Casting Characters by Nancy M Bell

His Brother's Bride click here to learn more.

Who would I cast to play my characters...hmmmm good question. I have honestly never connected my characters to any actor or actress. I think it would be far too easy to let the characteristics associated with a particular actor take over my character in the novel. I'm not sure the reactions and actions would be true to my character or coloured with the traits of the real life actor.

That being said: Here's go at it

For His Brother's Bride Lord, I don't know! This one is very roughly based on my grandparent's story and I'm having a hard time finding actors who suit them. I don't need anyone too pretty and delicate. It's getting hard to find good character actors anymore.

Okay, I'm digressing because I'm coming up with a blank here. Okay back to the task at hand.

His Brother's Bride

For Annie Baldwin Amanda Plummer

For George Gary Oldman

For Peter Eddie Redmayne

None of these really look like what I pictured when I was writing the story but they were the closest I can find. I guess it would help if I watched more movies? My grandfather was a lot like Leonard from The Big Bang Theory so maybe Johnny Galecki might be a better choice for Peter.

Sorry faithful readers, that's the best I can do with this one. Until next month, stay well, stay happy and keep reading!

Just for fun, this is a picture of my grandparents, my uncle and that's my mother , the little one on the floor. This was taken outside Sprucedale Ontario near Doe Lake on my grandparents farm. My great grandfather Capel Baldwin St. George owned the land just across the lane from them. Photo was taken by Aunt Lottie (Charlotte Hines nee St. George

So Much Research So Few Words by Nancy M Bell

Research, Research, Research. Where to stop and how much to use.

When I was writing His Brother's Bride I ran into road blocks many times regarding historical facts. My heroine travels by train from Eganville Ontario to Sprucedale, Ontario. Seems simple, yes? Actually, no. Some of the lines that were in existence in 1917-1918 are no longer in use. Schedules have changed, routes have altered. So off I went delving deeply into railroad history and tracing routes on maps and Google Earth. It took an immense amount of time but out of all the information gleaned, I only needed to use very little. Such are the joys of writing accurate historical fiction.

The story line roughly follows my grandparents' story, so next I scoured all the family documents I could lay my hands on. I have the actual letter my grandfather received from his brother's captain informing him of his brother's death. Emails to the Library and Archives of Canada resulted in pages of war records for both my grandfather and great uncle. Interesting reading to be sure, but again only a small part of the information was pertinent to the story. The danger of research is, well let's face it, it's addictive. One lead takes you to another and before you know it the whole day is gone and you've not written a single word of your manuscript and have accumulated literally masses of information, most of which while intriguing is of little or no use to the project at hand.

I have a few decades worth of my great grandfather's journals. Day by day accounts of early pioneer life, made all the more interesting because it speaks of my ancestors and mirrors the many stories my grandmother and grandfather used to tell us. I have the journal where my great grandfather writes that my grandmother was born. Also the one where my grandfather comes on the train to meet my grandmother after the war. I wasted a lot of time reading journals, but again used only bits and pieces of the information.

Which brings us to the meat of the problem. Now that you've accumulated all this data, the inclination is to try and fit it all in, use every scrap that you've gleaned. Which, unless you're writing non-fiction or a university paper, is the kiss of death to your reader. Extreme will power must be exerted to rein in that tendency to stuff all the info in.
I'm hoping I have been successful in that endeavour.

The sources of research information are vast and varied. Talking to people who were alive in that era or who remember family members' stories are great. Also, out of print books on the time period or subject, though hard to find at times are invaluable for getting a feel of the cadences of speech spoken in the chosen era you are writing about. Abe's Books on line is another good source, as is ExLibris. Contacting associations connected to your topic can be immensely helpful. Networking with other authors in your genre is also a good resource.

In short, be wary of getting lost in your research, sift through your amassed information and like spices in a stew, use sparingly and where it is most appealing. Check your sources for authenticity, be sure the information you are gathering is accurate and correct. Don't rely on only one source or a small selection of sources. More is better, so you can pare it down to what is truly essential to your story.

Happy researching! Until next month, stay well, be happy.

A little bit about Sprucedale, Ontario by Nancy M Bell

I thought some of you might like to learn a bit about the location where most of my story is set. Sprucedale, Ontario is a village in the Almaguin Highlands. It is located on Highway 518 12 kilometres from the Highway 11 corridor. The village is situated on the Park to Park Trail which connects Highway 11 to Highway 69 and follows the rail bed of the abandoned Parry Sound Exploratory Railway for 61 kilometers. The village was named for the formerly abundant stands of spruce and other conifers. Sprucedale is in the Municipality of McMurrich/Montieth in the Almaguin Highlands district of Parry Sound. My grandmother lived outside of the village on a farm. My mother was born on a part of the original St. George farm in a log cabin. The country is heavily treed with hard and soft wood bush, a mix of conifer and deciduous trees. Maple, oak, elm, spruce, pine and cedar.

This is the log cabin my mother was born in, still on the same farm but moved from its original location. It now serves as a sauna spa.

My grandparents, my uncle and my mother having supper on the front porch of the cabin in its original location.

The old school house my mother would have attended

The Sprucedale Train station. My great grandfather used to take cream cans into the station to be shipped to T Eaton Company in Toronto.

Fall colours. In late September and early October the Ontario bush is afire with the orange-red and gold of the maples flaming on the hills punctuated by the deep green of the conifers.

Winter snows come often and deep. In the early days it wasn't unusual to be snowbound for months at a time.

In summer the land is much kinder. Deep clear rivers and lakes invite the hot toiler in the fields to cool off. Long summer evenings where pioneers worked until the light faded completely. Although it is beautiful, it is also always testing. In late April and May the black flies swarm making life miserable for anyone who has to work outside. My grandfather used to smear oil or bear grease on the plow horses' faces and in their ears to keep them from being eaten alive. Once the weather heats up enough to kill off the black flies the mosquitoes emerge, followed by the huge deer flies and horse flies. Sand flies also come up out of the earth as the plow turns things over.

Typical bush scene.

One last photo to share with you. In front is my younger sister and myself. In the back is my grandmother Lois St George Pritchard, her sister Rotha St George Dennison, and her other sister Charlotte (Lottie) St George Hines. This was taken in Sprucedale on Aunt Lottie's front lawn around 1962. If you ever have the chance to visit Sprucedale and the surrounding area be sure to stop and enjoy the wonderful scenery. In winter snowmobilers flock to the area, as well as ice fishers. In summer, hikers and cottage goers come to enjoy the lakes and villages. Til next month, Stay well, stay happy, stay safe.