​Another wonderful opportunity Bound had created for me is receiving invitations to speak to groups on aspects of Prince Edward Island history. Some of these presentations have been directly related to the topics addressed in my novel while others were only tangentially so.

Community, cultural and other groups have sought presentations on Indigenous treaties, parallels between Ireland and Island, remarkable Island women and more. While much of this information comes from research for my novel, other areas required digging deeper into certain factors and influences on Island history and culture over the centuries.

The presentation on women who shaped the Island over three centuries was a great opportunity to profile strong characters who have often been overlooked in the traditional histories of the area. These include female Mikmaq, Acadian and enslaved persons who lived on the Island for a time.  It also includes several remarkable women who appear in the pages of Bound including Suzanna Torriano, Nellie MacDonald and Freelove Haszard. Of course, just because they were women didn’t mean they were necessarily on the right side of an issue, at least in my view.  including an British  heiress who became the landlord of over 60,000 acres and refused to sell so that her tenants could finally own the land they worked.

​Talking about ‘Islandness’ and the distinctive culture that developed on PEI like many other Islands not only creates a greater understanding of our history but challenges us learn and think more about who we are and why.

When my son was little, he was captivated by the ‘choose your own adventure’ books. He not only enjoying following the different plot threads but also have the choice of which one to follow. I had no idea when Bound was published that it would turn into a ‘choose your own adventure’ experience with so many interesting avenues to pursue.
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I knew of course that there would be a book launch to get my historical novel out into the world and hoped readers would enjoy the story.  I have no idea how many book clubs have chosen to read Bound but I never imagined that almost two dozen book clubs on Prince Edward Island would invite me to join their discussions, so rewarding for an author. But it was more than a privilege. I have been so impressed with the interest and curiosity of these readers about the characters, real or reimagined, their motivations and worries and the world these people occupied in late 1700s PEI.

Of course, for hundreds of years, adults gathered – whether it was the Mechanics Clubs or the Blue Stocking Society mentioned in Bound – to learn and discuss topics of interests. But to have so many book clubs choose Bound and to have this level of interest in the novel’s characters and Island history generally has proven to be an adventure I didn’t anticipate when I opened my laptop and began writing my novel.

Wonder what adventure is next…

Since Bound was published last August, I have been struck by how similar Islanders’ comments on the novel have been. Many have said they didn’t know anything about this period of the Island’s history and wished this was how history was taught in school. They wanted to know less about the dates of British kings and more about the people here and how they lived in the colony’s early years. Many have said that few history courses in school or university paid much attention to the Mi’kmaq or even mentioned that there were enslaved persons on the Island for a time. Maybe in a small way, this is about to change. This summer, the PEI Ministry of Education contacted me to say they are recommending Bound for school libraries and are considering it for the curriculum. But I am especially pleased with a message I received last week from a UPEI professor who let me know that he was having his 3rd year PEI History students read Bound and prepare a book review as many of the novel’s themes mirrored those being explored in his course.
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I am honoured that Bound is seen as making a contribution and hopefully it will inspire readers to dig a bit deeper and learn more about our Island and its interesting and eventful past. 

There is a joke among authors that we have two main worries; that people will read our book or that people won’t read it. A conundrum for sure!

Joking aside, I have been fascinated by the reactions and comments of people who have read Bound, an historical fiction novel set in what is now Prince Edward Island. A reader from India was struck by how inescapable colonialism was for former British colonies – whether it was India and PEI – and how the present was shaped by the experiences of the past and British efforts to ‘civilize’ the locals. A number of readers commented that their only exposures to slavery were from the America experience and knew little about the experiences of enslaved persons elsewhere, including in Canada. Another reader of Acadian descent had heard stories about the treatment of her ancestors but didn’t really understand or appreciated her family’s history until she read it in the context of Bound. And many readers remarked on how Bound offers a very different perspective from that created by LM Montgomery in her beautiful Anne books, often readers only familiarity with Prince Edward Island.
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I love reading historical fiction as it allows me to learn about and better understand a place and time while being emersed in a good story. What I now appreciate more as a result of readers’ comments is that historical fiction can also address universal themes and the human condition – wherever on the planet those humans might live.