Edeana Malcolm discovered the story of Susan Kirke and John Dean while researching the genealogy of her maternal grandfather Everett Dean and his family in Nova Scotia. The couple's scandalous love story and subsequent journey to Nova Scotia inspired her not only to write this historic novel, but also to pen a trilogy about their early years in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Edeana has previously published six short stories and is an active member of Victoria Writer's Society. SHe live in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband David.

This novel, based on the true story of the author's ancestors, describes in compelling detail life in a pioneer settlement in Nova Scotia in 1795. Susan Kirke, born in an English mansion, marries her father's gardener John Dean and ends up in the New World with her eight children in a log cabin.
The Deans arrive in Upper Musquodoboit at the onset of winter. Susan's early life of leisure left her ill-equipped to deal with the challenge of producing everything her family needs to survive, but her neighbours and children are captivated by her tales of her former life. John Dean, having worked all his life as a pleasure gardener for the idle rich in the Old World, turns his skills to cutting down trees and planting crops with the help of his sons. In the end, they discover how difficult it is to create a garden in this wilderness.

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