What is your story about?
This story is loosely based on the illness that spread through the town of Lindsay, then Purdy’s Mills, back in the early 1800s.     It was a devastating illness for the town, wiping out nearly a third of its population and was most likely a malaria-type, insect related disease.

What inspired you to write this story?
Although the town was still in small in population when the ague struck, tragedy like that scars a community and it’s likely that a few ghosts were left behind. It was my aim to breathe some life into that tragedy while showcasing the beautiful cemeteries in Lindsay, in particular the St. Mary’s cemetery. As soon as you pull into the driveway there’s this single-lane winding road; the house, then the long lane flanked by perfectly aligned trees. It’s really quite pretty and peaceful.

How long have you lived in Kawartha Lakes? What attracted you to the area?
I’m an import, by way of Peterborough where I’ve lived most of my adult life. When we had a younger family and needed the space, Omemee was far enough outside Peterborough where we could actually afford a house with a yard so we took the plunge and moved. We’ve been here over eight years now and we love it.

What do you like about living in Kawartha Lakes? What do you wish you could tell non-residents about Kawartha Lakes?
I love that there’s something for everyone. Whether it’s sports and athletics or cottaging, gardening, writing, theatre or music. I wish there was more of the latter few, but then maybe this anthology project will give us an opportunity to do something about it. 😀

What else do you write? Where can readers find more of your writing?
There always seems to be a dark element to the stories I write, but I’m a sucker for a happy ending. Not that everything I write is roses and puppies, but if it makes sense and I can even leave my readers with a hint of happy, then I’ll try to do that. With this story, for example – I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say this: At least they’re together, in the end.