She's a self-confessed author of serial novels and also self-confessed obsessed with delivering the stories to readers who have grabbed hold of her Other Side offerings over the past several years.
Marie Calder has just released the 15th episode, the Other Side of Guilt, following up on the 14 earlier installments that focused on her father, a Canadian military engineer and his post Second World War experiences and adventures in Germany.
"In Book 14, we learned something serious happened to a little girl, so in Number 15, we still don't know what is going to happen at first, so there is a lot of worry and guilt going around," said Calder, explaining the basic format for the most recent book in the series.
"There is a particular person in the community delivering contradictory information and the soldiers are wondering whether to take his warning to heart, or not. If the information that is being handed out is true, someone will have to leave Germany in a hurry," Calder said, in referring to the build up of the drama to be found in the latest story in the group that is touted as being of interest to young adult readers as well as adults and seniors.
"There is a conversation there with someone they (soldiers) may or may not know well," she explained further, without giving the plot away.
Calder said her obsession with delivering her late father's story to the public began shortly after she concluded a successful teaching career as her sight started to fail. The first four volumes came in a rush as she knew she had a tale to tell in the back of her mind and within her heart. The other episodic events and stories that followed came in a continual stream as she stuck to the keyboard to deliver the words to readers.
The first book is now being translated into German and will be on sale in that country shortly after its release. That will be the duty of her publisher Borealis Press.
The first books in the series more closely followed the adventures of Calder's father, Ed Donais, based on his letters home and his real-life experiences with his adopted German family, the Schmidts, a fascinating group who just happened to be residing in a small village near a camp that had been established by the Canadian engineers who had set up operations shortly after the official end of the Second World War.
Sales of all the books in the series have gone well, so well in fact, that the first book in the run has been reprinted and the second is also headed for a reprinting.
"When the first book (The Other Side of War) gets translated, I may be able to go to Germany to promote it. We're not sure yet," she said.
Just based on her promotional tours, she ends up selling as many as 800 books to her already dedicated readers and the books can now be found in most bookstores.
On the local scene, Calder usually sets up shop at the Saturday Farmers' Market in the Estevan Shoppers Mall parking lot. The books are also on sale at A&A Jewellery, Carnduff Agencies, Alida Grocery, Home Hardware in Weyburn and at most Chapters and Indigo book stores across Western Canada. It's also available at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon where she will be found soon for a special book signing event.
"Apparently I am a series writer now," she said with a laugh.
"It's funny how things move in this world. When I first started researching for the first two books, I read a lot about the Cold War and how it supposedly ended in 1985, but you hear and read the news now and we find out that maybe it didn't end then and we're not really finished with Russia yet are we?"
Donais said she feels an affinity towards Canada's military personnel today, she harbours a sense that Canadians aren't that aware or interested in the armed forces as they once were. She said she also hears a similar message from the families of military men and women. She fears the Canadian public at large is not that conscious of what the military brings to the table in this country and what they have gone through or are going through. This is difficult to accept after a very noble and trying 10-year experience in Afghanistan, a conflict that took the lives of 158 Canadian soldiers.
"Just knowing this has provided me with the incentive to soldier on," she said. "I have a purpose to keep writing so that I might be able to bring some awareness to the subject."
She said Second World War veterans are grateful for any exposure or attention they might get today, but then, there are so few of them, they are no longer a major visible force within our communities and our daily lives.
With that in mind, Calder said she appreciates the opportunity to bring a little of that appreciation to the table through the Other Side Series.
