The Other Side of Rebellion is out on the bookshelves and selling and author Marie Donais-Calder said she was pleased to report that the sales of the first five editions of the Other Side series are moving along solidly.
The Estevan author who is releasing the series, which is a tribute to her deceased father who served in the military in post-war Germany, said the sixth book in the series, Rebellion, is now available while the seventh has just been sent to the printers by the publishing company Borealis Press who have handled the series from the start.
Ed Donais, who served in the engineering corps in Germany, befriended a destitute German family as the world began the difficult chores of dealing with new realities following the Second World War.
The series, written in a style that is friendly for young adult readers as well as adults, relates his trials and tribulations and those of the close knit German family he assisted. As it turned out, they taught him a few of life's lessons too and returned the favour several times over with their friendship and loyalty.
The first book in the series, The Other Side of War, is now in its second printing, and Calder said the publisher is exploring the possibility of having it printed in German for potential sales. She said a press release is being prepared that will help them explore the marketing possibilities.
"I met one woman during one of the readings on my promotion tour, who told me her family lived close to the area that is depicted in the series and had met the Schmidt family grandparents." Calder said her obsession to tell her father's story is now being met with these writing efforts. "I'm into the personal editing phase of book number eight," she said.
"This story goes on because I am learning more of what was happening then. That sends me off into new directions and of course, it evokes new emotions. I'm in tune with the family angle of events and I'm now able to pick up on the other things that were happening in Germany at that time. People who lived there, in that era, in Germany and Holland, are willing to share some of their thoughts and feelings and I, in turn, am feeling humbled and honoured at the same time to be able to listen to them. I've gained a few young reader fans too. I had a 12-year-old girl attend one of my readings in a small town, who caught my attention with her interest in the whole history and background, and I've had dozens of young people attend other readings," she said.
Calder began the series by rereading the letters her father had sent home from Germany and family members went over to Germany many years later to reconnect with the Schmidts.
"It's been an amazing journey for me and apparently for many of the readers who are telling me they are beginning to understand a number of things, including the effects of post traumatic stress disorder. It was just called "shell shock" in those days.
In the sixth book, Calder recounts other elements that were evident in post-war Germany. "In The Other Side of Rebellion, I bring out the fact that not everyone was happy with the Allied occupation and influence."
The series brings out the fact that Calder and others hope that "we never have to do this type of thing again. The war families ... the agony that the Schmidts had to go through, and they represent just a small group of victims," she said, noting that both sides in wars suffer significantly.
The Other Side books are available in Estevan at A & A Jewellery and regionally at Carnduff Agencies, Alida Centre Street Groceries, Weyburn Home Hardware and Value Foods in Melita.
In recent days Calder has been on a promotional tour that has taken her to Indian Head, Oxbow, Lampman plus Sacred Heart and St. Mary's Schools in Estevan.
