A Thousand Islands Vacation Planner
After reading my Thousand Islands Gilded Age books, dozens of you have said that the Thousand Islands is now on your Bucket List. So, to help you plan for your great adventure, I thought I’d give you some ideas of what to do while you’re there.
The Thousand Islands sit in the St. Lawrence River on the border between northern New York State (USA) and southeastern Ontario (Canada). There are 1,864 islands, but to be an island, it has to have one living tree and stay above water 365 days a year. That can be a challenge when the water can rise several feet each spring.
As I write in my books, there’s a lot of rich history in the islands. Gilded Age castles, mansions, and grand summer homes abound. Pirates and bootleggers once ruled the river where vacationers can now enjoy boat tours around the islands, see the area’s beauty, and experience nature at its finest. If you take a boat tour, you’ll pass by Pullman Island, setting for my novel, Katelyn’s Choice, and the place where it all began when President Ulysses S. Grant visited.
Accommodations are many, from hotels to motels to campsites to private homes. You can find lodging on Air B&B and other sites. You can even rent entire mansions like Casa Blanca that was the setting for my book, Reagan’s Reward. You also stay at Singer Castle, the setting for Devyn’s Dilemma!
If the borders are open (ahhh…COVID), be sure to bring your passport and see the Canadian side of the islands. You can drive over the beautiful Thousand Islands bridge or take a ferry from Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island, Canada, the largest of the islands and the setting for two of my novels, The Fabric of Hope and Christmas Charity. In case the borders aren’t open, I’m focusing on just the American side.
Susan’s top picks:
- Take a boat tour. There are several companies and lots of choices to see Millionaire Row, Singer Castle, Boldt Castle, Rock Island Lighthouse, and dozens of islands and Gilded Age mansions. You can take a sunset cruise, or a lunch or dinner cruise, too. All are fun, educational, and memorable.
- Visit Singer Castle and Boldt Castle. Wow! The history and magic are worth every moment you spend there.
- Visit the Cornwall Brothers Museum in Alexandria Bay, and the Thousand Islands Museum and Antique Boat Museum in Clayton.
- Visit the War of 1812 historic Sackets Harbor, and the Rock Island Lighthouse and Tibbets Point Lighthouse.
- Leave your diet behind. Dine by the river’s edge and be sure to stop for ice cream at one (or several) of dozens of roadside ice cream huts. Yum!
Finally, be sure to enjoy the quaint downtown areas of Alexandria Bay, Clayton, and Cape Vincent. Whether you like boating, fishing, swimming, diving, mini-golf, batting cages, go-karts, arcades, a hedgerow maze, zoos, aquariums, golf, tennis, or guided fishing charters, there’s so much to do. And do you enjoy special events? Try these: Bill Johnston’s Pirate Days. Powerboat Poker Run. Blues in the Bay Festival. Fourth of July Fireworks over Boldt Castle. Fish Day in the Bay. Roaring ’20s Weekend. The Cape Vincent French Festival held near Bastille Day on the second Saturday in July.
Ready to make plans? I am. Hope to see you there.
Meet author Emily Wright
Emily Wright is a writer of inspirational historical fiction. She is the author of the three-part Civil War narrative Trials of the Heart series and has been published in The Copperfield Review and The Tennessee Magazine. Emily lives in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and Labrador Retriever.
Tell us about your newest book.
Trial of Courage is the final installment of a Civil War trilogy called Trials of the Heart. The series follows two main characters: Elizabeth Campion and Tom Murphy. Trial of Courage follows the conclusion of the Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction period in Memphis, TN.
What inspired you to write Trial of Courage?
The series originated about eighteen years ago, when I was a middle school student. The original set of short stories was inspired by a visit to Shiloh National Military Park. The series was always in the back of my mind and eventually served as part of my senior thesis in college. After graduation, I decided to completely rewrite the entire series with eventual publication as my ending goal.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
Overcome with grief, Elizabeth Campion and Tom Murphy must learn to move forward during the aftermath of the Civil War. As Memphis falls under the control of a lawless mob, Tom is soon forced to join with an unlikely ally to save innocent lives. With their entire world crashing down, will Tom and Elizabeth have the courage to pursue a future together?
What genre do you focus on?
I focus on historical fiction because history has always been a fascination of mine. I feel that there is so much we can learn from the past. To me, historical figures are not just a bunch of random black-and-white photographs; they’re real people who are more like us than we think.
