REUNA Publishing Company
– The most cutting edge and rapidly growing publishing house in Finland.
REUNA Publishing was established in 2013 by Tarja Tornaeus, a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the literary industry. Now REUNA has become an international publishing house with approximately 30–35 works annually. Our company is best known in the Finnish literary field for our passion and innovative spirit, which has led to fun and crazy ideas like a summer tour with a mobile book store – The Book Mobile. The company’s repertoire includes works of fiction (novels, crime stories, and poetry), non-fiction works (i.e. self-help, music, travel guides, memoirs and history), and also a selection of fantasy, young adult, and children’s books. We co-operate with publishers around the world and we are always looking for new opportunities. Take a look at reunalla.fi for our published offerings or contact us for a meeting, to hear about our upcoming projects as well. Our most successful books with export potential are available in translated samples. REUNA is opening its new offices next spring, in a beautiful 3000 sqm former town hall building which was built in 1938. These new premises will allow us to expand our operations further – plans for literary courses and events are already on the way. We welcome foreign publishers to join us in planning new programmes, bring foreign guests and bring their books to our events. Please contact us with your ideas!
Anna Toni Partner, Producer, Foreign Rights +358 50 531 1796 anna.toni@reunalla.fi
Tarja Tornaeus Publishing Director +358 500 610 762 tarja.tornaeus@reunalla.fi
REUNA CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
CHILDREN REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796 http://www.frameryacoustics.com/en/ http://reunalla.fi
REUNA’s new children’s book series and concept: Oliver the Circus Boy Oliver the Circus Boy, a new children’s book series (ages 5–10) is launched in the Fall of 2016 with a writing competition. The series are made of stories from Oliver’s adventures across time and space in a very special Magic Booth. Oliver is accompanied by a cast of bright characters, including a magician and an animal trainer. Oliver’s future is further shaped by the contestants themselves, as the premise is given to a wide audience of creative writers. The Magic Booth was adopted by an office phone booth manufacturer Framery. Partnering with REUNA, Framery found Oliver’s stories to be a lovely addition to their own business and a way to support children’s culture and sharing Finnish literature abroad.
Characters: Oliver the Circus Boy and Chicken Oiva Oliver is a 10-year-old boy who was raised in a circus. His best friend is a chicken called Oiva, who can’t fly or do any tricks, but shares tasty eggs for the whole circus crew. Oliver’s chores include maintenance, selling tickets and the opening fanfare. Oliver’s parents are very busy, so he uses the Magic Booth to solve his problems or lift his mood. Verner, Oliver’s dad Verner is the ringmaster of the circus. Everyone and everything need his attention all the time. Even though he’s a good boss, he can be a little absent minded sometimes. Oliver inherited his love for music and animals, as well as the fuzzy hair, from his dad. Olivia, Oliver’s mom Olivia is the knife thrower of the circus. She needs a lot of practice to ensure there isn’t any accidents. Even though she’s the best onion and sausage slicer, she isn’t much of a cook. From his mom, Oliver gets precision, perseverance and ability to concentrate very well. Bim, the magician Bim is the one who turned the phone booth of the circus into a magic booth. The booth can lead you to mysteries and wonders, when you need it the most. Bim is mysterious and a little shy, and no one knows what he has hidden in his locked bag. Bum, the animal trainer Little Bum can talk to all animals and teach them tricks, except Oiva the Chicken. Bum refuses to grow up and be an adult. She plays, sings and wrestles with the animals, as well as interpret all the circus’ animals’ wants and worries to the rest of the circus crew.
ANIMAL TALES • COLOURING REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Nose to Nose is an animal fairytale themed children’s book co-authored by numerous Finnish writers. Each story, including one where the animals are allowed to decide the future of the Earth, is told from the animal’s view point and is designed to teach a lesson or convey a message to the reader. The book also contains poems and rhymes, and has beautiful illustrations by acclaimed Harri István Mäki whose drawings are widely known for their appeal to children The book is done in cooperation with the Finnish animal rescue group called Kuono (Nose in English) who in turn collaborates with the Romanian Animal Rescue, RER. The organization’s goal is to reduce the amount of homeless pets and find a sustainable strategy of animal welfare; all the authors having donated their royalties to help this important cause. The book will be released in Finland, Spring 2016. Sample short story by Ms.Teresa Myllymäki titled “The White Sled Dog’s Gift” is available in English.
YOUNG GIRLS AND CHIC-LIT REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Asta Ikonen has published nearly 20 books in Finnish. The Girls’ 10+ stories are evolved around a teenager’s normal interests: hobbies, school, music and of course boys. Ikonen’s specialty are horse books that the young riding enthusiasts can’t get enough of. The rights to her recent horse books have been sold to French-speaking Canada. Ikonen also writes sweet and quite innocent retro romance books for grown women. The heroine usually gets herself into all kinds of ordeals and there are a lot of obstacles in the way of love, but the stories always have a happy ending. It is light (and low priced) entertainment, but they are well written so a more demanding reader can get excited.
