Ch - ch - ch - ch - changes

I've always loved David Bowie, and this up-beat song about the inevitability of change seems once again relevant to me when I'm handing over the reins of Finn-Guild to a new, freshly recruited Managing Director. Luckily I’ll have a soft landing as I’ll still be editing the Finnish/British cultural charity's magazine until further notice; but my main aim is to spend more time with my own literary pursuits.

So you can expect much more regular blog posts here on my blog about books, about writing and about life in London in general. 

In September I'll start a new series of blogs on Advice for New Writers. Lots of people who want to write but know nothing about the process of writing or publishing ask me for advice, and often I really don't know where to start. There's so much information that you need in different stages of a writer's life. This particular series was inspired by a young would-be author who recently came to me for advice. I think I completely overwhelmed her with tips and suggestions, so I decided to chop them up into more manageable chunks. I hope you'll enjoy this series, and will recommend them to any friends who are interested in becoming an Indie Author.

Of course my main aim will be to write more novels - the sequel to The Englishman is first on the list, and I will attempt to get it ready before Christmas (I know, it's been a long time coming...). I'm really excited about this book, and will let you have a sneak peek very soon.  

Of course I’m going to miss Finn-Guild and all the friends I've made during my time with the charity terribly – I’ve enjoyed my time with the Finnish and British Expat communities immensely. But, as the man sings, 'Turn and Face the Change'. I'm certainly looking forward to my new life as an author entrepreneur. 

When the Doves Disappeared by Sofi Oksanen - book review

Once again Sofi Oksanen excels in making the recent tragic history of Estonia and its people into an engaging and riveting read. 

In her previous, much acclaimed novel, Purge, the story follows three generations of women, while in When the Doves Disappeared, we trace the fates of two male cousins, each of whom deals very differently with their lives marred by war, the Red Army’s invasion, the brief but devastating period of German rule, and eventually the Soviet era.

Roland is a passionate freedom fighter, desperate for an independent Estonia. His younger cousin, Edgar, however, is more pragmatic and easily aligns himself with whoever is in power, without much thought to principles. Edgar’s wife Juudit too, is a survivor, but she has more difficulty in escaping her Estonian conscience, or Roland, who is often at hand to remind her.

The story is told from the point of view of the three main characters, Roland, Edgar and Juudit, and is set during two particularly violent periods in Estonian history; 1941 under Communist and Nazi rule, and 1963 when the Soviet Union increased its stranglehold of the small Baltic nation.

But this novel isn't merely a story of tragedy brought on by war and oppression, but also a tale of love, sexual identity and the secrets that haunt Roland, Juudit and Edgar. 

The heart-warming description of Edgar’s attempts to please his various masters is squirm-making; while the infatuation and passion Juudit feels in the height of her doomed love-affair is heart-breaking; and the seemingly mysterious and futile loss Roland suffers makes you wish you were reading a comic novel. However, the twists and turns of this brilliant book make you read on – and when you've finished, you wish you could read When the Doves Disappeared again.

This review will also appear in the next issue of Horisontti, the Finn-Guild magazine.

Want to hear me speak in Finnish?

I was asked some time ago to do an interview for the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London. Afterwards, I promptly forgot about it, until today when I came across the email exchange about the Language Trail project.

I don't usually like listening to myself (and here I go on a bit), because I sound like a high-pitched girl rather than a grown-up woman. So I was surprised how deep my voice seemed here. Perhaps it's the language - Finnish is spoken a few octaves lower than English? Or perhaps this is just another sign of old age. (Probably the latter. Oh my).

Whatever the case, here is the whole interview, where I talk in Finnish about my work at Finn-Guild, about how I came to be in England, and about my novel, The Englishman.

Happy Independence Day Finland!

Today Finland celebrates 97 years of independence, and although my home country is in the grip of a recession, I think we still have a lot to be grateful for, and need to celebrate an independence which during our short history has at times been difficult to maintain.

In his address to all Finns living abroad, President Niinistö also refers to the past difficulties:

Finnish independence has gone through a number of phases. The most difficult of these
occurred already some time ago. Independence has perhaps already begun to feel like
something we can take for granted. However, the events in Ukraine this year have
provided us with a disturbing reminder that, even today, we must work hard to preserve
peace and freedom. Together with other countries, Finland must contribute to calming the
situation. Trust must be built if peace is to become possible.

