Tuesday's Treasured & Tipsy Timeslip: This Weeks Traveller is Susan Mathews

Travel and make-believe go hand in hand. Whether we're in the present or the past, in a haunted castle, an enchanted forest or a broken down building, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and traveling the world can bring the imagination to life.

Throw on your favourite plaid jacket and join this weeks's time travelling guest Susan Matthews as we take a virtual voyage into the wilds of Canada, Alaska, England & even LasVegas, possibly the wildest place of all:) 

Susanne Matthews is an avid reader with a penchant for happily ever after. In her imagination, she has travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Now we're thrilled she's going to take us with her. Buckle up!

Stop #1 The Lake of The Mountain in Prince Edward Country, Ontario. 

Susan:Only two and a half hours west of where I live. This mysterious and sacred place according to Mohawk legend was where I set my book, Echoes of the Past. The Lake of the Mountain is an anomaly. To make it easier to understand what drew me to the lake and what will take me there again, http://prince-edward-county.com/lake-on-the-mountain-provincial-park/ Take a few minutes to read about the mysterious lake and see if you don’t feel the pull to visit there.

Rae comments: I have to agree with Susan...Prince Edward County is gorgeous. My hubby and I celebrated our anniversary at the Merril Inn a couple of years ago as part of a wine tour. It's located in the heart of Picton, within walking distance of specialty and antique shops, restaurants, the historic Regent Theatre and picturesque Picton harbour. We had a fabulous time and I highly recommend it. 

 

Hop in the Time Machine for Stop #2 Quebec City

Let's travel backward and eventually cross the ocean, making a quick stop in Quebec City, the first French city in North American in what was then New France.  I’ve visited Quebec City many times both in the summer and in the winter. I’ve walked the Plains of Abraham where the British led by General Wolfe defeated the French under Montcalm in 1759 and laid claim to my native land. My ancestors were among the early French soldiers sent to defend the colony in 1660, almost a hundred years earlier. A fictional account of his struggle can be found in my novel, The Price of Honor.  Someday, I hope to visit France and Caen and its surroundings.

Rae chimes in: Once again, nice pick Susan. I love all of Quebec. It's a little piece of the old world. I spent a girls weekend here in Tremblant a couple of years ago celebrating my mother's birthday Beautiful in every season! I also based the skiing scene from my novel, Curse of the Purple Delhi Sapphire here.

Las Vegas Grand Canyon

Photo Credit
American Travel Center



Stop #4 Step Aboard this Alaskan Cruise

For Stop # 3, we’re off to sin city, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, not to mention all those neat little Nevada desert towns famous back in the day for silver mines and more recently for UFOs. This image shows the different colors of rock I describe in my novel, Just For The Weekend. Seeing Vegas and the canyon with my own eyes is an item on my bucket list, one I hope to make a reality within the next two or three years.



That brings us to Stop # 4 Alaska. Come mid-June, one of the top three items on my bucket list will be filled. My husband and I will be taking the Alaskan Cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium. During our vacation, we’ll go on a catamaran ride, walk on the glaciers, and take a train ride into the Alaskan wilderness. Some people think we should be going south, especially after the cold winter we’ve had, but I want to see the land of the midnight sun for myself. Plus, since I’ve decided to base The White Iris, the last book in my Harvester Series there, I want to see this rugged land first hand.

Rae:Like Susanne, I am Canadian and I love wilderness. Alaska feels like a place I could fit in. Of course it is an extreme place. In the winter, darkness reigns but in the summer the days get long and from what I've read the sun barely sets at all, just dips low in the sky and comes right back up again.

The Famous Standing Stones - Stonehenge

Last stop on my fantasy vacation: Stop # 5, Stonehenge. The very first book I ever wrote sits in my computer awaiting editing—and man does it need it. The head hopping would amaze you, but that book was written long ago as part of a creative writing course, and the strange thing is, head hopping was never even mentioned. Makes you wonder about the qualifications of college professors since I got an A+ in the course. Someday, I’ll open the file and rework Time and Again, a fantasy aimed at the YA market and allow the mystery of druids, crop circles, earthbound angels and other magical creatures trapped within its pages to escape. 

Rae: This prehistoric monument is located in England and is the famous time slip location of one of my favourite novels, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.