Why do you write?
My passion for writing began when I was in kindergarten. I thought that creating stories was the coolest thing ever, and I’ve been writing ever since. I feel that every person has a story and has something to share with the world: a lesson, something that people can learn from. I believe that the need to create was given to us by God. If I can use my writing to point people to Him, then I am successful.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
The main characters are Elizabeth Campion and Thomas “Tom” Murphy. When I first wrote the series, I was also interested in Queen Elizabeth I and thought that the name was very pretty. I chose the name Thomas because I thought the name sounded nice; ironically, I am now married to a Thomas and have a daughter named Elizabeth!
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
Since I am also a high school English teacher, my writing schedule is mostly limited to weekends and breaks. I usually write in the mornings or at night in the office room in our house for a few hours at a time.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
Learning how to market has been the toughest part for me as an author. Since I knew next to nothing about marketing when I first started, I had to meet with consultants in order to figure out how to get my name out there. I’m still learning!
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
Who would’ve thought that three stories I wrote in middle school would someday be my first published series! To me, that is the coolest thing ever. The fact that people are reading my novels and enjoying them makes me happy for that little seventh grader in English class.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
I have grown into a painstaking reviser/editor. I think being an English teacher makes me even more critical of my own work in that I go through every paragraph with a fine-toothed comb. With historical fiction, I also have to make sure that everything makes sense and feels as real and true to fact as possible.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Yes! The first novel in the Trials of the Heart series is called Trial of Strength, and the second novel is Trial by Fire.
What are you working on now?
I am actually taking a small step away from historical fiction at the moment and trying something completely new and different for me. I am working on a novel called If We Stay Silent, and it is about a futuristic world in which Christians and other religions are being severely persecuted and sent to concentration camps. My goal is to mirror Nazi Germany in the events that take place (banning books, burning churches, etc.). I’m not very far into it yet, so we shall see what happens!
Website: www.emilywrightofficial.com
Link to book: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trial-Courage-Emily-Wright/dp/B09PMKKRG7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Q7DOUBLDUCV7&keywords=emily+wright&qid=1645995269&sprefix=emily+wright%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wrightemily20/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilywrightauthor/
Meet author Tara Taffera
Tara Taffera is an avid reader who writes contemporary Christian romance enveloped in God’s grace and love. Love Unfailing, book two in her series, won the silver medal in the 2022 Illumination Book Awards in the romance category. She lives in Virginia with her husband of almost 25 years, who provides valuable advice on her books—all those baseball scenes! He is one of her biggest cheerleaders, along with her three daughters.
Tell us about your newest book.
Elizabeth Carlson turns heads wherever she goes but has never moved on from Tyler Williams, with whom she shared a whirlwind relationship her senior year of high school. After only a month together, Elizabeth ran away from her past and her broken family. Ten years later, Tyler comes crashing back into her life, eager for a second chance. But she can’t forgive him for the order he issued all those years ago. Slowly, a high school romance turns into so much more, but her secrets, and his anger, threaten to ruin their happily ever after. Will God’s grace and love lead them back to each other?
What inspired you to write Love Reunited?
This is book three in a series, and Elizabeth was a strong character beginning with book one. I was excited to eventually tell her story. I knew she was a strong woman who would have a fascinating tale, though at the time, I didn’t know all the details. Coming up with all that was the fun part.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
A woman harbors a secret so big it threatens her chance at happily-ever-after.
What genre do you focus on?
I love to read contemporary romance so, that’s what I wanted to write. I had the idea for my first book more than 20 years ago, and at the time, it wasn’t necessarily a Christian romance. It was actually more women’s fiction. When I started writing again, the romantic element became stronger. And when I set a goal for myself and committed myself to my writing, I immediately knew it would be a Christian romance.
Why do you write?
I want to touch people with my stories. For the past several years, I kept thinking, “there is more to life. I have a larger purpose.” So when I started writing again, I knew I was called to bring a biblical element to my books.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I have a full-time job, so adding in my writing is challenging. I write early in the morning before work and spend much of my weekends writing as well.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
Fitting in writing and the marketing is a full-time job in itself, so it’s hard to fit it all into my daily life. And I haven’t figured out how to write and market simultaneously. It seems I’m focused primarily on one or the other.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
Writing a book and then hearing how much people love it is the best!
