Description
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Agatha Haggarty is young, beautiful, and a hag—as healers were called in the old country. It is the 1850s, and Aggie is on her way to the Province of Canada by sailing ship guided by a tale handed down to her from her mum. It’s an arduous month at sea and her adventures begin when she befriends Jen and Donnah, bunks with an orphan, and is shocked to discover that he is on board.
The seasoned, weary travelers land at the port of Quebec, and Aggie makes an unexpected decision. She and her companions travel together farther inland to Upper Canada, where their fortunes and adventures begin to weave together at Victoria’s Inn.
They combine their resources and settle in a cottage not far from Perth. It is a sturdy, modest log house with a large stone fireplace. Her mum had foretold, “…heed stones of hearth for secrets deep and search for stone of truths to keep…”
This is the Provenance of the Stones…
Purchase the digital editions:
Other titles by Patricia Josefchak: Keys of the Hollow, Angel on Her Knees and Pearls in the Snow
Weight | .500 kg |
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Dimensions | 25.4 × 19.5 × 1.9 cm |
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Tiffany Yemen –
Rideau Lakes author Patricia Josefchak has released a new book entitled Provenance of the Stones, a historical fiction mystery, set in the 1850s in the Rideau Lakes area.
Josefchak calls Otter Lake home and has a passion for family, history, music and her home and garden on her tiny slice of lakefront in eastern Ontario.
“The Rideau Lakes area and its history have inspired me,” said Josefchak.
The historical mystery centres around three young women who immigrate to the province of Canada in the 1850s.
Drawn to each other like sisters, Aggie, Jen, and Donnah decide to journey together, and Aggie lands in Quebec with more than she started with. They travel inland and settle in a cottage not far from Perth and Smiths Falls in Upper Canada. Aggie is a “hag” and her services as a healer are welcome in the wilderness; Donnah is a first-rate cook and finds work at a local inn, as does Jen, who is a seamstress.
Aggie tends to a neighbour who has a large homestead nearby; his injury remains unexplained, but she does not pry. Trust and new friendships are tested. But later she learns that he and others are involved with events south of the border where civil discord is brewing.
The cottage is burgled, and the small safe hidden behind a stone in the fireplace is discovered; papers are lost, fortunes are found, and love is rekindled.
“My imagination loves small towns and their history,” Josefchak says in an email to the Record News. “They provide realistic links to previous and future generations in ways that cities cannot do with any warmth or believability.
“I love storytelling, especially what I like to call ‘sunny reading for rainy days,’” she said. “I like happy endings and satisfying in-betweens.”
Josefchak said that she tries to stay true to larger and more important dates and events in history and use that to govern my characters — the rest she said is history and within that there is mystery.
Tiffany Yemen –
I have finished reading Provenance of the Stones I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am anxious to learn of the availability of the sequel. Your book was well researched as to the historic reality of the era, especially of the difficulties of starting a new life in a somewhat terrifying new land. I can only imagine the issues arising from leaving a well structured and populated society and being “thrown to the wolves” as it were. I truly enjoyed your cast of characters and found them all very believable.
David Mason
Tiffany Yemen –
Local Author Pens Rideau Lakes Mystery
Three young women immigrate to the province of Canada in the 1850s in Provenance of the Stones, a mystery set in the years leading up to Confederation.
Provenance is the latest book by author Patricia Josefchak, released by Burnstown Publishing House. Drawn to each other like sisters, Aggie, Jen, and Donnah decide to journey together, and Aggie lands with more than she started with. They travel inland and settle in a cottage not far from Perth and Smiths Falls in Upper Canada, now known as the Rideau Lakes. Aggie’s gift as a healer is welcome in the wilderness; Donnah is a first-rate cook and finds work at a local inn, as does Jen, who is a seamstress.
Aggie tends to a neighbour who has a large homestead nearby; his injury remains unexplained, but she does not pry. Trust and new friendships are tested. But later she learns that he and others are involved with events south of the border where civil discord is brewing… The women’s cottage is burgled, and the small safe hidden behind a stone in the fireplace is discovered; papers are lost, fortunes are found, and love is rekindled. Her mum had foretold, “…heed stones of hearth for secrets deep and search for stone of truths to keep…”
This is the Provenance of the Stones…
Patricia Josefchak is a local author who calls Otter Lake home. Provenance of the Stones is her fourth book and the first in a new
series. “I think the community and guests to the area would truly enjoy this story that wraps fiction around the goings-on of the age…
The Rideau Lakes and the history of the times have inspired me… my characters take over and weave the story… I never know how my stories will end,” she explains.
“People dreamed of a better life here. The times weren’t easy; some immigrants didn’t survive the crossing, and those that did faced no shortage of hard work. It was also a wondrous time; the world was industrializing but the times weren’t yet ‘modern’. Sailing ships were giving way to steam ships; hearth cooking to wood stoves; needle and thread to treadle sewing machines and more. But there were no lightbulbs or telephones or automobiles yet. The Rideau Canal, and then the railroads, brought new immigrants from the ports inland from Lower to Upper Canada and beyond to the west. And it was a tumultuous time with folks trying to get out from under the yoke of servitude in its various forms; some had a choice to flee, others didn’t. Civil strife was brewing south of the border and the Province of Canada was on guard.”
“My inspiration? I think it was the overwhelming sense of admiration I felt for the people who were determined to chase their dreams and crossed on the sailing ships. I looked at old sketches and my characters came to life… I found Aggie — the story’s heroine… and the rest, as they say, is fiction.” and from the Book Nook in Perth. Her titles are also available for e-readers.
According to Ms. Josefchak, this is the first in a trilogy; the sequel is written and she’s working on the third. Does she hope to have a best-seller?
“…it’s not my motivation, but I’ll have fun trying. I have been writing since I was a child — I love to write… everything else is a bonus.”
Provenance of the Stones and her earlier titles (Angel on her Knees, Keys of the Hollow, and Pearls in the Snow) are available from Burnstown Publishing House at
http://www.thehumm.com/online/TheHummData/PastIssueThumbs/thehumm%20June%202017.pdf#page=12
Tiffany Yemen –
Just bought your book and I enjoyed the story immensely . Thank you for the story , I hope you continue to write more.
Lori McRae
Tiffany Yemen –
I loved the book, I can now picture all the characters in my minds eye. Let me know when the next book is ready. Laurie B.
Tiffany Yemen –
I am just about finished “Provenance of the Stones”. It is a wonderful book, just my kind of reading, and I find it hard to put it down once I get started. Your story sure brings to light the perils of these emigrant children and adults and what they went through to make Canada what it is today.
Cathy Livingston
Tiffany Yemen –
What an engaging story! I loved Agatha as your main character, and her friends were excellent supporting cast. The blend of newcomers vs old settlers in the area was fantastic – it read very true to the time and area. Your account had flavour and colour and had great description.
I’m waiting for your next book!!
Catherine Blair
Tiffany Yemen –
Thank you for the most enjoyable read. Finished it today. Good day to sit in a cool spot with a good book. I found a true kindness in this book. The characters were so likeable. I liked the friendships and the caring among the characters, how they cared for and helped each other.
The history of the area that we both love was an added bonus. A love story with a happy ending is what we all need!
Karen