Rosa’s Rock Band (2015, 164 pages) is about a girl who can’t get her eyes off the most handsome guy in her high school. Rosa’s dreams come true, when he asks her to join his band as a singer. The reality kicks in, when she notices that the guy isn’t all that sweet and neither is the band’s manager who demands her to change her looks and image. In the end, Rosa finds her own musical path.
In Minnie’s Riding School (Spring 2017) parents leave town for two weeks and Minnie gets to take care of two horses in the meantime. Her own backyard becomes a riding field and the tool shed becomes a stable for the horses. How will she explain all this, when her parents come back?
In the latest chic-lit story Love By the Lake Side (2016, 152 pages) Tanya is more than happy to take a break from her busy business life alone at a friend’s summer cottage. An unwanted surprise awaits at the house when she gets there; she has to share the premises with a guy he despises. But as we know, there can sometimes be a thin line between love and hate…
FICTION FOR ADULTS AND YOUNG ADULTS REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Professional educator and author Aila Juvonen has removed all labels regarding the age and gender of her characters in her book The Green Stone, thus giving the reader a brand new experience in reading this book for youths. It is a thought provoking work for adults too. For example reader knows only that one of the main characters named “Tokio” is Finnish-Japanese, and admires samurai warriors. The author’s description regarding the contents of The Green Stone: Part I Emili’s mother disappears from home with all of her belongs that are able to be sold off including bottles of wine and even furniture. Emili will be taken from home by social services if they don’t find her and so a group of six children concoct a plan to find her. In Part I of this book the reader learns of the backgrounds and personalities of the group and their unique skills that will be of use in this quest. Each character has faced life’s most difficult challenges: bullying, death, divorced parents…. Part II A clue is found about the whereabouts of Emili’s mother in a completely other city and the group, dressed as scouts, go after the lead. They come across a criminal gang who is holding Emili’s mother as a hostage and demand a ransom and services for the debts she owes. The group finds the place she is being held hostage, a farm, and they make a rescue plan. Unfortunately one of the children gets hurt thus making the rescue mission even more challenging. Part III Home again; but not without complications. Emili’s mothers return home is not smooth and adapting to life at home and in town becomes a challenge for all, including neighbors who are affected by her return. The town’s adults are seeing the children in a new light. Emili’s life moves on, but the mother’s renewed role as a parent is just beginning. In the end, a celebration is arranged for the parents and everyone gets to know each other; the children however have their own party. The adventure has concluded and a base plan has been laid out for overcoming future hurdles.
FICTION • FANTASY REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Sonja Kinnunen (1997) was only 15 years of age when she penned her first book Jääsielu (Ice Soul) in 2013. Soon after the book’s publication, fantasy novel fans discovered this unique work and Kinnunen, in Finland, became established as a notable author within this genre. Jääsielu earned her high critical acclaim and her crime short story in the Christmas Calendar (2014) series was also praised. In 2014, Sonja chose the location of her fantasy novels Hallstatt, Austria. After visiting the village and viewng the surroundings of the town she became inspired and thus in a strange way, almost mysteriously the place felt familiar to her. A sequel to the novel Jääsielu, titled Tulisielu (Fiery Soul) was published in 2014. Both of the hard cover books are designed by M-L Muukka, Finland’s Graphic Artist of the Year, 2004.
Jääsielu is a novel taking place in the medieval era in the village of Hallstatt, Austria and depicts the killer, Ice Soul, having already murdered hundreds of men. An assassin named Sebastian Eckhel has been hired by the King to find the killer. Initially it seems like an easy task, but while under the spell of beautiful girl Vienna and the fact that Sebastian’s soul is not made of ice, no one can be ruled out as a possible murderer. Sample translation available in German
In Tulisielu the reader finds Sebastian continuing on his lonely quest. As he visits his home town he hears that in Hildesheim there is a witch who is burning children leaving only behind a pile of ash. Sebastian is interested in Black Magic and decides to investigate the killings further.
FICTION • YOUNG ADULTS REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Teija Rekola, also published under the last name Niemi, is an author from Helsinki, Finland where she started her writing career in the early 1990s. She has numerous publications in the genre of children’s and young adult books and her latest work the Eetu Series’s foreign rights have been sold to numerous countries.
SPRING 2016
Top Models is a work of fiction suitable for youth age 12 and above. The title gives a hint at the topic and the book tells of the dark side of modeling experienced by two Finnish girls, Nora and Erika who move to Paris to seek their dream of becoming top models. The fabulous clothes, the fashion designers and the runway shows, the money, the incredible parties all fuel their desire of a life lived in luxury. However, when they arrive in Paris, things become painfully apparent that life in this industry is not so glitter and glam as portrayed in the magazines and television shows.
FICTION • YOUNG ADULTS REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Henry Aho (1979) began his writing career in 2007 and has since published numerous short stories, youth and children’s books, and crime novels on an annual basis. In 2011 he was awarded The Crime Time Prize for his crime novel and in 2012 the Porvoo Theatre awarded him the first place prize in their writing competition. Aho lives in the small town of Teuva which is located in Western Finland and many of his stories take place there, including his latest novel titled Scars which is for young adults.
