Road Trip for Book Three

My husband and I went to Fort McMurray so I could do a little research for the 3rd book in the Marie Jenner mystery series.

What can I say? Traffic was rush hour all the time, the people were friendly and helpful, and I was lost most of the time!

These photos will not give you a real sense of the city. After all, I was there to find Marie's mother's house, Marie's father's house, and the oldest cemetery. Which I found!

Back yard, Marie's mom's trailer

The windows of Marie's mom's trailer

 The cemetery was called, not surprisingly, the Fort McMurray Cemetery. There I found the real history...

 

And then we found all the huge equipment. This was in a small "museum" on the way to the oil sands. (Just so you know, my husband is 6 foot 5.)

And, Syncrude. One of the drivers behind all the wealth in this part of the country.

Interesting note: I found Fitzsimmons Avenue while I was there. This is named after Robert Fitzsimmons, a man who was the first to commercially sell bitumen in Edmonton, in the '30s. He was also a friend of my grandfather's, and he and I were friends. What a small world it is!

Where are all the ghosts? Here, it seems!

Bet you wonder where I get the inspiration  for all my ghosts. Are there really haunted houses in Edmonton? Looks like there are!  (It appears ghosties  are everywhere!

Here is a list of haunted spots in Edmonton (and elsewhere!)

Ten Spooky Spots in Edmonton (Edmonton Journal article)
La Bohheme Bed and Breakfast (Out of the Dark: The Ghosthunting Chronicles)
The Old Strathcona Tour (thelocalgood.ca)

I took the Old Strathcona Tour this summer, and it's a good one! Check it out if you're in Edmonton.

The Paramount Theatre has been turned into a haunted house. Called Deadmonton, it looks delightfully spooky! (Didn't make it this year, but it's on my list...)

And the Arlington Apartments--the building on which the Palais Office building in my first book, Seeing the Light, is based--were there ghosts there, too? Looks like it!

There won't always be real ghosts in the settings for my novels. But there will be enough to make things go bump in the night!