Harold N WiensHarold Wiens is a singer and Professor Emeritus who recently retired from the Department of Music, University of Alberta, where he held a teaching position for thirty-five years. A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Harold spent five years studyng and performing in Germany, and graduated from the Nordwestdeutsche Musik-Akademie with honours. He has appeared as recitalist and soloist with orchestras and choral societies in a number of countries throughout Europe. Also, he has performed across Canada and the U.S.A. Radio and television recordings include appearances on the national CBC networks and recordings for Radio-Canada International. He has published his research on the role of voice training/development in managing stress and also its healing effect upon Parkinson's Disease.

Harold and his wife Diana are empty-nesters who live in Edmonton, Alberta. Their daughter Juliana is in Halifax and their son Michael, wife Brooke and grandchildren Braxton and Alexa live in Burlington, Ontario.

The fictional events in this book were inspired by the experiences of Harold's parents, Nikolai and Anna Wiens. In 1925, as Russian Mennonites, they immigrated to Hepburn, Saskatchewan from Tschongrav, Crimea. Two years later, they relocated to Manitoba where they survived the Great Depression on farms in Holmfield and in the Killarney and Dauphin areas. Read More Read Less