About the Book
Isolation, like marriage, can test one´s mettle, as Marge and Zelda discover. Recently widowed, they have more in common than the sudden loss of their husbands: courage, determination, defiance, self-esteem, a zest for living.
But urban society can be coldly judgemental toward widows in mourning, and the two ladies welcome an opportunity to serve as summer wardens of remote Trowbridge lighthouse in northern Lake Superior. There, they experience freedom from prejudice and an opportunity to regain control of their destinies. Unfortunately, forces on Trowbridge Island prove to be as treacherous as the surrounding waters of Lake Superior.
Trowbridge lighthouse, presently an unmanned, automated Coast Guard beacon, halfway between Thunder Cape and Silver Islet, on the dark side of the Sleeping Giant, is my favourite maritime destination. On warm summer afternoons, I love to boat across to this craggy, storm-swept atoll, tie up at the derelict pier, and climb the western cliff to the defunct light tower. The view from there is spectacular, the breeze fresh, and it´s pleasant to eat lunch on the helicopter landing-pad and watch freighters steaming by, bound for Sault Ste Marie and the lower lakes. Sadly, the lightkeeper´s dwelling, facing the open sea, is now vacant, uninhabited. As is the entire island, for that matter, unless you count the hostile crows and seagulls.
About the Author
Since graduating from the University of Manitoba, and a year in Paris studying at the Sorbonne, Bill has been a forester, arctic weatherman, immigration officer, and school teacher. He lives in Thunder Bay, selling his books and scenic photography at Fireweed Crafts Inc. His short fiction has appeared in "Geist Magazine" and "Prairie Fire." Recent books include:
Oscar (2011),
Brandy and Summer Wine (2011),
Voyage of the Pelican (2010),
Lamplight (2010), Sirens (2009),
The Quarry (2008), Shadows at Sunset (2007), Ruby´s Last Ride and other stories (2007),Close the Door Softly and other stories (2007), Ruby´s Last Ride and other stories (2007), A House in the Country (2007), Through a Dark Cloud Shining (2006), Catwalk: a feline odyssey (2006), Barnabus Snug Harbour (2006), Soothsayer (2006), The Holly Tree (2005), Stinging Nettles (2005), Christmas Eve at Silver Islet (2004), Vive Zigoto (2004), Daughters of the Sun / Filles du soleil (2003), Hyenas in the Streets (2003), Goodbye Picadilly (2002), Patagonian Odyssey! (2001), Home Before Dark (2001), and The Great Millennium Mount Everest Cat Expedition (2000).
