chaos, friends where enemies should be and enemies among one's own..." (page 103)

My only question is: why did it take me until 2012 to read these books? I hope they get reprinted, because interest in these issues is continuing to grow.

Off the couch and into the cold!

2011-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to just be lazy. I wanted to curl up with the characters of a good book. I wanted to spend some quality time doing nothing with my canine. Instead...

I headed out into the cold, windy Winnipeg night. I scoured the Exchange District for a parking spot. I slip-slided over the ice-covered sidewalks. I went for the discomfort of attending an event, where I would hardly know anyone and feel nervous and awkward. And...

I had fun. Had some good Christmas baking, and mingled with some local writers - warm and friendly, not at all intimidating - kind of like my good dog - minus the cold nose.

I suppose my biggest thrill was meeting Dora Dueck. Dora is the author of This Hidden Thing. The novel won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award in 2011. It's an excellent book - one of my favorites - about an immigrant woman's experience coming to Canada. The storyline is compelling and the writing is exquisite. I'm sure I've posted about it earlier.

I also got to re-connect with Carla Keist who writes a regular landscaping column in a local newspaper. I was very happy to hear the story of how she got to have this regular writing gig and what it's doing for her writing career.

Another person I met was Sally Ito, contributor to a Pacific Rim blog about children's lit. The Paper Tiger is definitely worth repeat visits. During the open mic, Sally shared part of her grandfather's memoir about the Pearl Harbor attack. Very fitting since December 7th is the anniversary.

Speaking of open mics, Jodi, from my critique group (we call ourselves The Anita Factor - in honor of our inspiring mentor, Anita Daher) braved the unknown and read from her WIP. She had the audience laughing out loud, which isn't surprising since Jodi is a very funny writer and animated speaker. No doubt she'll post her experience on her blog.

All in all, the evening was well worth the effort. Thanks to Anita Daher for doing so much organizing on behalf of the Writers Union of Canada. Thanks to the Manitoba Writers' Guild for hosting the event. I'm proud to belong!

Reading Local

2011-11-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm on my last book - the last of my Prairie Horizon shopping spree. I bought seven novels and two picture books. I have so enjoyed these books. All are by Canadian publishers. Several of them are by Coteau Books - a Regina publisher. One was by Thistledown from Saskatoon, another one by Dundurn Press and finally, the first of this grouping, was by Tundra Books.

It's been fun reading local. Kind of like eating local, you know. Just gives me a great since of community. They've all been historical fiction up until now. This last one, Drummer Girl by Karen Bass, is contemporary. Back to the present!

What fun it would be to teach novels to kids. You can cover history, science, geography, social issues, family relationships, etc. just by reading novels. I'm sure math could be worked in there, too. Books! One of the most amazing inventions ever created!

Prisoner of War memoir

2011-10-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading a memoir called The Night is full of Stars by Friedrich Schmitz-Herberg. The book was first written in German in 1949, shortly after the author's release from Soviet captivity. The English translation didn't come out until October, 2009.

This book appealed to me because both my parents were prisoners-of-war in the USSR. My mom was released in 1947 due to failing health and my father came out in November, 1949. The final transport of German prisoners-of-war from Russia, didn't go home until 1955.

My father had a friend who was captured by the Americans and spent several years in continental USA. He has fond memories of his prisoner-of-war time. Clean, white sheets and an opportunity to take courses.

Now I'm reading the diary of a Canadian taken prisoner-of-war by the Germans. Interesting to compare the experiences.

Made in Manitoba

2011-10-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Fellow Manitoba writer, Jodi Carmichael, has a started a Made in Manitoba series of author interviews. (Yours truly is her first guest). I look forward to reading interviews of other local authors. It's fascinating to learn how writers work to achieve their goals.

There's a lot of Made in Manitoba talent. Maybe it's our long winters, or our bright clear skies, or maybe it's the saskatoon berries, or the great Shoal Lake water, or ... whatever. We have an energized and varied bunch of authors, and there's another bumper crop just ripening.

Here's the link: http://writingandotherlifelessons.blogspot.com/

Jodi's blog is a witty, inspiring place to spend some time. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Comparing three historical books

2011-10-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that the last three books I read were historical fiction. So, being into historical fiction writing myself, I thought it'd be prudent of me to take a moment and reflect on the differences and similarities with these three books.

The books are (in order of my reading them):

*Shane Peacock's Eye of the Crow

*Karen Bass's Run like Jäger

*Adele Dueck's Racing Home

Similarities:

I picked up all three at the recent CANSCAIP event in Lumsden.

All three are by Canadian authors. Peacock comes from Ontario, Bass from Alberta, and Dueck from Saskatchewan.

All three books are published by Canadian publishers. Peacock by Tundra in Toronto and the other two are published by Coteau in Regina.

All three books have a male protagonist. Peacock's book features a thirteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes. Running like Jäger has seventeen-year-old Karl. And in Racing Home the main character is twelve-year-old Erik.

All three are told as third person narrative - except for the excerpts in Bass's book where Herr Brandt shares his stories. These are told as first person.

Differences:

As you can imagine, there are many, many differences. I'll just mention the obvious.

*Peacock's story happens in 1867, in London, England.

*Bass's is set in mostly two places - Berlin and through-out WWII battle scenes - with a focus on the eastern front; and in two time periods - now and during WWII.

*Dueck's is set on the Saskatchewan prairie around 1908/9.

But in the end all three stories solve an external mystery, while learning something about themselves. Not all the mysteries were as obvious as solving a crime, like in the Peacock book. Bass's book attempts to solve the mystery of what it really was like to be a German during the war. And in Dueck's book, the external mystery to be solved is quite minor, while the emphasis is on a much deeper, inner issue. As the reader, I closed each book feeling richer because of learning something about a place and time different than my own; but also richer, because I was privy to a character's development. All three were people books - character-driven.

Aren't we all so curious about why people do things? Writers get to dig into people's psyche and try to figure out the secrets behind the actions. Whether it's fantasy, contemporary, or historical - story is like math. This plus this equals this. Oh, dear. I'm off on a tangent. Time to go.

P.S. One more similarity - all three are highly recommended!

A New Season

2011-09-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - fall - such a sweet, but melancholy time of year. I'm surrounded by fluttering gold and September prairie-blue sky. The Canada geese honk overhead as they do their annual practice runs, and a variety of birds like flickers and these little yellow canary-like ones, pass through the yard on their southern migration route.

It's time for sweaters and socks, soup and hot chocolate. Nature is awesome. So predictable, so messy, and so powerful. Soon I won't be sitting out here on the deck. I'll be huddled inside and turning up the thermostat.

But in the meantime, there's autumn. Time to play Autumn's Here by Hawksley Workman!

Lumsden, CANSCAIP & Shane Peacock

2011-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Back from the CANSCAIP conference in Lumsden and I'm ready to continue tackling the challenging (yes!) career of being a children's author. There was so much inspiration at the retreat that I feel quite empowered. The Saskatchewan hospitality was as warm and genuine as ever.

I met many wonderful people and came home with a bundle of books that I can't wait to read.

I'll review them here over the next six weeks or so (and continue to share, as I process the workshops' info.)

I'm focusing on Shane Peacock's Boy Sherlock series at the moment. Shane was the keynote speaker at the conference and he shared with us his slow start, but then determined road to success. He credits Robertson Davies (one of his U of T instructors) as the connection who helped open doors to the publishing world. It's always good to get that one link, isn't it?

For me, I think it was Miriam Toews. And while she didn't get me a contract, she helped me along, and for her confidence in me, I'll always be grateful.

I got to sit next to Shane at lunch on Sunday. Our whole table was delighted with his presence. One nugget I learned from him that I'll share here is: decide what your book is about in one word. ONE word! It's a simple enough challenge.

Anyway. Back to the books.

2011 Prairie Horizons

2011-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I head out west for the bi-annual prairie CANSCAIP conference. It's the only writing conference I get to attend this year, so I plan to enjoy every minute of every workshop.

Shane Peacock is the featured speaker. I'm reading his book, Eye of the Crow right now. It was the winner of the Arthur Ellis Award in the Juvenile category. Very much enjoying it.

Sad News

2011-08-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

The kulak's daughter is gone. My mom died unexpectedly yesterday morning. There'll be an obit in the Saturday Free Press. The funeral is on Wednesday, August 24th, 10 a.m. over at Chapel Lawn, 4000 Portage. Her body will be put next to my dad's. Her name has been on the marker for more than 18 years - waiting for her final year to be entered. Now it will say: 1919 - 2011

I think she died at peace with life. She was looking forward to getting her hair done and then going to a noon hour BBQ. Just last Sunday, her and I picked fallen apples off the ground at her personal care home. It's gladiola season and her favorite flowers are blooming. I'm happy for her.

Love you always, Mom!

Happy Canada Day 2011, etc.

2011-07-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's only coincidence that the last two books I read were by Mennonite writers, both from Winnipeg. This Hidden Thing by Dora Dueck received McNally Robinson's Book of the Year Award and Miriam Toews, well, I always read what she writes.

A friend asked me why the Mennonites are such good writers. Well, I'm no Mennonite, but I was raised as a German Baptist, and the two cultures have a lot in common. My theory is this: both cultures immerse their people in word-study from a very young age. (Of course, the word-study revolves around the Christian bible - but there's an easy transition from the biblical to all literature.) The other thing about being immersed in a religious culture like the Baptists is that you spend an awful lot of time reflecting and introspecting. Maybe there's other reasons, but that's my 2 cents on the matter.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! Let's enjoy our freedom. What a wonderful country. Let's work on keeping it that way.

By the way, Dora Dueck's book was a compelling read and her use of metaphor was simply exquisite! It very much deserved the 2011 Book of the Year Award.

comparing two exiles

2011-06-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Finished reading between shades of grey by Ruta Sepetys (Philomel Books). It's a story about the exile of Lithuanians during WWII. Siberia. Long trips in freight trains. Stalin. Sound familiar? I was totally surprised by the number of parallels to The Kulak's Daughter.

Let me list some of these similarities. (SPOILER ALERT!)

1. This story, like mine, is based on family history.

2. Narration is in first person. Sepetys uses a 15/16 year old girl named Lina. I use an 11/12 year old girl named Olga.

3. The pre-existing conditions. Suspicion. Who betrayed them? Why were they chosen for exile?

4. The conditions during the horrible freight train trip. Death of an infant.

5. A rock. Both characters carry around a special rock.

6. Both Lina and Olga are separated from their fathers. Both hope for reunification.

7. Both girls have a younger brother who is important to the story.

8. Both girls witness the death of their mothers under exile conditions.

9. Both girls have the saddest birthdays ever in their remote exile camps.

10. In both books there is a guard who shows limited kindness. (Sepp and Kretzky).

11. Both girls meet a boy at camp who teaches them survivor skills. (Sasha and Andrius)

There's a decade between these two novels. The Kulak's Daughter happens when Stalin's first Five Year Plan is executed - for collectivization. Sepetys' novel, between shades of gray, is set during WWII when Stalin focused on removing the intellectual class from the Baltic countries. So Olga's exile was to destroy an economic class, and Lina's exile had to do with the destruction of a country. However, to have a 1941 character call it genocide (page 182) is incorrect. The word was not coined until 1943.

The guards in my book are called the OGPU, while in Sepetys they have morphed into the NKVD. This changeover would have occurred in 1934. (I did an earlier blog post about the name changes.)

I am thrilled to see a growing body of literature that focuses on Stalin's atrocities. I hope that students will continue to have opportunities to study and discuss world issues. It's only through enlightenment that the darkness goes away. I urge everyone to read this book.

write on!

2011-05-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's not that I don't want to post more often - because I do. It's just that I spend very little time online right now. When I do get a chance to use the laptop I realize how disconnected I've become to the online world of children's writers.

All's not lost, though. I'm working on a new project, I have a great new critique group, and I'm reading some very good books. Just finished Miriam Toews' new release, Irma Voth, and loved it. I like the way her story developed, closer and closer to the SECRET and then it's out and everything else falls into place. Miriam Toews was writer-in-residence at our local library a few years past - just before her breakthrough novel, A Complicated Kindness, was released and she was most encouraging and supportive with my then unpublished manuscript of my first book.

(I say first - fingers crossed and working hard - so that it will not, hopefully, be my only published book.) Toews' writing is funny, smart and oh so sensitive. I keep hoping that if I read enough great books, I'll eventually write one. On the other hand, reading a great book is a reward in itself.

Besides the reading, writing, and critiquing, there's also a garden to be edited (or weeded, watered, and talked to). There are various young people drifting through my house - usually in a hurry - looking for food, socks, head phones, rides, car keys - or even - a bit of encouragement.

Then there's the day job. Big changes in the last month. It's a good thing I like walking because with my new route I'm walking two hours more a day. You know what they say, what doesn't break you, only makes you stronger. I feel strong. But all I really want to do is get my next book published. So, write on, I shall.

