Local author

“I Could Have Been...” : local author’s first book blends history and romance

Aylmer resident Helen Gallagher’s first foray into the literary world comes by way of her historical romance, I Could Have Been....

The novel dives into Quebecois culture during the First World War and a women’s place in the world during that time. The story of Adèle, the book’s protagonist, showcases the challenges of having both a lover and family off to war, as well as women’s struggles with the church, family and society at large, during that period of human history.

Born in Quebec City to a predominantly French family, Ms Gallagher mother sent her to English school because she believed a formal education in English would allow her daughter to build a better life for herself.

Keenly interested in local history and spurred on by her family to make something of her research, Ms Gallagher turned her attention to writing. She gained much support from writers in the field of historical literature. Writer Mary S. Lovell, author of multiple-time New York Times and International Best-Sellers, famous for her biographies of Amelia Earhart and the Churchills, even gave the novel her seal of approval.

A story largely based on francophone lifestyle in Gatineau, Mrs Gallagher says she hopes that her book can help English-speaking natives of Gatineau and other non-French speakers, learn about the lives of the women and men in early twentieth century Gatineau.

I Could Have Been... is available online at the Amazon Bookstore or can be ordered at any Indigo, Chapters or Barnes and Noble bookstore.