My first novel, "A London Lover," has been published in my current home country Finland by Otava Publishing Company, 2006, and a year later in Estonia, titled "Londoni armuke" by Varrak Publishing Company.

A London Lover, Lontoolainen rakastaja in Finnish, is now available as an e-book by Elisa Kirja! It is in Finnish language and can be purchased and downloaded here.

Here are also two recent blogger reviews on Lontoolainen rakastaja:

http://www.kirjavinkit.fi/arvostelut/lontoolainen-rakastaja/

 http://josvaikkalukisi.blogspot.fi/2012/01/meritta-koivisto-lontoolainen-rakastaja.html

SYNOPSIS:

”A London Lover” is about secret relationships– the reasons and the consequences - all seen from the different female and male characters’ point of view, centering around the main character, history teacher Vernon Pembrook’s darkest secret. The story takes place mainly in early 70’s in the fictional small town of Pickesbury and in London.

”Koivisto’s text is masterly and delightful. The entire novel is written with a twinkle of idiosyncratic humor.”- ”The dramatic tension of the novel sweeps you along; every single human fate is interestlingly described.” –UUTISPÄIVÄ DEMARI

 “In spite of its title, A London Lover succeeds as a kind of psychological novel and  "who done it" hybrid, not a Romance novel. However, love and lack of love is what the novel is about. These are the motives that make people do desperate deeds.” -SAVON SANOMAT

”The Book is a marvelous reading experience.” –SALONSEUDUN SANOMAT

"A London Lover is a smooth reading and its visual language imprints the events on to the readers’ retina. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book were made into a TV series." – AAMULEHTI

”Koivisto builds her charming story airly and without moralizing.” –TURUN SANOMAT

My second book is titled Poissa (direct translation "Absent"), published by Avain Publishing 2011. More information to follow. 

Read a review of the novel from a Finnish blog Järjellä ja tunteella

PLAYWRIGHT CREDITS

THE PRIVACY

A Theatre play by Meritta Koivisto

An American two-act full-length theatre play in English; Drama with black humour.

Recognition

Honorary Mention finalist at New Century Writer Awards, 2002. NCWA is an international fictional writing contest and educational organisation supported by Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope, USA.

Drama "with an attractive almost perverse humour"

-       Quotation from Neil Hardwick, British Director, Helsinki City Theatre.

Short synopsis

Privacy is a tale of an eccentric author with an ironic twist set in the Hollywood Hills. The play shows the power of media and creates the feel of absurdity making one to wonder what in fact is fiction. An eccentric, famous author dies just as a long lost high school friend of his wife’s unexpectedly visits. She comes up with an idea of how she can get everything “life has robbed her of; fame, money and love” with tragic consequences.

The play requests one main setting which is a living room/study. In PRIVACY the primary characters are two female leads in their mid-50’s.

Also available an outline for a television miniseries which starts during the 60's in a small town, Rockford, Illinois and ends at the present time in Hollywood.

FILMOGRAPHY

Kati Outinen in a scene of Wrestling With a Bee

WRESTLING WITH A BEE (orig. title AMPIAISPAINI)

Writer and Director, 1999

Main Prize, Switzerland's International Short Film Festival Winterthur, 2000

1st Prize, Blue Sea Film Festival, Finland, 2000

Selected among the 10 best short films on the Internet by Kate Stables, The Guardian, United Kingdom, February, 2002

Broadcasting rights purchased by French-German Television Channel

ARTE Cinema, 2001. Territory: France, German, Switzerland and Belgium

Broadcasting rights purchased by The Finnish National Channel YLE-2, 1999

BALTHAZAR'S FUNERAL

Dramaturge, director and producer, 1993, Los Angeles, USA

Best Short Film Award by The Saint John's College's Student Jury, The Cork International Film Festival, Ireland, 1994

Theatrical release by LAEMMLE Theatres in Los Angeles, 1993

Contestant for the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Science Awards, 1994, USA

Broadcasting rights purchased by Finnish National Channel YLE-2, 1999

Vagabond Films production in co-operation with Panavision Director's Program to which I was selected in Los Angeles

Balthazar's Funeral cast Sarah Lilly, David St. James and Jameson Baltes with director Meritta Koivisto

Filming on the set in Los Angeles: Director of Photography David M. Rakoczy and Director Meritta Koivisto

A scene from the film

**Special thanks to Lisa Blok-Linson and the film's Editor Phillip Linson**

A PERSONAL MATTER

Writer

Original feature-length screenplay, drama

Recognition Award, The Lone Star Screenplay Competition, USA, 1997. The Jury based their choice on the ability to carry simultaneously multilayered plotlines and create in-depth characters.

TUMMIEN PERHOSTEN KOTI

Co-Executive Producer

A Finnish feature film, Solar Films Oy, 2008, Producer Markus Selin, Executive Producer Jukka Helle

PROSE

POISSA (direct transl. ABSENT)

A Finnish language novel, published by Avain, BTJ Finland, May 2011, Finland

LONTOOLAINEN RAKASTAJA (direct transl. A LONDON LOVER)

A Finnish language novel, published by Otava Publishing Company Ltd, Autumn 2006, Finland, and by title LONDONI ARMUKE, 2007 in Estonia by Varrak. (Reviews available in English)

Short stories published in several magazines.

FILM AND THEATER

BALTHAZAR'S FUNERAL (Short film in English)

Dramaturge, director and producer, 1993, Los Angeles, USA

Best Short Film Award by The Saint John's College's Student Jury, The Cork International Film Festival, Ireland, 1994

Theatrical release by LAEMMLE Theatres in Los Angeles, 1993

Contestant for the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Science Awards, 1994, USA

Broadcasting rights purchased by Finnish National Channel YLE-2, 1999

Independent production in co-operation with Panavision Director's Program to which I was selected in Los Angeles

 

A PERSONAL MATTER (English)

Writer

Original feature-length screenplay, drama

Recognition Award, The Lone Star Screenplay Competition, USA, 1997

AMPIAISPAINI (WRESTLING WITH A BEE)

Writer and Director, 1999

Main Prize, Switzerland's International Short Film Festival Winterthur, 2000

1st Prize, Blue Sea Film Festival, Finland, 2000

Selected among the 10 best short films on the Internet by Kate Stables, The Guardian, United Kingdom, February, 2002

Broadcasting rights purchased by French-German Television Channel

ARTE Cinema, 2001 (Territory: France, German, Switzerland and Belgium)

and by The Finnish National Channel YLE-2, 1999

Screened in over twenty film festivals across the Europe

PRIVACY (Theatre play in English; Drama with black humour)

Playwright

Honorary mentioned finalist at New Century Writer Awards, 2002. NCWA is an international fictional writing contest and educational organisation supported by Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope, USA

TUMMIEN PERHOSTEN KOTI 

Co-Executive Producer

A Finnish feature film, Solar Films Oy, Producer Markus Selin, Executive Producer Jukka Helle, Director Dome Karukoski, 2008

Member of the Union of Finnish Writers

Lectured on Creative Writing at Columbia University, The Finnish Studies Program, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Fall, 2011, New York