In this episode, I chat with historical romance author, Carrie Turansky about her McAlister series and the British Home Children who came over from England to Canada. This series began with No Ocean Too Wide and continues in her June release, No Journey Too Far.
Learn what inspired this story and what kind of research she did and also what got her started in historical fiction in the first place. Hint: The first book in her Edwardian Brides is the one to find out about!
How an Unfortunate Time in History Inspired a Fabulous Series
I’d never heard of the British Home Children, which feel to me like a bit of the follow-up to the Barnardo boys of London, but talking to author Carrie Turansky, I learned a lot. Like over a hundred thousand kids being shipped across the ocean to Canada as indentured servants! Whoa…
As Carrie tells us, sixty percent of those kids were mistreated or worse. And the statistics on how many people in Canada have a known relative who came over on one of those ships? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out but it’s staggering!
Carrie also talked about how she switched from contemporary romance to historical fiction from the Edwardian era through World War I (I think I have the years right!). Hint: it involves Jane Eyre, an editor, and Downton Abbey.
From that, we get her Edwardian Brides series beginning with The Governess of Highland Hall, which Carrie says you should read if you’re waiting on book two to arrive (or when you’re finished with the McAlister series.
About No Journey Too Far
A family long divided, a mysterious trunk, and a desperate journey across the ocean—all in the name of love. The epic saga of the McAlisters continues in this riveting sequel to No Ocean Too Wide.
In 1909, Grace McAlister set sail for Canada as one of the thousands of British Home Children taken from their families and their homeland. Though she is fortunate enough to be adopted by wealthy parents, the secrets of her past are kept hidden for ten years until someone from her long-buried childhood arrives on her doorstep. With this new connection to her birth family, will she be brave enough to leave her sheltered life in Toronto and uncover the truth?
After enduring hardship as an indentured British Home Child, Garth McAlister left Canada to serve in World War I. His sweetheart, Emma Lafferty, promised to wait for his return, but after three long years apart, her letters suddenly stopped. When Garth arrives home from the war to unexpected news, he is determined to return to Canada once more on a daunting mission to find the two women he refuses to abandon—his long-lost sister and his mysteriously missing sweetheart.
You can learn more about Carrie Turansky at her WEBSITE where you can also get a free novel by signing up for her newsletter.
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