Struggles with the Setting in My Novels by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/p/romancing-the-klondike

https://books2read.com/Romancing-the-Klondike

https://www.amazon.ca/Romancing-Klondike-Yukon-Joan-Donaldson-Yarmey/dp/1772992682

https://books2read.com/Rushing-the-Klondike

https://www.amazon.ca/Rushing-Klondike-Joan-Donaldson-Yarmey/dp/0228622328

https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/p/sleuthing-the-klondike

https://books2read.com/Sleuthing-the-Klondike

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0228624762?tag=books2read02-20

I have written in many different genres, non-fiction, mystery, romance, and historical. According to the professionals, I have had to make sure that my characters are multi-dimensional, my story plot is fast paced, and my setting is exciting. Readers want to identify with the main characters so they have to be believable and likeable. Readers want action in the story so the plot has to move along at a good clip. And readers want to learn about the place where the story is set, so it is important that I know the setting itself.

For my Travelling Detective Series, I had been to each of the places in the story and knew my setting. My descriptions of a town or a building or a street were true because I had seen them. I’ve heard that some authors who write about a place they’ve never been to using Google Maps to check out the buildings or streets.  

However, this is much harder in historical novels because that setting is no longer readily available in the way it was in the time period. Research is important and this is where non-fiction books, museums, archives, and paintings or photos of that time come in handy. And, of course, the Internet. It is the easiest and quickest way to learn about a historical event or a place or what clothing was worn, and even people’s names at the time.

I have written seven Canadian historical novels in two different sets. My Young Adult Canadian Historical books are: West to the Bay, West to Grande Portage, and West to Fort Edmonton. For each one I spent as much time researching the area, the history, and the people at the time as I did writing the story since I hadn’t been to the Hudson’s Bay or Montreal or Edmonton in the mid-1700s to early 1800s, I hadn't paddled a canoe or York boat, nor had I traded furs.

Luckily, for my Yukon books set during the Klondike Gold Rush, I’d been to Dawson City three times and even hiked the Chilkoot trail on the hundredth anniversary of the gold rush. Many of the buildings in Dawson today are from that era. However, I still had to research the clothing, the founding of Dawson City, the people who headed north, and what life was like for the newcomers from 1896 to 1898.

I enjoy research so much that sometimes I go down the rabbit hole and my actual writing suffers.

Romancing the Klondike is one of the twelve books of BWL Publishing, Inc. Canadian Historical Brides Collection.

Rushing the Klondike is my sequel to that book.

Sleuthing the Klondike is one of the twelve books of BWL Publishing Inc, Canadian Historical Mystery Collection.

Haunting the Klondike is one of BWL Publishing Inc. Paranormal Canadiana Collection and will be out in June, 2026

Twisting plots, twisted characters, horses, and handing over the reins - By Dean Hovey

 

D.L. Dixen (Deanna) developed the "Woke Up Dead" plot, including the creation of two new equine characters.  She wrote most of the story while I contributed specific scenes (Why did she ask me to write the bar scenes??). Deanna edited the final version to blend our "writing voices". As you'll note from her biography, D.L. Dixen lives on a small farm, surrounded by horses, dogs, cats, and family who all add seasoning and texture to the story.  

Her dark "Woke Up Dead" plot is counterbalanced by bits of humor in the lives of CJ Jensen and Pam Ryan. Several books ago we inserted Bailey, a farting basset hound, who was inspired by Deanna's basset. In Woke Up Dead, a miniature horse named Bert shows up somewhat unannounced, and is immediately in trouble for escaping his enclosure. While being a "royal pain in the..." Bert is part of CJ's evolving acceptance of Pine County as home, and her strengthening bond with Pam's family.

I'm sure our regular Pine County Mystery readers will enjoy the ongoing characters like Sandy Maki, Floyd Swenson, Sheriff Sepanen, Pam Ryan, and more, who've become old friends since their introduction in "Where Evil Hides". They're now in a larger group including Sergeant CJ Jensen and Riley Sanders the rookie.

As you've seen in "Skidded and Skunked" and "Woke Up Dead", Deanna is very capable of creating a book that fits into the series while showcasing her writing skills coupled with her court/police/farm background. Knowing the series will be in capable hands, I've decided to pass the Pine County mysteries reins to Deanna in 2027.

In the meanwhile, I'll be busy writing the Doug Fletcher mysteries and working on a couple of challenging new writing projects I'll talk about in future blogs.

Dean Hovey

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSCKCG1W   Digital

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228640520  Print

Walking where my Character Walked, a visit to Cornwall, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

I became fascinated with Cornwall, England after reading books and watching movies set there. Situated at the western end of England, the region of Cornwall, with its Celtic culture, is its own country in many ways. They had their own language as well.

Poldark, by Winston Graham, is a famous series set on the wild northern coast of Cornwall. Graham's books are also a good source of eighteenth century lingo used by the inhabitants. 