Scars is a unique novel on the topic of bullying. Aho’s approach gives the reader a deep understanding and connection to the bully, the victims, and the cruel life circumstances and backgrounds of each of the characters. The main characters include Laila a bi-racial Finn whose mother is Japanese and father is Finnish; Milla who suffers from being overweight; Jarkko, a poet; and finally Tomi whose parents are both alcoholics. The book is at times hard to read due to the emotional topic. It is still however recommended for anyone over the age of 12 and is considered mandatory reading in many schools across Finland. A child should be exposed to the topic of bullying and an open dialogue started already at an early age. Sample available in English
ADULT FICTION • CHILDREN’S BOOK REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi , +358 50 531 1796
Henry Aho (1979) began his writing career in 2007 and has since published numerous short stories, youth and children’s books, and crime novels on an annual basis. In 2011 he was awarded The Crime Time Prize for his crime novel and in 2012 the Porvoo Theatre awarded him the first place prize in their writing competition. Aho lives in the small village called Teuva, located in Western Finland and many of his stories take place there, including his latest novel titled The Man and his Cat (2016).
In The Man and his Cat the 100-year-old Man and his Cat are used to each other and got attached over the years. Well, actually they don’t really meet anyone else, except for the housekeeper once a week. The Man decides to tell his life’s story to The Cat, and there is quite a lot to tell. His childhood was pretty rough and he turned mute for a while from the constant beating by his father. The Man’s journeys have taken him through America to Soviet Union finally back to his roots to Finnish countryside. Meanwhile new presidents have been elected and man has conquered the moon. Since The Cat is such a good listener, The Man even tells about his adventures with women. The Cat doesn’t laugh, but the reader might. Henry Aho manages to capture what elderly think about the world today, but in a humorous and non-preaching way. The story flows, the reader is entertained and the intensity stays throughout the book. Appr. 350 pages Coming out in Finnish autumn 2016
Mini Vampires is a children’s book series written by Henry Aho and illustrated by Harri István Mäki. Mini vampires live in the cellar of a library and get into all kinds of adventures. It all started in 2011, when Aho made a christmas calendar for his local library, that later turned into the book Salaperäisten minivampyyrien joulu (”Christmas Time with the Mysterious Mini Vampires”). In the second book, Minivampyyrit ja sihisevien liskojen saattue (”Mini Vampires and the Sizzling Lizzards”) they find an odd creature that turns out to be a dinosaur. The new book will be published by Reuna in autumn 2016 and it is called Minivampyyrit ja kauhutarinoiden yö (”Mini Vampires and the Night of Horror Stories”). It’s about a hundreds of years old tradition, where mini vampires gather around a bonfire to tell horrific stories. (Appr. 100 pages).
YOUNG ADULTS AND CRIME NOVELS REUNA Publishing Co., Finland • Foreign Rights for Sale Contact: Anna Toni, anna.toni@reunalla.fi, +358 50 531 1796
Jasu Rinneoja is an adult and young adult fiction author who specializes in crime stories. Rinneoja’s strengths as a writer encompass his sense of humor, excellent dialogue, and intriguing storylines. He joking states that he has given the team of detectives in the crime series all of his personal faults. On the other hand, Commissioner Kylmäkorpi himself embodies everything Rinneoja would like to be.
Rinneoja’s latest venture has been a book meant for young adult audiences – especially boys. The novel is called The Mysterious Hermit. The main character is 16-year-old Daniel who lives in the city, but is forced by his parents to spend the summertime at the countryside with his grandparents. Luckily there are some new friends and even some nice girls – but the most interesting thing is the hermit everyone warns him about. All the more reason to get to know him better!
The Kylmäkorpi detective stories are built around character Juhani Kylmäkorpi, a police commissioner, and his colorful detective team. The plots always include an American car, and start with a murder with the reader discovering the killer’s identity only at the end of the novel. The dialogue is riddled with humor, and the reader easily empathizes with the intriguing characters. The latest book in the Kylmäkorpi series, Kylmäkorpi – BlackMail, starts with Detective Salo being threatened with a gun at the hospital. Some secrets from his past are starting to unveil and the colleagues of the police squad need to evaluate each other again. And what does an old photo with a red Plymouth got to do with everything? Kylmäkorpi – The Prodigal Son. The third installment in the series, as usual, includes an American car and this time it is an old LaSalle; copper in color. Owner’s son has committed suicide and now he himself is missing. His wife is desperately seeking help from Commissioner Kylmäkorpi. Kylmäkorpi – The Taste of Bitter Almond. In the second installment, the story revolves around a bus bomb blast in a Helsinki suburb. A black American van was witnessed at the scene. This time the detective team needs to remain calm and even speak some English, since one of the passengers on the fated bus, a Miss Spencer, is a strikingly beautiful British woman. She may hold important clues to the case. Kylmäkorpi – Live and Let Loosers Die. In the first book of the series, the story begins when an ex-con is found dead in his apartment. In the same apartment lives a young man, Jesse, but he and his red Corvette are nowhere to be found.