The US publication of The Virgin Cure is only 3+ weeks away (June 26th!), so in anticipation of the big day I thought I’d start a new feature on my blog to share some of my favourite memories from the time I spent researching the novel in New York. In a series of “New York Minutes,” I’ll be posting moments from the past couple of years – snapshots, quotes, audio and such. I hope you enjoy them! New York Minute #1 On a rainy morning in May, while my husband Ian and I were strolling through Central Park, we came …
Tag: The Virgin Cure
While the world has been memorializing the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I’ve been thinking about a quieter, yet equally mysterious passing that happened on the same day. In the mid-nineteenth century a man who became known as “Jerome” was found on the shores of Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, mute and missing both legs. He lived for over forty years with a local family. Many attempts were made to locate his relatives, with hopefuls rumoured to have travelled from as far away as Alabama and Milan, but when he died on April 15, 1912, the mystery of …
There is no frigate like a book To take us lands away, Nor any coursers like a page Of prancing poetry. – Emily Dickinson Libraries hold a special place in my heart. The public library in my hometown of Lebanon, Indiana was the place I spent most Saturday mornings as a child. My mom would drop me off on her way to do her grocery shopping, and by the time she returned, I’d have a stack of books piled high on the librarian’s desk, ready to bring home. The children’s section, with its giant, 1970’s coloured floor pillows was …
Dear Cookie, I’m sorry. Your husband put me up to it. He said it was for your own good. Please forgive me. During the first part of December, I made several appearances at bookstores and malls in Nova Scotia. My last obligation of the season took me to the Chapters store in Dartmouth, where I sat for a couple of hours at a table – stacks of my new novel artfully placed to my left and right; and a helpful staff waiting in the wings to see to my every need. On the whole it was a pleasant affair. I …
In 1870, there were over thirty thousand children living on the streets of New York and many more who wandered in and out of cellars and tenements as their familes struggled to scrape together enough income to put food on the table. Under the mentorship of sister physicians Drs. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, my great-great grandmother (Dr. Sarah F. Mackintosh) and her classmates worked tirelessly to care for such children. They faced fierce opposition from the medical establishment as well as from society. Riots formed outside the doors of the infirmary, and funding was difficult to obtain. It was their …
Due to a SNOWFALL WARNING for the Annapolis Valley and other parts of Nova Scotia, my event in Wolfville has been RESCHEDULED. Please join me TUESDAY, November 29th at 7:30 pm in the Al Whittle Theatre for an evening of storytelling, reading, Q&A-ing and book signing! Tickets are $2 and can be purchased in advance at Box of Delights Books with all proceeds going to Because I am a Girl Canada. I’ll also be signing books (no reading) at Box of Delights books this Saturday, Novemeber 26th from 11am-1pm. Stop by if you like, or attend both events if you …