You you can read the whole of the President's address to Finns living abroad here.

I am already planning celebrations of the 100th Anniversary of Finnish Independence together with the other Finnish organisations (known as Finnbodies) in the UK, but in the meantime, I'm going to tune into Yle Arena, the Finnish Broadcasting Company's online service to check out the traditional Presidential Reception in Helsinki tonight. And of course I will also be lighting two blue and white candles bought especially for the day from a new Finnish online food retailer, Finndeli.

Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!

Coffee and Vodka - out now in paperback!

It's finally here! My family drama, Coffee and Vodka, is now out in paperback.

Here's the blurb:

Nordic Noir meets Family Drama

‘In Stockholm everything is bigger and better.’ 

When Pappa announces the family is to leave their small Finnish town for a new life in Sweden, 11-year-old Eeva is elated. But in Stockholm Mamma finds feminism, Eeva’s sister, Anja, pretends to be Swedish and Pappa struggles to adapt. 

And one night, Eeva’s world falls apart. 

Fast forward 30 years. Now teaching Swedish to foreigners, Eeva travels back to Finland when her beloved grandmother becomes ill. On the overnight ferry, a chance meeting with her married ex-lover, Yri, prompts family secrets to unravel and buried memories to come flooding back. 

It’s time for Eeva to find out what really happened all those years ago… 

Coffee and Vodka is now available to buy from the Finn-Guild office, 1A Mornington Court, Mornington Crescent, London NW1 7RD Tel 020 7387 3508 at the special price of £5 (and part of the proceeds will go to support this worthwhile charity). Please telephone to ask about postage and packing - this, I'm afraid, will be extra.

On 29th November both of my novels, Coffee and Vodka, and The Englishman, will be on sale during Finn-Guild's annual pop-up shop from 11 am to 2 pm. Do come along if you find yourself in London on the day!

Or you can buy the book online from Amazon at the equally reasonable price of £7.99.

Finnish Pop-Up Shop in Camden, London

If you happen to be in London at the end of November, why not visit Finn-Guild's exclusively Finnish Pop-up shop in Camden for Christmas gifts with a difference?

What is it?

A sale of books, new titles (in both Finnish and English), Finnish goodies, such as famously moorish Fazer chocolate, rye crisp bread and ginger biscuits.  The café will also be open, serving coffee and home made cinnamon buns. (These will be made by a Nordic master baker, who blogs here.)

I'm interested, when and where is it?

The pop-up shop opens its doors at 11 am on Saturday 29 November at 1A Mornington Court, Mornington Crescent, London NW1 7RD. Doors close at 2 pm the same day. Click on map below to see where we are on Google Maps.

Wait, there's more...

Interested in visiting Finland? Guild Travel will be offering its services on the day, so you can even book a trip to Finland while you’re here!

Visit Finn-Guild’s website, www.finn-guild.org for further information.

Tervetuloa shoppailemaan!

To Finland, Again

I am preparing to travel to Finland, again, this coming weekend. This is my third working trip to my home country in so many months, but this time the circumstances are rather sad.

A short time after I was back in the Finn-Guild office from our wonderful holiday to Spain, I received the shocking news that my predecessor had passed away very suddenly in Finland. I won't go into the details out of respect for the family, but needless to say our small office in Camden was thrown into a combination of mourning and mad efficiency, while we worked hard to let all of who had worked with my late colleague and our 6,000 members know the sad news.

So this journey back to Finland is to attend the funeral on behalf of the organisation, and to take some messages of condolence from the UK with me to the family in Finland.

It'll be so sad, but luckily I'll be staying with a good friend who has promised to give me a glass or two of wine afterwards. And I'll also be able to spend some time with my father.

I shall be packing black and warm clothes as Finland is having its coldest summer for some while. Somehow the chill and rain seem rather appropriate for this trip of mixed emotions.

 

Find me in June issue of the Scan Magazine!