My heroine flees France during the French Revolution, and ends up working in a bawdy tavern in this area while she tries to solve her father's murder and discover the whereabouts of her mother.

She soon finds she is pursued by rebels with sinister intentions.

"Simply brilliant," the Historical Novel Society.

To purchase, Escape the Revolution, please click HERE

Of course my husband and I needed to travel there to get a feeling for the place. On a rainy evening, driving on the left side of the road, during the worst rains in 400 years, our adventure began. 

We entered the village in the pitch black, where we had a cottage rented, traversing a narrow road with towering hedges.

The quaint cottage, called Coombe Cottage was perfect. A stone in the wide fireplace had the date 1750 etched into it. Here is a painting my friend, Christine Valenti, did of my husband in front of the cottage.

We walked the coastline where I set the tavern, down to Tintagel, where King Arthur supposedly had a castle, all in ruins now. We ate meat pasties, which miners took with them to eat down in the tin mines. Later, I loaded up on research books in a crowded Padstow bookstore.

Bettina, (Lisbette) my French heroine--the daughter of a count--is shown these places by the mysterious Everett Camborne. He is a man she is falling in love with, but dark rumors surround him.

She also learns to make the pasties, as she acclimates from her privileged life to one of the poorer classes. She learns to be self-sufficient and is proud of it.

We visited the grand estate of Lanhydrock, where I set another novel later on. It was too fancy for Everett's manor.

We walked down to Port Isaac, where the "Doc Martin" series is filmed, and where Everett takes Bettina.

I got a feel for the thrashing sea, the brisk air, the rocky land, and incorporated it into my novel. It adds the "senses" that make the words come alive.

Cornwall is full of quaint towns and beautiful, rugged landscapes. I made up the village of Sidwell where Bettina lives and Maddie's tavern thrives so I could use it as I wished. Bettina, at first determined to leave, finds a home here, and a man she loves. But more events await her, good and bad.

I want to mention we lost the woman who started BWL Publishing at the beginning of this month. Heartfelt condolences to her family and all of us at BWL We'll miss you, Jude.

Find out more about me and my books

                        

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with one naughty dachshund. 

Do you have time for the 11-3-6 rule? ... by Sheila Claydon

Find my books here

Friendship can be tricky. There are the friends you can say (almost) anything to, the friends whose beliefs and thoughts you have to dance around if you don't share them, and the friends who like to talk rather than listen. Then there are the friends who disappear for weeks at a time only to reappear when they are suddenly upended by something life has thrown at them. And of course the dear friends who are always there for you. I've got them all and I wouldn't be without a single one. I find people endlessly fascinating (a writer's tic I guess) which means I like my friends, warts and all. And I try very hard not to wonder what sort of friend I am. A different type of friend to different people probably. 

Recently I read a piece about making friends. Apparently there is a rule about it! It's called the 11-3-6 rule. It suggests that it takes 11 encounters, each lasting at least 3 hours over a six month period, for an acquaintance to become a genuine friend. I'm sure there is detailed psychological research behind this and maybe it is a good idea for youngsters learning to negotiate life's pitfalls, but at my age, no! I don't have the time to worry whether a friendship is genuine or whether it will last. If I like someone and the feeling is mutual then I'm prepared to take a chance on us becoming friends long before I've spent that long with them.

Some of my best friendships were unexpected. There are the neighbours who, many years ago, started a snowball fight over the stand of fir trees that divided our gardens. We couldn't see one another. We hadn't met.  40 years later, we have holidayed together, attended each others' children's weddings, and despite now living many miles apart, still communicate weekly and visit regularly. Why? Because we liked them from the off and had a shared sense of humour. It was an immediate friendship if there is such a thing.

Then there is the friend I made at dog training when our puppies bonded over biscuits! And the lifelong friendship that developed at an antenatal class. Then there are the friends of friends who have become our friends too.

Over the years our friendship circle has included work colleagues, school gate parents, people who shared our sporting interests, neighbours, people we met while walking our various dogs. We have lost good friends to the grim reaper too, something that happens only too often as we age, which is another reason to nourish our friendships while we still have them.   

While we have friends across a wide age range (a semi-deliberate ploy on our part as it makes life so much more interesting) our latest new friend is 93 years old. We met when I had to do some research for our local museum and asked if she was prepared to answer a few questions. It only took one visit for us to know we liked one another, and a second visit to realise we were probably going to become real friends. 

At 93 years old and very pragmatic, she didn't have time for the 11-3-6 rule. Instead she bought me an Easter Egg, gave me a flower cutting, and sent me a birthday card, while I took her bunches of daffodils, always made sure I had biscuits in my pocket for her dog, and, after 4 visits, took her out for lunch. Not an easy option as she is very disabled, but my goodness did we enjoy ourselves. We talked about so many things from religion to riding horses, politics to wildlife, cars to nutrition. We each learned things from one another because she is not only interesting, she is interested. 

She is my new heroine. The person I want to be at 93 if I'm lucky enough to live that long with all my faculties intact. And it didn't take the 11-3-6 rule for me to decide that.

