The Story Behind the Story with Author Jill Maclean of Nova Scotia, Canada

 

One of my favourite storytellers is our guest this week.

Jill has been a guest with us before, a little over a year ago. 

If you missed it, please go HERE and discover the novel that precedes the one we are talking about today.

 

Please note the Jill’s second medieval novel, The Arrows of Fealty, will be launched on Sunday September 21^st at the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS, from 3:30 until 5:00. Bookmark will be on hand selling copies.

The book will also be available on all the usual online channels.

I’ve been a writer for a long time. Writing genre fiction taught me the basics of story-telling. Mentorships with two excellent poets, one in Winnipeg and one in Halifax, honed a love of language and a respect for the power of words. My poetry collection was shortlisted for two awards, my three middle-grade and two young adult novels garnered various nominations and awards and I began to think that maybe, just maybe I wasn’t wasting my time – I have a rampant inner critic and am all-too frequently assailed by self-doubt. Perhaps these two characteristics lead to my compulsion for revising? Is the opposite of self-doubt the conviction that each sentence as it’s first tapped on the screen is perfection itself?

Did I think, when I delved into researching the 14^th century ten years ago, that I would write two novels about serfs living in a small village in southwestern England who become embroiled in war, plague and rebellion? The short answer? No. Would I have kept going, had I known? Oh yes! The medieval period fascinates me, the characters have become part of me, writing – it’s very clear – is what I want to do, along with striving, always, to make the next book better than its predecessor. I hope you’ll read The Arrows of Fealty and judge for yourself.

I live in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and love gardening, walking (stirs the brain cells), canoeing and reading. Four of my current favourite novels are Pat Barker’s trilogy about the women of Troy, and Percival Everett’s James, based on the journey by Huck Finn and Jim down the Mississippi River, but brilliantly retold from the point of view of Jim, the slave on the run. Also, I’m delighted to have discovered Sarah Dunant’s historical novels, set in Renaissance Italy.

 

Title: The Arrows of Fealty

 

Synopsis:

The protagonist of The Arrows of Mercy, my first medieval novel, is Edmund of Flintbourne. The Arrows of Fealty tells the story of Haukyn, Edmund’s second son. As a serf, Haukyn owes fealty to the lord of the manor and his life is tied to the soil, yet he craves adventure beyond the boundary stones of his village. In 1373, he leaves for John of Gaunt’s campaign in France. There, during five months of combat and loss, futility and atonement, he learns how armour-clad knights can be brought as low as any serf.

Home again, he is caught between two women, pretty Annabel and Ilotte of the sloe-black eyes. Neither marriage nor fatherhood tames his restless spirit. When a knight who was his sworn enemy in France becomes the new lord of the manor, Haukyn leads his neighbours in rebellion against ancient custom and unjust taxation.

England’s southern counties march in open revolt to London, where Haukyn witnesses the king grant freedom to every serf in the country. Unimaginable freedom. A freedom that will bring consequences.

 

The Story Behind the Story:  

When I enter what I call the “brooding” phase of a new novel, which entails walking the neighbourhood with a notebook in my pocket, staring vacantly at the sky then madly scribbling something down, I don’t have a theme in mind, nor do I have an argument I want to get across or a lesson I want you to learn. Far from it. I begin with character and scene, listening and watching, hoping for scraps of dialogue, for an inkling of conflict and action, for the yearning that can so easily engulf each one of us. Henry James wrote, ”What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” The two enmeshed, inseparable. This does, however, tend to slide over an important facet of historical novels, in which entire populations can be caught up in history – a war, a famine, a plague, a rebellion – events imposed upon them from outside. When the story describes how they react and their struggles to survive, then incident and character resurface.

I’m often the last person to know the themes that lie behind what I’ve written.  After my third middle-grade novel was published in 2013, someone said to me, “This book is about loneliness,” and I thought, shocked, you’re right, of course it is, and I never realized it. Instead, unknowingly, I must have trusted that by digging deeply enough into my characters’ lives and whatever was impinging on them, the theme or themes would emerge.

