Author Elinor Florence may call Invermere, B.C. home now, but the Central Alberta prairies remain near and dear to her heart.
She knows the area well, as she worked at the Red Deer Advocate for several years back in the 1980s, as both an agricultural reporter and later as city editor. As a reporter in particular, she became very familiar with the region.
During those years, seeds of inspiration were sown which have since resulted in several works over the years including her latest historical novel Finding Flora, which will be released April 1.
Florence will be at Red Deer Chapters on April 5 from noon to 4 p.m. where she will sign books and chat with readers about the inspiration behind her book.
She will also be at the Alix Community Hall on April 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. where she will introduce her book and present a slide show of historical photos. Volunteers from the Alix Wagon Wheel Museum will provide refreshments, and there will be a prize for the biggest, fanciest hat.
“I’m going to wear my best pioneer outfit including my biggest hat!”
Following her years in Red Deer, Florence would later settle in Invermere where she wrote for Reader’s Digest Canada and published her own weekly newspaper. After she sold the paper, she started to truly stretch her creative muscles in new ways, and it's been a fulfilling path to follow.
Finding Flora is her third historical novel.
"I am very interested in homesteading - I'm the granddaughter of homesteaders, and the great-granddaughter of homesteaders on both sides of my family," she explained. "And so I decided that I wanted to write a book about a woman homesteading alone."
To that end, Finding Flora tells the story of a Scottish newcomer who jumps from a train in 1905 to escape her abusive husband, and finds herself on the prairies, according to a synopsis. Flora makes her way to Red Deer, where she files a claim on a homestead between Lacombe and Alix.
"There she joins forces with several other women to battle a hostile government and a crooked land agent. One aspect of the story revolves around the unusual renaming of Alix after the first white woman in the area, Alix Westhead," continued the synopsis.
For Florence, the creation of the project proved to be not just inspiring but a rich learning experience as well.
"Interestingly, when I started doing the research, I discovered that single women in Canada were never allowed to claim a free homestead," she said.
"They were allowed to in the United States - thousands of single women homesteaded there, but in spite of the massive lobbying of members of parliament and the petitions sent to Ottawa, the Canadian government would never relent."
The only exception was if a woman was widowed and raising children. But single women were out of luck.
"I had to find a legal loophole for my heroine Flora to claim a homestead - which I did," Florence added with a chuckle.
And so with the character taking shape in her mind, Florence chose Central Alberta as the setting. Again, Alix provided a distinct source of inspiration in regard to the story of the Alix Westhead, and another prominent woman, Irene Parlby, who also lived in the area with her rancher husband.
Of course Florence's years living and working in the area helped to make it the clear choice for the setting as well.
As a reporter, she had done plenty of travelling around Central Alberta, so she was very familiar with the 'feel' of the area.
"I also grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan in a very similar type of landscape - on parkland near North Battleford. So I love this part of the world, and I love our homesteading history."
As to creating the story, Florence noted her writing is based heavily in research.
"That's where my journalism background comes in. I'm inspired by the truth. They say fact is stranger than fiction, and I have really found that to be true," she explained. "Also, when I'm doing my research, I pluck out what I call little nuggets."
This can range from historical tidbits to vivid descriptions of landscapes and even the weather. She also read 40 pioneer memoirs, and tried to find as many as she could that were written by women.
Now it's time to introduce the compelling story to the public - a part of the process Florence particularly enjoys.
"I love meeting people, particularly prairie people," she said.
"I think they are the salt of the earth.I'm still a prairie person at heart - I own farmland in Saskatchewan which my brother farms for me, and so my farming roots run deep. But yes, I am always so happy to meet people, and to chat with them. Rural Canada is a very special place that doesn't get enough attention"
Finding Flora is now available for pre-order in print form from any bookstore including Chapters Red Deer, and in digital format from any online bookseller.
