Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings
The Stewards are the main characters in my WW1 Trilogy comprised of Angel of Mercy (released in 2019), Those Left Behind (released in 2020) and Adjustment Year (released April 2021). Here are the 10 members of the Steward family: Benjamin “Your mother and I must learn to accept that most of our children are grown…
My historical fiction WW1 trilogy is comprised of Angel of Mercy (released in 2019), Those Left Behind (released in 2020) and Adjustment Year (released in April 2021). Here’s your guide to the trilogy. Some spoilers ahead! Each One is a Stand Alone Story Each novel in the trilogy is its own standalone story. They are…
The Bartlettes are extended family to the Stewards in my WW1 Trilogy. The trilogy is comprised of Angel of Mercy (released in 2019), Those Left Behind (released 2020) and Adjustment Year (released April 2021). Here are the six members of the Bartlette family: Amelia “You don’t know how difficult it is,” Amelia said between sobs,…
Hello. My name is Henrietta Steward, but the people who are closest to me call me Hettie. I was born May 25, 1892, in Barrie, Ontario, and I’ve lived in this province my entire life. I am the fourth of eight children born to Benjamin and Lucretia Stewart. My siblings are Ida, Walter, Mabel, Freddie,…
Canada passed the Wartime Elections Act in September 1917. The act was part of the Conservative government’s efforts to win the federal election later that year. The act, however, was not without controversy. The act followed the nation’s conscription crisis that split the country between those of English decent, who favored conscription, and everyone else,…
Rheumatic fever is not a disease you hear much about in the 21st century. It is a disease, however, that plays a minor role in my WW1 Trilogy. Hettie Bartlette’s father, Benjamin, suffers from the ailment. What is rheumatic fever? It is a complication that can result from streptococcal infections such as strep throat. It…
The United States has the Founding Fathers. Canada has the Fathers of Confederation. Unlike the Founding Fathers, whose new nation gained independence thanks to war, the Fathers of Confederation took a quieter, more methodical approach. Fathers of Confederation refers to 36 men who represented their colonies at one or more conferences that were held to…
In my novel, Angel of Mercy, Hettie’s birthday and her marriage to Geoffrey Bartlette correspond with the celebration of Victoria Day. If you’re American, you may be unaware of this holiday or why Canadians celebrate it. The holiday commemorates the birthday of Queen Victoria who was born May 24, 1819. It did not become a…
Any discussion of Canada during the early 20th century would not be complete without including Henri Bourassa. Bourassa was outspoken and not afraid to fight for his beliefs. Bourassa was born in Quebec in 1868, a little more than a year after the formation of Canada. He entered politics in his early 20s and was…
Robert Borden was the prime minister who led Canada through the contentious years of World War I. An attorney by trade, he entered politics in 1896 and quickly rose to leader of the Conservative Party. Borden became prime minister following the nasty 1911 federal election that split the nation between those who were for and…