Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Holiday tale heralds new career

Writing became a lifeline for Victoria Lindstrom after an injury ended her career as dental hygienist.

“It is one of those proverbial things, when the door closes a window opens,” she said. Now, more than six years later, Lindstrom’s children’s book “The Scandinavian Santa” arrives just in time for the holiday season.

“This story was inspired by my great-grandfather from Norway,” she said. The Christmas tale follows Peter Swanson, the nephew of the Nordic Santa, who has his own Christmas Eve delivery to Viking Valley. He’s aided by flying polar bears, named Gunnar and Ludvig, along with a golden eagle name Lars and other forest creatures. The book’s main theme focuses on “the magic of generosity” and a respect for nature. “It’s a subtle, different slant on what Christmas can mean,” said Lindstrom.

Lindstrom wanted to combine elements and traditions from all the countries that fall under the Scandinavian region: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, along with Iceland and Greenland. “I used the word Scandinavia like how ‘The Lord of the Rings’ author would use the Shire,” she said, viewing her world as a more “fairy tale setting.”

“Everyone would send me very nice, rave rejection letters,” said Lindstrom. At the time, book publishing was focused on children’s picture books, driven by their images over narratives. “A couple people told me, ‘Stick to your guns that storybooks will come back,’ ” she said. Lindstrom ended up collaborating with a small press in Georgia, Deeds Publishing.

“The Scandinavian Santa” is also filled with illustrated paintings by her husband, Michael Lindstrom.

“My husband is an impressionist-style painter, which is not common for children’s books, but I thought (his paintings) would lend itself to the story, since it’s styled as an old world tale.” Many of Michael’s oil paintings featuring landscapes or still life can be seen at Art on the Boulevard in downtown Vancouver.

“It was more of a challenge for him than for me,” said Lindstrom, “I see everything like a movie in my head, I’m just transcribing it into words. He was ready to pull his hair out; he’s a plein air artist primarily, so he paints what he sees.”

Each had to learn the fundamentals of the other’s craft. “He would tell me why the light would have to be like this on a page, and I had to tell him that in a children’s book the art has to support the story,” she said. “It really strengthened our relationship, as artists.”

Though the process for re-invention from dental hygiene to writer wasn’t a smooth road, Lindstrom wouldn’t have changed her path. “I actually wish I would have (become an author) years ago, but my writing wouldn’t have been the same.” She credits her health care experience as the core of her writing habits, as she sits down to write from 1 to 4 p.m. every day, making sure to take her phone off the hook.

Victoria and Michael Lindstrom will host a book launch party for “The Scandinavian Santa” at 2 p.m. today at Cover to Cover Books, 6300 N.E. St. James Road, Vancouver. For more information, visit www.victorialindstrom.com.

Bits ‘n’ Pieces appears Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a story you’d like to share, email bits@columbian.com.