Bernadette Calonego's Blog: Eventful - Posts Tagged "canada"

It is an eery feeling when an author publishes a murder mystery and soon after that, a crime takes place that is strangely similar to the one in her book. I know the feeling because it has happened to me. Not long after my murder mystery "Stormy Cove" was published, a young woman disappeared on the Northern tip of the Canadian island of Newfoundland, exactly where my murder mystery is set. In "Stormy Cove", a young woman disappears without a trace, too.
When I came to Northern Newfoundland, I instantly thought that this is a region where somebody could make a body disappear very easily. There are swamps, hundreds of small lakes, there is wilderness, the tundra - and there is the North Atlantic. When you dump a body in the North Atlantic, it won`t wash up on one of the beaches. It just vanishes.
The woman who disappeared in November 2016, a mother of two, hasn´t been found yet. The police treat her disappearance as suspicious and as a possible homicide. The locals talk about who they think is the murderer. But the police has a hard time finding the perpetrator. There is no body, no crime scene, no witnesses.
This is the dirty little secret in criminal investigations (and in crime fiction): So many cases are never solved. Thousands of murderers commit the perfect crime and get away with it. Only in crime fiction, we have the answer at the end of the book. Still, I haven`t given up hope that the woman - her name is Jennifer - will be found one day and that there will be justice for her.

When one of my beta readers (what a word, not my invention) had finished my new crime novel "Murderous Morning", she said that what impressed her most was how I had captured life in a small town. The gossip, the backstabbing, the living-in-each-others-pockets, the intrigues, the pettiness, the jealousies, the hidden conflicts. Of course, that is not all there is, and I am witness to that. I grew up in a village on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Our neighbours were a farmer and a nursery. I have fond memories of my childhood in that village. I was not totally sheltered, for which I am thankful, because my days were full of small adventures.
I`m sure that there are intrigues in cities, too, but because a village is more transparent and everybody knows everybody, the conflicts are more out in the open. Even today, I remember a lot of dramas in small town life. And tragedies, too. A girl in my class was raped at age 14, and I was one of the the young pallbearers for babies who were buried in tiny white coffins. In school, I was taught by a Catholic nun who told us girls not to go swimming in the lake (she probably didn`t like our bathing suits).
In "Murderous Morning", the drama is heightened by murder and the fact that the mining town of Whatou Lake in Northern British Columbia is surrounded by wilderness. The people there are facing a whole range of challenges that make life precarious and different. Every year, I spend many months in an isolated village in Northern Newfoundland and I can see how the forces of nature, the weather and the wilderness shape people`s mind sets and reactions.
I like my books not only to be a source of suspense but also a source of knowledge about other cultures and other ways of life. Next time, I will tell you how I am staring down winter in Northern Newfoundland. Maybe the winter and cold will be staring me down...

Right now I feel like the reader of a slow-burning crime novel where not much happens at the beginning but the suspense gradually builds up and one expects something horrible to happen soon.
I am staying in a remote village in Northern Newfoundland and I have told many people how bad the winter is there, how brutal the storms, how cold the air coming down from the Arctic. Elaborating on the dangers, I felt almost heroic for the things I would have to endure. But so far the winter has been very bearable, sometimes even mild, with lots of rain instead of snow.
It doesn`t mean, of course, that the situation cannot change soon and that things will be really rough and scary. The unknown kills me.
I am also waiting for the feedback from my beta readers who are going through my latest German novel right now. They are the first humans to have laid eyes on this novel (except me). Will they like the book? Will they give a thumbs up or down? It is nerve-racking and - in contrast to the winter weather in Northern Newfoundland - I cannot protect myself with Arctic clothing and snowmobile helmets.
The only comfort is that virtually all authors go through the same dreaded waiting game. If my novel gets the approval from my beta readers, I will gladly endure whatever the next winter months will bring.
And if you like to play the waiting game, too: the translation of my next English crime novel is almost finished. Publication is planned for May. Stay tuned.

Recently I read that book ads with the word "missing" in them are very successful. I have no way to verify this claim but what I know is that stories of missing persons fascinate and scare me. People go missing all the time. Many, many people. In the isolated region in Northern Newfoundland where I am spending the winter, five people have gone missing in the last thirty years. One case is probably a murder.
I have read several books about people who went missing in the wilderness because I am surrounded by the vast barren tundra. One thing strikes me over and over: It is easy to get disoriented and lost in the wilderness. One doesn`t even have to make a huge mistake. A wrong turn, then another one, and soon you cannot find your return path anymore. Most lost persons keep going, first with hope, then in panic, putting distance between their starting point and the trail they are on. Which makes it more difficult to locate them.
Bad weather especially works against you when you are out there in the harsh unknown. Or the heat. I read an incredible story from 2006 about a young couple who drove up a mountain in Southern California on a train, hiked a short distance to a view point with other tourists and to a waterfall and got lost. They spent three hot days and three cold nights in the wild. They had no food, no cell phones and no adequate clothing. Eventually they found the camp of a dead hiker who also got lost. With his matches they started a forest fire that would be seen from a helicopter. It worked: they were rescued. What an amazing story. But it could easily have ended with their deaths. Here is a link to the story: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12737512
My advice: Always tell somebody where you are going to.
If you like to read more about my life in a tiny village in Northern Newfoundland, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter on my website www.bernadettecalonego.com/eng

Murderous Morning: A heart-stopping crime novel with a stunning end.

