Places inspire me. My first novel, A Place To Call Home, was set in my hometown of Lindsay, Ontario. But I didn't write it until I had been away from Lindsay for many years. Distance seems to sharpen my perceptions, and perhaps some nostalgia helps to focus the creative process.

After spending 8 years in the Ottawa area, my family and I moved back to Lindsay - which is where my "Ottawa" novel, Moon Hall, was eventually conceived and born. "Todmorden" and "Kintyre" will not be found on any map of Ontario, but are representative of the unique character of Ottawa Valley towns and villages.

Although this is a work of fiction, a few historical personages do mingle with the fictional characters. Indeed, the wonderful journals of Lady Dufferin, wife of the Governor General in the 1870s, were invaluable in giving me insight not only into Ottawa society and Canadian life, but also into the flamboyant Dufferins who enthralled Ottawa during their tenure.

Great care was taken in the research to provide the reader with an accurate account of our social history.