I'm delighted to let you know that I'm the blogger of the month in June's issue of the Scan Magazine! The magazine approached me a while back, but because of the challenges of my new post at Finn-Guild, the piece was pushed back a few months.  I'm so pleased the article is finally up and it looks so good.

Unfortunately you need to subscribe to Scan Magazine to read the piece, but if you're in London, you can often find copies of this monthly magazine about all things Nordic, at many Scandi shops, or naturally at Finn-Guild offices in Camden. 

Scan Magazine

The price for 12 issues is:

• £40.00 (United Kingdom)
• £75.00 (Rest of Europe)

Oh, to be in Finland...

I was feeling a bit miserable this morning when the alarm went at 5.30 am. I was getting up early for my flight to Helsinki. This, my first trip to Finland in my role as head of Finn-Guild, would include a regional meeting on Saturday in Hämeenlinna, and some hectic visits to the many organisations we co-operate with in Finland. Including a visit to meet Her Majesty's Ambassador (I know, I keep pinching myself). There'll be just a flying visit to my father in Tampere, and a short stay with my good friend in Helsinki who is giving me a bed to lay my weary bones on after my meetings, and has promised to pour me a glass (or two) of something chilled in the evenings.

But as soon as I boarded the Finnair plane this morning and the air hostess spoke Finnish to me, I realised how lucky I was to be able to go back home on business. Even the ear trouble I usually get on landing didn't happen (although I'd taken the usual precautions of EarPlanes, ibuprofen and nasal spray).

During the flight Finnair served rye bread sandwiches and their award winning, excellent coffee, in a Marimekko paper cup and with a Marimekko serviette. Goodness knows in what lovely china dishes the people in business class got their food served in! By the by, one of them I recognised as the famous British chef Nigel Slater. I was burning up to ask him what he was doing in Finland, was there a food programme about Finnish cuisine in the making at last? But he was having none of it and I'm just not spunky enough to go up to celebrities and ask random questions. (Soho House has trained me well..)

But back to the flight. As we landed, the captain said, (in Finnish), 'Welcome to Helsinki. It's 19 degrees and sunny here in your fatherland.' That sounds so jingoistic in translation, but to an Expat Finn like me it was tearjerking. I'm home, I thought, and knew that I was going to enjoy every minute of this trip!

My First Parliament Session

Ok, so I'm talking of a meeting of Finnish Expatriate Parliament, held in Manchester over the weekend, not the other one in Westminster...

But, as a Finn living abroad, and as the new head of Finn-Guild, attending my first Finnish Expatriate Parliament session was an important first for me - and a revelation.

Before the meeting of the Central European branch of the Expatriate Parliament (USP), I knew that this non-political, not for profit organisation was set up in 1997 to lobby in the Parliament in Finland for issues concerning Finnish Expats all over the world. I also knew that it was set up by SuomiSeura (Finland Society) and that Finn-Guild has been a member, and has supported this organisation (both financially and in other ways) from the very beginning.

One of the great achievements of the USP is the introduction of dual nationality for Expat Finns. I’ve written about this issue before on this blog, and for those who took part in the (extensive!) conversation here, on my Twitter feed and Facebook pages, I’ve still not filled in the British Passport application. I keep getting cold feet, and the price tag is such that one needs to be absolutely sure of wanting British nationality - but that’s another (long) discussion.

But what I found out over the weekend was that there are still many more issues on the USP table, ranging from better support the many Finnish schools around Europe, postal & internet voting; problems with inheritance, healthcare, pensions, and issuing passports to Expats; and wider access to YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Corporation) programmes abroad. These are just a few of the matters USP tirelessly lobbies for, with the help of Suomi-Seura, Finn-Guild and a veritable army of volunteers from Finnish Schools, and other Finnish Societies around the world.  These volunteers travel from country to country to attend meetings and in between times, report back to their members of the issues discussed and canvass opinions.

Finnish Ambassador Pekka Huhtaniemi
opened the Manchester session of the USP.

It was wonderful to meet all these Finnish volunteers, and to hear how they organise themselves in their countries around Central Europe. One comment which particularly warmed my heart, after I’d made my little speech about my particular society in the UK, was made by a lady from a Finnish School, “I wish we had something like Finn-Guild in our country.” Earlier we’d talked a  lot about information sharing, and at that point I truly felt that during that day at least I’d got my point across about Finn-Guild.