I walk a dog named Coco almost everyday, it is not my dog but belongs to a family in the remote fishing village in Northern Newfoundland where I am staying. Coco is shedding her winter fur right now: instead of looking like a lion she resembles more a seal (she is a labrador/husky mix). I wonder if there is an analogy with humans. Am I shedding something, too, now that it is April?
There are still ice floes in the bay and heaps of snow everywhere but luckily I don`t need any crampons and long johns anymore.
When one is shedding something, one must feel lighter, I suppose. I think I'm shedding books (smile). I'm in the process of publishing a German mystery novel and an English title: "Cries from the Cold". The latter is a crime thriller set on the wild coast of Labrador, with RCMP detective Calista Gates as the main character. It is the first book of a series, my first series, by the way. "Cries from the Cold" can be pre-ordered now on Amazon, the paperback will be out in approximately three weeks, the e-book on June 25.
You probably assume that I'm fascinated by cold regions, and you are right. I've never been a person who can stand searing heat. I would probably be a good candidate for a heat stroke in that kind of temperatures. I just spent my first entire winter in Northern Newfoundland but it turned out to be an exceptionally mild winter for this area. I've come to realize that the crucial thing is to dress appropriately. Even a face covering, if necessary.
I've just read the mesmerizing book "Ghost of Everest", about a search expedition in 1999 that found the body of famous climber George Mallory who died in 1924 on the highest mountain on earth. Mallory had none of the modern clothing that today's mountaineers have. Just silk underwear and layers of sweaters made of wool, jackets made of canvas, simple leather boots and a pilot hat for his head. It is hard to imagine how Mallory could venture like this into the Death Zone on Everest. But he did.
I like to be adventurous, too, but with a calculated risk. The heroine of my latest book "Cries from the Cold", Calista Gates, cannot afford that luxury. She is thrown into the brutal Labrador winter without any ropes or guard rails.
Would you like to find out how she was doing?
Three more weeks to go!

My latest author letter starts with this paragraph: " I remember a great short story that I read many years ago. This is a short summary: A murderer escapes a prison and the people in the entire region are in panic because of it. All of a sudden, there is a string of break-ins, and soon dead bodies are found. Victims of the murderer, it seems. There is no trace of the fugitive, however. He remains elusive. Winter comes and goes. As the snow melts, another dead person is found: It is the killer`s body. It turns out that the other murders were committed long after the escaped prisoner had frozen to death. The allegedly oh so innocent people in the area had exploited the situation in order to commit crimes that would be attributed to the murderer. A ingenious story."
Every month, I send out an author letter (for which you can sign up on the homepage of my website www.bernadettecalonego.com) with news that I normally don't share anywhere else. You get more than one glimpse of my life in a tiny fishing village on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland.
The snow has disappeared now, but I haven't discovered any bodies like in the short story above. They are entirely on the pages of my mystery novels. But on the beaches, there are carcasses of seals that were crushed between the ice pans of the pack ice. Nature is not always benevolent. Nor are the humans.
In this rural, rugged existence of mine in an isolated, mostly COVID-free environment, everything is reduced to the essentials. With so few distractions and stimuli, I can concentrate on my writing - and publishing: My mystery thriller “Cries from the Cold” is almost ready to launch in the paperback version. Publication will be before the end of May. I’m so excited! You can also preorder the e-book that will be out June 25. It is the first case for detective sergeant Calista Gates. A German reader wrote to me: “I like Calista Gates, she is tenacious but very good at handling people and she also has a vulnerable side to her. I hope you keep her as a character in your next book.” I do, and now I have a Calista-Gates series! I hope to have the second book translated soon.
Four days ago, I discovered the first flowers under the snow-free bleached old grass. My life is complete!