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
I’m a super-fast reader! It’s a skill that comes in handy, so I can devour book after book. I have always been that way. My mom said she was constantly taking me back to the library to get more books. Now that I write, I read more than ever, although I am busier. It helps me grow as a writer.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
This is my third book, and with each one, I improve my craft. I know I will make that same statement when I get to book ten. I always want to improve and learn from others.
What is your favorite pastime?
In the past year and a half, it’s been working and writing. But I enjoy exercising, and I like to bike with my husband. I have to figure out how to work that back into my schedule. It’s a challenge, for sure.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Yes, Love Ordained and Love Unfailing.
What are you working on now? My next book will be a Christmas romance. I only have the first chapter, but once I get through this launch, that will be my focus, and I’m excited. I reread the chapter the other night, and it made me eager to get back to it.
Website: www.tarataffera.com
Link to book: Love Reunited (A Divine Love Book 3) – Kindle edition by Taffera, Tara. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/authortarataffera
https://twitter.com/TaraTaffera
https://www.instagram.com/tarataffera/
https://www.goodreads.com/Tara_Taffera
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tara-taffera
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-taffera-b092545/
https://www.pinterest.com/ttaffera/
https://www.tiktok.com/@tarataffera
Meet author Marguerite Gray
Marguerite Gray is the author of Hold Me Close, Surround Me, Bring Me Near, Draw Me to Your Side, and Wait for Me—Revolutionary Faith Series. She enjoys studying history and writing fiction. An avid traveler and reader, she has degrees in French, Spanish, and Journalism, and a MA in English. Presently, she is an online High School Spanish and French teacher and a part time librarian who lives in North Louisiana with her husband.
Tell us about your newest book.
I’m excited about my new series, Gardens in Time. Labor of Love is book one set in 1560 Florence, Italy. Ana lives at Pitti Palace with her Medici distant cousins. She’s trapped between two worlds, not really accepted in either. As a companion to the Medici daughter, Ana is well-educated, having all the manners and perks of the royalty without the title. Yet, she longs for her simple life in the country, now distant memories. When Marco arrives, the valley between the worlds widens. Could she maintain her garden plot and life without disruptions? Not as long as something sinister lurks in Pitti Palace.
What inspired you to write Labor of Love?
I love gardens and garden creations. I’ve traveled all over Europe and had great adventures in some beautiful gardens, as a child and as an adult. I also love history. What would it have been like to live at Pitti Palace when the gardens were coming to life? I found the date of the creation and attached a fictional story to the famous Medici family. My characters roam the gardens that I love.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
Labor of Love is a young woman’s journey while living in the ruling Medici family in Florence, Italy in 1560. She lives between two worlds, not promised a place in either the royal family or her family in the country. As her future is planned for her and an evil scheme develops, she wonders if God’s plan can overrule the rulers of the day.
What genre do you focus on?
I write historical Christian fiction. I focus on the motto: Entertain. Encourage. Educate. The fictional element allows the reader to enter a world with conflict, romance, intrigue, and secrets. The element of faith gives the reader a glimpse into how people face life’s changes, challenges, and choices with or without a noticeable and acknowledged belief in God. As a lover of history, I read and write historical stories, always wanting to learn something new. This genre encompasses all of these elements. A great package.
Why do you write?
I’m a reader first! Since I was a child, I’ve read everything I could wondering about the imaginations of the authors. Soon, I started creating stories of my own. It just took me a long time to write them. I find that I cannot stop writing, published or not. I’ll never be able to write novels for all my imaginings.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I research for about three months, using about twenty-five resources. I type all the notes and then outline the novel. For a ninety thousand word novel, I give myself three months to write the first draft. Everyday, I schedule three-four hours for writing. I have to be flexible because I work fulltime teaching online. Since I am a pen-and-paper gal, the next step is inputting into a Word document which ends up being the first major edit. While it is with my personal editor, I relax and breath. Once it is time to edit again, I set aside two to three hours a day. Eventually, my “baby” is published.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
Oh my! I’ve learned so much. I’ll admit it has been painful at times with rejections and loads of red marks. The lessons from critics and editors are worth all the strain, worries, tears, and fatigue. Even after six published novels, I feel I’m constantly changing and growing—for the better.
What is your favorite pastime?