Happy writing, reading, editing, and gardening to everyone.

Wretched Land Review

2011-05-23T11:32:00.001-07:00

This decade-spanning saga of a family in eastern Ukraine begins in 1907 and ends with Ukraine's independence in 1991. The story follows the lives of Dmytro and Khrystina Verbitsky and is based on the lives of the author's grandparents. They lived through several famines (including the Holodomor), the Bolshevik Revolution, WWII, the death of Stalin, and finally the slow disintegration of the USSR.

The book was a page-turner. The story is very well-written and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this era of history. There's a lot of the historical framework added so that the reader understands the bigger context and not just this particular family's experiences. My only quibble would be that I'd have liked a family tree added. The Verbitsky couple had such a large family and I had trouble keeping track of them. I had to keep turning back and forth to remind myself.

But quibble aside, the book is full of positive vibes, in spite of much sadness. It's obvious that a lot of soul went into the creation of this work. On more than one occasion I was brought to tears. One example is during the German retreat when the collective's barn is set ablaze and Khrystina almost dies.

Another profound moment is right near the end of the book after the war. It's peacetime now, yet the family is still having difficulties. Khrystina says, "What's wrong with out children, Dymtro? Why are they so cruel to other people?" And Dymytro replies, "Nothing is wrong with our children. It's the war. It has made them cruel."

The book is brimming with wisdom and love in spite of personal tragedy. It's powerful stuff and I wish the author, Mila Komarnisky, much success with it.

Visit her website for more info. www.komarnisky.com

A Quote

2011-05-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Escape from Warsaw

2011-04-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

Historical fiction - or rather, 20th century war stories - are my special interest. Because of my family's personal history, perhaps I'm genetically-programmed to being obsessed with this dark past. There's no shortage of books on the subject, so I know I'm not alone with this interest. A family member said to me recently, why don't you just forget about the past. It's not healthy. Perhaps, it's not. But when I go visit my mom in the nursing home, and I see all these old people, I can't help but imagine what they've seen, who they once were, and where they come from. Life is about so much more than the present - unless you're a dog, of course.

That preamble was to justify my reading of yet another war novel. Escape from Warsaw - a mid grade novel by Ian Serraillier - was first published in the UK in 1956 with the title, The Silver Sword. In 1957 it was turned into an eight-part children's TV series by the BBC.

I've been doing background reading for an adult novel I'm working on and know so little about Poland. While I prefer reading non-fiction as research, I also enjoy learning about narrator techniques in novel-writing. It is, after-all, point-of-view that determines the story.

Escape from Warsaw (or The Silver Sword) is primarily an adventure story. Four children leave Warsaw in the search for their parents in Switzerland. The war has just ended and Europe is in shambles. While not rich in character, the novel does reveal an important aspect of war - families were torn apart and homes did no longer exist. Children were often without adults, and had to survive on their on. I imagine when this aired on TV - a mere ten years after the war had ended - that there would have been an intense interest.

2011-03-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to do a return visit to Mrs. Hand's grade six class out in Carman, Manitoba last week. When I got to the school several students were watching and waiting for me - The Kulak's Daughter in hand. So first off I had to sign their books. Next, they took me on a tour of the school and introduced me to the principal, the librarian, the gym teacher, etc. They also showed me their favorite place - which was the kindergarten room. Then we headed off to their Grade six area.

I had a powerpoint to go along with my presentation and the students took care of all the technical details - which was great, because I'm still a bit of a luddite when it comes to technology. (I learn something more, and then something new comes along.)

Mrs. Hand's students had extremely interesting and well thought-out questions. They asked about Stalin, about my life as an author, and about the characters in the book. I was delighted to receive a copy of this question and answer exchange in the mail a few days later.

Thank you Mrs. Hand's grade six class! You made me feel very special, and Carman, Manitoba

will always make me think of bright, enthusiastic students and every author's dream of a teacher.

Kingdom of Trolls

2011-03-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Rae Bridgman's Kingdom of Trolls. (Sybertooth Publishing, New Brunswick) It's the fourth book in her Middlegate Series which is set here in Winnipeg, but over in the magical part - you know the area - in between the cracks of reality.

In Kingdom of Trolls, Sophie and Wil, the two young protagonists travel to Iceland - obviously inspired by the author's visits over there. I got to go to the book launch back in February and was thoroughly entertained by Bridgman's expressive reading. She weaves 'an enchanted web' over her listeners and I do hope she gets many opportunities to read her work out loud. The writing style - with its Latin, Icelandic and troll sounds - begs to be dramatically presented. That said, my one minor criticism would be the way the troll words were written. I found the mix of capitals and non-capitals hard on the eye. But then, that mix does convey the gruffness of troll's speech.

Bridgman's beautiful ink drawings throughout add another dimension to the story, and I kept referring back to the colorful cover (another author drawing) when the two characters were deep in troll country.

I don't read a lot of fantasy, so this was a real treat - to escape into a plot full of talking rocks, ghosts, trolls, crystal balls, and more. My favorite lines come in the translation of one of the Latin chapter introductions: Chapter XXXVII: Observation: Problems can multiply like flies. Another observation: Gifts soon beget gifts. Third observation: The story certainly changes depending on the storyteller.

This storyteller gives readers the gift of make-believe with dramatic style and an incredibly vivid imagination.

p.s. I heard that the first three Middlegate books have been translated into Chinese. Congrats, Rae!

Timothy Synder's The Bloodlands

2011-02-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

Just finished Timothy Snyder's book, Bloodlands, Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. What a heavy read. It's mind-numbing. Page after page of senseless deaths reported.

The area that Snyder refers to includes most of present-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, plus Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and western Russia. 14 million people. And this is just the 'non-combatants.' He's including the years of the Holodomor and the Great Terror, but

excluding the people collectivized under Stalin's First Five Year Plan.

If you think things were bad during those years, think again. They were, in fact, much worse. The camps liberated by the Allies in '45 were just the tip of the iceberg.

In one of the early chapters, Synder writes about the victims of the Great Terror. My grandfather was shot in September, 1937. His crime was documented and filed and I was able to read the interrogation proceedings, back in 2004. Part of my grandfather's crime was requesting and receiving food aid during the famine in 1933. Here's an image of those 'top secret' files

listing the letters, the amount of money involved and the dates.

And now, through Synder's book, I'm able to identify the weapon that was used. Here's a quote from the book (p. 83) describing that 1937/8 kulak operation:

"The killings were always carried out at night, and in seclusion ... The executioners were always NKVD officers, generally using a Nagan pistol. (Image of weapon from World Gun website) While two men held a prisoner by his arms, the executioner would fire a single shot from behind into the base of the skull, and then often a 'control shot' into the temple." The bodies were then dumped into prepared ditches. This is a photo of my grandfather's ditch, here.

Having a researcher like Timothy Synder corroborate my own findings about my missing grandfather is empowering. I want to share one more powerful quote from Snyder's closing paragraph.

"The Nazi and Soviet regimes turned people into numbers...It is for us as scholars to seek these numbers and to put them into perspective. It is for us as humanists to turn the numbers back into people. If we cannot do that, then Hitler and Stalin have shaped not only our world, but our humanity." (The Bloodlands, p.408)

Here's my grandfather's face. He once had a wife and a family. He had a home, a bit of land, a windmill and a purpose for living. For this, Stalin killed him - one of the 14 million.

From the Rhine to the Red River

2011-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

I'm meandering around so much in the real world, that my online meandering has lagged behind. But I do want to continue this blog and will make every attempt to write a weekly post.

I've just finished a memoir by Anne Ullenboom Van Humbeck called From the Rhine to the Red River. This self- published book is a story of a woman and her family. It's written with warmth and humor. I especially enjoyed the first half where she shares her childhood war memories and then later, her first years in Canada as a newlywed and parent. My parents, too, were immigrants from Germany and so I always find it interesting how other families experienced the transition.

This is the second self-published book I've read this year and I must admit, I am impressed with the quality of the copy-editing and especially, with the strength of the writing. Again, a beautiful cover and a great read!

Remember Me by Sara V. Mosher

2011-01-30T09:11:00.001-08:00

I’ve just finished reading Remember Me, No. 110 (Hyderabad) Squadron, Royal Air Force. by Sara V. Mosher. The book is beautifully produced, from the striking cover, the many photos, to the meticuously researched notes and appendix. But it’s the undercurrent of love and respect – not just between a daughter and her father – but between two generations, that gives the book its soul. The book isn’t just about the author’s father. The book is about a squadron of young men. It’s about youth, it’s about dying, and it’s about old men who remember. The title is perfect.

Once upon a time, - back in the sixties and early seventies of the last century, in a far away place – out in the western suburbs of Winnipeg, some children were playing, learning and growing. What I’m trying to say is that Sara and I have been friends since way back. Then we grew up, moved away and rarely saw each other.

Back to this current century. Unknown to each other, while I was busy trying to figure out my mother’s life, Sara started to research her own family’s past. We both had fathers who were in the air force (albeit different teams). Both fathers ended up living quiet lives in the suburbs, raising their children, worlds away from what were the tumultuous, life-changing years of war.

My reactions to the book? First of all, how very sad. So many young men died. Sara gives them names and faces and events. Boys with smiling faces. Dead.

My second reaction is awe. I’m impressed with detailed names of places, of planes, of dates. For anyone with an interest in World War II – whether because of family, or because of the military, this book provides exact details. There are no sweeping generalizations here. No blame, no verdicts. Just real people in unreal situations. The amount of research is amazing.

My own father’s war experiences disappeared into forgotten memory when he died. Sara has grasped her father’s military experiences and put them into a compelling narrative.

My favorite chapters were near the end where Constance Pitts and Kenny Mosher become a couple and thus, the future parents of my friend. Here, the author’s wry sense of humour sneaks out. The warm feeling that the large Mosher family still shares, is also evident.

Well done, my friend. I recommend this book to anyone connected to WWII.

Excerpt from the opening paragraph of Chapter 16, page 101:

“A clothes peg drops suddenly from her mouth as she tightens her grip on the other wooden peg that clips the freshly washed pillow case to the line. Her eyes are fixed on the sky as she stares at the German airship flying its customary scheduled route from Germany to New Jersey, passing over Apple River. It flies low and slowly. Mrs. Larsen feels sure the Germans are mapping the countryside. No one trusts Hitler. Even so, later that summer when a neighbor with a battery operated radio shouts anxiously across the field to Mrs. Larsen, "We're at war again with Germany," the news is met with disbelief."

For more information visit her webpage at www.saravmosher.com or visit her blog at http://110hyderabad.blogspot.com

Upcoming Presentation/Human Rights Museum Issues

2011-01-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm reviewing my research notes from The Kulak's Daughter as I prepare a talk for next month. The talk will be held at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre on 184 Alexander Avenue, Wednesday, Feb. 9th at 7 p.m.

I'll be sharing my photos from my visit to Ukraine, as well as relevant background reading I did on collectives, kulaks, and their exile to remote parts of the Soviet Union.

For more information please follow this link. If you're in the Winnipeg area, please visit!

Also, Winnipeg will soon be home to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. This massive project is slated for a Spring/2013 opening. As it stands right now, the Holocaust and the Canadian aboriginals will be the only 'permanent' exhibits. The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA) is challenging this proposed plan. They want a permanent exhibit for the Holodomor.

What is the Holodomor, you ask? That's why we need a museum. Perhaps the King Solomon solution to this controversial issue would be to have only the made-in-Canada human rights issues as the permanent features and all the other human rights atrocities as the revolving exhibitions.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

2011

2011-01-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

2011! (Three more years - and then I'm RETIRED! Now let me see - 3 years, with 52 weeks, that's 52 times 3, minus vacation...I won't bore you with my calculations.) But the changing of calendars does bring out the calculator in me.

2011 this week looks a lot like 2010 last week. We were at -28 Celcius last night. Clear sky. Great for star gazing while walking the canine.

That's one thing we all have in common, no matter where or when we are in this huge world ruled by geography and time - sky. I wish everyone a happy new year and some daily sky time. Just you and sky. Now that's a monitor!

Red Poppies/Rote Mohn

2010-12-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not blogging about Remembrance Day. I'm looking into the world my dad was in as a young fellow. I know he loved to dance so I'm checking out some of the big singers that he would have heard during the war over in Germany. I've discovered Rosita Serrano. One of her big hits was called "Roter Mohn" (or red poppy) - which is a tango. By coincidence - I have an oil painting of red poppies done by him - in my living room. So, the writer in me is imagining all sorts of things!

Rosita Serrano is an interesting figure. She was born in Chile and entered the German scene in 1936 where she was nicknamed the Chilean Nightingale. But in 1943 she supported some Jewish refugees in Sweden and the Nazis blacklisted her. Her career never recovered and she died in extreme poverty in Chile in 1997.

