I am the author of a trilogy of historical
novels for young readers about the Finnish Mäki family in early Thunder Bay,
Ontario, Canada.
SECOND WATCH (Sono Nis
Press, 2005) was inspired by the tale of my Finnish grandmother’s silver spoon
and the 1914 wreck of the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Ireland —Canada’s Titanic.
“Saara, this
will be a travelling year for you!” predicts Uncle Arvo—but Saara’s journey
takes her further than anyone could have imagined.
The sequel, SAARA’S PASSAGE
(Sono Nis Press, 2008), was also inspired by my Finnish grandmother. Mystery
surrounded her battle with tuberculosis until after her death, when our family
discovered letters she had written to her infant daughter while quarantined
with TB.
What is the
purpose of my life? asks Saara. After surviving one
of the worst marine disasters in Canadian history, she still feels a little at
sea. As the First World War looms, tuberculosis strikes her family, and Saara’s
next passage takes her into entirely unfamiliar waters.
SABOTAGE (Sono Nis Press,
2013) completes the trilogy. Told in Saara’s and her
brother John’s alternating points of view, SABOTAGE
is an adventure tale based on real espionage, sabotage,
and paranoia in Canada during the Great War.
German spies?
Sabotage plots? Innocent people interned in camps? Believe it or not, this is
northwestern Ontario in 1915. The danger hits close to home for battling
siblings Saara and John. Can they work together to save their family?
In addition to writing, I thoroughly enjoy presenting
to students and sharing my passion for research and the resulting “jigsaw
puzzle” of transforming historical facts into a fascinating story.
Find out more at: www.karenautio.com and www.facebook.com/KarenAutioAuthor