Reading hands down. But I love to travel and hike where I can always have a book available. The outdoors revives me and gives me that energy boost to get things done. My favorite travel destination is the next place, wherever that is, on my calendar. For spring 2022, Peru and Scotland/England are my vacation journeys.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Revolutionary Faith is a five-book series set in 1772-1782 Charles Town, South Carolina during the American Revolution. The journey covers the struggles of rumors of war and war in their hometown. The characters have to make decisions to fight, to marry, to flee, or to stay. Elizabeth’s life begins with peace and love of a faithful British family until the brewing political conflicts interrupt and call her to pick a side. That decision colors her life in every facet. Hold Me Close (1772-1773) Surround Me (1773-1774) Bring Me Near (1775) Draw Me to Your Side (1776) Wait for Me (1777-1782)
What are you working on now?
I recently completed a Christmas novella set in France in 1879 that will be part of a multi-author collection. Next, I am finishing a 50,000-word novel, the first in three books as part of another multi-author island collection. Book Two in the Gardens in Time series is Promise of Purity, Hampton Court, England in 1661. It is at the publisher’s now. I’m always writing, researching, or editing.
Website: https://margueritemartingray.com/
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Labor-Love-Gardens-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B09B4BJ8FM/ref
Social media links:
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marguerite-martin-gray
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14836211.Marguerite_Martin_Gray
Amazon author: https://www.amazon.com/Marguerite-Martin-Gray/e/B01ASA16RC?ref
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margueritemgray/https://www.instagram.com/gardensintimefiction/ https://www.instagram.com/revolutionaryfaithseries/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gray8864/_created/
Facebook author: https://www.facebook.com/margueritemartingray/
Meet author Danielle Grandinetti
Danielle Grandinetti is a book blogger at DaniellesWritingSpot.com. Her short stories have appeared in several publications and her writing has won the University of Northwestern Distinguished Faith in Writing Award. Originally from the Chicago area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Danielle especially loves quiet mornings served with the perfect cup of tea.
Tell us about your newest book A Strike to the Heart
Wisconsin, 1933–When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family’s dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don’t make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she’s far from safe.
Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.
What inspired you to write A Strike to the Heart?
A Strike to the Heart began as a contemporary romantic suspense with a different situation at stake, however, something was missing. When 2020 hit, I learned that Wisconsin dairy farmers had to dump their cows’s milk because they were losing money by bringing it to the processing plants. What surprised me most, however, was that this had happened before. In 1933. The cost of milk was so low, dairy farmers staged a strike (three, actually) by dumping their milk alongside public roads. So I changed the setting of my story to take place during the 1933 milk strikes. It revolutionized my plot and A Strike to the Heart was born.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
A Strike to the Heart is a romantic suspense set during the Wisconsin Milk Strikes of 1933. A dairy farmer’s independent daughter must decide whether she should trust her family or the man who saves her life.
What genre do you focus on?
I love history. I love romance. And a story is always better with suspense. Put all three together and it’s perfect the description of what I both love to read and write.
Why do you write?
I attended a writer’s conference several years back where the teacher of one of the breakout sessions used the term “keyboard missionary.” That struck a nerve for me. I’ve always believed story is the most powerful way to share truth with another person. My hope is that my readers will discover a nugget of truth from within the pages of my stories, without me putting it into so many words.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Lily Moore and Miles Wright are my two main characters. Lily is a dog trainer and Miles is a retired Marine sniper. I chose their names because of the meanings and connotations. Lily’s personality is all about nature and Miles is a soldier.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I’m a work-from-home mom of a four year old and two year old, so I write whenever I can find sntaches of time. I also have an amazing husband who is my biggest supporter in carving out time to write.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
I’m an introvert, so putting myself out there from a marketing perspective is a challenge. I love talking books, but it’s hard to talk about my own.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
I love story. I always have. I love telling a story, writing a story, talking about a story. Any story.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
One thing that is unique about me: I once worked as an adjunct professor teaching Intercultural Communication at a university. I’ve traveled to several different countries, Italy topping the list, and am, myself, a second/third generation Italian-American.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
I began writing as a grade schooler, so there has been much growth. However, the lesson I’m continually reminded of lately is to trust who God made me as a writer. Instead of trying to fit what I think I should write, I need to quiet my head and trust the passion God has laid on my heart.
What is your favorite pastime?
