Ghosts and History

I discovered when I was writing The Home Child that I enjoy doing research and incorporating this research into a novel--enough to interest readers in the subject matter, but hopefully not enough to overwhelm them with details.

I'm currently working on my second novel, which is based on various sites in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that are reportedly haunted. An interesting side benefit of researching these sites is learning more of the history of this country and its people. For example. I've learned of the tragedies that befell some of the builders of the Rideau Canal--renowned for being the world's longest skating rink--who were French-Canadians and poor Irishmen from County Cork in Ireland. And I've discovered that such research puts a human face on the historical past.

In addition, I've found out that many of  the ghostly encounters recorded at these sites are scarier than anything I could come up with on my own.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of my second novel. In the meantime, back to my research...