WHERE THE
HEART IS
WHERE THE HEART IS
Frankie George has never had an easy life. She is a social outcast with a mysterious past who hides her beauty by dressing in men’s trousers with her hair twisted up under a shabby hat. She is responsible for two troublesome younger sisters but the only work she can find is doing jobs no one else wants.
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It is 1916, the middle of the First World War, and the Heart’s Content cable station in Newfoundland is the only communications link to Europe. It is discovered that information about the movements of British and American convoys is leaking to the enemy from the cable station. An American, Linton Colt-Lodge, arrives to mastermind the search for a spy and he keeps crossing paths with Frankie. He soon thinks she could be the spy they are searching for–a beautiful and tempting spy. To keep a watch on Frankie, Linton invites Frankie to train to become one of the first female cable operators at the station.
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A romantic spy novel set during a time when communications technology changed history.
FAQ
What made you want to write about the Heart’s Content Cable Station?
I am fascinated by changing technology today and when I did a tour of the cable station, I realized things changed just as rapidly back then. The museum also has photos on the wall of the women who were hired during WWI. They looked so interesting and intelligent that I couldn’t help but wonder what their world would have been like.
Are there many barrens in Newfoundland?
Yes, they are scattered throughout the island. Sometimes you can see them as you drive along the highway – vast lands where nothing grows very high mostly because of the brutal Atlantic winds and the cold climate.
Was it difficult researching this period in history?
Yes, as there are almost no documents on the technical iterations that happened inside the station, very little on the everyday workflow that must have changed every few months, especially during the war when the British were anxious to maintain communication supremacy. One of the first things the British did when war was declared in 1914 was to send ships to destroy all the German cables. I had to string together tiny bits of information and envision how it might have been. My years as a journalist helped, I think, for me to strive for accuracy.
IN THE MEDIA
An enjoyable, informative and fascinating look at an era that really shaped modern communications, highly recommended as a #summerread (or really as a cozy winter read too!).
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