 

 

 

Jills website – please go HERE.

Buy the book HERE.

Scribbler: Tell us about your writing habits. Morning, late night, anytime? Music or solitude? What is your beverage of choice while writing?

Jill: No music. Silence, please. No company. I’m an introvert and someone leaning over my shoulder in the study would finish me off. Beverage? Water. Snack? Dark chocolate. Could I write without it? Doubtful.

I’m a morning person – don’t ever expect even minimal intelligence from me past nine o’clock at night. Consequently, I sit down at the laptop immediately after breakfast five days a week, and put in three or four hours of concentrated writing. Some days it goes well, others not…if I had to choose whether talent, inspiration or perseverance is the most important attribute for a writer, I’d probably choose perseverance. A morning person, indeed: when I’m working on a book, I often wake at 2 a.m. with Edmund crumbling soil between his fingers, Haukyn cursing the ragwort in the fields, Ilotte in the stocks railing at her tormentors. I grab the notebook by the side of the bed and write all this down, and sometimes in the morning it’s legible, and sometimes it even ends up on the screen. Oh, and every morning I start by revising what I wrote the day before: a good way to get back into the story. In the big picture, I write the first scene and keep going until I reach what feels like the end, not by any means following an outline, but usually with some sense of the arc of the story.

Revision is my middle name. When the manuscript is as polished as I can make it, and I’m so close to it that it could be full of holes and I wouldn’t see a single one of them, I send it to my trusted UK editor at The Literary Consultancy in London for substantive editing (one of my weak points). Almost all his suggestions are incorporated, alongside my own copy editing. This can take weeks or, more often, months.

For me, the ending is hugely important. I can’t tell you how many times I rewrote the last six or seven pages of The Arrows of Mercy.

Knowing when to stop revising is also hugely important. The original manuscript of The Arrows of Mercy was over 150,000 words, which I pared down to 113,000. Revision as subtraction. I was so intent on not repeating this mistake that The Arrows of Fealty was too sparsely written and the UK editor said things like, “Jill, this scene needs fleshing out. Jill, this character isn’t developed enough.” Revision as addition. Supposedly – if I write a trilogy – the first draft of the third novel won’t need any revision. Right? Don’t bet on it!


My warm thanks to Allan Hudson for his ongoing support of local authors.

You are most welcome, Jill. 

I’m looking forward to reading the story. 

Thanks for being my guest this week and I wish you continued success with your writing.

A HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Becca Blue of Lincoln, New Brunswick, Canada.

 

We have another new author for you to meet.

 

I had the good fortune to meet Becca at the GMRD Book Fair in April. We met lots of readers and had a fun day.

She has kindly accepted our invitation to be our guest this week.

Read on, my friends.

 

Becca Blue is a writer, director, photographer and graphic designer whose work blends emotional depth with a touch of the supernatural. She is the author of The Guardians of Your Heart series and the children’s series My Dog Bruce. Becca has spent 25 years working in the entertainment world on many popular film and television series. Her first award-winning indie film, All I Need, became the prelude to The Guardians of Your Heart series, establishing her signature style of love, loss, and redemption. When she isn’t writing or making her next film, she’s crafting book trailers and helping other authors publish their own stories with her small business Sakura Blue Studios based in Lincoln, New Brunswick.

Upcoming Book Title:

My newest books I’m about to release this year are The Guardians of Your Heart Series, which includes Stay With Me | Don’t Tell Me Goodbye | You’re Not Alone. The first one will release in September 2025, the second one before Christmas this year, and the last one in February 2026!

 

Synopsis:
Sophie Reid’s life changes forever when Nathan Hayes, her guardian angel, defies heavenly rules to save her from the darkness threatening to consume her. Their forbidden love grants Nathan a second chance at life, and together they begin to build a future filled with hope and passion. But their happiness is shattered when a vengeful spirit from Nathan’s past emerges from purgatory, determined to destroy Sophie and reclaim Nathan. Thrust into a supernatural battle where secrets unravel and danger lurks in every shadow, Sophie must confront her deepest fears and make impossible choices as their love is tested in ways she never imagined. Stay With Me, the first installment in The Guardians Of Your Heart series is a gripping tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption that will leave readers breathless and yearning for more.