Our house in northern Newfoundland is small and rather dark. Luckily my fisherman built a room just for me onto the back of the house. A retreat which is bright and airy. It has huge windows on all sides which is not so practical in the strong Newfoundland winds but beauty and comfort come first.
I live now with a roommate in our house. Her name is Calista Gates and she is the detective in my new mystery thriller series. I spend many hours with her, think about her, write about her, put her in place, let her move around, ask her what she wants to do. A very interesting roommate with strong views and a big heart. But she doesn’t always want to be the good cop. She is quite headstrong and wants room to develop new character traits. I’m very fond of her, and so are many readers. Which makes me happy.
I hesitated a long time to write a series with a female detective although I really wanted to. But I knew that my heroine had to be really captivating, likable, irresistible. Only if I was able to create a really convincing strong lead, my series could take off. I took the plunge, and Calista Gates was born. Will she win the hearts of my readers? Now that the series is a success in Germany and the first English translation has been published (title: "Cries from the Cold"), I am happy to see that she conquers the imagination of people.
I am not like Calista, in case you wondered. But we share one experience: culture shock.
I thought it would be interesting to send a big-city detective to a God-forsaken fishing village in Labrador in the middle of a bone-chilling winter. I can relate to the challenges she faces because of my own experiences in Newfoundland.
The dynamics in these insular settlements are very interesting. People live in each other's pockets, however a lot of things are swept under the carpet. They can resurface when it is least expected, and not always in a good way.
So whenever Calista Gates misses Vancouver and her family there, I take her into my bright, airy room at the back of the house and cuddle her. After some loving care, she is ready to take on a new murder case and a another fight for justice. Don`t we just love her?
CRIES FROM THE COLD

In British Columbia where I spend part of the year (usually the winter), forest fires are raging and there is no end in sight. I am in Newfoundland still, watching the catastrophe from afar. Sometimes I remember the summers on the Pacific coast with awe. Swimming in the ocean, being able to wear light summer dresses, sitting in the garden, drinking iced coffee early in the morning, sleeping in the shade of tall trees.
But right now, I wouldn't want to be there. I used to complain about the short summers in Newfoundland on Canada's east coast. But I have turned into a fan. Yes, it is true, the ocean is way too cold for swimming in most places, and the lakes, too. But the beaches are so pristine and unspoiled. The water is crystal clear and the nicest spots are for me to take, with hardly any people.
Yes, it is often windy (just like now) and I have to wear hats which make everyday a bad-hair-day. It is impossible to read a book sitting outside. But the wind keeps the mosquitos away and cools me down on hot days. I think in Newfoundland, I have become a cold-weather person. I cannot stand the heat anymore.
Recently, I made a joke about my latest crime novel "Cries from the Cold": No cries right now, it is not cold, it is hot here. A friend from British Columbia asked: What do you call hot in Newfoundland? I said: wearing an undershirt in the house and having warm nights.
I know it doesn't sound like much but it's perfectly fine for me.
I will remember it when the first blizzard hits the Newfoundland coast in a few months.


CRIES FROM THE COLD: A bone-chilling mystery thriller.

In the North of Newfoundland where I spend many months every year, the fall is a good and a sad time for me. Good because my fisherman finally has time to come on some of the hikes. The autumnal colours are fantastic, there are still some warm, sunny days, and the harvest of fish, potatoes and new crime novels is done. But it is also a time when the local restaurants and coffee shops close and some of my friends and acquaintances leave the area for their winter homes. I am sad to see them go. I feel deserted in a weird kind of way. Weird because I will leave later, too, and fly to Vancouver and then travel to the Sunshine Coast. I am deserting friends, too.
The last winter was comparatively mild for Northern Newfoundland. I don`t expect another mild winter ahead of us.
The farewells remind me of how important it is to have friends in an isolated, remote area. With friends, you don`t really feel the isolation. As a "stranger", it is also important to know other strangers who regularly spend some time elsewhere. We have a common language and shared experiences. These people are my anchor in choppy waters far away from home. Although Newfoundland has become a second home to me.
And then there is the comfort of books, of course. What would I do without them? To be able to download stories to my e-reader wherever I am is an incredible blessing.

My next crime novel with detective Calista Gates is now in the hands of my copy-editor and hopefully, I will be able to publish it in December. I will keep you posted.
Enjoy the remaining fall days before the Christmas craziness sets in - I`m determined to make the best of it![
[bookcover:Cries from the cold|58428996]

Sometimes I like to read books that would not naturally be on my reading list. "Hooked" by Sutton Foster is one of those books. I didn`t even know who Sutton Foster was when I picked up her memoir. I won't tell you too much about the content here but the subtitle is "How Crafting saved my Life."
Several years ago, when I decided to spend a large part of the year in northern Newfoundland where I had met and fallen in love with a man, one of my main worries was: Will I be bored in that tiny fishing community on the edge of the North Atlantic? What will I do in my spare time or on dark evenings? Little did I know that this should have been the least of my worries because I always find something to do. Not only that: There doesn't seem to be enough time to do all the things I want to do.
I tried some crafts, like painting sea shells or glass fusion at the local college, or crocheting blankets, endeavors that I liked but have given up in the meantime.
I founded a local cat and dog rescue group, did fundraising and fostered animals (still do), I started walking dogs and painted furniture. This year I wanted to learn the traditional Newfoundland skill of "rug hooking", creating small pictures made of wool threads in burlap. I had to postpone it to next year.
Most of my time I spend writing books and reading but I always tell myself that I need another craft hobby for leaner times. I love card games and invite my neighbors who love it, too. I wouldn't say that card games save my life but they make it more enjoyable (which is a lot).
So maybe it's true that a rather mundane activity can improve our quality of life drastically. But nothing, nothing beats reading a good book! At least for me.