Jacqui Nelson’s North of the Border with guest Bonnie Edwards

Who's next on my North of the Border guest blog series? Today we have Bonnie Edwards, author of The Christmas Collection, Tales of Perdition, and The Brantons series!

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

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Thank you for inviting me to share some memories of life in Canada. This time, we visit the far eastern shore of Newfoundland and a small fishing village and cove.

I have two memories that stay with me from a couple of different trips to the island of Newfoundland when I was a child. The first one, I’m eight and my father rolled onto the car ferry at North Sydney Nova Scotia. This was my first clear memory of ferry travel. On previous trips, I was too young for clear recollection.

Specifically, I recall the incredible scent of the brine in my nose. I loved that sea scent immediately. I loved the large ferry, looking over the railing, and watching the water eddy and swirl way below. Ferries that cross the Gulf of St. Lawrence are big and loud and larger than life when you’re eight.

I promised myself at that moment that someday I would live near the ocean.

The next trip, when I was twelve, I went squid-jigging with my parents and my uncle. We rose early for us, but Uncle Willis had been out in his dory and back again before dawn. He declared half the day was gone. It was about 6 or 7 a.m. but you’ve got to get out early if you want to catch the fish. So, he took us jigging for squid instead.

Every squid I jigged on a long chain full of hooks came up with its eyeball speared. Every single one. And yes, we could see the black ink in the water from the distressed squid. (whose eyeballs had been snagged on a hook). You can tell the whole experience made an impression. Those poor, white, dead things… I have never been able to eat seafood and I believe this is why. I hate seeing lobster tossed into boiling water, too.

But I’m a grown woman now and I made good on my promise to myself when I had children of my own. We moved across the country to the west coast of Canada and live just an eight-minute walk from the rocky ocean front. From our house, we hear the ferries come and go to the mainland and North Vancouver. When it’s foggy, there’s the lonely, constant blow of foghorns to remind me of the promise I made to myself.

For a lot of years, I wrote stories set somewhere else. Somewhere more expected for the US market.

But I was challenged to write a Christmas story and I dug through previous ideas in my hard drive and came up with a short story I’d sort of started called The Walker. The idea was that a widow would walk the snug harbour walkway every day and meet a man…that was about all I had. But I took the same stroll one day and saw Christmas decorations on a couple of boats and knew I was on the right track, in the right place. The Walker became Not-So-Blue Christmas.

Take one Christmas grouch.

Add one vivacious widow…

And you get a second chance at love.

Kirk Fontaine can’t bear to talk to anyone, let alone enjoy Christmas. Away from home, in a small harbour city in Canada, broken-hearted, Kirk’s lost and alone until one small dog refuses to give up on him. 

Vibrant widow Miranda Bailey is ready to move into the next phase of her life, except this Christmas is shaping up to be the worst since her husband’s death. But instead of hiding, she takes charge and drags Kirk into her Christmas miracle.

Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK

I set my three (so far) Christmas stories in Nanaimo, Canada, a lovely harbour town.

Commenters on this blog will be given a chance to win an e-copy of Not-So-Blue Christmas.

May the joy of the season be yours…and if you’re blue this year, I just may have the cure; at least for a few minutes…in my romance Not-So-Blue Christmas.

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Multi-published author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the rainy coast of British Columbia. Her earthy, irreverent, love stories sometimes have a paranormal twist like curses and ghosts but other times not. Her books always entertain and guarantee a happy ending.

With four ongoing romance series (Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and The Christmas Collection) and contemporary family novels in her newest series, Return to Welcome, she rarely spends a day without writing. She has written novels, novellas and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself. Look for more exciting releases in the coming months!

For more info and sample chapters: 

Find her here: www.bonnieedwards.com

Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Edwards/e/B001IO9UTO

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BonnieEdwards

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Bonnie.Edwards.Author

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/bedwards1342

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/283636.Bonnie_Edwards

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