Best selling author visits her hometown
By Joan Janzen
Roxana Spicer was given a warm welcome at the Norman Ritchie Centre in Kindersley and the Netherhill Hall on the weekend of October 4th and 5th. Both venues were packed with people excited to hear about her best-seller, “The Traitor’s Daughter.” Although Roxana arrived with the express purpose of launching her book, it was also a warm homecoming for the former Netherhill resident.
On her drive from the Calgary airport to Saskatchewan, Roxana was thrilled to see two antelope herds, geese flying overhead, and four combines harvesting a crop. The scenes reminded her of her years growing up in Saskatchewan. However, the highlight for Roxana was stepping into Netherhill Hall and looking at all the faces of her former Kindersley classmates.
Best-selling author Roxana Spicer shared lunch with long-time friends upon her arrival in Kindersley for the launch of her new book. She was excited to hold gatherings in both Kindersley and her hometown of Netherhill. Here she is pictured holding a copy of ‘The Traitor’s Daughter’. Photo by Joan Janzen
Although her mom, Agnes Spicer, was put to rest in the Netherhill Cemetery in 2009, her story lives on in the pages of her daughter’s book. “The book is going into week five on the national best sellers list for non-fiction,” Roxana said. “It’s exceeded my wildest fantasies. I’m really happy about that. It means my mom’s story, which she thought no one would believe, is being read and absorbed.”
Not only has Roxana penned an unbelievable story, but she has done an enormous amount of research to unearth all the details which her mother was so hesitant to share with her daughter. The book is truly a labour of love.
“I couldn’t have done it for anyone else but my mom,” Roxana admitted. “I was completely done (exhausted) after it was finished.”
Now, her mother’s story is being read not only in Canada but also in the US, England, Australia, and Germany. “I’ve received mail from people all over the world. It’s igniting the imagination of many people,” she said. It’s a testament to Roxana’s skill as a storyteller that her book has been reviewed by two of the most prestigious publishing magazines.
While Roxana was in Kindersley and Netherhill, Penguin Publishers were assembling at the International Book Fair at Frankfurt. “So while I’m in Netherhill, ‘The Traitor’s Daughter’ is travelling to Frankfurt!” Roxana exclaimed. “Mom’s story is travelling back to Europe through this interesting route.”
Agnes Spicer was born in Lenin’s Soviet Union, served as a combat soldier in the Russian Red Army and was captured by the Germans. A Russian neighbour told Roxana her mother had been taken to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women. However, she was also told the blue-numbered tattoo on her mother’s arm was evidence she had spent time at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp.
She discovered her mother escaped from Soviet Russia and the Nazis but couldn’t go home because she was branded a traitor. Instead, Agnes escaped to Canada as the only Russian war bride amongst the 47,783 women who sailed into Pier 21.
Agnes Spicer, her husband Eric, and three children, Harold, Victor, and Roxana, lived in Netherhill from 1948 to 1998. Eric ran a service station, and during the latter years, Agnes ran the Homesteader restaurant in Kindersley.
Roxana’s mom would have been amazed at how much attention her story is receiving. It’s been a busy time for Roxana, who has been invited to writer’s festivals, author brunches, and dinners and received a “fantastic response” when featured on The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio. “The best publicity any book can get is word of mouth and social media. There’s been a lot of buzz on both fronts,” she added.
Roxana’s relatives from adjacent provinces made their way to Netherhill for the book launch. “The old town was hopping!” Roxana said.
All of Roxana’s friends and acquaintances were excited about purchasing her book. The pages take the reader on a journey into the past, encountering many unexpected historical happenings along the way.