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Elinor Florence

New novel based on local history

Mar 13, 2025 | 3:51 PM

Finding Flora, the new novel from former Red Deer resident Elinor Florence, digs deep into Central Alberta history.

Coming from publisher Simon & Schuster on April 1, the book tells the story of a Scottish newcomer who jumps from a moving train in 1905 to escape her abusive husband and finds herself alone on the prairies.

She makes her way to Red Deer, where she files a claim on a homestead located between Lacombe and Alix. There she joins forces with several other women to battle a hostile government and a crooked land agent. One aspect of the story revolves around the unusual renaming of Alix after the first white woman in the area, Alix Westhead.

“This novel pays homage to the homesteaders who played such an integral role in our past and contributed so much to the Western Canada that we know and love today,” Florence said.

The author’s own family heritage includes homesteaders, fur traders, and Indigenous women, all of whom inspired her love of history. She grew up on a Saskatchewan farm and then pursued a journalism career including nine years at the Red Deer Advocate from 1978 to 1987, first as the Agriculture Reporter, and finally the City Editor. She later settled in Invermere, British Columbia, where she wrote for Reader’s Digest Canada and published her own weekly newspaper. This is her third historical novel.

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Florence will appear at Red Deer Chapters on Saturday, April 5 from noon to 4 p.m., when she will sign books and chat with readers about the inspiration behind her novel.

“In those days women loaded down their hats with flowers and feathers,” Florence said. “I’m going to wear my best pioneer outfit including my biggest hat!”

The author will then visit three locations in Edmonton before returning to Alix from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, where she will introduce her book and present a slide show of historic photos at the Alix Community Hall.

Volunteers from the Alix Wagon Wheel Museum will provide refreshments, and there will be a prize for the biggest, fanciest hat. For more information, call 403-358-9848.

A schedule of the author’s events can be found here: www.elinorflorence.com/events. You may also read a synopsis of Finding Flora on her website, and sign up for her monthly newsletter called Letters From Windermere, where she writes about history and other topics.

Finding Flora is now available for preorder in print form from any bookstore including Chapters Red Deer, and in digital format from any online bookseller. For more information, email Florence at elinor@elinorflorence.com or call 250-342-1621.

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