An Authentic Beauty: The Holgate Mansion

There are many lovely and historic homes in the Highlands neighbourhood of Edmonton. Although this home, locally known as the Holgate House after its original owner and co-developer of the area, isn’t the largest, or even the most elegant, it is, in my opinion, the most authentic. The current owners have pulled out all the stops to ensure whatever needs to be maintained or fixed … Continue reading An Authentic Beauty: The Holgate Mansion

Welsh Terriers – Therapy for a Peaceful Life?

Anyone who has ever owned a Welsh Terrier will tell you about their zest for life and happy-go-lucky attitude. Our current Welshie is the third dog of this breed that we have owned. She is also the smartest. This of course, is a double edged sword. Her intelligence has her figuring out how things work and how she can get around them before we have … Continue reading Welsh Terriers – Therapy for a Peaceful Life?

A Multipurpose Kitchen Cabinet

A Revolution in the Kitchen

In my most recent book, my main character time-travels to Chicago in the year 1928. There’s a scene in the book where she finds herself in the kitchen, perusing the pantry for something to eat and marvelling at the number of electric appliances that were already in existence in that year. It’s hard to imagine kitchens without rows of cupboards, central islands, stone counter tops … Continue reading A Revolution in the Kitchen

When Elephants were on the Menu in Paris

The Stories behind the Story What does this mean? Authors, especially those who write historical fiction, have to do a lot of research in order to make an era come alive, or create an environment that is accurate and feels real to a reader. In doing so, we come across many interesting tidbits that sometimes make their way into the book, and sometimes not. I … Continue reading When Elephants were on the Menu in Paris