 

 The Story Behind the Story – why you wrote it, what inspired it…

This story has been in my head since I was sixteen years old. Throughout high school, I wrote many stories with different variations of the same character, Nathan. I even had dreams of scenes and conversations, and lucky enough, I wrote them all down over the years. These little segments eventually came together while I was in college and became the prelude to my massive trilogy, The Guardians Of Your Heart. I published the first story, "All I Need," in 2009 and soon after adapted it into a full-length feature film that I directed and produced independently. That film went on to win at the Canadian International Film Festival. Since then, I knew this story was bigger than anything else I was doing in life. So, I dedicated my work to this series over the next few years, and I’m so excited to be finally releasing it all, starting in September 2025 with part one, “Stay With Me.” The second installment will be released by Christmas, and the last part in February 2026! This story is so important to me because I put a lot of myself into this book, my growth, my pain, my beliefs and more. I’ve always found writing and making movies to be an exciting way to share stories and uniquely reach others. You can be as creative as you want, and with self-publishing, your possibilities are endless. I’ve always been a super expressive person with my artwork, and the best part about the work I do now is meeting people who share some of the same experiences at book events, some have the same interests and more. It’s nice to connect with people who love the things you do! I’ve met some amazing people throughout this journey, and I can’t wait to hear what people think after reading this series! I am a strong believer that sometimes things in life stick with you because secretly…. there’s something else you should be doing. That they are trying to tell you something… so that’s what I think Nathan was doing for me. I’m happy I decided to listen.

Becca's Facebook page: Please go HERE.

Buy the book at Barnes & Noble.

or at 

Dog Eared Books.

or at

The Write Cup - Saint John. NB.

 

A question before you go, Becca:

Where does your creative energy come from?

Becca: My creative energy comes from various places. Music is a big one and of course movies. I also get inspired by others who are trying new things. When I find people who have the same creative energy as myself, we tend to fire each other up when hanging out and it’s so amazing! I like to travel, see new things, learn new skills and meet new people. All of this inspires me daily. I think the more you get out there in the world, the more you can continue to grow. I’m also a person who likes to try for the impossible. I don’t like to be told no, or that I can’t do something. I think if you want something bad enough, it all comes down to your drive and work ethic. I’m always up for a challenge, even if it’s not the normal or “right” way of doing something.

 

 

An Excerpt from The Guardians Of Your Heart 

“Be careful how you think, your thoughts could shape your reality.” It was true. My life was a lot different now, better now that he was gone. I had managed to move on in the short time since he left, or at least trick my mind into believing I had. Successfully cutting everyone and everything out of my life that had caused me any emotional or physical distress, past or present. Hiding away and burying myself in my acting career, I had no time for anyone or anything—not even to think. If I did start to think about my old life or him, I immediately snapped myself out of it and began a new task or hobby to keep busy.

I had even moved out of our—well, my old place and into a small run-down apartment just big enough for me. The idea was to erase everything from my old life, including him. I wanted everything new and fresh. Different. Because I knew if I thought for just one split second about him, it would destroy me. So this was all I could do to try and live a normal life. This was me controlling my thoughts, holding tight to the life I had left, the life that hadn’t been what I planned. I had seen, experienced, and lived through more than the average person, and I didn’t care to relive any of it. I was a whole new girl now. I was... one piece of a life.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the good news, Becca. And for being our guest this week. WE wish you continued success with your writing.

 

And another HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.

An interview and short story with Author Doug Dolan of New Brunswick, Canada.

 Welcome back!

Welcome to all visitors and to our guest this week, Doug Dolan. 

He has  previously been on the Scribbler and we are most pleased to have him back. If you missed the first visit, please go HERE.

