A
funny thing happened on the way to—the setting for my newest book.
The
heroine, Mary, first appeared in my earlier book, Love & Mayhem, though she went by a
slightly more exotic name befitting her scandalous profession. Both she and I
agreed that when she retired as a courtesan, she would leave London, England,
reinvent herself, and start a new life.
I had
every intention of sending her to northern England, to a mill town where she’d
pretend to be a respectable widow and set up shop as an art instructor to the
daughters of wealthy mill owners. I began researching possible locations,
spending far too long on Google maps, wandering the countryside, building
scenes, building a new life for Mary.
But
then I thought, why limit her options to the United Kingdom? Why not send her
to a Commonwealth country, or a country in which the British had a firm
foothold? She’d need a reason to travel further afield – she wasn’t that intrepid. Within five minutes I’d
given her a cousin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who ran a teashop and needed help.
Mary sold her fine gowns, her jewels (gifts from various gentlemen friends),
and her small house, and sailed across the Atlantic.
Why
did I choose Halifax? Because that’s where I was born and have lived a good
part of my life. I didn’t live in the 1885 version, though much has remained
unchanged to this day. The streets are still lined with buildings from that
era, the fog continues to roll in off the harbour, and the hill up to the
Citadel is just as steep. Even so, I needed to do some research. I learned a
few things (like how to become a lawyer in that time) and I was reminded of the
history I’d learned in school.
Mary
had to learn quite a bit, too. She’d never baked a batch of tea biscuits in her
life – the seagulls benefitted from numerous failed attempts. She was great at
adapting, however, and has built a good life for herself, serving tea to the
wives of professional men, and working on her art, spending her rare free
afternoons doing watercolours in the Public Gardens, the finest example of a
Victorian garden in North America (and one of my favourite spots in the city).
And then she meets the hero…
In my
real world travels, a funny thing happened on the way to—a camping trip.
Once
our boys were out of diapers, we’d go on short journeys by canoe into the
backcountry for a few days of back-to-nature living. On one such trip when
the boys were about 8 and 10, after portaging a half kilometre, paddling for a few hours, and setting up camp, we discovered a vital piece of the camp stove
was missing. One of the rules in the park is, you can’t use a campfire for
cooking – it uses too much wood (and is too polluting). A stove is vital. With
only a few hours to sunset, my husband and eldest son set off to retrieve the
missing piece (dropped near the car as we unloaded). Youngest son and I ended
up sitting in the dark at the water’s edge with our flashlights, like a
lighthouse beacon, guiding the wanderers back to shore.
Where
have you travelled that things have not gone exactly to plan?
I'm super excited to share my latest book, released yesterday!
Mary Taylor abandoned her silk gowns and sparkling jewels when she quit
her position as one of London’s highly prized courtesans. She’s determined to earn
her living with a paintbrush rather than between the sheets. Starting fresh in
a new country, she masquerades as a widow running a tearoom in Halifax while
perfecting her art. But when she’s hired to finish the portrait of a handsome
judge, she risks everything by surrendering to her lustful craving.
Finton Morash, youngest judge on the Queen’s bench, believes people
are either good or bad. The dowdy widow painting his portrait is surely one of the
former. After discovering the sensual beauty hiding beneath shapeless gowns, he
wonders at her other secrets.
When whispers circulate
about Mary’s nefarious past, she must find the courage to face the
consequences. And Finton must decide whether love is worth the risk.
Available now from your favourite ebook seller!!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes&Noble | Kobo
Website: http://www.luannastewart.com/
BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/luanna-stewart
Amazon
Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/luanna_stewart
2 comments:
Luanna, I now want to at least visit Halifax. So glad you shared a description of the setting of Mary's new life. She was a brave woman to take her future into her own hands. In 1885 women had more freedom and opportunity than they did a century earlier but still...
Love the camping story.
Nova Scotia is the one part of Canada I have never visited but always wanted to go. One day, when we are back east we'll have to schedule extra time.
Your book sounds very intriguing. I love the type of stories where someone had a profession that is looked down upon and then makes a new life, but always has it hanging over their head. Certainly, many women of no means resorted to being ladies of the evening at one time or another. As did immigrants.
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