Still, thanks to our amazing technology, her music lives on.

McNally Robinson Book Signing

2010-12-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

It's a signing! Books for Christmas gift giving.

Where: McNally Robinson (Grant Park) in Winnipeg.

To be specific - at the bottom of the spiral staircase which leads

up to the kids' books section.

When: Saturday, December 18th. I'll be there between 3 and 4 p.m.

There'll be children book authors signing all day.

Featured authors include: Rae Bridgman, Martha Brooks, Anita Daher,

Gabriele Goldstone, Brenda Hasiuk, Perry Nodelman, Craig Russell,

Margaret Shaw-MacKinnon, Joe McLellan, Susan Rocan, Chris Rutkowski,

Duncan Thornton, and Larry Verstrate.

I'm just thrilled to be in their company.

The Logline

2010-12-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

I hummed and hawed. Why do I want to go to a scriptwriting workshop? It’s not like I’m about to try writing a movie script. But I was curious, that’s all – especially when I checked out the workshop facilitator’s website. Danishka Esterhazy was not only an award-winning writer, but she’d worked with historical fiction. I knew then that I had to go. My curiousity was not disappointed - the three hour workshop was fantastic.

I learned so much – not about film-making (just awed) - but about story. And without story, you have no movie, no novel, no reader. Danishka dropped the names of a few big weights in the movie scriptwriting business – names of workshops she’s participated in. But I want to be brief here, so I’ll just share one gold nugget.

In her introduction she said, “Art is fire plus algebra.” I don’t remember who she attributed that quote to, but it’s a great image. Now, while I don’t have the happiest relationship with algebra, I have overcome some of my childhood aversion.

Here is the formula for a logline. What is a logline, you ask? It’s the pitch, the story condensed down to its barest form.

(Title) is a (genre) story about (your main character) who (experiences a life changing event) and then must (struggle towards a goal).

The logline should be thirty words or less and it should contain active verbs. It’s a great exercise for any writer and I’m really liking the challenge of applying some algebra to my own work.

Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman

2010-11-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

We're into winter now - first week and who knows how many more to go. It's all pretty to look at, but when you trudge through it for four to six hours a day, you know that snow is more than a color. It's a texture, too. Lucky for us, we here in Winnipeg usually have a dry cold and that gives us lighter, fluffier white stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love winter - and have loved it more than ever since I've become a 'walker' by profession. But, it makes me think of those poor victims of Soviet oppression who had to trudge through snow day after day, mile after mile, year after year. It's hard to fathom. Yesterday, I forgot my lunch - and oh how I lmissed that thick sliced dark bread and cheese. But then I thought of those who never got that hole in their stomach satisfied.

The book I've been reading this past week, while I recharge after walking for hours in the snow, is called Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman. On the cover is a photo by Tomasz Kizny. It's of prisoners crossing Vaygach Island in Russia in the 1930s. This book wasn't released in Russia until the late 1980s. (I'm reading a translation by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler/Anna Aslanyan.) It was finished just before the author died in 1964. An amazing book.

Now try to imagine this. Walking through the deep snow, trying to step into the step of the person ahead of you. The wind is whipping you from the northwest. Your boots - if you're lucky enough to have some (me, I got a brand new pair - waterproof, too) have gaping holes. If your boots were stolen while you slept (very likely if they're any good), you have wrapped rags around your feet. Anyway, you walk, like a frozen zombie. Your stomach is just a tight knot of pain. Your fingers are without feeling. Your eyes are frosted shut. Your lips cracked. But the body is an amazing little furnace. As long as you keep moving, you stay warm.

It's the only way to survive the cold. Keep moving.

The most powerful sentence from the book: "And hope, which until then had always oppressed her heart with its living weight, now died." (Chapter 13).

Local, Universal and Diverse

2010-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

No doubt you've heard of the 'eat local' movement. Well, here's a twist. I did a 'read local' experiment for the last three months. What an exotic, nutritional, and satisfying diet, it's been.

Back in September I did a group signing with local members of the Writers' Union of Canada. It was great to meet local authors and to learn about their past, present, and future projects. I've been engrossed in reading their wide-ranging works ever since. Having just finished five of their books, it's time for a breather.

It is just so much fun to read books set locally. Empowering, too. And while the streets, retail, geography, etc. might be places familiar to me, it's the characters and their experiences that are so universal. Reading these books has made me feel like Winnipeg really is the centre of the universe.

And then there's the authors. The talent is incredible. Of course, that's not surprising. I mean why shouldn't Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada have some of the best writers in the world? We've got all the proper ingredients - diversity of people, long winters, local publishers, active writing associations, and so many untold stories.

Here's my five great (local) reads.

An Ordinary Decent Criminal by Michael Van Rooy - funny and poignant. An adult crime novel

set in...Winnipeg...and why not! Lots of good stuff happening in Michael's career. Well deserved, too.

Out of the Fire by Deborah Froese This is serious stuff aimed at a YA audience. The book kept getting better. It's about being burned in a fire and about heavy stuff like guilt and moving on.

Driving Blind by Steven Benstead This adult character novel, again set in Winnipeg, twists and turns and always surprises.

The Salvation of Yasch Siemens by Armin Wiebe Speaking of surprises, this book was such a delight. Funny - like FUNNY! It was nominated for a Stephen Leacock Award, back in 1984 when the book first came out. He uses 'flat German' aka Mennonite low German speech patterns in the writing. Setting is rural Manitoba.

Five Years and Counting by Cendrine Marrouat This book of poetry had made me slow right down. I can't read more than a poem or two at a time - it's kind of like drinking wine. There's a lot of intensity here and I continue to sip and savour.

There is something so wonderful about reading books. I think it has something to do with the focus it requires. When you're in the middle of a good book - there's only silence and the power of someone else's imagination.

Remembering Day

2010-11-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Growing up, Remembrance Day was always a day of great shame for me. After all, my dad had fought on Hitler's side. The poppies on Flander's field brought tears to my young eyes - the poem still does that to me - but they weren't just tears of sadness - they were also tears of deep embarrassment. How could my dad - who was such a warm, kind, funny guy, a parent who understood me so much more than my other parent did - how could he have been a pilot in the Luftwaffe? He should have known better, I'd think to myself. He should have suspected Hitler's crimes. He should have been smart enough to get out of the country while there was a chance.

The other part that confused me about Remembering Day was the dead. There were so many dead in my parents' families. But they all deserved to die, right? I look at the photo of my dad and two uncles. One in the Infantry, dead. The other, an UBoot soldier, dead. Then my father, the pilot, badly injured and five years in a Soviet POW camp. My mother's side...family scattered or dead - with not even a photo left to remember them by.

Good guys, bad guys, all guys who were young and who had no choice but to fight for their country. What sadness. Today I'll bake a streusel kuchen for the birthday boy - Albert - who came to visit my mom one last time on November 11th 1944 - for his 22nd birthday and was killed soon after. He, too, fought on the bad side - against the Soviets - that country that had taken his mother, his father, his childhood and his home.

I might be politically incorrect, but on Remembrance Day I will remember the cruelty of war and the wasted lives of both the good guys and the bad guys. And I'll even think of Omar Khadr.

My Town Monday - what if?

2010-10-31T08:27:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned how I almost spent my childhood in Kitimat, in northwest British Columbia. Well, another place, I might have grown up in - except for a few disturbances, like communism and World War II, is Federofka, (now called Kaliniwka) in Ukraine.

Federofka (or Kaliniwka) is about 25 kilometers northwest of Zhytomyr. Today, Federofka (meaning Feder's little village) has a population of less than a hundred. (I'm guessing. There's about 25 houses spread out over a couple of kilometers.) Back in its heyday - 1911 - the population was under a thousand. So, it's always been a teeny, tiny place.

At the turn of the last century, no doubt many of our grandparents were born in rural communities - either here in North America, or back in the 'old' country. Of course, I'd never really have been born in the old Soviet Union, because my mother would have never met my dad - who was born on the North Sea. Still, it's interesting to think how where we live has shaped our lives - and how world events determined our birthplaces.

I ended being born in Winnipeg (meaning 'muddy waters') - a place I still call home (albeit with several years away - my two oldest were born in Regina, Saskatchewan.) Winnipeg's the kind of city most wouldn't go out of their way to visit. We have no world class zoo, no seaside, no mountains for skiing. Hmm. What do we have? Winnipeg's a people place. People come here for jobs, for the slower lifestyle, for culture (we have ballet, theatre, symphony, etc), and for family. People stay here for the same reasons. And then we go visit the places with the great zoos, coastlines, and mountains.

In 2012 Winnipeg will have a world class Museum for Human Rights. People will come to visit, and maybe some will even stay, have babies, and change lives.

Visit more My Town Monday posts.

Book Talk

2010-10-27T15:59:00.001-07:00

I was invited to do a talk for a women's book club last weekend. It was great to share my research with a group of adult women. They appreciated my motivation in trying to understand my mother's past. As daughters, I think we have to achieve a certain amount of emotional distance from our mothers before we can safely go back to them. As my mother becomes more childlike, our mother/daughter relationship is turned upside down.

We talked about how childhood trauma becomes repressed and about how that emotional damage expresses itself later on. Discussing the writing of the book with adults, as opposed to children, was a satisfying experience. I focussed less on the actual history, and more on the psychological aspects. Children inherit their parents' issues.

This group of women has a great thing going. I was honored to participate in one of their monthly book studies. Maybe someday when I retire, I'll have time to also be part of such a group.

My Town Monday - visiting Kitimat

2010-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Visiting family in Kitimat (northwest BC) was a rain soaked adventure. The Twilight Series would have felt at home here - a place where the sun did not shine - although there were pauses in the rain. It's a place where forests are thick and lush. I don't know about vampires, but it's definitely bear country. A couple of weeks before my visit (back in September) - a spirit bear (aka kermode bear) was captured and relocated, after it was caught wandering the streets and backyards of downtown Kitimat. Grizzly bears were supposedly still roaming the streets while I was there. Here's a photo of us following a bear trap down the street.

As you can see from this map (or maybe not) - Kitimat is a coastal town - close to the Haida Gwaii or Queen Charlotte Islands - which claim to have some of the biggest and oldest trees of the world. (While I didn't go there this time, I'll make it a point to head over there by ferry on my next visit.)

The main employer in Kitimat is Alcan - an aluminum manufacturer. The city was designed by Alcan and employs about 1500 people (including my cousins and uncles). In the mid-fifties, when my relatives were immigrating to Canada, Alcan provided secure jobs and prosperity to the postwar refugees. I narrowly missed growing up in Kitimat myself. (My mother was too sick during her pregnancy with me, to make the long journey out west, that first year in Canada.) By the time I arrived, my dad had found other work on the sunny, but flat, prairies.

The Douglas Channel - a deep fiord - reaches in to Kitimat and provides the town with a necessary port for importing bauxite - an important ingredient in the production of aluminum - and for exporting the finished aluminum product. It also provided a great view for our seafood dinner in Kitamaat Village's Seamasters Restaurant. Kitamaat Village is the neighboring First Nations settlement. (By the way, Kitamaat means - people of the many snows.)

Thank you, to my cousins and their families, and especially to my dear Tante Berta. I exported a renewed connection to family. Visit more My Town Monday posts.

My Town Monday in Kelowna

2010-10-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

A typical view in the Kelowna's Okanagan Valley which surrounds Lake Okanagan - an eight mile long lake and home of the Ogopogo monster. (No sightings to report.)

We visited the Naramata Bench area near Penticton, just south of Kelowna.

I got to visit some wineries and do some taste-testing. Best of all was the view and glorious summer-like weather. Yes, those are grapes in that photo.

I also did some hiking in the hills - and a lot of noisy singing - as we warded off potential bears. The name 'kelowna' comes from an aboriginal word meaning 'grizzly bear'.

Fortunately, the closest I got to bear, was a stuffed boar in a restaurant.

Travel some more by visiting more My Town Monday Posts!

Chinese Checker Lessons

2010-10-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Back to meandering - my favorite kind of being - just sort of wandering, not driven in any one direction, but enjoying the moment for what it is.

Okay, if that doesn't make sense, just ignore. Posting here once a week gives me a wee link to the big world of the internet, keeps me connected in a small way.

I'm just back from a trip out west - to beautiful B.C. - where I spent hours leafing through old photo albums, listening to intriguing family stories, and playing game after game of chinese checkers. What I learned from the checkers is that there's always a time of being muddled, and then suddenly, a path opens up and everything becomes easier. Persistence, as always, is the key.

The other thing I learned from chinese checkers is that you shouldn't count on your opponent too much. Sure, they can help you set up a great forward jumping pathway - but they can also mess you up. My 84 year old aunt was a great 'Halma' (the German word for chinese checkers) player. But she was an even better story teller. (She made a pretty good vegetable soup, too!)

