DANCING THE MUSE - Danial Neil

      The movement of individuals of one country into another for the purpose of resettlement is central to Canadian history. The story of Canadian immigration is not one of orderly population growth; instead, it has been — and remains one — about economic development as well as Canadian attitudes and values. It has often been unashamedly economically self-serving and ethnically or racially discriminatory despite contributing to creating a   multicultural   society (s ee  Immigration Policy in Canada ;  Refugees to Canada ). Immigration has also contributed to dispossessing   Indigenous peoples   of their ancestral lands. Canadian Encyclopedia   So, it was, for my fictional heroine, leaving all that she knew for a better life. That one motivation is not without its self-serving aims. Conditions in Europe in 1917 were dire. A world war raged. Poverty in Scotland, as well orphaned children of the war, made the prospects of a new beginning appealing, if not essential. Of course it is self

 The cover of Dominion of Mercy was inspired by historical events, and portrayed by a painting in 1871 by John Everett Millais. Margaret Wilson was executed by drowning for refusing to swear an oath declaring James II of England as head of the Church. As an eighteen-year-old young woman, her faith in the face of death became celebrated as part of the martyrology of Presbyterian churches. They believed that no man, no woman, not even a king, could be the spirtual head of their church. Margaret Wilson was chained to a stake on the Solway Firth in 1685. As the tide rose, choking on the salt water, Margaret was told to offer a prayer for the King, which she did, but she continued to refuse to renounce her beliefs. She was overcome by the tide and drowned. Cover design by Michel Vrana