There’s a stand-out quality to spunky older women, whether it’s in person, in movies, or in books. Dianne Palovcik, a Canadian historical fiction writer, discovered her second career after retirement. If anything, it’s more fulfilling than her first.
“I’m a late bloomer. I always had the desire to write. I’m a voracious reader, but I always had excuses. I was working, and it was difficult to juggle all the pieces. When I retired, I made that promise to myself,” said Palovcik.
The Fort Saskatchewan resident has written three novels: In Trouble (2020), Not All Widows Wear Black (2022), and Old Wounds (2024). She will do a reading and book signing of Old Wounds at Bailey Books on Saturday, May 10.
In Trouble creates a fictional account of a tragic period in Canadian history: the forced adoption of babies from single women between 1940 and 1970. It follows Sarah, a teenager trapped inside Rose Hill Home, where she is expected to give her baby up for adoption, return home, and forget about her child.
In researching the project, Palovcik discovered the Senate had published a report titled The Shame Is Ours: Forced Adoption Babies in Post-War Canada. The report estimated that between 400,000 and 500,000 babies were taken from their mothers during that 30-year span.
“I’m adopted. This was very personal to me, as well as important in my writing,” Palovcik said.
No sooner had the author completed one book than she was typing Not All Widows Wear Black. Set in 1894 Halifax, this Victorian murder mystery follows the spirited Margaret Bell. The young woman marries Thomas Bishop, a successful businessman, hoping to create a thoughtful and loving relationship.
But Thomas is a complicated man with a vague background. Spoiler alert: he is a hunted criminal from Montreal who has changed his name. Margaret’s father discovers the family secret, and soon Thomas is implicated in two murders.
“I have Margaret Bell and her family try to help the police uncover the truth. This also coincides with the rise of the suffragette movement, and that’s a positive for her.”
Palovcik released her third novel, Old Wounds, in 2024. Her second murder mystery also takes the reader to Halifax, nearly two decades later, during the First World War in 1917. In this wartime scenario, secrets, vengeance, mistaken identity, and irregular evidence lay the groundwork.
Detective Bill Turner is murdered on Citadel Hill—the first of four murders. Detective Will Henderson, who was initially introduced in Not All Widows Wear Black as a young police officer, is assigned to the case and undertakes the task of tracking the devious killer.
Palovcik, who grew up on Prince Edward Island, fills the novel with rich Maritime characters drawn from memory. There's Frank Murphy, a man convinced German spies are lurking in Halifax, who spends his spare time as a spy hunter.
“He wants to do his best for King and country. He has flat feet and wasn’t accepted into the army, so he couldn’t go overseas,” Palovcik said.
However, Murphy inadvertently witnesses a murder and is terrified the killer saw him. Instead, he becomes the prime suspect.
There’s also journalist Hugh Andrews, who returns to the city to solve his friend’s murder but soon becomes known to the killer.
“Hugh was a friend of Bill, and he’s moved back to Halifax. He takes on a detective role and gets himself entangled with the killer and the spy hunter. But he’s a good newsman. He can ask questions and get answers the police can’t.”
Palovcik explains that although her novel resembles a police procedural, the story mainly centres around its colourful characters.
“Old Wounds is about revenge, and more than one character is out for revenge. Revenge can fester—and in this case, it causes a murder.”
The free book reading starts at 2 p.m.
