My debut novel. For over six months the emigrants were cooped up on the Princess Rose, a three masted barque that had carried them from Liverpool to Canada. In Victoria they were transferred to The Beaver a steam powered side wheeler. They approach Colville, their new home. "To be charitable, the settlement looked promising, if… Continue reading Colville’s Bastion
My debut novel It's 1854 and my heroine is standing on the quay with colliers from Whitehaven and Brierley Hill who have signed up with the Hudson's Bay Company to open the mines on Vancouver Island in Colville. "The first thing Kate McAvoy registered when she and her family stepped out of the brougham onto… Continue reading Leaving Liverpool
There is something special about a book that stays with you in between reading sessions and this, for me, was such a book. I enjoyed it tremendously. I'm sure people who have visited will agree there is something unique about Holy Island’s atmosphere, something distinctive, and LK Wilde captures this perfectly. Not just through description,… Continue reading Silver Darlings Review
This receipt is an original one made out to John Whittle of 87 Queen Street, Whitehaven, on July 4th, 1854, in payment of a lamp and paving rate. I assume it's a local lighting and street tax akin to our commercial rates. I thought I would spend a a short while seeing if I could… Continue reading Tracing Mr Whittle of 87 Church Street, Whitehaven.
A glance through my research process window.
Arriving in Whitehaven late Tuesday afternoon, via Wensleydale and the Hawes Creamery, nerves became a little bit frayed as we set about negotiating the one-way system for Church Street and The Georgian House Hotel. After being warmly welcomed and more than happy to say goodbye to the car (it's a long way from Lincolnshire), we… Continue reading Whitehaven’s Georgian Streets and Modern-Day Seagulls
From Lorna's Command Centre 