Ruth Anne Latta

      Earlier this week I was talking to my publisher on the phone, inquiring when "Forty Mermaids" will be printed.  Apparently, he has several printing projects ahead of mine on the list.     During the course of our conversation, he asked me the subject of my next novel.  At one point I'd thought that "Forty Mermaids" might be my last novel, on account of my age and other considerations, but the truth is that I'm working on yet another project, so I told him about it.     A few years ago I started researching a novel set during the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada. Several novels exist on that theme, but  most of them center on  privileged young woman who boldly get involved with the uprising, and tended to be more Regency Romance than  historical novel about common people trying to influence the political situation under which they lived.  My central character is  a young woman, but definitely not privileged. She co...

The fictional central character in my new novel, Forty Mermaids is a serious artist who participates in a real-life artists' group, the Montreal-based Contemporary Arts Society, which was a force for modernism between 1939 and 1948. Instrumental in starting this organization was John Lyman (1886-1967.  Lyman, who grew up in Montreal, was connected to the prosperous Morgan family of department store fame in that city. At twenty, he went to Paris, where he met and made friends with the Canadian painter, James W. Morrice, and studied at the Matisse school. His 1913 exhibition in Montreal did not go over well with either critics or the public the time, experimental, unconventional art was mistrusted. The public and the art gate-keepers were used to representational, figurative art, which "held a mirror up to nature."   After receiving these bad reviews, Lyman and his wife, Corinne Saint-Pierre, spent the next eighteen years in Europe and California, until strained finance...

The History of Forty Mermaids by Ruth Latta   "Une histoire" generally translates into English as a story,”a fictional tale or anecdote, while "l'histoire" means history as an academic subject or an account of true past events. My new novel, Forty Mermaid s (Ottawa, Baico, 2026) is both. It’s a work of fiction which takes place against a backdrop of real events. It came out of my love of stories and my history background (M.A., Queen’s, 1973), and is my sixth Canadian historical novel focussed on a woman central character, whether historical or imaginary. The main characters in my earlier novels are: a folk song collector; a future feminist Member of Parliament; a women’s suffrage advocate; an aspiring fashion designer thwarted by the Great Depression, and a trade union leader.   My husband’s interest in art gave me the idea of creating a Canadian woman artist as my next central character. When Roger retired from microbiology and began painting as a hobby, ...

  A review of Katy: The Woman Who Signed the Declaration of Independence by Betty Bolté   https:// compulsivereader.com/2026/01/ 21/a-review-of-katy-the-woman- who-signed-the-declaration-of- independence-by-betty-bolte/ January 21, 2026 .

 Dear Santa, Please help me. What should I do? When I was a child, my father cheated on my mum and later my parents divorced.  Soon after that, my mother died in a car accident. My brother and  I lived at our grandmother's house.  The whole family lived on my grandma's money. Grandma died a couple of years ago and since then things have fallen apart. My uncle is barely keeping himself our of jail from day to day. My brother left home and won't talk to us anymore.  Dad, now in his seventies, has had to go to work, and eventually he's going to want me to do the same. Thank you, Santa, for listening.   Sincerely yours, William

 The following notices (allegedly)appeared in church bulletins or were announced at church services: The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water."  The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus." Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. Don't let worry kill you off -let the church help. Miss Jane Doe sang, "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs. The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth With Joy." Jane Smith and John Doe were married on October 24th in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. Potluck supper Sunday at 5 p.m. Prayer and medication to follow. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hosti...