"Somewhere north-east of Midland and north-west of Smith Falls in Ontario, there is a village called Spirit River on the north shore of Awan Lake. A few hundred people live there; some work at the copper mine, some work at the marina, some fall in love and some may even commit murder." So Awan Lake and its surrounding towns and villages are really just a figment of my imagination, based on childhood memories from time spent on Big Rideau Lake near Portland and Westport in Ontario. And some readers and reviewers say my novels are somehow reminiscent of Midsommer Murders, the British series of cozy mysteries, but with a distinctly Canadian edge. But in any case, the books are full of situations, activities and challenges that have been part of my "real" life. Fiction is the glue that holds the stories together, but reality is not far distant!
