Research Trip For My New Novel

Hi, my name is Michael and I am currently writing a historical fiction novel called ‘Tapestry’ that mostly takes place in Québec, Canada during the late nineteenth century. The plot so far is as follows:

Paris in the year 1888 -

Charlotte Durand is 10 years old and her mother Yvette is dying, as her grandmother did just months before. On her deathbed and fearful for her daughter’s future in a Paris where resentment and vengeance over the Paris Commune still bubbles away under the surface; Yvette arranges for Charlotte to travel to Québec, just as her own brother Éric did many years ago. Yvette hands Charlotte a letter and tells her to find the Jumeau family as they will take care of her. She also makes Charlotte promise to find Éric. Carrying the letter, a locket her mother gave her to give to Éric, and a beloved doll that was her grandmother’s, Charlotte sets out for Québec.

‘Tapestry’ follows Charlotte’s journey to the New World; where, arriving on the snow covered streets of Ville de Québec, she is taken in by the wealthy and ambitious Jumeau family. She develops a close bond with Felix, their youngest son; but growing up, Charlotte and Felix discover that corruption is taking hold of the city and that the Jumeau family are at the center of it. Charlotte and Felix become engaged, but before they can marry, Felix’s older brother Matthieu is attacked and killed; and Charlotte is kidnapped. Charlotte is threatened that if she ever contacts Felix again he will be killed too. She is forced to leave Ville de Québec. Meanwhile, Felix is falsely led to believe that both Charlotte and his brother were killed by outlaws working for the local Wendat tribespeople; in reprisal for the political actions of Felix’s father. Travelling westward towards Ontario, fate leads Charlotte to the village where Éric once lived. She soon discovers that Éric is now dead; but she meets Éric’s grieving girlfriend who welcomes Charlotte into her family and gives her a box of letters from Charlotte’s mother to Éric.

It’s through these letters that ‘Tapestry’ is partially told. Alternating between Charlotte’s and Felix’s present day (turn of the century) journeys and the letters which tell of Yvette and Éric’s long distance connection, Yvette’s actions during the Commune and Éric’s actions during his unhappy time in Québec working for the Hudson Bay Company. It becomes clear that the repercussions of events in the past are continuing to casade into the present, threatening not only Felix’s life, but also the delicate balance that lies at the heart of the newly united province. Discovering the truth of her past, Charlotte must decide what her own future will be.

‘Tapestry’ is a story about how the sometimes surprising consequences of our actions cascade down through time; and explores to what extent we can, and the way in which, we make meaning in our lives.

I have always felt a close connection to Québec as my best friend growing up came from there. Whilst I have the bones of the plot, in order to write the story properly and make this novel happen I need to undertake research onsite in Canada. Unfortunately, as an aspiring writer, I simply do not have the funds to do this. That’s where you can help. If you would like to read the finished story or simply for the sake of kindness, please donate to my fundraiser. Every contribution, no matter how small, is truly appreciated. Thank you for reading this.