Love and Courage in Troubled Times

Charlotte Cameron

Feb 2021 · Fictive Press

About this ebook

What if the past suddenly invaded your present? This is what happens to 15-year-old Lesley Graham, who starts having troubling visions and nightmares when she accompanies her family to a remote village in the South of France so her father can finish his book on the 13th century Cathars. Her first job, her first crush and a series of unsettling events challenge Lesley in ways she never expected – and force her to reconsider the role that history plays in our lives. A coming-of-age novel for readers 10 and up.

“Romance, danger, evil, and bravery are brought vividly and sensitively to life in a tale that will not only thrill young readers but also reveals the strength of the human spirit.” — Lawrence Feuchtwanger, poet and author

“Amidst the adventure and romance, history never stops. What happened in the Age of the Troubadours becomes relevant to our own Troubled Times.” — Phyllis Reeve, magazine reviewer

"Think of a terrible event that happened hundreds of years ago. Then imagine that you are forced to spend an extended time in a village near where it happened. Add to this that you suddenly start seeing flashes of that tragedy, both in your dreams and when awake. That’s what happens to 15-year-old Lesley Graham from Vancouver. Lesley’s flashes lead her on a series of adventures … and to the realization that the past, even the long ago past, has something to teach us." – Naomi Beth Wakan, essayist and poet

About the author

Charlotte Cameron loves to write about historical characters and real events in her fiction. With Catharism, she found inspiration for a timeless story set in the modern day. Alex Decoteau, Canada’s first Indigenous policeman and a famous Olympic runner, was the inspiration for her play, Running: The Alex Decoteau Story, while author Malcolm Lowry’s short visit to Gabriola inspired another play, October Ferries to Gabriola.

Charlotte lives with her husband on British Columbia’s Gabriola Island, known as the “Isle of the Arts.” Along with volunteer work, she enjoys walking on the island’s trails, reading, and swimming in the Salish Sea. She serves as president of the board of Poetry Gabriola Society.