When Marie Donais Calder released the Other Side of War, which was the first book in her Other Side novel series, in 2010, she wasn’t sure what would happen next.
She planned to pen seven more books, classified as historical fiction, about the experiences of her father, Edmond Donais, who was a Canadian peacekeeper in Germany following the Second World War.
Donais Calder planned to have the first five books set in Germany, and the last three would take place back in Canada.
Six years later, Donais Calder is still writing Other Side books. The 20th novel in the series, The Other Side of Turmoil, was released on Oct. 6. The stories are, for the most part, still set in Germany, and they still focus on Ed Donais’ experiences, his interactions with his fellow Canadian peacekeepers, and his close friendship with a German family.
“There’s just so much information through the research,” said Donais Calder. “You research A, you find out about B. You research B, you find out about C.”
Many people have come to her with their family military histories. Others have lamented the loss of their family stories.
“When we were children, we probably didn’t have the life experiences that we could appreciate what had happened, and what our parents had gone through,” said Donais Calder. “But now that we’re older, we want answers, but we don’t have our parents with us anymore.”
She wants to bring honour to Canadian soldiers in the past and present. As she travels around, she talks to people about the Estevan Soldiers’ Tree Monument that was completed earlier this year. Donais Calder hopes the tree will help create awareness of Canada’s military history.
Donais Calder was at a craft show in Brandon, Manitoba, last weekend to promote Turmoil and her other books. A growing number of people know about the series, thanks to exposure she has received in the media. And there are more people outside the province who have heard of the books.
In Turmoil, one of the peacekeepers, Earl, is going through tough times. He married a German nurse, Sharon, in an earlier book. It’s no longer safe for her to be in Germany, but it’s also difficult for her to come to Canada.
Sharon faces the possibility of coming to Canada on her own, since Earl will still be stationed in Germany indefinitely, and adapting to life in a new land.
“The fact that the soldiers have been there for over nine months, without any word whatsoever as to when they’re going to be able to go home, and as the time crawls along for them, it becomes more and more difficult because of the isolation,” said Donais Calder.
They only have letters to communicate with their families. They have no access to newspapers or any other information about what’s going on in Canada and other parts of the world.
The front cover photo is an old steamer trunk that belongs to Joan Phair of Estevan. Phair’s grandparents came to Canada in the early 1900s, and packed their possessions in the small trunk.
Book No. 21 will be released next spring, and the 22nd book will be out in about a year.
