A SECRET CLOSE TO HOME
Juniper Tickle, Newfoundland, 1906
Jimmy Bailor is left on the edge of the wild North Atlantic with meagre supplies and limited survival skills. He stumbles upon shelter with Flory White, her sister-in-law, Lizzy, and Lizzy’s young son.
The Whites have been stranded to winter alone in isolated Juniper Tickle after the menfolk are arrested for the murder of the crew of the Annie May—a marooned schooner owned by Jimmy’s father. While enduring the harsh and unforgiving winter in outport Newfoundland, Jimmy struggles with menial tasks and further strains Flory’s bid to keep them alive until spring, with faint hope for the men’s return.
When Jimmy’s identity is revealed, he must face the bitter truth about himself, his father’s legacy, the women he has now betrayed—and a murderer who will stop at nothing to make sure Jimmy disappears once and for all.
Will Jimmy challenge his limitations and defy a killer? Will he humbly seek Flory’s forgiveness, or is it too late for them both as Flory deals with deceptions closer to home?
THE STOLEN ONES
Darlene Carter was always a strong woman. But after suddenly losing her mother to a deadly virus, she is left anchorless while struggling to navigate the pandemic with her teenaged daughter. Isolated, and alone in grief, Darlene reluctantly takes on her mother’s pursuit to find familial connections. As restrictions lift, the two travel to Newfoundland following a DNA trail in search of answers.
The family holds more than Darlene is prepared for. As she delves into a series of century-old journals that herald tales of ancestors Doctors Peter and Mary Nolan, she begins to feel an unlikely kinship with Peter. Journey with Darlene, through Peter and Mary’s lives, as she links clues from yesteryear to modern-day DNA evidence, weaving them into the family tapestry of her Nolan roots. But when she is about to uncover the final threads, she fears her ancestors may have taken them to their graves.
Can she unlock the secrets of the past and fulfill the wishes of more than just the departed? Battling to remain neutral in the chaos of post-pandemic Newfoundland, will Darlene embrace the true meaning of belonging and family like Peter and Mary write about, or is proof the only remedy for her fractured heart?
The Liars
1895 - Alice and John MacDonald, both running from pasts that were too traumatic to face, meet by chance and stay together in a fragile world that’s rife with lies and secrets. The only thing they have in common is the love for a seven-year-old child, Beatrice, whom they have raised since she was a baby.
When an escaped murderer triggers a series of events that will significantly change the lives of John and Alice and jeopardize the life of their darling daughter, they must take drastic action to protect the welfare of the child. Follow John and Alice as they are forced to leave the wilds of Labrador for an isolated future in Holyrood, Newfoundland, only to have their world turned upside down when they must face the consequences of the lives they lived.
As the reality of their past unfolds with disastrous outcomes, will it mean they lose Beatrice forever to the mother who has longed for the child—a child born from a vicious assault and given away by a cruel stepmother—and is now eager to make her part of her new family?
The Promise
Orphaned at a young age, Erith Lock has a cruel upbringing at the hands of a harsh stepmother. At the tender age of sixteen, a ruthless act leaves her shattered and struggling for survival. When all she has is her word, she makes a solemn vow to three small children. But circumstances drastically change, and the promise could take years to fulfill. She fears it might be better broken.
When her past must be confronted, Erith finds herself facing unbearable choices that might cost her everything. Enduring self-doubt pushes Erith to her breaking point. Will she allow hope and kindness to guide her, or will it be safer to remain captive in the grip of her unfortunate past?
Being Mary Ro
In the late nineteenth century, after disease and circumstance have left her alone in the world, Mary Rourke believes she is predestined to spinsterhood in her small community in Newfoundland. When a series of dramatic events brings a strange man to her door, Mary emerges from the comfortable isolation that she knows to follow her dreams in Boston. Those desires do not come without sacrifice and hard choices. When her past comes back to haunt her, Mary must decide whether there is room for both her aspirations and her heart—or if she must surrender one to have the other.
“Hey folks, if you happen upon my page and you haven’t read any of my historical fiction novels, I suggest you read in the order they were released:
Being Mary Ro, The Promise, The Liars, and The Stolen Ones.
I started with Being Mary Ro and then I liked one of the other characters so much that I had to give him a story, which I did in The Promise. Because I left you hanging in The Promise, I just had to write The Liars to answer your questions. After that I still believed that I wasn’t finished because Peter didn’t get a story. That lead me to write The Stolen Ones.
While all the novels can be read on their own, if you fall in love with the characters like I did, you’ll want to read them all! If you want to pair them, Being Mary Ro will go nicely with The Stolen Ones and The Promise will lead you right into The Liars.”