I MUST BEGIN BY THANKING my outstanding agent and friend, April Eberhardt, who believed from the outset in this book and in my writing, and whose support has been unwavering.
Revontuli was inspired by true stories, thus I owe a debt of gratitude to all those who opened their hearts and memories to share a piece of Norway’s past. Many others helped me research this past, and I am greatly indebted to their guidance, including especially Roger Albrigsten, who translated for me during my travels to the Finnmark, including late nights reading Norwegian journals and books about the events of 1944 and translating as best he could; Leif Arneberg, an expert on maritime history and Director of the Tromsø WW II museum, who drove me to the site of the sinking of the Tirpitz and patiently answered my many questions; Anders Henriksen, who personally showed me through the private collection of the Riddo Duottar Museat (Sami Museum in Karasjok) and spent valuable time explaining Sami culture to a foreigner; Eeva-Kristiina Harlin, former Curator of the Riddo Duottar Museat and Porsanger Museum, who showed me the related collection at Skoganvarre; Tarmo Jomppanen, the Director of Siida, the National Museum of the Finnish Sami on Lake Inari, who provided information on shamanic rituals in the Sami culture and shared access to film footage of early twentieth century Sami life; Tor Reidar Boland, who on short notice came out into the cold to show me the exact location of the Serbian Camp and tell me stories of the clean-up after the war; the staff of the Municipal Library in Tromsø; the ‘ghost dog’ of Karasjok—you didn’t make it into the book, but your spirit guided key parts of the research; and the staff of Engholm Husky Design Lodge, Sven, Christel, Kasper and Marin, for their hospitality and their stories of living amongst the Sami.
There were a few books that were of great value during the research for Revontuli. The book Flukt til friheten: fra nazi-dødsleire i Norge, written by Cveja Jovanovic, provided precious details on the Serbian Camp, and the attempted escapes during the fall of 1942. Fragments of Lappish Mythology, a great reference book on Sami culture, was written by Lars Levi Laestadius and is available in English edited by Juha Pentikäinen. The book provides renditions of folk tales and drawings of Sami drums. Per Hansson’s Mamma Karasjok has excellent true stories from the war. On the unfolding of the war itself and the evacuation, besides stories from local sources, I relied on Roland Kaltenegger’s German book Krieg in der Arktis, as well as Arvid Petterson’s Fortiet fortid (Tragedien Norge aldri forsto) and Laila Thorsen’s Finnmark Brenner! There are very few books or articles about the burning of the Finnmark in English, although the situation is somewhat better in Norwegian, Russian, and German.
Many thanks also to those who brought the book together: my fabulous publicist Kate Burkett, whose dedication and commitment to this project are amazing; Lorna Nakell, for her design skills on the cover and the maps; my diligent copy editor, Dawn Pearson; and the team at Booktrope Publishing for making this possible.
Thanks to my early reader’s group who shared in the development of the story, especially Malcolm Johnson, Christine Gibson, Helen Sanders and Sarah Porter. Thanks also to Dad for reading the book thoroughly and offering strong support and encouragement. Elizabeth Beckett provided excellent critique on the first three chapters, and I appreciate the time and effort invested in making me a better writer. Tim Lash provided enthusiastic comment and insights on late drafts and discovered a passion of his own for the Sami thanks to Revontuli. Thanks to my online writer’s group, Virtual Muse, who critiqued early chapters, and more especially to Steven Long, Steve Masover, and Lindy Gligorijevic, without whom the book would not read as well. Special thanks also to Stephanie Carroll, for all her platform building advice. A special thank you to my friend and proofreader Sherri Jarosiewicz, who suggested improvements, caught more typos, and provided needed encouragement.
Finally, special thanks to my wife Christiane, whose unqualified support allowed me to research and write the book, who read and cried with me, and without whom, I could not have pursued my long-held dream of becoming an author.