Jacqui Nelson’s North of the Border with guest Marjorie Lindsey

Who's next on my North of the Border guest blog series? Today we have Marjorie Lindsey, author of The Falcon Chronicles series!

Where does Marjorie get her inspiration? How is Canada part of her inspiration? Read on and see...

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Thank you, Jacqui. I’m delighted to be a North of the Border blog guest. 

I write teenage/young adult futuristic fantasy novels. How has living north of the border inspired my stories? It puzzled me too until I realized—it’s about my love for my environment.

I was a city kid. Apart from Sunday drives into the country and a two-week camping trip each summer, I spent most of my childhood in Toronto. We had a small backyard, but during daylight hours I roamed away from the house. There were lots of kids in my neighbourhood. Our playground was the tarmac in front of our houses and the mysterious back laneways lined with old garages. Don't get me wrong. Toronto has lots of green spaces, but like most kids, my cruising neighbourhood was restricted to within calling distance of my parent’s bedtime hail.

When I was eight, my father bought a run-down 100-acre farm, two hours North of Toronto. The farmhouse lacked the usual amenities, but the colony of mice that lived there didn’t seem to mind. The property boasted a newer barn. Alongside it was the rickety shell of an old cowshed—much more fun for climbing. Last but not least was the leaning tower of Pisa also known as the outdoor toilet. The gaps between the boards offered little privacy and attracted large garden spiders and other buggy wildlife. But my brothers and I didn’t care about the facilities. We were kids with a new world to explore.

The farm was pie-shaped. From the narrow point, the land widened and rose gently to a crest before descending to a river. Old logging trails snaked across the slope. Among sparse trees, we found the remains of wooden wagons, sleigh bells, and a scatter of rusted wheels. Most of the farm had been cleared for crops. The overgrown fields were grassy homes for gophers and rabbits. I loved to walk through the pastures letting my hands drift among wheat stalks, enjoying the silence and the sunshine.  My favourite place was a small orchard. It’s where I had my first apple picked straight from the tree. I don’t remember what kind it was, but I recall (with a wince) that it wasn’t ripe.

I love the country, and Ontario has some beautiful spots, but it was during a vacation that I lost my heart. 

In my early twenties, work necessitated living in downtown Toronto amid the noisy trappings of city life. When my best friend was transferred to Vancouver, I visited her and fell in love with the mountains, the ocean and the sky-scraping trees. The images of that visit never left me.  Years later, when my husband and I had the opportunity to choose where we would like to live, I remembered the west coast and its glorious beauty.  In 2008, we packed a van and drove west.

To Canadians it’s beautiful British Columbia. Our American friends call it the Pacific North West. No matter the name, it’s a glorious landscape that must be treasured and maintained. My infatuation with this part of the country is why I included it in the setting of my novels. 

I’ve described my heroine’s home as an island much like those off the west coast, but hers is a remnant of a larger property, owned by her family, that has been swamped by rising oceans. The Falcon Chronicles take place in the future after climate change has significantly impacted our world. Glaciers have melted. The seas have risen. Storms rage across the oceans. Millions have died, swept away by tsunamis or crushed by earthquakes. Only small pockets of humanity survive on small islands or mountain tops.

The scenario I describe in my books is unnerving. While scientists and politicians continue to wrangle about the details of climate change, reports of increasingly violent storms and frequent heatwaves are a constant reminder that our environment isn’t static.  

While I don’t have my heroine’s abilities to protect our planet, I continue to be grateful for its magnificence.

Are you grateful for something in the natural environment where you live?

Comment below for a chance to win an ebook copy of The Last Singer, book 1 in The Falcon Chronicles. 

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My novels are futuristic, adventure fantasies geared to teenagers and young adults. The Falcon Chronicles series has two current themes. One is climate change, the other is coming-of-age, focusing on young women.

A love of reading is mandatory for a writer. For me the writing part came later. I completed my first unpublished romance novel in 2010, then took a break. A few years on, influenced by the themes in series such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, I revisited writing. My desire was to create a strong relatable heroine and follow her journey into the responsibilities of adulthood in a futuristic, dystopian world. What followed was the adventurous story of Brynna Bokk and her friends.

My education definitely influences my stories. I have a degree in psychology and women’s studies, and a diploma in fine arts—all things I love to weave into my books.  In the past, I worked in finance, was an art entrepreneur, and a full-time caregiver.

I reside with my husband on the beautiful west coast of Canada.

Website: www.MarjorieLindsey.com  

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Marjorie-Lindsey/e/B076V4KZMR 

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/17264530.Marjorie_Lindsey 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/marjorielindseyauthor 

Facebook Author/Like Page: www.facebook.com/marjorielindseyauthor 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Marjlindsey 

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/marjorie-lindsey 

Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/marjorielindsey0282/ 

~ All pictures (except for the 1st) are supplied by today’s guest with their assurance of usage rights