To celebrate the release of the new charity anthology, Children of War (review), I am doing a series of author interviews and guest posts, featuring several of the authors who wrote a short story for this anthology. This multigenre anthology supports the children of Ukraine. All proceeds of this anthology will be donated in perpetuity to the Voices of Children Foundation in Ukraine or another similar charity. This foundation is “a Ukrainian charity providing counselling and other forms of psychological support to war-trauma victims. The charity was established in 2015 and has been working with volunteer psychologists to bring art therapy and mobile psychologists to the most vulnerable in Ukrainian society, victims now of yet another armed conflict.”
The fourth author I’ve interviewed is MJ Krause-Chivers! Her story in Children of War is Through Vira’s Eyes. It is the story of a five-year-old girl who is hiding in a shelter with her baby brothers, her mother, and many other people, and who has to flee together with another child. Check out my review of the anthology for more info!
Author Interview
About the author
Hobbies: Reading historical fiction, gardening, watching biographies and world war movies, and traveling. But I’ve traveled very little since Covid.
What was your favourite book as a kid? Nancy Drew mysteries.
What kind of a book would you love to write one day? A memoir about my crazy dysfunctional life.
What is your motto as a writer? Writing stories that matter.
About the anthology
Why did you decide to write a story for this anthology? My grandparents were refugees from Ukraine during the Russian civil war in 1917-1924. Since I’m writing about that time period with my book series: Russian Mennonite Chronicles, I’ve noticed an eerie parallel between what happened to my grandparents and their peers one hundred years ago, and today’s conflict.
As German colonists living in Ukraine who were loyal to the Czar, my ancestors and their peers were ethnically cleansed from the country through extermination, starvation, or forced relocation to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Many didn’t survive.
I’m thankful my grandparents did. They fled to Latvia with the clothes on their back; and with the aid of sponsors, they eventually found their way to Canada. Today, I’m alive and enjoying freedom because of their choices and God’s grace.
Another reason why I wanted to become involved with this project, is because I suffer from complex PTSD from sexual assaults, car accidents and other trauma. As well, since my grandparents were survivors of the Russian civil war, they likely also suffered from war related trauma. Intergenerational trauma is inadvertently handed down to the next generation creating systemic dysfunction within families. It’s possible that I was already vulnerable to developing PTSD because of the dysfunctional coping traits I inherited from my grandparents. Since therapists tell us that this disease can be prevented with early intervention, today’s children of war need immediate mental health treatment to help them become well-adjusted adults and prevent the intergenerational transfer of trauma. This anthology helps to raise funds for therapy for these kids. When the opportunity arose to write for this anthology, I didn’t think twice. I wanted to help the war effort. But because I’m old and not in the best health, I can’t go to Ukraine to fight, or physically help in other ways. And I can’t speak Ukrainian or Russian, so I’m hampered in becoming involved in certain charities where foreign language is required.
This anthology gave me the opportunity to make a small difference in this war. It may only be a pebble in a pond, but as we know, enough pebbles eventually grow a bridge. This book is one pebble and my story is a tiny piece of that. Together we can change lives.
If there was one message linked to this that you could pass on to the world, what would it be? Never say I’m too old, too sick or I don’t have the skills to help. Everyone can do something to help those who suffer. Find a way to use your abilities to make a difference in the world. If you can’t write a book, build a bridge or help a child. Or donate. Just do something that matters. Be the change that makes a difference.
Quick Round
Tropical island or Antarctica? Tropical island. I hate the cold.
Night or day? Night. It’s quieter and I love moonlight.
Ice cream or pizza? Pizza. I’m a salty person.
Coffee or chocolate? Coffee. Caffeine is my lifeblood.
Culture or nature? Now that’s a tough choice. They’re equal draws. But if I had to choose, I guess I’d say nature since I prefer solitary experiences. I love gardens, beaches, water and mountains.