Bergli books have been busy again with another publication. This time the subject covers 50 Swiss women! We asked one of the 5 authors, Katie Hayoz, to tell us more.
What has been the inspiration?
The idea for writing a book of short biographies on amazing Swiss women came from one of the authors on the project, Laurie Theurer. When she was writing her book, Swisstory (on Swiss history), she included a short chapter devoted to Swiss women. Right away she knew she wanted to explore that subject further. However, a book like this is a huge undertaking – the research and interviews and writing take a great deal of time and devotion.
Bergli Books wanted to publish for the 50th anniversary of women getting the vote in Switzerland (February 2021), meaning Laurie wouldn’t have enough time to work on it by herself. So, she looked among her female writer friends who were just as inspired by the project as she was.
We are five writers – Laurie Theurer, Katie Hayoz, Anita Lehmann, Alnaaze Nathoo, Barbara Nigg – and one illustrator, Mireille Lachausse. We all are doing this because we believe women’s voices and stories need to be heard and that they are worth hearing. We are Swiss-born, Swiss-based, or Swiss by “adoption.” So we know that “Swiss” does not mean one particular thing. Switzerland and Swiss women are quite diverse, and we hope to show that in the book.
Jarina Hasi and Ana Polack working on Mookaite's first silk scarf collection
Launched only 3 weeks ago, Mookaite silk scarves will make a great Valentine's present for your loved one. Honestly, you may as well take advantage of the super discount code that Jarina Hasi and Ana Polack have kindly offered for the whole month, and buy a few more. We caught up with Jarina to find out how these two entrepreneurs took an idea and ran with it.
Why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
The inspiration started off with a business meeting between Ana and myself on an entirely different topic. The interesting part of the story is that we are competitors in our work career. During a business meeting our conversation quickly deviated to art, fashion and design. We realized we had a lot in common; we shared the same desire for a more creative lifestyle, and we were both scarf lovers. I graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Ana comes from an artistic family as well as being a surface pattern designer. The combination of our skills, experience and entrepreneurship sparked the idea of creating a scarf collection together!
Was the idea of designing scarves something you had been working on?
We had both played with the idea of doing something more creative one day, and with the Covid-19 lockdown, the opportunity to reconsider what is important to us. We wanted to be creative and be able to share a tangible product.
By Zac Allen, Zac Allen Interiors
We were very impressed by Zac Allen's article on this subject, especially now that essential item shops are closed. We are convinced that no-one apart from Zac has heard of all these amazing furniture and home decoration shops with delivery within Switzerland were available! We counted 28 sites and really are impressed with all the work he has put into this research. We asked Zac if we could republish this here and he has kindly given us permission:
Finding furniture and home decor in Switzerland is HARD, particularly online. My husband, cat, and I moved to Lausanne just about one year ago, each with what we could bring on the plane (Phineas, my cat, counted as a carry-on), so essentially we brought nothing. We were lucky to find a flat right before the pandemic hit, but that meant we had four rooms to design and fill with furniture. A real-life dream come true for me, but I don’t think my husband shared that same sentiment… Anyway, not really knowing where to even begin to find furniture and to follow COVID-19 guidelines, we decided to do all our home decor shopping completely online. It’s extremely intimidating to start when you don’t have the same access to the hoards of online retailers like in the US, but where there is a will, there’s a way!
I enjoy sourcing special items that feel personal, which can be tricky online and on a budget. I can spend hours drooling over the stunning catalog of home decor at 1st Dibs and Charish, but a single vase from those sites can equal the cost of a car - not very practical when trying to design an empty home from scratch. Every single blog and forum on the Suisse Interwebs that I could find pointed me in the direction of Ikea… great to quickly find affordable furniture, but not really my idea of elevated interior design. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bargain shopper at heart and we made purchases at Ikea, but what if you want a more layered home? Where are the online furniture shops in Switzerland to find special pieces that can withstand a “trend” and bring personality into your interiors that won’t cost you 3 months’ salary?
There must be something in the water, as we have been contacted by some very prolific young writers and entrepreneurs recently! It is impressive to see these young people get to the end of a major project. We caught up with Ashley Lucking, from Montreux, recently. She has kindly offered to send a signed copy of her second novel, Shadows of the Afterlife, to one lucky knowitall.ch reader.
Why did you start writing?
I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing since I was little. I can remember thinking up stories in my head, and having to ask my Dad to write them down because I didn’t know how to. As the years went on, I started reading more complicated novels and tried to make short stories. When I turned thirteen, I decided to take on the challenge of writing a real book.
I had recently watched a movie called “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”, which became my inspiration. I ended up writing two adventure novellas. After that, I fell into the world of mysteries and thrillers, leading me to publish my first book: When Nightshade Blooms.
What is the inspiration behind Shadows of the Afterlife?
I had just released my first novella “When Nightshade Blooms”, and was thinking about beginning a new project. Back then, I had exhausted all of my thriller and mystery novels and was looking for something new. I enjoyed the genre but felt something was lacking in my writing, something to keep me at the edge of my seat. As soon as I stumbled across the book “The Witch of Willow Hall” by Hester Fox, a new spark ignited inside me. I enjoyed immensely the eerie and suspenseful aspects of the novel, as well as the side romance and comedy. They were the elements that made me want to start Shadows of the Afterlife.
Enter our competition to win a copy of The Expert Guide by Diccon Bewes, published by Bergli Books! If you haven't heard of Diccon Bewes before, then check out the many other books he has authored: Swiss Watching, Slow Train to Switzerland, Around Switzerland in 80 Maps, Le Suissologue, Der Schweizversteher; False Friends and How to be Swiss both published at Bergli Books. We wrote an article about Around Switzerland in 80 Maps in 2015 at this link.
It was time to catch up with Diccon again and ask him about The Expert Guide,"I wanted the book to be fun as much as factual, so every page has a colour photo, information is in manageable chunks, there are lots of ideas for making the most of life here, and every expert has their own voice." Thanks to Bergli Books for offering one lucky knowitall.ch reader to win a copy, see below.
Why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
I know from personal experience that it's hard to live in another country in a different language. There's so much to get your head around, and so little information available in English, that it can feel overwhelming. I was lucky because when I moved here 15 years ago, I could ask my Swiss boyfriend for help. Not everyone has that lifeline. That was my starting point for this book, making it as useful as possible for anyone living here already, just arrived or thinking of moving here. But I also wanted it to show that life here is wonderful so alongside all the practical information, it is packed with inspiration for travelling around Switzerland, enjoying your free time and making friends (which isn't always that easy here). A sort of work-life balance in one book.
Have you been working on this idea forever, or was it something that came to you recently?
It was fairly recent as I've been busy with other projects. About two years ago, Richard Harvell, my editor at Bergli Books, asked me if I'd write a new book to help foreigners living here. I knew one was needed but I was about to go off on a five-month world trip so we put the idea on hold while I was travelling. By the time I came back, I'd realised that although I know Switzerland really well, I wasn't the right person to give in-depth advice on the likes of tax, visas, pensions or schools. My solution was to ask the experts, and suddenly we had a great concept for the book.
