Tell us about your book.
The Boy in the Picture, my third book, is the one with which I have the strongest personal connection. It tells the story of young Edward Mallandaine, the boy in the iconic photo of the driving of the Last Spike in the Canadian Pacific Railway. That momentous occasion back in 1885 (125 years ago this year) resonates with me because I knew Edward – when I was a small boy and he was an old man! The book recounts his leaving home to volunteer for the North-West Rebellion, only to find the uprising quelled and Louis Riel captured before Edward can reach the prairies. His real adventure begins when he catches on as a dispatch rider carrying mail and supplies by horseback across the unfinished gap of the railway in British Columbia’s Monashee mountains. That puts him in the right time and place to be part of the driving of the Last Spike.

Did you have a specific readership in mind when you wrote your book?
I see teen-agers, anywhere from 12-year-olds to mid-teens or later, as the primary readers for this book. I have meshed story telling with the historical record and I hope I have treated Edward’s adventures with the same enthusiasm that young people bring to their view of the world. Of course, I won’t mind railway fans of all ages reading The Boy in the Picture!

How did you research your book?
My research for the book came in two phases: My personal recollections of the stories Edward Mallandaine told me when he was an old man, and archival research into papers and documents about Edward and his family. I found these primarily in the Royal British Columbia Archives in Victoria, the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. I also dug up a lot of contemporary newspaper accounts, some of them written by Edward.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?
The best advice I’ve ever received as a writer comes from Guy Vanderhaeghe, the stellar Canadian novelist of western themes: “Write the book you want to write and hope someone will want to read it.” What he means, I think, is that you have to believe in your own work if you expect anyone else to believe in it.

What are you reading right now?
Right now, I am reading an anthology of Agatha Christie short stories, Masterpieces of Mystery and the Unknown, a Franklin D. Roosevelt biography by H.W. Brandes, Traitor to His Class and Marci McDonald’s new book on the Christian right in Canada, The Armageddon Factor.

Ray Argyle has written for publications such as The Beaver and the National Post and is the author of several books, including Turning Points: The Campaigns That Changed Canada and Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime. He lives in Toronto.

What was the creative process like for you?

Describe your ideal writing environment.
I write on my dining room table. Once the books and papers reach the height of three feet or so, or I have friends coming for dinner, I declare a state of emergency. I have a massive clean up and start again. It is not ideal, but it works for me.

What was your first publication?
My very first publication was a small biography of one of the rebels sent to Sydney, Jean-Marie-Léon Ducharme in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. I used my knowledge of Ducharme in the Sophie Mallory trilogy, because Ducharme became Marc Moriset, Luc’s brother.

What inspired you to write your first book in this series?
I wanted people to know more about one of the most exciting events ever in Canadian history.
More than that, I wanted to write something that would be fun to read. Books were so important to me when I was young, because they could transform my world. I wouldn’t wish my early days on anyone. I read anywhere and everywhere I could in special hiding places. Books helped me imagine a different world than the one I lived in. I didn’t want to read about my reality. I wanted books which would lift my spirits and help me dream of a better place to be. That’s what I found in the books of Clare Mallory (my favorite author), and her characters became my best friends.
I hope that if anyone is close to the situation I had when I was young, that Sophie and Luc, and now Chloe and Thad, will become both their friends and inspiration. I would also hope that the trilogy will stand the test of time, and that those who read the books today, will enjoy them when they as older as well.

In your own work, which character are you most attached to, and why?
In the sense that I feel protective of him, I guess I’m most attached to a boy called Thaddeus Compton, the main character in the book I’m currently writing. Of course, the fact that I’m working on his story, could be the main reason I’m so close to him. Thad’s cool. He was born in London in 1820, but through the miracle of time travel, is currently working out how to live in our world of the twenty-first century. Everything’s a little out of whack for him—his sense of what’s right and wrong, and, what’s important and not important.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?
Whatever it was, I can’t recall it. I have received much advice along the way, including that from my writers group which meets every two weeks, so it’s hard to single out any one particular bit of wisdom as being the “best.” The most supportive advice was from my late husband Murray, who invariably said, “That’s good. Keep going.”

Describe the most memorable response you’ve received from a reader.
Several readers have wished they were married to Luc!

Has a review or profile ever changed your perspective on your work?
I’ve been disappointed by reviews a couple of times, and equally amazed. I think a writer has to be true to what he or she wants to write, and then write the best book possible. If a reviewer doesn’t like my work, I shrug, but keep writing.

Who did you read as a young adult?
My favorite author, by far, was Clare Mallory. Through the miracle of the internet, I am gradually recreating the library I had when I was 13. I have managed to get 7 out of the 10 Clare Mallory books, but am temporarily stopped. The remaining three are in the $200-$400 price range.
Clare Mallory gave me friends. Her characters were years ahead of their time in both their reactions to each other, and to the way they solved problems in their lives. More than that, Clare Mallory showed me a better world than the one I lived in. In her worlds, there were friends who would stand with you when bad things happened, and would join in jokes and adventures. To a miserable and desperately lonely girl, these were a wonderful dream.

What are you reading right now?
I like reading crime and mystery stories. My favorite authors in that genre, at the moment, are Anne Perry and Peter Robinson. I usually read a book a day, so when I find a new author I like, it’s like winning the lottery. (Almost, not quite).
Of course, I read and reread favorites, including my newly discovered Clare Mallory. In one of my teenage years, I discovered Jane Austen, together with Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie, and the Sherlock Holmes books. Now that was a wonderful year!

What is your next project?
My next project is half finished. It’s the Chloe and Thad trilogy. In the first book, Chloe Murray, a young Australian, time travels back to convict Australia and meets Thad Compton, a young (13) convict. Their friendship and adventures form the basis of A Convict’s Thumbprint.
In the second book, the one I’m finishing now, Thad comes back to our time with Chloe. At one point he wonders if anything of him will be left. His accent has to change; his hair’s cut; his teeth get braces on them; his leg is re-broken and reset. He feels a sham. When a trick is played on him and someone dies, Thad wonders what our world is all about. The back end of this book (which I’m writing before the middle) is seriously exciting, and I’m happy with it. So far, anyway. I think this book may be my best ever if enjoyment in writing it is the key.
After that comes a book called the Three Jays, a story of three girls and the impact a school project makes in their lives.

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