Reading! I also love to cook and crochet.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
To Stand in the Breach is the prequel to A Strike to the Heart and it’s available in print and ebook: https://daniellegrandinetti.com/to-stand-in-the-breach/
What are you working on now?
I’m currently editing A Silent as the Night, the Christmas novella that wraps up the Strike to the Heart series. It releases in September.
Website: daniellegrandinetti.com
Link to book: https://daniellegrandinetti.com/a-strike-to-the-heart/
Social media links:
instagram.com/danielleswritingspot
facebook.com/danielleswritingspot
twitter.com/danielleswritingspot
goodreads.com/danielleswritingspot
bookbub.com/authors/danielle-grandinetti
amazon.com/Danielle-Grandinetti/e/B01BEU1602/
Meet author Janet Joanou Weiner
Janet Joanou Weiner is an American living in France for almost twenty years. She and her husband make their home in the 500-year-old Château de Planque, where she daily wishes the walls would tell her all the stories. Their small town in the south of France is steeped in history as epic and dramatic as the mountains soaring high just beyond her home. The beauty, the culture, the people are all constant sources of inspiration.
Tell us about your newest book.
Though Darkness Descend: The Huguenot Resistance Series, Book 1, is my debut novel, based on actual 17th-century events in my small town in southern France and the Château de Planque where I live.
The story focuses on a young Huguenot woman, Jeanne Tessier, who is unwilling to die for a faith she doesn’t possess. Where was God when she desperately needed him? In her darkest hour, he didn’t seem to hear or care. Jeanne has kept her lack of belief hidden from her Huguenot community. But with the imminent threat of twelve hundred dragoon soldiers sent by King Louis XIV to suppress them, she faces upheaval in every way–including her hope of marrying Etienne.
Fighting for her way of life, she follows Etienne against his wishes and warnings from her close friend Pierre. When the dragoons move into her home, the Château de Planque, Jeanne discovers where God is in suffering and death, who she truly is–and whom she truly loves.
What inspired you to write Though Darkness Descend?
I’ve always loved history and majored in it at university. I’m so grateful to live in an area with centuries of fascinating events.
When we moved to our small town in the south of France, into a 500-year-old château, I began researching the local history. I discovered story after incredible story of the stubborn faithfulness of the Huguenots despite severe persecution. Even in France, this chapter of history is not widely known. By sharing these events in the form of historical fiction, I hope many will find encouragement and inspiration.
How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?
As 1200 dragoon soldiers arrive in her town, a young Huguenot woman faces persecution and possible death for a faith she doesn’t possess. Until now, she’s kept her lack of belief hidden. But with King Louis XIV determined to bring the Protestants under control, Jeanne embarks on a journey that leads to an unforeseen end.
What genre do you focus on and why?
Historical fiction is my personal favorite, so that’s what I write. I find it fascinating to learn of different times and cultures, and nothing makes it more alive than living it with great characters.
Why do you write?
I write because it is what God has asked me to do so. I write because I have so many words! So, I thought I’d better put them into stories before driving my family and friends crazy.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
My main character is Jeanne Tessier, a young Huguenot (French Protestant) woman. Her name is a common one from the time (17th century) and also happened to be my name in middle school French class.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?
I aim to write mornings, usually Monday through Saturday, for 2-4 hours a session.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
It’s challenging to get the word out about the book beyond family and friends.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
For me, the joy of co-creating with God is deeply satisfying. I’m continually amazed at the ideas that flow out.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
I’ve lived in four different countries: USA/California, the Netherlands, France (the French Alps, Paris, the south of France), and Kona, Hawaii (not really a country, but a unique culture). And I’ve traveled to over 40 countries, primarily for mission work.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
I’m still relatively new to writing, but as I work on my second novel, I’m happy to apply the many lessons learned through crafting the first book.
What is your favorite pastime?
Collage-making, watercolor, and reading. I also love long walks in nature.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Not yet. I have plans for the Huguenot Resistance Series to have four books. I’ve also compiled memoirs and travel stories that include humor and spiritual insights, which I hope to publish someday.
What are you working on now?
The second book in the Huguenot Resistance Series. Also based on events and people in my town and region, it picks ups 17 years after the end of Book 1. Again, some of the characters from Though Darkness Descend appear, plus several new ones.
Website:
Link to book:
Social media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetjoanouw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janet.weiner
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.fr/janetjw/_created/