In this new sneak peek of my work in progress, Hold Fast, a historical novel based on a true story, I imagine Ann McIntyre invited for a visit to Conrad Gugy's manor while her sons and friends live in scarcity in the refugee camp on his land at Machiche. Let me know what you think… Continue reading Hold Fast: A Dinner Invitation
In my upcoming historical novel Hold Fast, I tell the story of Ann MacLean's real-life struggles in Canada's first refugee camp, Machiche. A place of conflicting identity, Machiche is the perfect setting for the story of a woman from two worlds. The camp of Machiche was put together on the north shore of the St. Lawrence,… Continue reading Machiche
The American Revolution wasn't the beginning of only one nation. It was the catalyst to the birth of a second, too. Think about it. Without the American Revolution, how different would Canada be? Before the war, Canada was nothing more than an annexed territory, won from the French after the Seven Years' War. In the… Continue reading A New Nation
One of the fun things about doing research for my historical fiction based on a true story, Hold Fast, is finding out about real-life characters that fit into the story. Among the people Ann MacLean would have known at the refugee camp at Machiche, Quebec was the Loyalist captain Jeptha Hawley. Jeptha first came to… Continue reading Jeptha Hawley
In this latest sneak peek from my work in progress, an historical fiction based on the life of Ann MacLean, she has just given birth to her second son while fleeing as a Loyalist refugee from the American Revolution. Please let me know what you think in the comments below. The babe stayed close to… Continue reading Hold Fast: To Lose Everything
Every hero has an origin, and it would be impossible to understand Ann MacLean without knowing where she came from. She was born on the shores of Loch Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. But at her core she was really a child of two worlds. Ann was born to a humble master… Continue reading Dunvegan
In doing the research for my work in progress, Hold Fast, I've come across some very interesting facts. Not least of these facts is the Scottish laird with the nickname "The Wicked Man". You see, when I got Ann MacLean's story, all I knew was that she was the granddaughter of a Scottish laird who… Continue reading The Wicked Man
When I wrote Across the Deep, it took me a decade. A decade of sifting through the historical record and the treasure trove of letters and journals left to me and my cousins by my grandfather. Every new thing I read brought these people to life in new and vibrant ways. You see, it's one… Continue reading Uncovering the Stories of the Past
Right now I'm working on a historical fiction based on a true story—the remarkable true story of Ann MacLean. But I wouldn't have even heard of Ann if it weren't for another Loyalist who lived at the refugee camp at Machiche with her—my five times great grandfather Josiah Cass. As the founder of a prolific… Continue reading Josiah Cass, Loyalist
Here's another sneak peek of my new work in progress, a historical fiction novel based on the life of Ann MacLean. In this excerpt, Ann gives birth to her second son while fleeing to Canada, fresh from the loss of her husband. Ann gripped the hands of two strangers and groaned, pushing with all of… Continue reading Hold Fast: Life and Loss
Erin E. M. Hatton 