Balmy drive to Gaspe Town, April 23, 2013

On Tuesday, April 23, while Americans must be flourishing with spring buds 

and balmy breezes, Ted and I drove to Gaspe Town to discuss the sale of 

The Chaplain to the 40,000 visitors expected from cruise boats that call in 

here.  But right now, the ice pans are more lovely than cruise boats.

En route, I found the lake in Chandler, which was in full melt a year ago, 

frozen solid. Ted the hardy Gaspesian hardly wears warm clothing 

in the freezing air. 

Driving over Bougainville Road, named after the Admiral who 

gave his name to our gorgeous vines in California, bougainvillea, 

we found all the fields snow covered.

On the route around behind Perce the frozen waterfalls 

appeared like giant necklaces draped over the gaunt cliffs. 

 

Ted snapped me in front of Au Pic de l’Aurore, the peak of dawn.

ViaRail: Quebec City to New Carlisle, April 22, 2013

  

After a packed week in Québec city, I caught the 

Viarail train home to New Carlisle at Charny Station. 

 

 

 

 

When I awoke in Matapedia, I found a fairyland!

La Maison Anglaise, Quebec City, April 12, 2013

Guy Dubois, the owner of the La Maison Anglaise, the only English 

bookstore east of Montreal, is also one of the founders and backers 

of the Quebec Book Festival, the only English book festival 

in Quebec city.

At the Salon du Livre, which is mainly French books, La Maison 

Anglaise has a booth. They set up a nice display of my books. 

 

I was honoured to be visited by Roch Carrier, acknowledged 

to be the most prestigious writer Francophone writer in Canada.  

He himself has a marvelous book out this year in French.

Roch Carrier is so famous there are lines from his short story, 

"The Hockey Sweater”, in both French and English on the 

Canadian $5 bill (bottom left of bill): “Nous vivions en trois lieux : 

l’école, l’église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire.”  

"We lived in three places - the school, the church and the 

skating rink - but our real life was on the skating rink." 

Morrin Centre, Quebec City, April 11, 2013

Last year I was president of the ImagiNation Book Festival at the 

Morrin Centre. So they asked me if I would open this year’s festival 

with a presentation of The Chaplain.

 They did a lovely display of all the books.

The Morrin Centre and its Festival is regarded by the English

 community  in Québec city as one of its gems. It's run by 

Elizabeth Perreault and Barry McCullough.

I was delighted to see another author, 

Charles Foran, whom I had met in Toronto. 

 After my talk, I signed books for readers — 

— and at a cocktail party, hooked up with the 

Rev. Katherine Burgess, the Reverand at the adjacent 

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Quebec City.

CBC Radio, Québec Community Network, April 9, 2013

 A high point of my Québec City visit is seeing the truly gorgeous host of 

Breakaway, Jacqueline Czernin. I talked about the Boer War, and my book, 

The Chaplain. Jacquie got great reactions across Québec, especially on the 

Gaspe Coast. She’s a wonderful editor, making daily silk purses out of 

presumably (as with me) sow’s ears. 

She was gracious enough to pose for a photograph with me —

And then got her assistant, Rachelle Solomon to join us. 

Rachelle does interviews when Jackie is off away on location or holiday. 

Later at the Morrin Centre I talked with her talented producer, Peter Black.