Finn-Guild of course wouldn’t be around without Guild Travel, which also had organised all the travel related arrangements of this meeting. If I had a penny for every time I was thanked about the travel and hotel, I’d be a rich woman. So you can imagine I’m quite a happy (although rather tired…) bunny tonight after a successful meeting.

Links:

Ulkosuomalaisparlamentti

Finn-Guild

Guild Travel

Don't Forget the Finnish Easter Fair!

If you are after some Nordic Easter goodies, you can't do better than visiting the Finnish Seamen's Mission in Rotherhithe., East London.

This year's Spring Fair takes place next weekend 28 - 30 March 2014.

I've written before about this excellent event here, but if you like Fazer chocolate, rye bread, Muumin goodies or the Finnish Easter dessert mämmi, this is THE PLACE to get these delicious things...

Finn-Guild AGM and Turkish soul food at Green Lanes, North London

My first six weeks as head of Finn-Guild, the Finnish British cultural association have been - to say the least - hectic. This is partly due to my desire to run before I can walk, but also due to the timing our AGM, the biggest event in the Finn-Guild members and volunteers' calendar, which took place yesterday.

The preparations for the event aside, I was quite worried about my speech to the members (I can admit this now). I was appointed to develop the organisation, and this was my first chance to tell the wider membership what my plans were. As it was, my ideas were very well received (phew) and the day itself, as well as the evening before, where I met some newly recruited and 'old' representatives of the regions in the UK and Finland, was excellent.

We had a record crowd - over 70 people gathered in the hall at the Finnish Seamen's Mission in Rotherhithe. Many people commented on the positive and enthusiastic atmosphere that prevailed during the day. Finn-Guild is lucky to be supported by the Finnish Church in various ways, and we were even graced by the presence of The Finnish Ambassador, Mr Pekka and Mrs Liisa Huhtaniemi.

Finnish Ambassdor to the UK, Pekka Huhtaniemi,
making an after-dinner speech.

There were also representatives from Guild Travel, Finnish Expatriate Parliament, many Finnish Saturday Schools in the UK, many members of our Friendship Network, as well as some of the other Scandinavian organisations, and Finland Society from Helsinki.

I had also recruited The Englishman to do a comedy routine on his views of Finland, which got an raucous reception, so all in all the day was a huge success.

Of course, this being a Finnish event, many of us carried on the discussion late into the night in the oldest pub by the River Thames, The Mayflower.

I think there might have been a few sore heads around this morning, because mine certainly was, which is why the Englishman and I decided to go and have the best hungover cure there is: Turkish food at the Green Lanes in London N4.

Son and Daughter-in-Law who know this area well, recommended a new (to us) place called Gökyuzu, and boy was it excellent. Hugely busy, we were lucky to have a table at the back. My brain being a little tired, I asked Son do the ordering. He went for a Mezze and a Charcoal Grill Platter to share. The meal was supposed to be for 2-3 people, but the four of us struggled to eat the grilled lamb and chicken in various forms with cracked wheat, rice and grilled peppers and tomatoes. The flat bread that all the Turkish restaurants excel in at Green Lanes was equally delicious here, and as usual I had too much of it with the Mezze starters, leaving little room for the main meat dish.

The staff at Gökyuzu were incredibly friendly.

Now all I want to do is lie down on the sofa and fall asleep....

New Year, New Challenge!

It's funny how life turns out sometimes.

Just over a year ago, while trying to finance my writing endeavours, I took on a new accountancy job, at a Finnish Expat charity and its commercial arm, Guild Travel. Finn-Guild was meant to be just another client, but at the end of last year I found myself applying for a job to run the Finnish-British charity. I am now delighted to tell you that as of 1st of February I will officially be the new Development Director of Finn-Guild!

It's a not as far-fetched as it seems, however. I have been a Finn-Guild member since the heady loved-up days with the Englishman over thirty years ago. In those days this meant cheap flights to and from the UK, but over the years the charity has helped me in many other ways too. 

