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Photo: Pihla Liukkonen

Marja-Liisa Kakkonen

Independent researcher, trainer, and writer

I used to work over ten years in the private sector in marketing and training tasks, after which I worked over 20 years in the higher education sector in teaching, research, administration, and managerial positions before becoming a freelancer.

I have two doctoral degrees: one in Business & Economics (majoring in entrepreneurship) and one in Education (majoring in adult education). Both dissertations have been published in English. My academic writing skills have been developed professionally through numerous research reports, articles, and conference papers.

Over ten years, I have actively participated in international networks of higher education – taken part in meetings and development committees (especially related to entrepreneurship education and training). In addition, I have been actively involved in various international projects that have developed entrepreneurship education of higher education institutions, and its implementation as well as network cooperation.

Through the Basic and Intermediate Studies in Writing, I have also acquired professional skills for creative writing.

TRAINER
AND PROMOTER

At the beginning of my career, I worked for over ten years in various sales and marketing positions. My training skills were developed especially in the private sector as a trainer and sales promoter in the home appliance industry.

TEACHER
AND RESEARCHER

I have completed pedagogical studies and worked as a teacher for about ten years. I have taught entrepreneurship in Finnish and English programmes in Finland and as a visiting teacher in Belgium every autumn for seven years in the first decade of the 21st century.

My research interests are particularly related to entrepreneurship education and the interdisciplinary perspectives of entrepreneurship. I have actively presented my research papers at several international conferences since 2001.

AUTHOR
AND WRITER

I have developed my academic writing skills throughout my career in higher education institutions by doing research and writing reports and articles.

Creative writing skills I have developed both through writing studies and by writing. I wrote my first novel (Mystery of Ohutvesi) together with my Belgian colleague under the pseudonym T.Hilko. My debut novel in Finnish, Kesämökki, was published in March 2022.

Fiona

is a historical novel

situated in Mikkeli in 1864. The theme of the story is women´s status in the society. At the heart of the story, there is a young woman as a teacher at the Antell School – which also opens the doors to Mikkeli's colorful history. The book not only tells the story of the fictive teacher but also invites readers to get to know the significant places of the town in 1864: Pirttiniemi spa, Billing restaurant, Saksala manor house, and many other places of the past.

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Cover: Iiris Kallunki

FICTION KESÄMÖKKI/ SUMMER COTTAGE novel

Available only in Finnish now - will be published in English in 2026

The story is set in Finland, Ristiina, on the shores of Lake Saimaa in a fictive summer cottage in the middle of nature during the hot July weekend in 2018. The relationships between the four siblings approaching late middle age have escalated into an inheritance dispute and, with it, a 12-year gap. Before that, the development of sibling relationships over the decades has been influenced by many significant events that are advancing in flashbacks...

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