Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor is the thirty-fifth book in Dear Canada, a historical fiction series by Scholastic. The book was written by Janet McNaughton. It was published in September 2014.
Dedication
- "In memory of Paul O'Neill (1928–2013) actor, broadcaster, historian of St. John's, kindly employer, bon vivant."
Book description
- "Sunday, July 10th, 1892
I did not think I would sleep as the fire came closer and closer, consuming all in its path, but I must have dozed off finally because suddenly it was sunrise, and Papa had found us! I flew into his arms, all cares forgotten. His clothes smelled of smoke. He hugged me very close while Sarah and Alfie rushed to join me. Papa held us as if we were all he had in the world. As I soon discovered, that was close to the truth. Everything is gone. Papa's premises–the shop, the workshops, the wharves–all of it, burnt to ash. Our house, Papa says, is no more than a smoking pit in the ground, all our fine and beautiful things consumed."
Plot
Characters
- Main article: List of Flame and Ashes characters
Author
- Main article: Janet McNaughton
Acknowledgments
- "Many people helped with this book, and I would like to thank them. Joan Ritcey, head of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, and Linda White from the CNS Archives, both patiently dealt with my questions, even the ones that had no immediate answer. The CNS also borrowed the only existing hard copies of The Morning Dispatch, and had them scanned and posted in the Memorial University Library's digital archive collection, making my work much, much easier than it would have been otherwise.
Helen Miller and her staff at the St. John's City Archives gave me hours of their time, helping to locate and name houses and buildings that disappeared in the fire of 1892. Dr. Philip Hiscock of the Folklore Department at Memorial University was always available to discuss the fine points of Newfoundland English, and actor and children's author Andy Jones helped me nail down the elusive code of misery.
Two dear writing friends got this book off to a proper start. Barbara Haworth-Attard was brave enough to tell me that Triffie, in her earliest version, was not a likable character. Karleen Bradford later confirmed that Barb's advice had set me on the right path. My agent, ginger Clark, then picked the ball and ran with it to Scholastic, a publisher that has far exceeded my expectations. I wan to thank fact checker Barbara Hehner and Dr. Melvin Baker of Memorial University's History Department for asking all the right questions and saving me from embarrassing mistakes. Finally, Sandy Bogart Johnston has been an insightful editor who was extremely easy to work wit, and Diane Kerner's imput was always valuable. I felt I was in good hands while working on this book."
References
See also