My exciting announcement is that The Kulak's Daughter has been awarded silver in the Moonbeam Awards competition (historical fiction category). Maybe, it'll help the sequel get published. In any event, it's boosted my confidence and I'll continue to meander through the musty past, looking for story.

Moonbeam Awards

2010-10-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just dancing in the light of the moon. The Kulak's Daughter is a Finalist in the Moonbeam Awards competition - historical fiction category.

Final decision will be made Oct. 15th. &! (That's supposed to be a fingers crossed sign :))

Decluttering the debris

2010-08-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

When you achieve a goal - say, like writing a book - that you've schemed, dreamed, wished and worked on for a long time, it's a great feeling. And this has made me feel quite happy and proud. But working on this goal - which involved a lot of research into the past - has left me with a present that is a bit of a mess. So now I'm tackling my home. As I meander through it, I see clutter everywhere. Twenty-plus years of raising three kids, working full time, and writing has made my house look a bit like it's been hit by a major storm. Debris - in the form of dead computers, dead and dirty stuffed animals, CDs that no one wants to admit owning, incomplete decks of cards, ratty boxes of games, various types of deflated balls, books for piano, for guitar, for reading, for scribbling, bowls of once precious lakeshore rocks and seashells, stacks of great art from grade school, loose photos from the pre-digital age, ... HELP... I need to organize.

So what do I do? Do I head to the closet and start sorting? No. I head to the bookstore to find a book to help me start sorting. The book is called Unclutter Your Life in One Week!! by Erin Rooney Doland. I have my doubts. It's taken me decades to get to this point. There's no way my life will get uncluttered in a week. But I like the idea.

I think what I really need is a good editor. Restructure and cut, cut, cut. Someone ruthless, but still giving support at the same time. I'll let you know.

My Town Monday and the Red River Cart

2010-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

My town, Winnipeg, grew up in the clay-filled Red River Valley. And before there were trains, like the Countess of Dufferin, there were carts. The carts weren’t available at the local cart dealership - they had to be built from the materials at hand. And so the Red River Cart, pulled by horse or by ox, and built of local hardwoods, was created to suit the local environment. It became a common transportation vehicle for fur traders, and later, settlers, on the prairies.

The cart had two large wheels (three to six feet in diameter), and was entirely made of wood. No nails. (No nail factory around, yet.) It was held together by leather, easy to repair, and so versatile, it could be made into a raft by taking off the wheels. (Why don’t we have cars like that today?!) The carts were said to be very squeaky, especially when traveling in caravans of up to

two hundred. The wheels couldn't be greased because of all the dust. This squeal became known as ‘the Northwest fiddle’ and could be heard for miles around. Ironically, just a few feet away from the cart sculpture, I found a sign banning 'the production of loud noise'. Standing there, I imagined hearing a ghostly squeak from the past.

By 1869, trains and steam boats, gradually began to offer settlers and business people alternative transportation. Peace and quiet returned to the back roads. But in some fields, the deep ruts from the Red River carts continue to resist the farmer's plough.

Please visit more My Town Monday posts!

My Town Monday and The Countess of Dufferin

2010-08-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

When I was visiting Assinboine Park a few weeks ago, I spied what I assumed was a steam locomotive called the Countess of Dufferin. But I was wrong. The photo on the right is not the Countess. She sits in the Winnipeg Railway Museum where she's protected from the wind, rain, and snow. This shiny black locomotive has no name - just a number (CN 6043) - and the honor of being the last of the steam engines.

The Countess of Dufferin's claim to fame, is that she's the very first steam locomotive on the Canadian prairies.

She's named after the wife of one of Canada’s early Governor Generals. Her full name is Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava. (And I thought women's lib had invented hyphenated names!) Hariot and her husband, Count Dufferin, happened to be touring Manitoba when the steam engine arrived back in the fall of 1877 and the Countess got to put the first spike into the south leading tracks.

(photo is in public domain)

This mother of nine children is said to have been a gracious hostess and perfectly suited to the diplomatic life she led. Besides Canada, she worked/lived in embassies in Russia, Turkey and India. She was also a writer and published Our Viceregal Life (1889) My Canadian Journal (1891) and My Russian Turkish Journals in 1916. In India, she was actively involved with fundraising to give women better health clinics. Many hospitals there still bear her name. We, in Winnipeg, honor her memory with a locomotive. And it’s aptly named, because this woman was a powerhouse of energy and she certainly did travel.

Now back to the steam engine. Built in 1872 for the Northern Pacific Railway, the locomotive was sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1877. She arrived on October 9^th via barge, up the Red River, from Minnesota to her new home in Winnipeg. From Winnipeg, she was sent out in all directions, expanding the new railway system. The steam engine lived on wood/coal and water. There were always plenty of trees around to chop down when she got hungry. It’s said that once a bear clambered aboard during refueling.

Later, the engine was nicknamed “The Betsy” by new owners who used her as a power source for their lumber mill. In 1909, after a life of hard work, she avoided the scrap yard and was donated to the City of Winnipeg to be put on public display.

In 1977 she was refurbished and no doubt looks as good as the day she arrived – a day that was so momentous, it was declared a public holiday. Trains really did change the world back a hundred years ago – kind of like cell phones and the internet have changed our present world. Techology kind of boggles the mind - well my mind, at least - where thoughts just slowly chug along.

What I really found interesting in learning about this locomotive, was the woman behind the name. You can read more about her time in Canada with this link.

The same train technology that opened up North America for development, opened up the vast country of Russia, too. Without trains, all those exiles and prisoners would never have made it to those far flung gulags and special settlements. Shows how it's the tool user and not the tool that makes the difference.

Please visit more My Town Monday blogs. Some fascinating posts about this world we live in.

Ten things to Understand about me

2010-08-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

I was just reading someone's website (Alma Fullerton's - because I just finished her wonderful book Libertad - it was shortlisted for the 2009 Governor General's award). She lists ten things about herself. It was an interesting list. We even have some things in common. She likes gardening and thunderstorms, just like me. Then I started thinking about what ten things I'd like people to know about me. Here goes. Ten things about Gabe (in no particular order).

1. In the summer, after work, my favorite place in the whole world is the hammock strung up between my plum and box elder trees. My day job as a letter carrier is fun, but it feels so good to put my feet up at the end of my route.

2. When I was six years old, I tried to sell myself because I thought my family didn't love me.

3. I didn't like my first name and in grade six my teacher let me pick a new one.

4. I love my dog (and miss my old dog). I love my cat, too. But cats don't like going for walks - at least not with people. My cat prefers her favorite blue velvet chair.

5. I love camping - esp. with my 3 kids ('cept they're big now). The air is just different out in the woods, by a lake. It fills you up like an energy drink. And nothing beats a thunderstorm when you're hiding in a tent - hoping that the poles will stay up and that the rain won't come down sideways and find the hole.

6. I love trees - especially old ones. "I think that I shall never see/ a poem lovely as a tree" (Alfred Joyce Kilmer) That's one of my most favorite lines - ever!

7. I spent a year traveling in Europe when I was twenty. I never wanted go home. (Until the end, and then I was very happy to have a home to go to.)

8. When I started school, I couldn't speak English and was very shy. But then my teacher held up my coloring for the whole class to see - and I felt much better. At least I could do something right! Somehow I never did improve my coloring past the grade one level.

9. I'm always interested in the invisible stuff - like why people do something. Maybe that's why I like history - it's the invisible time before now.

10. I love words, reading them, writing them, and understanding them. Take the word 'understand', for example. It means, literally, 'to stand under something.' Not over but under- like getting underneath a car. That's why I write, I guess. To understand life.

My Town Monday - at The Forks

2010-08-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

The word ‘Winnipeg’ means ‘muddy ‘ or ‘dirty’ river in Cree. We have two muddy rivers (muddy, on account of all the clay in our valley) and where they meet, that’s Winnipeg – or at least that’s our starting point, our centre. These two rivers, the Red and the Assiniboine (there’s that word again!) define not only our city, but also our traffic flows. (It’s always a good idea not to have to cross too many bridges for your daily commute – especially in the summer, aka, ‘construction’ season.) The Red River pushes upward from North Dakota, through the low-lying Red River Valley (you know the song) northwards – emptying into Lake Winnipeg (which links up to Hudson’s Bay and finally, the Arctic Ocean).

The Red can be ferocious in the springtime and has caused much flooding. (Read about 1997’s Flood of the Century.) The Assiniboine River, on the other hand, flows west to east, beginning in eastern Saskatchewan near Preeceville. It’s a slower, more shallow, lazy kind of river – creating oxbows as it meanders.

Nowadays, this river junction is marked by a dynamic downtown site called ‘The Forks.’ It’s a place I take most visitors because it offers a bit of everything. Restaurants, markets, a hotel, a children’s theatre and museum, etc. Being on the river, the site also has water taxis and boat tours. In the winter, it rivals Ottawa for the longest ice rink. You can also watch dogsled racing and there's even a toboggan run. There's fireworks on special holidays, outdoor concerts (I got to see a Randy Bachmann and Burton Cummings reunion), and we're all anticipating the new Human Rights Museum which is now under construction.

My one pet peeve of the place (not that anyone’s listening) – is that the place didn’t become a car-free zone. Considering it’s historical significance, a more timeless place could have been created if traffic had been banned. But don’t let my criticism stop you from visiting. Please come meet a Winnipegger at The Forks, down where the rivers converge – like it’s been done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Please visit more My Town Monday posts and enjoy the trip.

Sashenka by Simon Montefiore

2010-07-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sashenka by Simon Montefiore is the best book I've read this year. It starts in St. Petersburg in 1916 and ends in Moscow in 1994. So it covers the time from pre-revolution Russia to post-communism. About a lifetime. What a story. What a heroine. This book is full of history, heavy with sensuality, and page-turning plot.

The reader gets glimpses of Rasputin, of Lenin, Stalin, and various other heavyweights from the communist era. While it skips over the 1917 revolution itself, the 1937 Great Terror, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, it shows how these events affected the lives of a single family.

The book begins and ends in the archives. The Soviet archives are a most incredible place. Bureaucrats kept track of interrogations, imprisonments, and causes of death. I found my own grandfather's signature in a former KGB archive. Arrested in June, 1937, after a hot summer of imprisonment, he was ready to confess to being a counter-revolutionary spy (the much-used Article 58) and sentenced to death. Death was a shot to the back of the head - in September of '37. Was he quilty? Of course not. None of those people were guilty. And the Sashenka of Montefiore's novel wasn't guilty either. I can't give anything away - don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment. Just read the book!

Oh, and because I loved the writing style so very much, here's a short sentence: "The sun and moon watched each other suspiciously across a milky sky." The smells are rich and the love scenes, both adult and parent/child are richly drawn. The suspense is always there. Every reader knows that with Stalin in the picture, no one was safe.

This is Simon Montefiore's first novel.

Click here to listen to Montefiore talk about his book. Visit his website for a list of his past nonfiction books and new works.

My Town Monday - Assiniboine Park

2010-07-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Every city must have its green space. New York City has its Central Park (that I got to explore this past May!), and Winnipeg has its pride and joy, Assiniboine Park. Last night, Buddy (the dog) and me, pretended we were tourists and meandered through the 1100 acre park. Of course, we couldn't explore the whole place, and we were thoroughly wiped by the time we found the car again. Even Buddy was happy to rest.

Assiniboine Park was established back in 1904. On the north edge there's the Assiniboine River and on the south edge, there's the Assiniboine Forest. The park is home to a Conservatory - filled with tropical plants and flowers all year long, and a great restaurant (which we can go to if you're ever in town); a Zoo - which is seriously underfunded and a source of debate; a cricket field; an eye-catching pavillion with an art gallery, a duck pond, a sculpture garden, an English flower garden, and an outdoor stage which last night was playing some great jazz. The dog, however, was mostly interested in the other dogs playing frisbee on the vast green spaces and the forest trails, although he did peer over the foot bridge to check out the Assiniboine River. Later, he got to taste that river, too.

But a city isn't a noun, so much as it's a verb. And everything I see (or don't see - like the dandelions and mosquitoes) is a much discussed issue in our city. Beautiful green spaces like Assiniboine Park don't just happen. It takes a lot of money, political will, and planning to provide the public with a free place of beauty like a park. (No we don't need condos in the park!) Let's hope that all cities will continue to give its citizens (their families and

their pets) such pieces of Paradise to enjoy. And may we never take them for granted.

Please visit My Town Monday Headquarters for more links to explore!

Uncle Leo

2010-07-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

It had to happen. I offended a relative with one of the characters of my book - and explaining the difference between fiction and non-fiction didn't help.On the cover of my book it says, 'based on a true story." It doesn't say 'a true story.' Historical fiction is a creative re-telling of the past. I had to put words into the mouths of my characters.

