My Review Of The Acadian Secret By Tammy Lowe

Book blurb:

Elisabeth London is keeping her new friends a secret from her parents.  Not only do they live on the other side of the world in the Scottish Highlands, they lived more than three hundred and fifty years ago. Her mom and dad would never allow her to go gallivanting about seventeenth century Scotland.  They won’t even let her go to the mall by herself yet.

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth is old enough to know there is no such thing as magic, but when her quartz crystal necklace has the power to transport her back and forth in time, she no longer knows what to think.  The only thing she is certain of is that she loves spending carefree days with Quinton, the mischievous nephew of a highland warrior, and sassy little Fiona, a farmer’s daughter. 

However, Elisabeth’s adventures take a deadly turn when she is charged with witchcraft.  At a time and place in history when witch-hunts were common, those found guilty were executed, children included. Elisabeth must race to find her way back home, while trying to stay one step ahead of the witch-hunter determined to see her burned at the stake. 

Hi readers,

Today on my blog I have Tammy Lowe author of The Acadian Secret.

 Hi Kay,

 Thanks for having me on your blog today. 

Hi Tammy,

It is a pleasure to have you on my blog today. Thank you for a good read. I really enjoyed reading The Acadian Secret.

1. Tell us about your book and how the story came to be.

 As a kid, I loved to read books and watch shows like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.  I loved anything set in the “olden days”.

When I was about ten years old, I began to wonder about time travel.  My biggest wish was that I’d end up back in the pioneer era.  I wanted to go and hang out with spoiled Nellie Olsen.  I don’t remember why I wished for Nellie over Laura Ingalls, but I think it had something to do with the fact that her parents owned the candy shop.

I had it all figured out.  I didn’t want to live in the 18th or 19th century; I’d miss my family too much. And I can’t live without modern comforts.  I wanted the freedom to travel back and forth through time.

My wish to time travel was so strong; I even dressed the part, as much as I could, without raising anyone’s suspicions.  I wore dresses to school every day, when all my friends wore jeans and t-shirts. I had to be prepared just in case it worked and I was whisked through time. That summer, I even begged my mom to buy me a bonnet.  She did.  I wore that white bonnet everywhere.  If I ended up in Walnut Grove or Avonlea, I was prepared. 

By the sixth grade I was old enough to realize that time travel probably wasn’t going to be a reality for me, so I decided when I grew up, I’d write a story about a girl who could travel back and forth through time. 

2. What three words best describe your main character?

Hmmm, I’d say she is funny, hopeful and brave. Brave, even though she doesn’t think so.

Elisabeth was braver than I would have been.

3. Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

 

Many of my characters were real people in history.  There was one young lady I needed to include in the story, but I was having trouble finding her real name.  Sarah, Sarah, Sarah kept floating around my brain, so I called her Sarah, with the intention of changing her name once I discovered it in my research.  When I finished writing, and I couldn’t imagine my Sarah being called anything else, I discovered her real name.  It was Sarah. That gave me goose bumps. 

Some characters take a while for me to get to know and I have to go back and add things to later drafts that I have uncovered about them in the process.  Other characters seem to jump out at me and yell, “Here I am!”

 4. Do your characters follow your plot path or do they take on a life of their own? Do you keep them in check?

I think I do a nice mixture of both.  I am a big time plotter so for me to get from A to B, my characters need to do what I tell them, but I let them decide how they are going to get there.

5. Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? If so, how did you over come it?

If I am stumped on a scene, I stop writing and do something else.  I usually take my dog for a walk.  The answer pops into my brain when I’m not thinking about it and then I have to run home and write it down before I forget.

6. What types of books do you like to read?

I read all sorts of books, but I have a special place in my heart for fast paced, edge-of-my-seat, action novels.

 7. What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

When I’m not working or writing, my favourite thing to do is head off on some grand adventure with my husband and our son. We’ve explored pyramids in Egypt and sailed down a river in rural China on a tiny raft.  We’ve slept in the tower of a 15th century Scottish castle, searched for the Loch Ness Monster and have even dined at a Bedouin camp in the Arabian Desert. I love to explore this amazing world of ours. 

Wow. That sounds like a lot of fun. 

8. What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I am working on my next novel, which continues to follow the time travel adventures of Elisabeth London.

 Oh, good. I look forward to reading more about Elisabeth London.

9. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?

When you “think” you are finished your novel, put it away for at least six weeks and forget about it.  When the time comes to take it out again, sit back and re-read the entire manuscript. Take notes. You will see a million mistakes and plot holes. Everything that isn’t working will jump out at you. It will be a cringe-worthy read, but you’ll be glad you put it away instead of sending it out.

10. Where can readers find you and your books?

You can find me at www.tammylowe.com or

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=590&category_id=69&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Bio:

When she isn't writing, you will either find Tammy Lowe surrounded by little children and covered in glitter and glue, or on some grand adventure: inside an Egyptian pyramid, twirling on an Alp or climbing the Great Wall of China. She's part Mary Poppins, part Indiana Jones.

Tammy lives in Cambridge, Ontario with her husband and their teenage son.


Now for my review of The Acadian Secret.

I give this book a five star review. Tammy weaves a magical adventure in this story of Elisabeth London who goes on a grand adventure to the past. She meets people who become like family to her. But when bad things happen that threaten her return home, she knows she never wants to risk losing Mom and Dad. That would be too much for her heart to handle. Heart warming ending. If you like time travel books and learning about the past, this is a good, entertaining book to read. Thanks, Tammy, for a good read.