Fabulous Friday - September 8

Whee! The weekend is near!

I have nothing terribly exciting on my schedule – same old, same old. I’m madly revising and editing the next book in my series, titled Love & Redemption. (The first in the series is Love & Mayhem, available now. And the second, recently contracted, is Love & Turmoil)

Love & Redemption is set in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1885. I’m having tons of fun doing the research, consulting old maps to determine which streets existed back then, looking at archives to see who lived where.

The character of neighbourhoods change over the years, as I’m sure you’ve witnessed in your neck of the woods. My story is located in what is called the North End. In 1885 it was an area of large homes occupied by successful businessmen and their families. When I was a child in the  <cough>1970’s the area had fallen on hard times. Those large homes had been divided into flats, or become boarding houses. Businesses had closed or moved out to the newly expanding suburbs. I was warned to stay away from that part of the city.

Now there’s been a resurgence and the North End is a desired neighbourhood in which to live. New construction has replaced derelict buildings, old homes have been renovated, and the streets are bustling with new businesses, corner coffee shops, and fun restaurants and pubs.

I often wonder what the folks from 1885 would think if they saw their old stomping grounds now.