Honoured to contribute a chapter to Métis Matriarchs: Agents of Transition, soon to be released by University of Regina Press. My chapter studies the life of Josette Lagacé Work, the matriarch featured in my historical novels. The wife of HBC Chief Factor John Work, she ensured the survival of her large family and community through …
Read the full post →“Métis Matriarchs: Agents of Transition book release coming soon”
Glad for the opportunity to review Tomorrow, the awaited fourth book of The McBride Chronicles, by Victoria author Valerie Green. This time, Green tackles more recent history in mid-twentieth century Victoria, BC. She skilfully weaves continuity through generations of the McBride settler family as they face new challenges ahead. Green offers a vital and hopeful …
Read the full post →“Review of Tomorrow, The McBride Chronicles”
Victoria writer Valerie Green has continued her McBride family saga with Destiny and Legacy. Following her debut novel Providence, she impressively weaves generations together through the turn of the century to the World Wars. In both British Columbia and Europe, her captivating characters face revelations and tragedies. She has created vibrant women who must overcome …
I thoroughly enjoyed discussing Local Historical Women with the Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The presentation touched on spirituality and spiritualism (as explored by a 19th century Unitarian). The thoughtful questions during the forum were engaging. Many thanks to Peter, Heather, Amanda, and Dick for the warm welcome and support, as well as to Leigh for …
Drawn to novels based on real people and events, I was enthusiastic about reading A. S. Rodlie’s Keepers of the Garden for The BC Review. There aren’t many novels focussed on early fur trade history of the Pacific Northwest, making this one particularly intriguing. Having some familiarity with the few sources of the doomed Pacific …
In September, the Goward House Book Club met at Point Ellice House for a stimulating discussion about Trappings and Point Ellice’s first residents during the turbulent 1860s. I appreciated the enthusiasm of readers who were immersed in the moving story of Kate (Work) and her husband, Charles Wentworth Wallace. Topics ranged from researching 19th-century women’s …
I was delighted to have the opportunity to review historian Valerie Green’s debut novel, Providence, for The British Columbia Review. An author of over 20 non-fiction titles, Green deftly blends fact and fiction in this vivid portrayal of colonial British Columbia. Set in the mid-19th-century, the engaging story captures the spirit of hope and desperation …
Read the full post →“BC Review of historical novel Providence”
I thoroughly enjoyed discussing Trappings with the Blarney Book Club, an Edmonton-Victoria group of dedicated readers. They met in the book store business 25 years ago! It was an honour to have them read my historical novel on their anniversary year. Our engaging talk ranged from my writing and research process, to the many mourning …
It was a pleasure to meet with a book club at Point Ellice House, the setting of Trappings’ story. We had an engaging discussion about the first owners of this Victorian house, ranging from domestic to dynastic power plays. In the evening ambience, the halls where the characters walked before us seemed part of the …
Honoured to have my short story, Asylum, longlisted in the UK, for the Historical Writers’ Association Dorothy Dunnett Competition. “All the writers longlisted here show not just talent, but passion and sensitivity and an ability to bring the past and its people to life in rich and vivid prose.” http://www.historiamag.com/hwa-dd-2021-longlist/