The character most strongly fictionalized is 'Uncle Leo.' I made him up. In real life, there was instead a good-hearted half-brother. He was seventeen years older and shared a father with Olga and her siblings, but had a different mother. (I presume the first wife of my grandfather died in childbirth - a much too common occurrence in those years.) So the 'real' savior of the younger children in Siberian exile was not a communist supporter.

As a novelist, however, I make no apologies for creating 'Uncle Leo.' I wanted to show how nobody could be trusted in those years. Bad guys are so much fun to create - and a book full of victims could become uninteresting. Also, as someone recently pointed out, Stalin can't be blamed for all the deaths in the Soviet Union. He couldn't have done it without help - and there were plenty of people like my fictionalized 'Uncle Leo' who were only too happy to improve their lot at the expense of others. This is true in every society. The exploited become the exploiters.

What remains true, though, is that millions of kulak families lost their homes, many their lives, and all suffered untold hardships, when the Soviet Union switched to collective farming in their first Five Year Plan.

My Town Monday and the Assiniboia Downs

2010-07-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

The word ‘Assiniboia’ is used a lot in Winnipeg. The people of the Assiniboia First Nation were the original bearers of the name. Since then we’ve named a river, a zoo, a municipality, numerous businesses, and a racetrack after them.

Fast Facts about Horse Racing for the total Know-Not-All:

I’ve never paid it much attention, but now that one of my kids has a part time job there, I’m suddenly curious. I’ve even attended my first horse race this past weekend and lost three whole dollars!

Usually, in the mornings when I drive past the track on my way to work, I’ll see horses prancing around in circles like they’re part of a merry-go-round. Sometimes there’s a smoky fire nearby, to keep the mosquitoes away. I’ve now learned that the carousel devices are called ‘hot walkers.’ Four to six horses can exercise at the same time for about half an hour.

Track Facts:

The racetrack opened in 1958. Before that, races were held at Polo Park (which for all of my lifetime, has been the name of our biggest shopping mall).

The Assiniboia Downs racetrack is six and a half furlongs long. (To put this in perspective, the track for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is 10 furlongs). There are 8 furlongs in a mile.

Live thoroughbred racing happens only during the summer – on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. What is a thoroughbred, you ask? Somehow, they can all trace back their lineage back to three specific horses that were bred in England. Thoroughbreds come in a variety of colors, and sizes – measuring from 15 to 17 hands. (A hand = 4 inches.)

Other Horse facts:

Filly – female three years or younger

Mare – female over three years old

Entire – male stallion

Gelding – a male horse that’s been castrated

Non-horse person that I am, what I find most fascinating about the whole sport is naming of the horses. Here’s a sample of some recent Assiniboia Downs competitors: Ally Scatter, Gentle Rain, Black Iris, Awaytobelieve, Fine Feline, and Oh Holy Moley. These names must rival the names chosen by rock bands. It's not a good idea to place bets according to names, though. I lost my three bucks betting on Gentle Rain.

Perhaps this is a good place to stop. I haven’t touched on the jockeys, the actual racing, or the betting procedures. But I do want to recommend a young adult book I read awhile ago. It’s written by Annie Wedekind, called A Horse of Her Own. Great story about the horse/human relationship and some insight into the complicated horse world.

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Die Frauen von Janowka (The Women of Janowka)

2010-07-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just read a book that I had to order from Germany - therefore the cost of delivery was more than the book itself. But the price was well worth it. Die Frauen von Janowka (The Women of Janowka) by Helmut Exner drew me in quickly and kept me turning pages until the end. While it's a 'roman' or novel, it's more of a family memoir and is filled with photographs, maps, and brief lifelines of the individuals, to help the reader along. I found myself constantly go back and forth, checking the photos and maps to review the who's and where's. I found this immensely helpful.

One of the main characters is the author's grandmother, Serafine, and her parts of the book were my favorite. The Russian part of the story happens before my own mother is born. It's about the exile of thousands of Germans to remote parts of Siberia during WWI.

This book is dear to my heart because it's also my family's story. Like the author, I too have family spread all over the world - family that shared beginnings in Volhynia. What really brought this story close to me was not just the beginning, but the ending - specifically, the last photograph in the book. It's of the Brokenhead River by Beausejour. Next weekend I plan to drive out there - it should be a less than two hour drive. The family that started off by a river in Volhynia (once in Russia, later in the USSR, now in Ukraine), now has some of that family farming in my own province.

One of the book's strengths was the humorous banter between the couples - led by the Exner men - and passed on through the generations. The author did a great job in giving life to his deceased family members. An excellent read, all around. (Also, considering my German isn't as strong as it used to be - the language flowed and was quite accessible.)

My Town Monday and the Winnipeg Folk Festival

2010-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve spent twenty summers going to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. This summer I’m not there – physically – but I can still feel its vibes, and I’d like to share some of those with you. Here are twenty facts about this most amazing musical, spiritual, and community experience.

1. The Winnipeg Folk Festival always happens on the second weekend of July. (The weekend starts on a Wednesday.)

2. The Winnipeg Folk Festival site is at Birds Hill Provincial Park – about half an hour northeast of Winnipeg.

3. The Festival began as a one time event back in 1974 by Mitch Podolak and Colin Gorrie. That’s 37 years ago!

4. In an effort to provide a quality experience, 2010 is the first time that attendance will be capped at 14, 000 per day. (No more waiting to see what the weather will be like.) It’s sold out this year.

5. Only 6000 campers are allowed. Sites are unserviced.

6. The Festival generally avoids the big names in music – but some star attractions have included Blue Rodeo, Elvis Costello, Bare Naked Ladies, Great Big Sea and Bruce Cockburn.

7. The ‘morning tarp run’ is a chaotic scene where thousands of people are let through the gate to place their tarp in front of the mainstage. Scary!

8. Small venue workshops start at 11:30 a.m. and offer an intimate setting for your favorite (and soon to be favorite) acts.

9. Handmade Village offers unique items from soaps to walking sticks to clothes, ear rings and bracelets.

10. Whale’s Tails are an annual must at the Food Village. So are the fantastic fruit shakes.

11. No glass, alcohol or other ‘stuff’ is allowed into the festival area.

12. 2200 volunteers make the festival work. It’s amazing how it’s all organized. I volunteered for a few years as ‘site security’. It was a super experience. And the food? Wow. The volunteers and the performers get exceptional food.

13. There are two campgrounds at the Festival site. ‘Festival’ and ‘quiet’. My family has only camped at the ‘quiet’ site. We learned quickly to choose a camping spot with some shade.

14. There’s poison ivy out there, so stay on the trails. (Our family learned this the hard way.)

15. Wristbands define your status as a camper, weekender, or daily visitor.

16. Family Area is for kids. Big sand dune, crafts, and kid-friendly music. Our family spent many hours over the years in this area.

17. Young Performers Stage is a way for budding artists to perform and be mentored by older, more experienced musicians.

18. The average age at the folk festival? Every age. From newborn to 93.

19. My favorite memory? Watching my three kids wiggle their little bums to the music.

20. Second favorite memory? Seeing a most awesome rainbow while being surrounded by swaying people as beautiful music pulses through the air. (After we'd all been soaked by the rain!)

Twenty summers with my kids. Good vibes!

Visit their website http://www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca/wp/about-us/

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My Town Monday and the Burton Cummings Theatre

2010-07-04T08:58:00.001-07:00

Winnipeg has a downtown establishment called The Burton Cummings Theatre. (I got to watch Leonard Cohen there a few years ago.) The venue was originally called the Walker Theatre when it was built back in 1906. Then in 1991 it was re-furbished and re-named after one of our famous sons, Burton Cummings. Burton was the lead singer of the internationally acclaimed band from the seventies known as The Guess Who. Here's a chance to listen to their song, Share the Land.

Archives of Manitoba, Winnipeg-Theatre-Walker, Image 9/N13272.

The reason I'm sharing Burton's theatre now is because he's been in the news lately. You see, Burton was a high school dropout. But this past June, he (and my youngest daughter) both received their high school diplomas - only not at the same school. His school was St. John's High in the North End - which even back in the 70s was notorious for its rough edge.

My question is this. Does someone who has not fulfilled the requirements of a high school diploma, deserve one? Of course, Burton Cummings moved on to become successful without finishing school. But what message is that sending to young people graduating today? I'm not sure.

Whatever the answer is, I still want to send huge CONGRATULATIONS to all the Class of 2010! The world is yours!

And to anyone who's interested, here's a listing of upcoming Burton Cumming's Theatre Events.

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gardening and writing

2010-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some more writing insights I've learned from gardening. I don't go for the formal, defined garden, but even a casual, informal garden takes a lot of work. While I love color and blossoms, I also love shade trees and lots of green. The two don't always mix. In my writing I lean towards the dark side of life - which doesn't mean it has to be dreary - I just have to remember to have pockets of sunlight - surprise hugs of warmth. Contrast keeps writing and gardens interesting.

Gardening, like writing, is more successful when there's anticipation. And a garden with plants that promise future blooms, rather than a constant sameness of color, keeps the garden visitor coming back for more. Each morning I walk through my garden and indulge in the growth that makes for constant change. In books, I want a character and a plot that surprises me and that makes me want to re-visit the character and see what's developing in that imaginary world.

I've also learned that pruning and weeding are ruthless, but necessary parts of gardening. To do this properly, I've had to learn to identify the difference between a weed and a promising flower. It's taken me a while, but I'm learning. In the same way, some words I write are simply weeds. But it's only by getting in there and writing that I can gain the confidence to distinguish strong writing from weedy trash.

And the greatest thing about gardening and writing, is that you can always re-plant and re-write. And then there's that great recycling place called the compost pile. Nothing is ever wasted. All it takes is time and a little bit of getting dirty.

My Town Monday and the Fifa 2010 World Cup of Soccer - the Winnipeg Connection

2010-06-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

No, my town, Winnipeg, doesn't have one of our fine athletes playing for one of the national teams over in South Africa. Some day though, we will, because we have a thriving youth soccer scene.

But we have two thrilling connections, none-the-less.

The first is Hector Vergara who is one of the refs. Hector actually went to the same high school as me - albeit a decade later. At a soccer awards banquet I once heard him deliver a soul-inspiring talk about how hard work can make dreams come true. He's an awesome example of this. Born in Chile, he's now officiating at his third world cup - which is quite an achievement. Being a ref at a soccer game is a very tough job. And it's the kind of job that only gets noticed when you mess up. So congrats to Hector, you make Winnipeg proud. He worked the Portugal/Brazil game last Friday and more games will depend on the evaluation of that game. It's a tough, tough field.

(Photo from the Associated Press Archives)

Then there's another quiet, mostly unnoticed, but extremely important Winnipeg connection to the 2010 Fifa World Cup. I'll give you a clue: it's green. No, not the Portugal jerseys. It's the grass. The grass seed was supplied by a local Winnipeg company called Pickseed Canada. Read more about it here.

So, go teams, go. No matter who you're cheering for (I was thrilled with Germany's Sunday win over England) remember that my town of Winnipeg is right in there, supporting them all!

My Town Monday - The Harte Trail

2010-06-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

I’m going to try following and participating in the ‘My Town Monday’ blog by Travis Erwin. While I don’t live in a high profile place like San Diego or NYC , I shall try to prove that my town is every bit as interesting. I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba – pop. about 700,000. It’s a place where currently there are way more mosquitoes than humans (excuse me while I swat, scratch, and temporarily go mad).

Let me start off close to home on the Harte Trail. It’s 6.5 kilometers long (about 3 miles). This former CP Rail line (built in 1894) is part of the Trans Canada Trail. My dog and I explore it on an almost daily basis. There’s no motorized traffic allowed on the trail and this makes it a calm escape from city life.

This morning’s sensory delights included: seeing five or six deer munching in a brilliant yellow canola field, hearing frogs croak their little lungs out, tasting the first ripening Saskatoon berries, feeling the sweet south wind in the open areas, and smelling the delicate scent of the pink wild roses. (I think that includes all five senses!) There’s always something new on this trail as it cuts through a farmer's field, prairie grasses and trees, which include aspen, Siberian elm, chokecherries, and also Saskatoon bushes.

Because of the heavy rains this spring, mallard ducks continue to hang out in puddles that normally dry out. Sometimes I hear woodpeckers loudly knocking on wood, and there’s often a rabbit scurrying across the trail. (This is where I must hold tight to that leash!)

Joggers, bike riders, and dog walkers all use the trail. Exercising in a natural setting on an historic trail, which is part of a national trail system, makes ‘my town’ a great place. If you ever do decide to trek across Canada, via foot or bike, make sure you stop by. We can watch a prairie sunset together. Just don’t forget the bug repellent!*

*Or hike/bike in the fall - when it's bug-free and even more perfect!

plum lesson

2010-06-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

I planted a tree this week and learned a lesson that I'd like to share about writing. You see, about six years ago I planted a plum tree. I could already imagine all the plum jam and plum wine that I'd be serving to my family and friends. Trouble was, the beautiful plum tree grew and grew and flowered beautifully each spring. But there was no fruit. So, taking some friendly advice, I went out and bought a second plum tree. Cute little thing that became littler that first winter when our new dog pretended he was a deer and chewed it down. But I was patient. (After all, I'm a writer, patience is one of our defining qualities.)

