What helped or hindered you most when writing this book?
It’s based on a true story, and because the storyline was already there, I didn’t have to struggle much with planning the structure. Another thing that was helpful, I was familiar with the things I was writing about. I’d been a soldier in the Bosnian government troops during the war, so I could describe the sights and sounds authentically. But what happened in Srebrenica was very grim. When writing a fictionalized account about such events, I wanted to stay true to certain facts not just for historical accuracy but also because of respect for the dead. At the same time, I needed room for creativity. So, I won’t say it was an easy book to write.
Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
I chose the background image from a stock image library, and a good old graphic artist at the Book Guild Publishing tweaked it to life. It has a certain painting-like quality, but if you look at it closely, you’ll see it’s a photograph. It was in fact taken in Eastern Bosnia where my novel is set. I also wanted to keep the cover art simple: no banners, no blurbs, no subtitles. I think Book Guild did a good job.
Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
I always try to avoid favoritism, to give my characters equal footing. I hope it keeps me from over or under-writing anyone. Then, once the book is done, I just want to get the buggers out of my head.
Describe your writing space.
It’s a black laptop briefcase made of canvas. Not any luxury brand. Holds my computer and accessories. Seriously, I travel so much – for work and otherwise – that a writing mindset is often more important to me than the physical writing space. It’s of course helpful if the latter is free from distractions.
As a reader, do you prefer literary fiction or commercial genres?
I’m more into the literary genre, but there really shouldn’t be much difference. Because it’s not the genre itself that determines the quality of a book, but how the author handles the storytelling and everything that goes into it. There’s no reason why commercial genres couldn’t be written with craftsmanship and sophistication, and undoubtedly many are. But I’m also hopelessly in love with realism. I often find the foundational elements of thrillers, spy novels, sci-fi and whatnot a little too over the top. So, I end up reading mostly literary fiction and classics.
Father of One
GENRE: war novel/literary fiction
BLURB:
Maka, a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemy forces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills. But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and to find his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.
Set against the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocide in Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassion and love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family, separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty and tenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, Jani Anttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
Excerpt
This is it.
He would shoot some of them, then kill himself with the last one.
Maka counted his rounds. One in the chamber, four in the magazine. That was enough. And he had the grenade. He clipped off a cartridge and put it in his pocket. How many could he get? One? Two? More? He decided on three. A good number. He’d kill two on the road, then at least one more with the grenade when they stormed the house.
Three lives for his. It sounded like some sort of a deal.
He placed the muzzle of the automatic rifle into the rugged hole and took aim at the nearest soldier. He was about thirty metres away. Maka would drop him with a single slug. But when he looked at the man through the sights, over the blued metal of the gun, he felt bitter about dying this way. He knew the man outside was there to kill him and his kin, but what if he, too, was somebody’s father? He was probably in his forties and distantly resembled a clerk who had worked in the post office in Srebrenica. This Chetnik also wore a šajkača, with its V-shaped top making his head look like a pig’s hoof. He had a messy stubble and a moustache that seemed to hang from his long, thin nose, as he stood under the sun with weary eyes.
So, you’re here to kill me?
It’s you who’s going to die now. But I don’t do this because I like it.
If there were a way to leave this situation without killing anybody, let alone himself, Maka would do so. Just it was too late. It was far too much, and nothing could get it undone. He positioned the sights in the middle of the man’s chest and calmed his breathing down. He took the slack out of the trigger, until he felt the tiny resistance of the firing mechanism in his fingertip.
Bio
Jani Anttola is a Finnish novelist and a medical doctor. In the 1990s he served in Rwanda with the French military and fought in Bosnia as a soldier of the Bosnian army. His works have been published in the UK and Finland. He has spent most of his adult life abroad, working in Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific.
Author website: https://www.jani-anttola.com/
Buy links
https://bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/historical/father-of-one
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