Read on, my friends.

 Doug Dolan was born and raised in the small village of Nelson, beside the magnificent Miramichi River in North-East New Brunswick. Doug is a seventy-year-old novice writer. He has self-published “Stories From the River” a memoir profiling his struggle to find his way through a painful gay labyrinth at a time when it was best to keep such a sexual orientation to oneself. A wide variety of readers has positively reviewed it. He recently completed the historical fiction. “The Mill” It follows the Burchill family of Miramichi over their 140-year dynasty in the lumber industry. He is working on an anthology of Christmas-themed stories to be released in 2025. He has recently completed a novella looking at the murders of two Moncton police officers in 1974. It offers a unique look at the effects their deaths had on one of their own. Doug lives with his husband in Moncton, N.B. 

       There have been several large wildfires in NB this summer including on the Miramichi. Your story is timely. Where did you get the idea for it?

           I was born and spent most of adult life in Miramichi. I have experienced the fear and anxiety of a nearby forest fire. Allan MacEachern’s book, “The Miramichi Fire”, is an excellent factual account of the 1825 events. Valerie Sherrard (a Miramichi author) wrote, “Three Million Acres of Flame “It speaks to the effects that fire had on the people of the region.

   

Tell us about your story.

             “A Question of Faith” is based on the actual experience of John Jackson, the sexton of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and his effort to save the church from destruction. As the flames advance, John struggles to balance his dedication to his faith and his role as a father.

     

What drew you to write the story?

 

The power of religion in the lives of some people interest me. And the lengths some folks will go to give testimony to their faith. The evidence in this case is found in the graveyard of St. Paul’s Cemetery.

 

 

You are a novice writer in your seventies and have written two books. Will you continue to write?

“Stories From The River” chronicles my young life growing up in Miramichi, coming to accept and celebrate being gay. “The Mill” describes the creation of the lumber empire of the Burchill family; a story of resilience and innovativeness covering 140 years. My third book, “Christmas On The River” will be published in November. It includes some of my stories and real experiences of a few, relatives and neighbours including my ninety – eight-year-old aunt. 

A Question of Faith

The Miramichi Fire 

                                                                          

October 07, 1825 7:30am

The dawn cracked like a scar on the cloudless sky. Dew lay miserly on the few remaining plants. It had been four months since rain had fallen. John Jackson tended to his duties as Sexton of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Bushville. The small but dedicated congregation had erected the building in the Spring and Summer of 1825. It sat prominently on a knoll close to the river. John was honoured when he was asked to oversee its maintenance and operation. He and his wife Ann had lived in the Miramichi Valley for a decade. They had made the dangerous journey from their native Scotland with two sons, William and Charles. The boys now fifteen and thirteen were joined by three brothers and a sister (Margaret). The period leading to and a year after the voyage from Edenborough had been unseasonably cold with constant rain. The crops failed forcing the Jacksons and thousands of other Europeans to escape famine. A volcanic eruption on Mount Tambora, Indonesia the previous year had spread a layer of ash across the globe, blocking out the sun for months. The memory of that uncertain period had dissolved with the promise of a brighter future for the young couple and their children.

11:00am

John answered a loud rapping on the vestry door. A terror-stricken resident grabbed John’s coat and pulled him outside pointing wordlessly to the western horizon. The azure blue sky was erased by a coal black cloud thirty kilometers wide and towering kilometers high. His first thoughts were the safety of Ann and the children. He raced to their home and directed William and Charles to gather the bedding and soak it in the river. He and the boys worked to place the wet materials on the wooden roof. Ann was busy distracting the younger children, while leading them to the cellar. He reasoned their stone house would not be a source of ignition. If the fire jumped across the one quarter mile river, they would be secure in the earthen crawlway.

2:00 p.m.

Word had come from Nelson that Malcom's Chapel; the Catholic Church had been destroyed. In a miraculous turn of events, the rest of the community was spared. Several ships loaded with masts bound for England had been caught in a rain of flame and were charred to their water lines. Like most Miramichi residents, John Jackson had no experience with forest infernos. But he had studied the historical documents brought from congregants' homes to make a church library.