But it turns out that this cute, little, chewed up plum tree will never bear fruit in my yard. Why? It's the wrong kind of plum tree. It's a cherry plum and my other tree is a European plum and the two don't cross-pollinate. So now I've dug out the cherry plum and put in a European plum (same but different than my first one - a very important point) and now I am again filled with hope. Someday I will have two trees giving me fresh plums, cellars full of wine, and juicy jams.

The writing connection? Writing has to find the right publisher to produce. Sending your work to the wrong place will result in no book. I'm giving my little outcast plum tree to another gardener. May it happily produce plums in the right yard. Of course, all fruit trees need bees to do the cross-pollination work - in the same way, perhaps, that authors need agents - those hardworking networkers of the publishing world.

I better stop right now and get writing.

More historical fiction

2010-06-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love historical fiction?

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is a New York Times Bestseller and needs no promotion from me. The book is written with two points of view. One is that of a young Jewish child - set in 1940s France. The other view is that of a contemporary American woman married to a French man. I love this technique of two narrators, but it is a complicated approach that needs a skilled writer. Maybe someday, I'd like to try it. I'm going to watch out for this type of writing. Suggestions welcomed.

The other recently read book is Best Friends Forever by Beverly Patt. It's for kids. Again this is a war story. (Why, does that horrible war continue to interest us so much?) It also has two points of view. The publisher, Marshall Cavendish, has done an amazing job with the layout. The book imitates a scrapbook filled with mementos and photos that a young girl collects over the course of a year or so. Letters between the two adolescent girls move the story forward. When one girl is sent to a Japanese detention camp, both struggle to understand why. Their friendship endures and grows. There's a bibliography at the back to continue researching this topic.

Historical fiction is for all age groups. It's a great way to try and understand the incomprehensible. By fictionalizing the past, it becomes personable. I think this is what attracts the readers. Don't we all want to get inside the heads of the people who lived, because of the quirks of time, out-of-the-ordinary lives?

2010-06-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

I got to meet Claire and Monte Montgomery at the NBN booth during Book Expo. They're also signed with Blooming Tree. Their upcoming book, Marvin Invents Music, arrived in ARC (advance review copy) form just in time for their BookExpo signing. It was fun watching them see their new arrival for the first time. Marvin Invents Music has a great cover that exudes the same dynamic energy that vibrates out of Claire and Monte Montgomery. It was good to meet them and I wish them much success.

Here's a photo of them with their agent, Leslie Kaufmann.

Book Expo America - wow!

2010-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Click photo to enlarge for a better idea of the crowd. Book Expo America (BEA) is over. It was quite the whirlwind tour and experience. I got to sign and offer copies of my book to strangers from all over the place. The majority of the educators, librarians, booksellers, and fellow authors were from the USA. It was a grand opportunity to connect with potential readers and I very much enjoyed and appreciated the event. Thank you to NBN and Madeline Smoot (CBAY Press) for letting me be a part of it all.

Here I am, signing The Kulak's Daughter.

And here's Donna St. Cyr signing her mid grade humorous read, The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate.

What a city! I was quite prepared to dislike the place. I expected it to be crowded, noisy, and chaotic. And it was. What I didn't expect was to feel comfortable in the crowd, to enjoy the noise, and to indulge in the pure mayhem of it all. How does it all work - this mass of humanity? Of course, Times Square is a touristy spot and there's much more to NYC than what I saw in my three days there. But now I understand why it attracts so many visitors.

One thing BEA and NYC does enforce is size. I am but a mere ant on this planet and there are millions of books, billions of people out there. We're all doing our own thing, and the world keeps moving. I'm just grateful I was a pedestrian and not a driver while there.

Busy!

2010-05-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's been such a hectic month - school visits, changes at the job, spring yard work, lots of soccer (my daughter- not me, I'm just a dedicated fan), a wedding (again, a co-worker - not me) - and now I have to hurry up and prepare for NYC. What do people wear in a place like that? I'm guessing it's not sandals and jeans. So do I dress to be comfortable, or to make others around me not embarrassed to be seen near me? Always a compromise, I suppose.

My school visit was posted in two rural newspapers. Very exciting for me. Check out the front page of the Carmen Leader, and then the bigger Morden Times. Thank you, reporter Gail Aubin. I'm so grateful. And thank you again to teacher Marg Head for making it all happen. Kids need to know that Stalin, gulags, kulaks, and a place called the Soviet Union existed. Stalin's name should be as synonymous with horror as Hitler's.

At BookExpo, I'll be signing at Booth 3777 (National Book Network) on Wednesday, May 26 from 11 til noon. Please visit if you're there! Please! (A little bit of begging.)

Oh, yes. Almost forgot. Today I'm having lunch with fellow Blooming Tree Author, Leslie Carmichael. She's in town from Calgary for a convention. Her newest book, The Amulet of Amon-Ra, is shortlisted for the Prix Aurora Awards (Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy) for best English novel. It's really a great story and I sure hope she wins!

Communism blurb

2010-05-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I must share an assignment my daughter did in her Creative Communications course at college. It's a 'blurb' on communism.

I also did another school visit this past week. This time, most of the kids hadn't read the book. I had a lot of backstory to explain. They hadn't heard of communism, or the Soviet Union, or Stalin.

I'm getting excited about going to NYC in ten days. It'll be like entering the centre of the solar system - and I'm sure I'll be happy later to go into outer orbit, back in little ole Winnipeg.

Thank you Carman grade six-ers!

2010-05-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Back in January I discovered that a teacher in Carman, Manitoba had ordered a class set of The Kulak's Daughter. Of course, I was delighted. As they studied the book, they kept online contact with me, asking questions and delving into issues relevant to the Soviet setting. They even set up a web page as they studied, with links to my blog and online resources.

This past week I got to visit the class. They are wonderful kids. Grade six-ers are my target audience and their teacher, Ms. Margaret Hand, did an amazing job in using my book to teach Soviet history, heroism, and character. The questions those kids asked were so good. I hope I didn't confuse them as I explained the real characters behind the imagined ones.

One wall in the class was lined with student drawings showing how hope was kept alive when things went bad for my protagonist, Olga. It was very touching and I wish I'd brought my camera along to remember those images.

I don't know if, as the years go by, those grade six Carman Elementary School kids will remember Olga and the kulak times. But I do know that I'll never forget my day with them. Sharing the research I did with such an interested audience is every writer's dream.

Thank you!

Not so bad

2010-05-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

First the bad news. I didn't win the McNally Robinson's Book of the Year prize at the Manitoba Book Publishing Awards gala last Sunday. Of course I'm disappointed, but hey, Eva Wiseman is a superb writer and Puppet is a wonderful book. I'm honored just to share a shortlist with her.

But on the brighter side of life ... I got to have dinner with three very interesting people on Friday. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is on a cross-Canada tour to promote her most recent book, Stolen Child. Marsha is a powerhouse of inspiration. Orysia Tracz has translated several books on Ukrainian folkart and customs, writes a regular column for a Ukrainian weekly, and leads annual tours to Ukraine. Susan Zuk spearheads an organization supporting Ukrainian education for schoolchildren. It was an evening of warm and lively conversation.

The Real Uncle

2010-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Went to visit my mom yesterday and she was having a very good day. Her mind was sharp and she could remember the past without breaking down.

There are some differences between my novel and her life story. One big one is that it wasn't an uncle who retrieved the survivors from Siberia, but rather a much older half-brother. His name was Erich and he was seventeen years older than my mother. You see, my grandfather's first wife died in childbirth and Erich was that child. I knew Uncle Erich. He'd immigrated to Canada in 1953 with the rest of the surviving extended family. By then he was already in his fifties. Back in '31 Uncle Erich took a train up to Yaya, Siberia and collected his orphaned half-siblings. He then adopted them as his own. His poor wife - my Tante Marthe. They had two toddlers of their own and a baby on the way. Getting four new children must have been very hard. But Uncle Erich had the proper documents and was able to get everyone out of the USSR. Without him, they'd all have stayed Soviet citizens. My grandfather never got his documents together and couldn't leave. But that's another book!

Later, in 1947, after my mom was released from a prisoner of war camp in the Urals because she was too ill to work, it was the same Uncle Erich who smuggled her across the border into West Germany. But that's a whole other story. This Uncle Erich lived to be 93 and died in Kelowna where he had a comfortable home. I'd visited him a few times as a youngster, growing up. To me then he'd been just another old man from the old country. You couldn't tell by looking at him that he'd lived such an adventure-filled life. I just knew he was a retired school janitor and that he made his own wine.

If I could only go back twenty years and mine his mind! Oh, the stories he could tell. But in those days, I didn't have ears that could listen.

another review

2010-04-18T07:57:00.001-07:00

The the local Winnipeg Free Press mentioned my book - and in a positive way, too! Hurrah! Although the reviewer said parts of the story weren't 'pleasant' reading, she also called it 'compelling.' I make no apologies for the unpleasant parts. I only had to write about them, the reader only has to read about them, but my mother had to live through them and so did many other children.

Childhood can be a happy time, but we all know that it's one of the most difficult times of our lives. Even today, in a prosperous, peaceful city like Winnipeg, children struggle. Even if our children have every material need looked after, they are - just by being children - vulnerable and insecure. But hey, isn't that the human condition? I, for one, have never outgrown feeling vulnerable and insecure. Then again, perhaps that just a writer's condition.

awful

2010-04-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

So, I was just thinking ...

the word beautiful means something is full of beauty, but the word awful, doesn't mean full of awe, it means the opposite. The English language- awesome, beautiful, and even awful - all at the same time. Sometimes you just trip on a language pothole and sit there wondering why.

Kate Brown's A Biography of No Place

2010-04-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Kate Brown's A Biography of No Place is the kind of nonfiction that I read with a pencil in hand, constantly underlining and exclamation-marking. This book came out in 2004 and I wish I'd read it sooner. I learned so much while reading it. The 'no place' that the title refers to is that borderland area between Russia and Poland where my grandfather and mother were born. The author traveled throughout the region and sat on benches with the old people listening to their memories. She wandered through some of the same areas I traveled in.

For example, from page 111, she visits a village that the Soviets re-invented, during collectivization. Let me quote: "When I arrived there on a blustery spring day I found five elderly men sitting on a bench in front of a short row of cottages." She learns that the Germans were all forcefully removed from the area, but nobody remembers when. Then she writes, "They could have left during anyone of the progressive, prophylactic, and punitive mass mobilization efforts that shook the border zone during the long and troubled thirties and into the forties."

But Kate Brown isn't just talking about the Germans in her book. (The Germans are just my major interest). The Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews were all forced to fit into moulds that outside forces imposed. I think her main thesis in the book is that these people were happily nationless. They got along together without thinking of each other as 'other'. In the 20th century they were forced to become part of nations, rather than on the edge, on the border, fluid and flexible. Being undefined, being merely farmers, neighbors, and villagers, was seen as their major weakness. The Soviets had to categorize them according to class and then the Nazis had to categorize them according to race.

And all they wanted was to be connected to their land and their families. Instead, they were shuffled around the vast Soviet empire through deportations, arrests and war. So finally they lost that connection to their land and to themselves.

Of course, I'm making it too simple. Brown is an absolutely eloquent writer and a sensitive researcher. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Ukraine - past and present.

spring

2010-04-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

After four glorious months off work, I'm back on the street delivering mail and loving it. There's something so good about walking and being physically tired. Maybe, it's because it's so simple. And I missed my customers. I've done the same route for more than ten years now and recognize the perennials that emerge each spring, see the children (or grandchildren) growing, and (sadly) see endings - divorce, old pets, and yes, old customers. This past winter was hard on my route - at least four deaths. Death generates a lot of mail.

Spring is here - in all its dirty, windy, litter-ful untidiness. In the evenings I walk Buddy through the woods. Even there, spring is messy - soggy, muddy trails - mosquito breeding puddles. But the pussy willows are out and last night I heard my first frog croak. Today, the wind's direction is from the north. Yes, it's the semi-annual, battle of the seasons. Nobody said change was easy.

Monument to Stalin - in 2010!

2010-03-26T08:41:00.001-07:00

Doesn't seem possible, but it's a fact - a monument to Stalin will be put up in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporozhie in time for this May's Victory Day. Another monument is planned for Kiev. Is time moving backwards?

Recipe for Disaster

2010-03-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm reading the other authors shortlisted for McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award. I'd read Eva Wiseman's Puppet when it came out last year. I read all her books - because they're historical fiction and because they are so good. I would give Puppet the best chance to win (but then, I'm not done reading all the nominated books yet).

