Kaisa Viitala takes a year off to write full time

Finnish author Kaisa Viitala, 52, has taken a year’s leave from her communications job to concentrate on writing, Yle reports. She has published dozens of novels, plays, historical works and anthology pieces over nearly 40 years, mostly alongside her studies or a full-time job.

Viitala was born in Lapua and published her first book at the age of 13. She is still remembered for the Hullu luokka young adult series, published in the 1990s, which young readers continue to borrow, particularly as audiobooks.

In recent years, Viitala’s historical novels have gained attention. Her Nummien kutsu series, set in Scotland, has become popular, and the fourth book, Klaanin toivo, is nearing completion and is due to be published in spring.

Viitala has not resigned from her permanent position as a communications planner at Herättäjä-Yhdistys. Instead, she is taking a year-long leave of absence.

“I always used to say that I do not make a living from writing, but now I feel that perhaps I could,” she said.

A 28-book publishing deal

Viitala’s decision to take time off was prompted in part by a publishing deal with Saga Egmont, a Danish publishing house. In the early 2020s, the company contacted her after finding works she had published online.

“I signed a publishing contract for 28 books all at once,” Viitala said.

The agreement covered republications of her earlier works as well as new books. After that, she also signed a contract with Karisto for the Nummien kutsu series.

She is now working to finish and write all the books she has promised. “I suppose I am a writer now,” she said.

From historian to author

Viitala’s writing career has gone through both successful and difficult periods. After completing her studies, she deliberately tried to resist the writing career that had begun well because she wanted to establish herself as a credible, newly graduated historian.

She continued writing privately, however, and eventually began submitting her work to publishers again. A series of rejections followed, bringing her earlier run of publications to an end.

Viitala later began publishing her texts online. Readers asked for sequels, and this led to the Betty series, which grew to more than ten books. Writing Betty provided an escape from difficult circumstances in her life, and she had never intended to submit the series to a publisher.

Viitala said she had feared the early books contained too many influences from her literary models, but Saga Egmont told her this could be acknowledged openly.

Writing from her own experience

Publishers had previously encouraged Viitala to write about subjects closer to her own life rather than 18th-century Scotland. She followed the advice in part by making Agnes, a woman with a physical disability, the main character of Nummien kutsu. She did not, however, abandon Scotland or the 18th century, as Scotland has been one of her passions since her youth.

Viitala has the congenital bone disorder osteogenesis imperfecta, which limits her mobility. She said that all the comments about disability received by the series’ main character are things that have been said to her or to people she knows.

Her next series will combine her interest in the Scottish landscape with her interest in Ostrobothnia. The books are scheduled for publication between 2028 and 2030.

Only about 10 per cent of members of the Finnish Writers’ Union can make a decent living from writing books, according to an income survey conducted by the union in 2025.