While chatting with hundreds of readers in the past few weeks, I heard some Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ, about my new novel, Finding Flora. I will do my best to answer them here.

Welcome to Letters From Windermere, where I write about:

• HISTORY: mostly Western Canada history.
• WRITING: updates on Finding Flora, and my future plans.
• BOOKS: I recommend a good book every month.

FAQ: Is Flora based on a real person?

No, Flora is not a real person, nor is she based on a family member. She was inspired by thousands of young women who left their homes behind and struck out for the New World, seeking a better life.

However, my own great-grandparents were homesteaders, and like Flora, they came from Scotland. This novel is my way of paying homage to all homesteaders, those brave souls who laid the foundation for the Western Canada that we know and love today.

FAQ: What does Flora look like?

I disagree with the current writing custom, which is NOT to describe your character’s physical appearance (you are supposed to let the reader imagine what they look like).

So I described Flora Craigie as 24 years old, tall and strong, with hazel eyes and long flowing red hair (Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads in the world.) And I imagined her to resemble this woman, an American actress named Maude Fealey. Of course, you are welcome to picture her any way you like!

FAQ: Did you include real people?

Yes. My novel includes historical figures such as Canadian Pacific Railway president William Van Horne; Alberta women’s rights activist Irene Parlby; and Alix Westhead, after whom the village of Alix, Alberta was named.

This is the villain in my novel, Frank Oliver of Edmonton, who served as the federal Minister of the Interior.

I also included a number of minor characters who existed in 1905: among them, land locater Matthew Cook, Red Deer jeweller Alexander Mitchell, and Alix newspaper editor Charles Frederick. The Chicken Ladies were based on a pair of women who lived near Alix, raising poultry!

Even if nobody remembers these people, I like to inhabit my books with as much reality as possible, just for my own satisfaction.

FAQ: Why did you choose this setting?

The parkland area of the central and northern prairies is an area of beautiful rolling native grass and flowers, dotted with clumps of aspens and spruce, fed by natural streams. The is the land of my birth, since I was raised on a farm not far from North Battleford, Saskatchewan.

So why did I choose Alberta? This homesteading story could easily have taken place anywhere in the three prairie provinces, but I was inspired by the true story behind the naming of tiny Alix, Alberta.

Although this is fiction, I am always inspired by fact!

FAQ: How much research did you do?

WAY too much! I’m crazy for research, so it takes me a long time to get down to the business of writing. For example, to research the back story behind the “secret treasure” that Flora has hidden in her petticoat, I read an entire book about pearl diving in Scotland!

I read some sixty books about homesteaders in Canada and the United States. I contacted archivists, museums and historians. And I spent hours on the internet looking at old photos and newspapers. These are just a few of my pioneer books. The most useful ones are listed in a bibliography at the end of Finding Flora.

Whenever I run across a useful or interesting fact, I jot it into a notebook. Then I create dozens of folders on my desktop computer and transcribe all my notes into categories: Landscape, Animals, Weather, Money, Food, etc. I also add images as I find them: maps, photos, and documents.

FAQ: What is your writing process?

When I’m ready to write, I create an Excel document and start filling in scenes. Each chapter has three or four scenes, and a 100,000-word novel has between thirty and forty chapters.

I write individual scenes, and move them around to fit the timeline. In this case, I wrote the first scene first, when Flora jumps off the train, because that was like jumping into the story.

And yes, I DO know how the book will end before I begin!

Although the book evolves during the process,  I have a pretty good idea of how the main events will unfold. There are two main types of writers: “plotters” and “pantsters” (people who write by the seat of their pants.)

I don’t want to dispel the magic, but as you can see, I’m a plotter! My spreadsheet lists about 100 scenes, each one dated and colour-coded for characters and other plot components.

FAQ: How long did it take to write this?

The research takes several months. Then I aim to write for five hours every weekday, and produce about 1,000 words daily. For a 100,000-word novel, it takes twenty weeks to create my first, very rough draft. (This one is for my eyes only. The author Anne Lamott said after her first draft is completed, she lies awake nights worrying that she might die and someone will read it!)

I take a few weeks off to let the novel stew before tackling the editing stage, in which I move things around, rewrite clunky sections, and fill in details. Revision lasts another three or four months, and I really enjoy this process — it’s like polishing a sculpture.

Finding Flora took about eighteen months of solid work.

FAQ: Is your new book successful?

My historical novel is a runaway success (just like Flora herself!) It debuted on the national bestseller list for Canadian Fiction in the number one spot and it has remained on the national bestseller list for eight weeks.

It is also a Heather’s Pick! (Heather Reisman is the CEO of the national Indigo, Chapters, and Coles book chain in Canada and she only recommends books she has read and loved herself.)

I knew Flora would be appreciated by people who have read my previous books, both of which have a devoted fan club. And I knew it would attract prairie people with a homesteading background. But I assumed the book was too regional to have widespread traction. I am thrilled that the novel is being read and enjoyed in every province.

I think part of the appeal is that all three of my novels (spoiler alert) have happy endings, and readers today are weary of dark, disturbing content and want to be inspired.

FAQ: Where do I find your other books?

Both of my previous books Bird’s Eye View and Wildwood are out of print, so here are your options:

1. I still have a few dozen copies. You may order directly from me, while supplies last ($20 for each book, plus another $20 for postage.) I know it’s a lot, but that’s what Canada Post charges.

2. Check your public library. They might be able to borrow a copy from another library if they don’t have one.

3. Wait until next summer, when they will appear in bookstores again. Email me or comment below if you want your name on my notification list.

FAQ: Will you write another book?

Yes! So far it is no more than a gleam in my mind’s eye, but I’m looking forward to starting the research process when this whirlwind of book promotion is over.

My “brand,” if you will, is the creation of adventurous, romantic novels with strong female characters and well-researched historical details, connected to the gorgeous prairie landscape.

My new book will follow this general theme, but I can’t be more specific yet.

And thank you so much for all your encouragement!

* * * * *

Coming Events

Please note: Although I love to meet with readers in person and online, because I’m now starting work on another book, I can’t schedule any more events until further notice. I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple of places, however, so bookmark this page for updates: Events.

My Garden Party

I hosted a combination garden party open house and book launch in Qualicum Beach, B.C. last month on my birthday! My gorgeous cake featured the cover of Finding Flora.

About seventy guests attended, many of them wearing hats! Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support me and the local bookstore in Qualicum Beach, Mulberry Bush Books.

* * * * *

Book of the Month

Because so many people are interested in the nuts and bolts of writing, I’m recommending a book published in 2000 that offers some very practical advice. This is as much an autobiography as a handbook, in which King describes his early path to writing, and his subsequent successes and failures. For those who don’t wish to become writers, it’s a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of a pretty average family guy who was born with a fantastic talent and a fertile imagination.

* * * * *

Rest in peace, Toni Edwards

I interviewed many veterans while researching my wartime novel, and their stories appear on my website here, under the heading Lest We Forget. Most of them are no longer living. This lovely Royal Canadian Air Force veteran Toni Edwards passed away in Comox, B.C. on May 16, 2025 at the age of 100 years.

Toni was very modest, but I squeezed her story into this interview I did with her husband, flying ace Stocky Edwards. You may read it here: Stocky and Toni Edwards.

Thank you for your service to our country, Toni Edwards.

* * * * *

As always, thanks so much for your comments and emails. If you have questions that aren’t covered here, I will try to answer them down the road!

Affectionately, Elinor