It’s interesting how connecting life’s dots creates sketches of things one may not have ever imagined. Not only are there the dots we create, but there are those that form in the background only to reveal themselves later.
Allow me to explain.
It was October of 1996 when I met Maria at a party in Helsinki. She was one of the hostesses at a private corporate party that I [essentially] crashed in order to hear a pop choir that was performing that evening. It was either crash the party or leave the country without hearing them live.
In the summer of 1997 I met Ari at the then ultra-popular Helsinki nightclub, Lost and Found. It was the place to be seen and neither of us were truly qualified to be there. He was a telephone operator and I was working with Finnair. Ari and I palled around from time to time. Later that year Maria got in touch with me after a years absence.
A few years ago I found Ari thanks to the Internet. He’s no longer a telephone operator but he did get a spot in a commercial for Kabanossi sausages (he’s the short guy wearing the cap). It was about this time that I started working on the manuscript that has become my book, Hakaniemi. I asked Ari if he knew of any Finnish publishers that might be interested in what I was writing. He sent me a link to Like Kustannus, a publisher that is willing to entertain unique topics. I book marked the site for later reference.
Like was my first choice for a publisher, but when the local competition for first-time authors came about in Columbus, I thought it may be a better idea to work locally. After months of waiting for the winner to be announced I discovered in late September that the prize went to someone else. I decided then to send the manuscript to Like.
There is a section of Like’s web site that offers readers a place to sign up to receive information about the events that Like hosts in Helsinki, such as readings, signings and sales. When this page loads a claymation video plays. Entitled “Don’t Read and Drive” a car is being driven by a character that is reading a book and crashes between two points on a map – one of which is Salt Lake City and the other which is Helsinki. Coincidently, my book takes place primarily in these two cities.
When I mailed the manuscript to Like I notified Maria by e-mail. She’d been asking about it. Later that day she called. As it turns out, Like Kustannus’ offices are around the corner her building in the Kruununhaka section of Helsinki. In January I’ll be visiting Maria – and staying just steps from where someone has read my manuscript.
I find this series of events to be absolutely fascinating.
