In winter 2011 I worked as an operator, who drives the icebreaker. I was on board, and had just finished my night watch. The night had been full of missions and tricky situations. Suddenly it hit me: why won’t anyone put these stories in writing? And then: why not me? Icebreakers could tell their stories and wink their blue eyes. I decided to take the pen into my own hand and start telling the icebreakers’ stories.
Since childhood I have been at sea. My father built a sailboat and we spent summers in the 70s and 80s sailing on Baltic Sea and North Sea, all the way to Sweden, Germany and Denmark. I knew then that I wanted to be a sea captain as a grown-up. After ground school, at the age 15, I went to marine vocational school. I learned basic skills and after graduating, started working in merchant ships: passenger ships, cargo ships and oil tankers, for example.
I worked in dozens of different ships and saw the world: from Suez channel to the rivers of China, from Africa to Greenland and Malaysia. At the same time, I studied further and eventually got my Sea Captain’s degree in 2004. I also continued my studies and finished a Master of Marine Science degree in 2011. During the winters, when I was on vacation from my Sea Pilot job, I worked in Finnish icebreakers on the Baltic sea.
I’ve always read books for my children, and also made up my own stories of the sea, icebreakers, ships and lighthouses when I could not find them in bookstores. My literary benchmark is Jules Verne. I started reading his adventure books quite young and remember how the stories overwhelmingly charmed me. I am a storyteller by nature, and in addition to books I have published articles and manuscripts and made different kinds of documentaries.
My aim is to continue Icebreaker Snow book series with many new stories and communicate Icebreaker Snow and other characters’ values of positivity, helpfulness, equality and team spirit to all over the world. Eighth book is already in the making, as well as developing the crossmedia – animation, games, publishing and licensing of the Icebreaker Snow world.
Teemu Leppälä
Master of Marine Science, Captain
Founder & CEO at WRAPICE
We cooperate with dozens of companies globally. Our starting point is to serve and act according to our values and schedule.