One of the papers described previous incidents which occurred in the region. He recalled with fear and some hope one of the characteristics of a big blaze. Crowning is a product of the firestorm. The superheated embers are carried at extended intervals often giving the perception that a structure has combusted spontaneously. Jackson prayed fervently that this phenomenon would spare him and his family. John looked across to Rosebank and Douglastown. He wept as he witnessed a single sheet of flame nearing forty metres in height and kilometres in length bore down on the area. Across the half-kilometre distance, he heard the shrieks of terror from man and beast as they sought a common refuge in the water.

John began to realize that the Bushville side was not experiencing the worst effects.

His thoughts turned to how he might save his church. He ran the short distance to the church where earlier he had placed buckets of water around and sheets provided by neighbours. He had placed a ladder high enough to gain access to the peak. Jackson spent the remainder of the night laying the wet materials across the roof. The valiant effort worked and as the grey smoked filled dawn broke, he felt a moment of joy and triumph. As the black curtain diminished, John recognized a fellow parishioner half stumbling up the wagon path from the direction of John's home. His clothing was burnt and face blackened. His voice was strangled from acrid smoke as he told Jackson the unimaginable news that Ann and three of their beautiful children were dead.

 

October 08, 1825, 8:00am

John Jackson looked over the site of his massive defeat. His lovely Ann and three of their children were gone forever. Trapped in their stone house, they suffocated as the waves of flame stole any oxygen in the area. The remaining children had been taken to a temporary hospital. The sound of the painful screams calling for their mother reverberated in his head. Mercifully they later died from their injuries.

Conversations with his God, when he pondered risking the safety of family to save his Church left him wanting. Jackson died alone six months later in February 1826. Ann and her children are buried in the cemetery of St. Paul's Anglican Church, which stands intact today, a conflicted symbol of religious devotion and the recognition of the price one person had paid for it. 

Conclusion

Statistics help explain the scope of the 1825 Miramichi fire. Sixteen thousand square km (6,000 sq. miles) of forest land was burned in an area extending approximately 150 km (90 miles) northeast of Fredericton. The track of the fire moved to Newcastle, Douglastown Bartibogue on the west and Nelson, Bushville, Chatham and Napan to the east. One hundred and sixty people died. Nine hundred homes and structures were destroyed.

Over the years, an idealized version of the recovery has become a legend. The Miramichi is portrayed as a Phoenix, rising from the ashes, leading to the re-emergence of a prosperous region. The truth is somewhere in the middle. The town of Newcastle suffered the most deaths and property loss followed closely by the hamlet of Douglastown. The initial fear that 3,000 woodsmen spread throughout the Miramichi Valley had perished was proven unfounded.

 In addition, there was a common belief that the maelstrom had consumed all the lands. That also was overstated. Crowning and spot fires leave sections of the forest untouched. A survey five years after the fire concluded that a large portion of marketable timber remained intact.

These notations do not diminish the courage and determination of the Miramichi people. Many immigrants decided to remain and rebuild their independent communities and eventually their commitment to a united city over a century later. As time went on, the population of the Miramichi Valley did not match the growth of neighbouring counties but it gradually recovered. The export of solid white pine masts to the British Navy dropped. That was a result of negative press more than a reduction in fibre availability. The vacuum was taken up as Britain expanded its colonial possessions, needing more ships and supplies. And so, the lapse in exports was short term.

The Miramichi region eventually assumed its place in the province of New Brunswick and the Confederation of Canada. The fire of October 7, 1825, has become a footnote of our history. The strength and determination of the people continue to grow.

 

NOTE: The author gratefully acknowledges Alan MacEachern's "The Miramichi Fire: A History" as a source document.

Visit Doug's blog by going HERE.

Thank you, Doug, for sharing the story and for being our guest.

A BIG thank you to all our visitors and readers.

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