Colin Castle was born in England in 1936 and after army service in Berlin, studied history at Oxford and became a teacher. In 1964, he and his Canadian wife, Val, married in London but came to raise their children in BC, where he taught history in West Kelowna schools for thirty years. This book is the story of Val’s grandfather, the one she never knew.
Edward Cepka grew up in Port Alberni when it was a thriving MacMillan and Bloedel company town—prosperous, industrious, and steeped in the belief that good times would last forever. Fascinated by the town’s layered history—the contrasts between working-class grit, lingering colonial wealth, and the shadow of the residential school—he began exploring its stories early on. Summers spent in the mills and forests deepened his understanding of the place. After studying English and Architecture at UBC, Cepka watched from afar as the mills closed and the town faded. What began as a pioneer saga evolved into a darkly comic meditation on colonization, environmental loss, and the ghosts of prosperity past.
Sam McBride is a native of Nelson, BC. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from the University of Oregon and a Master of Communication Studies from the University of Calgary. His career includes award-winning work as a writer and communications manager in the private and public sectors in BC, Alberta and the Yukon. He serves on the advisory board of the Master of Arts in Communication and Technology program at the University of Alberta, has taught family history research and writing courses, and is the family historian for Peters, Dewdney, Gray and McBride.
Author:
Michael Dupuis is a retired history teacher, consultant and author. For nearly 50 years, his writing has focused on the role played by journalists in historical events. His previous non-fiction works focus on the Winnipeg General Strike and the Halifax explosion. Michael holds a BA in English and an MA in Canadian History from the University of Ottawa and a BEd from the University of Toronto. This is his first novel.
Illustrator:
Michael Kluckner is an artist and the author of illustrated books including memoirs on farming, a sketchbook of Canada’s culture landscapes, detailed histories of British Columbia, Vancouver and Toronto, and the graphic novel Toshiko about the Japanese-Canadian experience during World War II.
Richard McDonell began racing in 1965 and took several class wins, claiming second place in C Sedan Class in the Prairie Region Championship in 1968. After a long break, he returned and raced IMCA Modifieds for six seasons. He retired in September 1995 as Race City Speedway champion. He lives in Red Deer, Alberta with his wife, Diane.
Joann Robertson is the granddaughter of a Yukon pioneer and riverboat pilot. Born in Dawson City, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in Bear Creek, the centre of gold production from the early 1900s to later, she lived along the Alaska Highway and in Whitehorse. She has a degree in Sociology from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC, and resides in Vancouver.
Tom Johnston, author of Sports Car Road Racing in Western Canada, is a Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee. After a 35-year career at Keen Engineering Co. Ltd., one of Canada’s largest mechanical engineering consulting firms, he became president and CEO of the company. In 2000, he suffered a serious stroke but overcame its debilitating effects to research and write four motor-racing books. He lives in West Vancouver with his wife, Sharon.
