Ask the Author: Marie Gage
Answered Questions (2)
Marie Gage
My inspiration for my writing lies in real people. For example: My novel "A Ring of Promises" was born of my fascination with the immigration and love story of my paternal grandparents. I had heard intriguing bits as a child,, such as "Your grandfather was a footman at Buckingham Palace", "Your grandfather missed the Titanic" and "Your grandfather stole a canoe and paddled through the wilderness on a fur trading route".
I was intrigued and started ancestral research coupled with examination of family-held artifacts. I became obsessed and spent 10 years unravelling what I believed to be a story that had to be told; It was not always easy to get settled in what Europeans were told was the Promised Land. It took perseverance and tenacity. I wanted my readers to gain a better understanding of what our ancestors had gone through to pave the way for the lives we now live.
The ancestral research led me into historical research of all the regions that the story touches: Highlands of Scotland, London England, New Brunswick, Northern Passage, Hudson Bay, Hayes River System, Winnipeg / Sterling Manitoba. It also led me on fact-finding missions about events occurring at that time including the sinking of the Titanic and the building of the Hudson Bay Railway Terminus.
The characters of Will and Janet are modelled on what I know of the personalities of the real people who walked the path of the characters in the book. I believe my personal attachment to these people helped to develop intriguing and well-developed characters.
The real Will Parker was a musician and poet who transitioned from footman to logger in an effort to find a home where he could settle with his one true love. I had possession of the poetry he wrote during the 4 year period covered in this Saga of Settlement. His words shaped the character, as well as his relationship with his true love. I was amazed how the poetry fit seamlessly into the story that had unfolded from my research. I'd love to hear what my readers think!
Yes, Janet really did become ill while waiting for Will to be able to send for her. While she did not work at the estate chosen for the setting of this novel in the Highlands of Scotland, she did work in service somewhere in Scotland and came from the region where the chosen estate exists. I was able to tour the estate with an historian of the region and felt an attachment to it. That makes it easy to write about.
Please let me know if this inspires further questions!
I was intrigued and started ancestral research coupled with examination of family-held artifacts. I became obsessed and spent 10 years unravelling what I believed to be a story that had to be told; It was not always easy to get settled in what Europeans were told was the Promised Land. It took perseverance and tenacity. I wanted my readers to gain a better understanding of what our ancestors had gone through to pave the way for the lives we now live.
The ancestral research led me into historical research of all the regions that the story touches: Highlands of Scotland, London England, New Brunswick, Northern Passage, Hudson Bay, Hayes River System, Winnipeg / Sterling Manitoba. It also led me on fact-finding missions about events occurring at that time including the sinking of the Titanic and the building of the Hudson Bay Railway Terminus.
The characters of Will and Janet are modelled on what I know of the personalities of the real people who walked the path of the characters in the book. I believe my personal attachment to these people helped to develop intriguing and well-developed characters.
The real Will Parker was a musician and poet who transitioned from footman to logger in an effort to find a home where he could settle with his one true love. I had possession of the poetry he wrote during the 4 year period covered in this Saga of Settlement. His words shaped the character, as well as his relationship with his true love. I was amazed how the poetry fit seamlessly into the story that had unfolded from my research. I'd love to hear what my readers think!
Yes, Janet really did become ill while waiting for Will to be able to send for her. While she did not work at the estate chosen for the setting of this novel in the Highlands of Scotland, she did work in service somewhere in Scotland and came from the region where the chosen estate exists. I was able to tour the estate with an historian of the region and felt an attachment to it. That makes it easy to write about.
Please let me know if this inspires further questions!
Marie Gage
A Ring of Promises came from genealogical research into my paternal family history. As I child I had heard things like "your grandfather missed the Titanic", "your grandfather stole a canoe and had a great adventure", and "your grandmother sailed to Canada after the sinking of the Lusitania during the First World War". I wanted to know what really happened and started digging. I not only found an interesting family story but a piece of almost forgotten Canadian History was woven into it. The history was related to what is currently a ghost town on the shores of Hudson Bay, Port Nelson and the mistreatment of the men who were lured to the site to provide the much needed labour. I became driven to commit the story to paper but there was insufficient detail to write a memoir ... so, I used some imagination to create a work of historical fiction that is firmly ensconced in the realities of the time.
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