Why
Sgt. Windflower Books are set in Grand Bank, Newfoundland
Somehow, before I’d even written the first Sgt.
Windflower Mystery, I knew that the story would be set in Newfoundland, where I
was born. I had no idea what kind of book it would be and certainly no clues
about characters or plot development. But I knew that even though I hadn’t
lived there for twenty-five years, I wanted to have the story set in
Newfoundland.
If you’ve ever visited there, you know the
appeal of Canada’s newest province. It is relatively small, lightly populated
and very friendly. I thought that my book (I didn’t know it would be a series)
would be set in St. John’s, the capital city. That’s my hometown and a place I
know well. But while Sgt. Windflower does visit St. John’s occasionally, almost
all of the series is set in the small community of Grand Bank on the southeast
coast of the island.
Why? As Windflower might quote from Shakespeare:
‘Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered’. My partner, Joan was not
from Newfoundland, I was pretty sure of that. But as I got to know her more I
found out that her father was. From Grand Bank. We started visiting Grand Bank
during the summers and eventually she bought and lovingly restored her
grandfather’s original house in Grand Bank. We started visiting more and soon
were spending the month of August there.
One night, in Grand Bank, in the fog, Sgt.
Windflower came to me and started telling me his story. Where he was from, what
he was doing in Grand Bank. I started writing his story down and now I am
getting ready to release Book 10 in the series, Safe Harbour.
As the stories unfolded, Newfoundland itself
became a character and I was able to add a little bit of the food, geography,
culture and history into every book. So, too, has the weather, which if you’ve
been there, you can understand why. It’s often foggy and damp, almost always
windy and sometimes it’s sunny and fine. All in the same day. The old saying
about the weather in Newfoundland is that if you don’t like it, don’t worry.
It’ll change in the next 10 minutes.
The newest book in the series, Safe Harbour, is
the first book that’s not set in Grand Bank. It’s set in St. John’s. And I have
to tell you how much fun it was to write about Bowring Park, Signal Hill and
Marine Drive, just outside of town. Still my hometown, after all these years. I
hope you can come and visit. There’s always another seat at the table in Sgt.
Windflower Mysteries.
Mike Martin is the author of the Award-Winning
Sgt. Windflower Mysteries. The latest book in the series is Safe Harbour.
Pages: 264
Genre: Mystery
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