Now I've just finished Maureen Fergus's nominated book Recipe for Disaster. I approached it with a critical mind, looking for weaknesses because, of course, her book is competing against mine. And I admit, at first, I felt a teensy bit comfortable. But the book just kept getting better and better, and by the time I was done, I was feeling pretty insecure. Not only is Recipe for Disaster super funny, it's also very well written, and has a main character who matures in a subtle but believable way. I'd compare the writing to Barry Summie's I So Don't Do Mysteries series.

There were several times I laughed out loud. What really stands out are the verbs. Francie, the main character, is so full of energy she just moves the action along. During the last half of the book I started checking off those verbs. Here's a sampling: sprinted, screeching, tumbled, clomped, whizzing, plunged, leaping, dazzled, hustled, burst ... you get the picture. The book is full of action. And I think it's got everything a young adult (middle grade) reader wants in a book.

It's also very visual and I could just see this as a movie.

Recipe for Disaster is a great read, and considering my own book is anything but fun, I so enjoyed laughing along with Francie as she tries to be successful in that dangerous period of life called the teen age.

I'm honored to be on the same shortlist! One more book to read.

face of ukraine

2010-03-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is from a letter by Alex Brzhezitskyy reporting on Ukraine's "Woman's Day"(March 8th) - an annual day to recognize women and their struggles in former Soviet bloc countries and around the world.

"If someone asks what Ukraine is, I would not hesitate to say that it's an old village lady sitting on the bench near her house. On her face you can see years of hard - not rewarded labor on the collective farms - loss of her husband, worries about her children and at the time always welcoming and friendly ready to share humble food from her kitchen garden."

In Canada, our old women sit inside. I'm reminded of my recent visit to a seniors' place. They, too, have humble pride. Hmm. Humble pride - aren't those opposites?

Book Burning

2010-03-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

The newly elected pro-Russian government in Ukraine just had a book burning. What did they burn? History books - books that demonize the Soviets and glorify Ukrainians. It's frightening to think that in 2010 the truth about the past is still seen as threatening. No wonder the old people that survived the gulag, the Holodomor, and World War II are so broken in spirit. The experiences of their youth are still considered figments of their imagination.

Shortlisted!

2010-03-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

So thrilled to announce that The Kulak's Daughter is on the Manitoba Book Awards shortlist for Young People (Older Category) Book of the Year Award. Pinch me! The winner will be announced at the end of April at a Gala event that I wanted to attend last year, but then felt too intimidated. It's okay if I don't win, truly - just being nominated gives me my confidence back.

Old Folks

2010-03-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

I went to a seniors' place yesterday and gave a book talk. It was wonderful to connect with the mostly women there. It's funny, but I see them so much like the young girls they used to be. It's a fact that women live longer than men - and so many live alone. It's touching to see how they still care about the same things they cared about when they were young - about their hair, their clothes, cake, and their friends. The important things!

A couple of women wanted to show me their apartments. They are so proud of them, and rightfully so. They're filled with beautiful things - photos of the gorgeous grandchildren, handmade crafts, and everything is in its place. I used to cringe when I saw such perfection, but now I recognize the decades that led to this small apartment - and how having a tiny place of one's own is so important. Life is hard work for most of us, and old age can be so lonely.

The women I talked to had similar backgrounds to my mother - displaced refugees from WWII. They came in the 1950s by the boatload. And now they finally have time to remember.

I guess Neil Young sang it best.

Book Expo America

2010-03-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

Looks like I'm going to Book Expo in NYC in May. That's one place that's never been on my radar, but I figure why turn down an opportunity like this. Might never come again. I'm more of a camping kind of person and usually avoid the city life, but I gather NYC is more of a state of mind than an actual geographical space. Also, I have to pay my own way, but I'm used to that.

At BEA I'll have a whole hour to sign books - now I just have to figure out how to make people notice me and The Kulak's Daughter. I do believe in my story and must give it any opportunity for attention that's reasonably available. I'll be at the National Book Network booth on Wednesday, May 26th at 11 a.m. Please come and visit. I'm sure I'll post about this again.

Oh, and any tips on NYC or BEA will sure be appreciated.

Cry out of Russia and other old stories

2010-02-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

Finished reading another memoir, Cry Out of Russia, by Anna Fischer. This is a self-published work and I met the author last year at a geneology conference in Medicine Hat, Alberta. (The book is available through the University of North Dakota - Germans from Russia Heritage Collection.) Technology has made self-publishing such a great way to pass on family stories. I'd never considered it myself - but had I known how difficult a journey publishing was - I honestly admit I might have considered it. Of course I'm relieved that I didn't, yet there are definite advantages to self-publishing. The big one is that you have total control over the final product.

The negatives? Well, there are many disadvantages to self-publishing. The one I noticed in this book is the poor editing. But then, the writer is a woman in her eighties - so I'm not trying to be overly critical - I totally admire her for doing this. Like my mother, she probably only had a grade three or four education. Still, it would be so simple to have someone (a college student, perhaps) review the text for basic grammar and style. In this case a lot of the German words were misspelled. Why would someone go to the expense of self-publishing and not have the basics double-checked? Editing aside, I found Cry Out of Russia to be a heart-wrenching story of a woman's life during a time and in a place that has not had a lot of publicity. Anna never got to be a child and I'm amazed at how strong she continues to be. I understand now why the Germans from Russia have continued to support each other.

The photos in the book were an excellent addition - making the book feel like a family album. When I see the photos of her extended family - those that got shipped to Siberia - I think of my mother and her family. The tragedy of the Germans from Russia - like every tragedy - needs individual faces to be understood. The whole experience of reading this book felt like an intimate chat with an old woman, baring her soul. I'm so sorry, Anna, that your life was so very hard. Thank you for telling your story. You are a true survivor.

Which reminds me... I had an afternoon chat with a local man who didn't come out of the Soviet Union until 1972. He'd been separated from his family since 1944 when the German army retreated, taking the German civilians with them. This man now lives on a quiet street, living a quiet life - his neighbours have no idea what a life he's lived.

That's what I like about being a writer - we get to shine flashlights on the secrets - whether they're under the bed, old maps and photographs covered with cobwebs; in the proverbial closet, an old worn jacket, amongst the fine clothes; or in the old letters, refolded, stained, and written with now illegible and fading script. Then, as writers, we get to add our imaginations to these truths and create story. So in spite of feeling discouraged (yes) I've no choice but to continue exploring and writing. Curiosity hasn't killed this cat yet.

Musing about the Muse

2010-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

I found this talk here by Elizabeth Gilbert really moving. (Is this where the tweet world comes in?) She caught my attention because I'd just heard the CBC interview her and I want to read her books.

Good news!

2010-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Good news!

The Kulak's Daughter got another nice review. Thank you, Allie!

Plus - a school, just south of the Winnipeg, bought a classroom set (27 copies) and is doing a social studies unit on Stalin and communism. Plus - they want me to come visit after they've done their unit. I am thrilled! They're grade six kids - a perfect age for this book. I am so looking forward to interacting with them. The teacher says they'll also be watching the documentary "Through the Red Gate." I checked it out and highly recommend it.

Three Books, Six Stories, One War

2010-02-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

Just read three books - all historical fiction for young people, all about World War II, all by Canadian authors. AND, all three books are highly recommended reading. They taught me something new and made me want to be a grade six teacher all over again. Such powerful reading!

This Land We Call Home is by Alison Lohans (Pearson Education New Zealand, 2007)

Summer of Fire is by Karen Bass (Coteau Books, Regina, Saskatchewan, 2009)

Stolen Child is by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (Scholastic Books Canada, 2010)

Really, really brief one sentence descriptions:

This Land We Call Home is about the internment of Japanese Americans during the war.

Summer of Fire is about the bombing of Hamburg.

Stolen Child is about the Lebensborn program during Nazi times.

What I really want to talk about is how the authors tackle history. All three books tell two stories in one. In Lohans' book, the narrration switches back and forth between Paula and Ken. Ken speaks in the first person and Paula speaks in the third. At first I admit to finding this confusing, but I caught on. Both stories happen in parallel time, but different locations. This book would be a good companion to the Canadian Japanese experience - so aptly told in Naomi's Road by Joy Kogawa.

In Bass's book, the two stories are from different times, but again, one story is in first person - a diary form - and the contemporary story is told in third person. The geographical setting is mostly the same for both stories in this book and I love the contemporary reality. The author's obviously familiar with Hamburg. (The diary portion reminds me of White Ribbon - a recent Golden Globe winner and also of the nonfiction book Life and Death in the Third Reich that I've recently read.) There's a connection with the Lebensborn program in the book and this brings me to the third of this little series here.

In Skrypuch's book, the two stories come from within the same character. The young girl has flashbacks and dreams that reveal a history she's repressed. The Lebensborn program is shocking and hasn't had a lot of publicity. As far as I'm aware, there's only been one other book on this disturbing subject. It's by Joan Wolfe, and called, Someone Named Eva The immigrant experience comes across loud and clear in Skrypuch's book. I remember the disappointment of eating yuchy, white "wonderbread" myself. My brother and I used to roll it up and make mini- snowballs (but I digress).

So, history told through diaries, through letters, through flashbacks, through great writing through the eyes of young characters. I don't recall history being so interesting when I went to school.

All three books also introduce foreign words and culture. I come away from these books with a spattering introduction to Japanese, German, and Ukrainian words. These books are simply must-reads!

And reading them together, like I have, has only intensified my appreciation of them.

Hitler/Stalin

2010-02-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading Life and Death in the Third Reich by Peter Fritzsche. It's the kind of book that reads like a horror story - only it's true. So I've been thinking about Hitler and Stalin - these monsters who got to have so much lethal power in the last century. Short and succinct article was posted in The Economist back in '99. Read it here.

My mom lived in both worlds and this has warped her world view. She's 'politically incorrect' about a few things. But I listen and try to understand where she's coming from. Fritzsche's book discusses how much the average German citizen knew about the 'final solution.'

We have to study history and we have to look in mirrors. But I'm sure looking forward to reading something happy for a change. Maybe I'll read the seed catalogue - that's always so refreshing in the dead of winter.

2010-01-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

It's arrived! I feel legit! The Kulak's Daughter is finally available on Amazon.

Blown away with gratitude

2010-01-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

My launch on Dec. 8th was a bit of a blur in my own mind - but I've got some photos now to prove that it really did happen. I wish I had a photo of my guests - they were just awesome - and looking back now, I am so grateful to each and every person who came out that snowy December night. Thank you.

And I've got some great news - McNally Robinson - in spite of bankruptcy - is restructuring and I'm on the receiving end! Plus, a school in southern Manitoba has ordered a classroom set of The Kulak's Daughter. I'm just blown away with gratitude!

vampire book

2010-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

My 17 year old daughter wanted me to read twilight by Stephenie Meyer and I did and I enjoyed it, but ... it dragged in places for me. I thought it could have been a lot shorter. Still it was a page-turner kind of book and I'll always associate my wrist-rehab with vampires and young love.

I must say I enjoyed the Harry Potter kind of adventure more than this romance story. Now I'm purging myself with a nonfiction book called "Life and Death in the Third Reich," by Peter Fritzsche. Real life monsters. How did my father get sucked into Hitler's vision?

Review

2010-01-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

I'd like to share the first review in for The Kulak's Daughter.

http://10storiesup.blogspot.com

selling yourself

2010-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

I attended a local workshop last night at Aqua Books. The topic: How to sell yourself, without selling yourself. We were a small group - and most there were young enough to be my children (maybe people, old like me, aren't supposed to be still trying to sell themselves or their ideas).

Little do those youngsters know that age has nothing to do with numbers. Age is more about attitude. Also, I discovered I came from the wrong part of the town. This bookstore tries to ignore people like me living out in the 'burbs. I always find that sort of pre-judging enlightening and amusing. Culture has such snob appeal.

Anyway. Here, in six short points, are Kelly Hughes' secrets to successfully selling one's self. (Nothing too original here, but totally useful, nonetheless.) These points can be applied directly to book marketing.

1. Passion

2. Presentation

3. Positioning

4. Personna

5. Partnerships

6. Persistence

Thank you, Kelly Hughes (aka Mayor of Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall).

House of Bears

2010-01-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

House of Bears by Orysia Dawydiak (Acorn Press) just came out in December. It's a great debut novel written by a PEI author with a Ukrainian heritage. The story itself takes place in Ontario - shuffling between Toronto and a small northern mining community called Copper Creek. But the story also shuffles between the past and the present and so the reader travels overseas to Ukraine and the trauma of war and its consequences. It's a book about the immigrant experience, about family dynamics, and about finding one's self. In spite of many serious issues raised in the book - including suicide and alcoholism - I found myself chuckling as I recognized myself in the protagonist - Luba - reacting to her overbearing mother. Overbearing mother?

