I think a lot of us wrote our story during Covid. What else was there to do? I did lots of gardening, watching Netflix and writing poetry . . .my last novel came out in 2019 Unlocking the Tin Box. I was not planning on writing another. The more I did research though, the more I found. Every piece of research using newspapers.com led to new revelations. I had thought at the age of 69 (2019) that I had revealed it all; the dna that proved the man who I thought was my father was not. After the book I was in a storm of family fights, as if I had to defend my research, my thoughts and memories.
It was gratifying to do more research and discover that my memories were more real than I had imagined. My step father’s con name was Tiny. I even found a newspaper clipping from 1934 where the cops found a note in his crime partner’s jacket that read, “Tiny says be careful‘. That made it real. There were no doubts that the Ronald Robinson I was tracking was the man I thought was my father until 3 DNA tests proved he was not.
I went to do a reading in Kamloops for the book and through records found the address of the house we lived in when I was born 975 6th Street. I drove by and took a picture. A month later, back at home I looked through old pictures in a musty album that once belonged to my mom and found a picture at that address of me about a week old being held by Harold Larsen who I know knew was my real father. The information was there all along, in my basement. I do not believe that picture of Harold holding me was a coincidence. Why was he in Kamloops? He lived in Vancouver. Why was he holding me looking like a proud papa? My mom scowled from the doorway.. Ron Robinson who I thought was my dad took the picture. He was the only one who ever did. Was it wrong for me to conclude that Harold drove to Kamloops to see his new daughter and Ron snapped the picture because he was complicit in the secret. I knew that they all knew . . .all three of them and decided not to tell me.
After that, memories fell into place that convinced me further that Harold, Gunvor (mom) and Ron all knew and agreed to keep it secret from me. I wrote the new book around that secret. Of course I had to make some stuff up but I think I am right. The new book Through My Lens, is the one I wish I had written in the first place. It is in third person with lots of history and made up bits but it is the story I wanted to tell in the first place. My first book was an autobiography that cost less than a psychiatrist. Still a great book . . .
I enjoyed my covid writing days . . .my book will be out by July 1. You can order it from me . . .gwynne1@telus.net.
gwynnehunt 