This Saturday! From noon until 4! Meet authors from northwestern Ontario, buy books and/or have them signed, and enjoy the air-conditioned comfort of Thunder Bay Chapters on Memorial. Shuniah House author Roy Blomstrom will be there with SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR. We hope to have copies of CRADLE OF THE DEEP: MEMOIR OF A LAKE SUPERIOR COTTAGE there as well. The most up-to-date list of other participating authors: Sandi Boucher, Sam Convey, H. Leighton Di

Rabbit's on the run, AWOL from his unit, running for his life from the army he joined as a volunteer. Somewhere heading toward Russia, he falls in with hordes of Finnish-speaking Red refugees who believe they will be safe in Russia--that Russia will welcome them. As long as the way to Lahti and Karelia remains open. Rabbit will eventually find another spot on the White side for himself. But he will be fighting for his life for some time. Spring is coming to the countryside, b

At 9 a.m. on April 6, 1918, the Red side in Tampere surrendered. White soldiers are supposed to treat the soldiers and civilians as prisoners--but without the resources to guard them, they begin executions. Jussi and his father tour the city their artillery has helped destroy--the buildings, the people and other living beings. It must have been difficult to view their participation as a battle "victory." The war itself is still not over. #1918FinnishCivilWar #100yearsago #His

Easter fell on similar dates in 1918--March 31 instead of April 1, but the same weekend. Tampere is under artillery bombardment. Jussi and his father can see the red glow of fire in the city. Karl's infantry regiment fought in the cemetery, and many were lost. After the Easter service, many families--including the Solbakkens--get bad news from the list of the dead posted at Svensson's store. The war continues to take its toll on the new country, creating mayhem and fear among

We're approaching the centenary of the battles that are widely considered to be the turning point of the Finnish Civil War, which occurred on and in the days following the Ides of March. White and Red armies fight amid three lakes in south-central Finland; soon, Tampere will fall. But events like "tipping points" or "turning points" are usually visible only in retrospect. Thinking back, considering, and reviewing events is the best way to make sense of them. To help readers c

In SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, events 100 years ago have embroiled Jussi Mantere and the Solbakken family in fighting for the White army. Jussi and his father have had artillery training. Ivor Solbakken, known as Rabbit, has been separated from his brother Karl, who is in the infantry--a foot soldier, in the thick of the action. Rabbit is ostensibly learning to be a cook. The White infantry is joined by artillery in fighting near Vilppula, as Red forces p

Fun announcement! SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR will soon be available at Fireweed. Fireweed, at 182 S. Algoma Street, is one of Thunder Bay's top destinations for anything made by local artists. Also, more copies of SILENCES are available in Cole's at InterCity Mall; they're still in stock at the Thunder Bay Museum. And as always, feel free to order online! #1918FinnishCivilWar #100yearsago #HistoricalNovel #ThunderBay #FinnishCivilWar #Silences

The premiere of VELJENI VARTIJA, an opera by noted Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas, is this Friday, February 16, in Tampere, Finland, at Tampere-Talo. Set in 1918, the opera is "about hate and mercy," focusing on a brother and sister who end up on opposite sides of the Finnish Civil War. The title translates as "My Brother's Keeper."Librettist and stage director Tuomas Parkkinen says, "The opera is thematically anti-war, and it hardly contains any ideological discussion or

At his website, author Roy Blomstrom considers the Finnish Civil War, snow, gloves, and conscription. As the divisions between Red sympathizers and White sympathizers becomes more plain, White leaders must consider where their fighting force will come from. Some will volunteer. Some, however, won't: conscription will be required. #1918FinnishCivilWar #100yearsago #HistoricalNovel #PortArthur #Canada #Ontario #Finland #ThunderBay #FinnishCivilWar #Silences

We're now into that part of 2018 that marks the 100th anniversary of events in the Finnish Civil War. One hundred years ago, Mannerheim had been made Supreme Commander of the White Guards. In SILENCES: A NOVEL OF THE 1918 FINNISH CIVIL WAR, 100 years ago yesterday, Jussi Mantere's mother was shot by armed men on horseback wearing red armbands. Was the war itself inevitable 100 years ago? Possibly--probably--maybe. Certainly something changed for Jussi that day, regardless of