Years ago, when I first began writing what would later become The Cammie Series, I knew that Cammie was a survivor of the Ideal Maternity Home, a place that really existed in Nova Scotia during that time. Of course, this information didn’t actually come out until Cammie finally learned a bit about her past in the sequel, Cammie Takes Flight.
Babies born at the home became known as survivors because there so many babies (numbering in the hundreds) that were born there ended up buried in butterboxes. The true story of the Ideal Maternity Home is a tragic one and there have been non-fiction books written about it. If you want to learn more, I’d suggest you check out Bette Cahill’s book, Butterbox Babies. There is a lot of important information in her book.
My latest book in The Cammie Series, The Family Way, is set at The Ideal Maternity Home where Tulia’s mother works and of course the place where Cammie was born.
Years ago, the survivors of the home had a monument placed in the area where the home once stood. It burned many years later. A picture of the The Ideal Maternity is on the cover of my book. The home was expanded over time to become what you see on the cover of my book.
On the weekend we drove out to the monument in East Chester again. I had been there before when I was writing the book to get a sense of the location and the area in general. This time, I wanted to take Cammie back to the place where it started.
My writing takes me on many adventures into the lives of the characters I create. My interest in local history and local settings is always present in the stories I write. I happen to think that our own backyard is just as interesting as stories set in exotic locations.
As with writing any series, the story can either continue or else come to a conclusion. I haven’t yet decided if book 3 will bring Cammie’s story to a conclusion or not as I do see the potential to continue. I suppose much of it will depend upon Cammie and if/when she’s ready to let the cat out of the bag. I’ll be sure to share it with you when I know, but for now I’m as much in the dark as what you are.
well-kept secret. While people nearby knew of The Ideal Maternity Home, many of them had no idea of the atrocities that were taking place there.
all afternoon without a jacket. That shouldn’t be happening. I did have a pullover on over my shirt but still… it’s February. And again, today felt more like an April day. I was tempted to go out and look for signs of crocuses because you just never know. We have had a bit of snow off and on but nothing like we had two or three years ago, thank goodness. This photo speaks volumes of what that winter was like. We did get to enjoy a fair amount of snowshoeing that year so it made it much more enjoyable. Kind of an if-you-can’t-bet-em-join-em attitude I suppose and it really did help. However, as nice as it is to have spring nipping at out heels, I’m trying not to have a false sense of security about this. There is still plenty of time for winter to kick in.
Laura Best 