Friendship features in my latest book, One Wish, although in the manner or all romances, a lot of things get in the way before true love wins out in the end:)

 

What Love Made Us Do by Bonny Beswick

 

                                                                   

                               www.bonnybeswick.com

                                  🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫

 

It feels like forever, but it’s only been a year since “The Aquamarine Necklace” hit the bookshelves. And now, it’s sequel is poised to launch.

Here’s a sneak peak at the cover for the second in the Janice Maidstone Mystery series! “What Love Made Us Do”. It will be available next month through independent bookstores, Indigo, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and more. Check out my website www.bonnybeswick.com , and the BWL website. Shop | Discover More – Shop Now — Books We Love Publishing Inc.

 

I LOVE my cover. Thank you to Michelle, the BWL Art Director, for reading my mind and getting it perfect.

In anticipation of publication, I’m including an excerpt from “What Love Made Us Do”.

Some background: This is a police procedural murder mystery. It takes place in Calgary, Alberta.

Michael Orthando has been murdered on the front step of his townhouse in Greenwich, a new neighbourhood on the west side of the city. While tracking down leads, homicide detective Janice Maidstone and her partner, Scott Amble, have encountered an unsavoury character, Tranh, who’s of major interest to the Vice Squad.

Janice has gone to join up with the Vice unit when they conduct a surprise raid on Tranh. Things go all kinds of wrong, and Janice ends up going through a terrifying incident. In this excerpt, she’s been rescued and is finally home and resting. Her partner, dependable Scott Amble, is checking in on her.

 

I’m napping on the couch, both dogs curled up on the floor beside me, when the doorbell rings. My abs and ribs won’t let me just sit up, so rolling off the couch onto my hands and knees seems to be the solution to get into an upright position. I hold onto the arm of the couch until the room stops spinning.

The dogs knew it was Scott before I open the door. They sit quietly behind me, but their tails tell me they’re excited to see their best human friend.

The sun hits me in the face, and it hurts. Much, much too bright, so I turn and hunch away back to the couch, letting Scott follow me into the house, darkened by drawn blinds.

“Feeling any better today?”

“Yah. Planning on a jog this afternoon.”

He squints. “Seriously, Janice?”

“Okay. I thought I was feeling better when I woke up this morning. Not so sure at the moment, though. My ribs need more ice.”

“I’ll get you some, then take the dogs out.”

“Thanks, I feel guilty just turning them out in the backyard.”

“Don’t worry about it. I want to go for a run anyway, and I might as well take them with me.” He heads to the closet where I keep their leashes and poop bags.

“You’re a lifesaver.” I realize that he really did save my life this week, and tears prick my eyes. I hope he doesn’t notice.

“All part of the partner-service,” he teases. First Treacle, then Turkey stand patiently to get clipped into their leads, then the three of them head out the door. “See you in an hour,” Scott calls when he’s halfway down the sidewalk.

* * *

I wake up when the door opens. My ears track what’s going on. Dog toenails clicking on the hardwood floor, the jingle of collar tags, and heavy panting show progress through the front entry to the kitchen. The cupboard door above the sink creaks open, closes, then running water tells me that Scott’s glass and dog bowls are being filled.

Silence suggests Scott’s checking to see if I’m awake, to decide if he’s going to tiptoe out of the house, or if he’s going to come in for a chat.

“I’m awake,” I say, wincing when I attempt a graceful roll to sit up.

“Pretty sore?”

“Yep. I’m supposed to stay away from ibuprofen because of my lacerated kidney, and Tylenol isn’t good for my liver, which is also pretty unhappy. So I’m trying to do without anything.”

“Can I get you some more ice?”

“Thanks. There’s an ice pack in the freezer that should be ready to come out.”

Scott disappears then comes back with a blue freezy pack.

I wrap it around my ribs and back. “Thanks. Now, what’s going on with Orthando?”

“You’re not supposed to be thinking about work.”

I snort. “So I’m just supposed to lie here and think of pastoral scenes of bunnies and butterflies?”

“Yep.”

“Come on, Scott. It can’t hurt for me to sit here and listen. I’ll pretend you’re telling me a story.”

“Ok, but only since you insist. Now, since you got a bonk on your head, what do you remember?”

I summarize what I think I know.

He purses his lips. “Huh, good for you. You’ve still got most of it.”

He settles into the occasional chair across from the couch. The dogs come in and, after poking their muzzles, still dripping water, into my face to check in, pad to their beds where they flop down. With their heads on their paws, their eyes track between us while he brings me up to date.

 

I am coordinating a series of book signings that will take place later this summer. Keep your eye on this blog, my website (www.bonnybeswick.com), and my Facebook page (4) Facebook, for dates and places. I hope to see you at one of them!

In closing this blog, I want to thank Jude Pittman for her belief in my work. Jude passed away in early May after a brief illness. She was an unbelievable force at BWL Publishing Inc., and is going to be missed by all of us.