House of Bears is the kind of book that stays with you. It makes you think about big things like secrets, shame, and family - and about how love is a complicated dynamic energy that is so aptly expressed in the title of the book.

More great books

2010-01-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Life on the couch has been totally fun. The good, or should I say, great, books just keep falling into my lap. What a way to mend a broken bone. I totally escaped with Barrie Summy's 2nd book in her "i so don't do" series with her energetic, charismatic Sherry character. This one, I So Don't Do Spooky is even better than the first of the series - or maybe that's just because I've warmed up to Sherry now and she feels like a crazy, lovable daughter. Very contemporary, very funny. I see the 3rd book in the series will be out in the spring. Can't wait.

I gobbled up another book this past week that somehow got misplaced in my "to read" pile. J. E. MacLeod's Waiting to Score. Wow! This book really impressed me. I couldn't stop reading and then I had to make my 17 year old read it. She usually doesn't go for my suggestions but I know she was up pretty late last night with it. This book's strength is the characters. They are complex, real, and empathetic. Great tension, great upper YA read. (definitely not for middle graders).

J.E. Macleod is from Calgary. I look forward to reading more from her. Hey, and I have another Calgary writer's new book in my reading pile - Leslie Carmichael's The Amulet of Amon-Ra.

Beverly Patt's Haven

2010-01-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

I met Bev at a TLA conference back in 2008. We got to speak on a panel about cultural diversity. We're also fellow Blooming Tree authors. I was eager to read her book and it's been well worth the long wait. If I could use only one word to describe Bev it'd be dynamic - and this same dynamic energy flows through her debut novel, Haven. Her characters are strong and totally engaging. The pacing just pulled me along. Everytime I finished a chapter, I'd want to start the next. The plot surprises are well crafted and the resolution satisfies (don't want to give the ending away).

But what really blew me away were the metaphors. They sparkled. Nothing is more jarring than an out-of-place comparison. But Bev has a gift for showing feelings and character by giving vivid images. Let me give an example (or two):

"All the talk of jail and Britt's burns and rotten mothers weighed on me, like one of those lead blankets the dentist puts on you for x-rays." (chapter 16).

Or, back in chapter 10, where she describes Stark: "His bright blue eyes on his oil-smudged face looked like two patches of fresh sky surrounded by thunderheads."

Bev's writing reminds me of Stark's eyes - fresh and bright. May her career as a novelist will continue to sparkle. Go, Bev!

bad news, bad timing

2009-12-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

in keeping with the general trend of my life - the wonderful independent bookseller, mcnally robinson, (canada's largest indie) has filed for bankruptcy protection. see more detailed story here (for the Toronto story) and here (for the local Winnipeg version).

this is bad news for me because i'll probably never see any of the money they owe me. my debut novel was launched there and was even on their pre-Christmas bestseller list for 2 weeks. as an unsecured creditor i'll be at the very bottom of their debt list. nobody ever goes into writing to make money - but i sure lost money now.

correction

2009-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

It appears that someone (inadvertently) slipped a name into the historical note appendage that shouldn't be there. The boy of the story who dies too young as a soldier is Olga's little brother, Albert, and not Sasha. Albert is the boy in the photograph on the back cover of The Kulak's Daughter. He was a real person. Sasha is an imaginary boy. I hope this clears up any confusion.

merry christmas/frohe weihnachten

2009-12-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

recipe for a merry christmas/frohe weihnachten

evergreen tree

snow

liberal sprinkles of red and green

colorfully wrapped secret packages

candlelight

plates of sugar cookies

mandarin oranges

photogenic golden lab (optional)

fluffy black cat (also optional)

children (or reasonable fascimile)

sentimental xmas music

generous spoonfuls of love, tolerance, and hope

mix together.

put into a home.

tastes best if shared liberally.

time for reading

2009-12-19T07:34:00.001-08:00

it's the second week the kulak's daughter gets to be noticed on the local bestseller list. slipped to 3rd place, though, thanks to neil gaiman's trip through the city. that's okay, i'm thrilled just to have it noticed at all. (this can't & won't last, though - first, because of supply issues, and secondly, because it's historical fiction and kind of depressing).

i've read some amazingly good books lately (see my reading list) which both humble me and make me again realize the power of books. i've been forced into a more couch-centered lifestyle while my wrist mends. we're such a busy world - reading books can seem so unimportant, so disconnected from life. why can't we give books and reading more time, more power, more prestige? while i don't wish anyone a broken bone, i wish all of you time to indulge in good books!

what a week

2009-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

the last 2 weeks have been kind of surreal. no write/right hand, my first-ever novel arrives, i have a most wonderful launch event, go in for wrist surgery, and now as i wean myself off the painkillers, i discover that i'm on this week's McNally Robinson/Winnipeg Free Press bestseller list (for kids' books). so what if it's -45 with the windchill tonight? i am pumped!

oh, and i know it's only for this one week - but, i shall enjoy. not only that but i've rediscovered how wonderful friends can be.

i don't quite believe this

2009-12-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

my downfall came on dec.1st with the first light flakes of the season. i'm a letter carrier, but there'll be no december rush or january deep chill for me this year. the cruel irony is - with a broken right wrist - i'm unable to hold a pen and i have my long anticipated book launch & signing next week. i'll be going from a tuesday night launch, to a wednesday morning surgery. hmm ... must be creative and find some way to sign books.

i'll have to be creative with a few other things, too ... like buttering toast & wrapping gifts

meanwhile, i'm eagerly anticipating a special delivery ... my book!

Ursula Mahlendorf

2009-11-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Almost finished reading The Shame of Survival - Working Through a Nazi Childhood by Ursula Mahlendorf. It's a 2009 release. I chose it as background reading for my WIP. This book is fascinating: a first-person female youth's perspective. There are so many levels to this book. There's the obvious political, then the family dynamics, the war, and the growth of self. It explains so much - not by telling, but by showing. All those severe German attitudes I grew up with - and still encounter - are there in the characters of her book, and, of course, the great universal spasm between adults and young people.

It's also fascinating to see her love of literature develop - reminds me of The Book Thief - one of my all time favorite novels. She puts samples of German poetry in the book - poems I remember reading as a student when I had to go to Saturday morning German School.

I'm close to the end now, and it's growing ever more compelling.

Math Truth

2009-11-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

What is truth?

This question haunts me a bit because on my book cover it'll say "based on a true story." What does that mean? I wonder myself. I wanted the truth to be in the historical events surrounding my character. I wanted my character to be true to the personal trauma my mother experienced - loss of home, of parents, of her dog. I wanted my character to be true to the vanities, insecurities and interests of an eleven-year-old girl (here, I'd say I relied more on my own girls & my childhood - but the imaginary girl of the book has definite character traits of my 90-year-old mother who retains a lot of that eleven-year-old fighting spirit).

The beauty and strength of fiction is that - like a math equation - you can work everything out. If it doesn't balance - if the events and the character do not come to terms with each other in some way - then the story fails. Of course, an author manipulates the plot and the character development. After all, in our finite world of the book, we are the creators. We get to choose which characters stay or go. But it's the readers who judge 'the truth' of that world. And like in math, we have 'theorems' to go along with the equations. Each piece of fiction has a 'theorem' - and that is what the author sets out to prove.

Truth? Can it be simple math? Let's see.

If a + b = c then c -b = a

If girl (a) plus dog (b) equals home (c) , then home (c) minus dog(b) equals girl (a)

But this is where math fails. Yes, we have girl - but we have a changed girl. How do you show that truth? Man, back to the books. Math and me will never get along.

Distractions

2009-11-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to keep myself distracted while awaiting my first book release - pub. date is Nov. 24. I've been revising a wip and have also started something completely new. But reading good books has been my best distraction at the moment. Marissa Doyle's Bewitching Season has been sitting on my bedside pile for over a year now, and I've finally read it. Wow! I so enjoyed it and must read the next in the series, Betraying Season. I see she has a third coming out called, The Waterloo Plot. Historical fiction with romance and humour. Great combination. Marissa was co-chair of the Class of 2k8 and she was a kind, level-headed and grounded leader. So good to see how her writing career has taken off.

I've also just finished reading Betsy Lerner's The Forest for the Trees. It was the right book at the right time and has got me prepared for life after publication. Listen to this quote from chapter 12: "Most books come into this world with the fanfare of a stillborn." (James Purdy). Oh. That's encouraging. Then Lerner goes on to say, "Publishing a book can be a cruel joke on the uninitiated." Well, that's me - the uninitiated. Okay, so I'm psyching myself up for postpartum depression and the cruel joke. You know, if a tree falls in the forest and there's nobody there, does it make a sound. Well, if you get a book published, and nobody reads it, does the book really exist?

My c0-BTP author, Bev Patt's, debut novel Haven, has just been born, and I wish Haven and its creator nothing but a wonderful life. Can't wait for my copy in the mail.

Let me quote from Lerner one more time: "This quixotic belief in oneself is critical for a writer's continued existence..." I hear music from Journey crowding my brain.

2k9

2009-11-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest Class of 2k9 post. It's a 'marketing gift' to the class of 2k10. (And since it's on the internet, it's a gift to us all.) Great advice in there, too! Dare I sum it up? Get involved in group marketing, be bold, but be yourself. There's no right way to do this. Just believe and always keep writing.

I had to drop out of the Class of 2k8 (after spending a whole year in it). That was a sad shocker. Then I made the difficult decision of dropping out of the Class of 2k9. I still watched the class from afar - like a student who drops out of school - I'd sometimes stand on the opposite curb and watch the buzz (or is that 'hear' the buzzer?). Do I regret dropping out? Sometimes. But my reasons were reasonable and at the time it was the right decision. I learned so much just hanging out in 2k8 for over a year, and I strongly recommend group marketing for newcomers.

Publishing is a huge, confusing world. But that big publishing world seems a wee bit cozier when I recognize former classmates' books on Winnipeg bookstore shelves. Thanks fellow Blooming Tree author, Greg Fishbone!

Halloween Setting

2009-10-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

It's a great time of year - the in between time - and the weather outside is totally perfect for wandering imaginations. To set the mood, one must listen to Hawksley Workman's song, Autumn's Here. Then add: grey sky, some fog, and a wind whipping dead leaves around. I love it!

Here's a link to a tour of Winnipeg's haunted spots. Yes, we have our ghosts here. Do I believe in ghosts? I've met a few, so I guess that makes me a believer. I brushed shoulders with my grandfather in Zhitomir while I was there. Okay, it might have been the wind, I admit, bumping into me while I turned that corner to the archives building. Wind is just one of nature's most amazing things - it's invisible, yet so powerful. Without wind, everything would stay the same.

Have yourself an imaginative Halloween!

Moving on...

2009-10-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

Finished off my copy-edits yesterday (hurrah!!) and played the bit part of a harried/hurried mom in my daughter's college film project. Plus the day job. So today I can do the off-stage harried mom bit - laundry, scrounge for food, walk the ignored canine, pet the ignored other pet (poor kitty) and scream at all the clutter that grows in bathrooms and hallways. Why do girls have to try on three or four different outfits before they leave the house?

As to my movie debut? Umm, I think I'll stick to writing and reading.

Yaya, Siberia

2009-10-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

My mother and her siblings, along with my grandmother, were exiled to a place called Yaya in Siberia. It's a bit southeast of Tomsk and off the beaten track. Thanks to google, I've more interesting information about this journey. It's about 3000 kilometers from Moscow to Yaya. Gas costing $1.29 a liter (or $4.89 a gallon) means a round trip would cost about $750.00 dollars - and we definitely would want to make this a round trip. But in 1930 they would have left from Zhytomyr, which adds another thousand kilometers to the trip. So a round trip from Zhytomyr ... would cost about $1000.00 dollars in gas money. Still probably cheaper than the train. Wouldn't that be a cross-country adventure?

Of course, back in 1930, the trip into exile was courtesy of the government. A slow, unheated freight train ride to the middle of nowhere at the beginning of winter. Plus, it was a one-way trip for my grandmother.

My grandmother was hoping that they'd be dumped in Irkursk on Lake Baikal because that was where other family members had been sent. It would have added another thousand kilometers. Yaya, was only supposed to be a transition camp - a place to spend the winter. Irkursk seems less desolate than Yaya. Today, it's quite the tourist destination - because of it's proximity to Lake Baikal, no doubt. So if I went, that would a good place in which to headquarter.

Someday.

Deflated

2009-10-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Do other authors go through this? I'm totally de-flated, dis-couraged, and de-layed.

New release date: November 24.

Sharing computers

2009-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Someday when I'm rich and famous (or old and lonely) I'm going to have my very own laptop and I'm not going to share. Does anyone else have these issues? Back in the old days I could write whenever the 'muse' hit me. Now, I write when my favorite teenager is working, still sleeping, or at school.

I guess I could exercise the muse with the old pen and notebook. Some tools will never go out of style.