There was the time when my grandmother died, I was pregnant, in a state, needing to get to Finland at short notice. One phone call to the Finn-Guild office sorted me out. They got me the flights at a very reasonable price, and even organised a stop-over in Stockholm (unheard of in 1986), free of charge, so that I could travel with my mother. 

When Son and Daughter were small, they both attended the Saturday schools which are supported by Finn-Guild. As we speak they both enjoy dual Finnish/British citizenship, something which the Expatriate Parliament, in which Finn-Guild is one of the influencers, was instrumental in bringing about.

As an almost professional Expatriate myself, I cannot wait to help to develop Finn-Guild and to deepen the co-operation with other Finnish-British organisations.

We have so much to look forward to: next year Finn-Guild will turn 50, and 2015 will also mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. The year 2017 will see Finland reach 100 years of independence, the celebrations of which we in the Finnish-British community are already planning... 

Wish me luck in this, my new challenge for the New Year!

The Year That Was 2013

2013 has been quite a year for me. I'm not sure I can recall a time when so much happened in a mere twelve months.

First of all, I finally took the plunge and published all of my novels on Kindle. After the success of The Englishman (over 2,000 downloads as we speak and counting), I was encouraged to push out into the world both my family drama, Coffee and Vodka and the spy thriller, The Red King of Helsinki.

In November this year I also published a paperback copy of The Englishman, which has been terribly well received. (Even if I say so myself).

Joey at West End Lane Books with the first signed copies.

So, from a writer with three novels languishing in her drawer, in twelve and a bit months I've become a published author with a loyal readership. Bring on more years like 2013!

The 2013 London Book Fair was another game changer in my career as an independent author. I've written about the changes in the publishing industry many times here, but to see the shifting landscape with my own eyes was something to behold.

I also gained a tremendous amount of encouragement and new ideas from the LBF this year, not least thanks to the Alliance of Independent Authors, an organisation which has worked tirelessly to promote and support indy writers and who were very much a presence at the Book Fair. Thanks must got to Orna Ross, Joanna Penn et al for all their hard work this year.

Me with Joanna Penn who gave a wonderfully
informative lecture at LBF 13
on indy publishing.

The Fair was also a wonderful opportunity to make new writer friends: I got to meet the Triskele Books girls through Catriona Troth, other notable indy writers such as Roz Morris, Rohan Quine, Dan Holloway and Grisha Ryzhakov to name but a few. I cannot wait for LBF 2014, wild horses wouldn't keep me away!

The year 2013 has also been eventful in the life of my family: in May, Son asked his long-time girlfriend to marry him  and she said yes! The young couple will marry in 2014, an event that has been a red letter day in my calendar for many months already. I just cannot wait!

Aren't they cute?
Son with his fiancé in Provence this summer.

Not in the least less important, Daughter finished her History of Art degree at University of Birmingham this year and graduated in June. It was such a proud moment for me, and I spent almost the whole of the day holding back tears, only losing the battle when Daughter stepped onto the stage at the Great Hall to receive her degree certificate. Oh well, I'm sure I wasn't the only parent to dab a tissue at the corner of her eye at that point.

Daughter looks pretty happy?

As if all of the above wasn't enough, something equally thrilling happened in my working life in 2013. In late 2012 I took on a part time role at a Finnish charity called Finn-Guild. I've been a member of this ex-pat organisation since the early 1980's, but going to work there to look after the finances of the charity and its commercial arm, Guild Travel, has been a huge trip down memory lane. I'd not worked with Finns since I left Finland some thirty years ago, and just being able to speak your mother tongue in an office in London's Camden has been quite life-changing. I hadn't realised how much of myself I'd hidden away while adapting to life in the UK. Spending time with fellow countrymen has made me feel as if I'd come back home. It's made me a more complete person.

To top it all, in the New Year, I'm going to move to a much more important and challenging role with the Finns. From February 1st, I will be taking over as Development Manager/General Secretary of Finn-Guild. So watch this space, there will be many more posts about Finnish and Nordic culture on this blog in 2014.

So there it is, my short - very personal -  review of 2013. All that remains is to wish you all:

Hauskaa Uutta Vuotta - Happy New Year

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