Norway on the Bay, Plus: Prizes for You!

Well, I'm home.

Norway Day was a lovely experience. The Festival Hall at Ft. Mason in San Francisco was turned into a little corner of Norway for two days, replete with Hardingfele, spinners (though no weavers), a Viking encampment, free (mini) shots of Akevitt (that was a popular booth), a curling demonstration, the Vesterheim Museum (giving free assessments of attendees' antiques), a dude who decorates skateboards with rosemaling, pølse wrapped in lefse, and more bunads than you could shake a stick at.

There was also a booth called...wait for it...Oleana! It's evidently a brand of knitwear from Norway, and their work is incredibly beautiful. If you want to get your hands on one of the gorgeous sweaters, scarves, hats, or gloves, check out Chalet in the Woods in Gig Harbor, WA.

It was really a fantastic event. I got to meet a lot of really wonderful people, and got to share the story of Oleanna, and a few selections, not once, but twice!

At the Saturday reading. Hand-waving, as usual.

My reading partners were Carla Danziger and Astrid Karlsen-Scott, and they are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet, and talented authors to boot. Carla's Hidden Falls is a mystery set in modern fjordland Norway, influenced by Agatha Christie and informed by the struggles of Norwegian Jews during the Nazi occupation of Norway. Astrid brings the true stories of Norwegian WWII heroes to life, including that of Jan Baalsrud in her book Defiant Courage.

Carla, me, and Astrid just before the Sunday reading.

Tusen takk to my fellow authors, the organizers, and especially to the folks who came to our readings and said such kind things about our books.

And just a quick reminder: if you read and review Oleanna by May 16, I'll enter you in a drawing to win an awesome Norwegian prize package. Details can be found here.