My Research Trip to Chilliwack, B.C.
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A New Story
I’ve been working on prewriting a new story idea set in several locations, mainly the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada, namely Chilliwack and Abbotsford. In my planned story, which currently has no title, a wealthy writer named Angus, who works as an undercover law enforcement agent, lives in a manor he built on one of the hills surrounding Chilliwack for his dying wife, Lenore, to spend her final days away from the bustle of life in Vancouver. Said wife works to match the writer/agent with the new governess he hires to help care for his five-year-old daughter while he writes and works to combat human trafficking in the Frasier Valley. Lenore knows her husband won’t do well without someone to love and care for him once she is gone.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit family members who live in Chilliwack and Abbotsford and used the opportunity to tour the area and get a feel for the environment in which my story will take place. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and every time I return, I wish to move there permanently. I love where I’m from—sunny Alberta—but as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
While my story starts in Kelowna, B.C. (at a small winery), most of it takes place on the lower mainland between Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Both are in the Fraser Valley, along the Frasier River, which also passes through Vancouver on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The locale is a fertile zone where many crops are grown, including corn, berries, and fruit. One plant in particular, the wild Blackberry, grows everywhere like a weed—because it is one. It’s considered an invasive species, and local farmers make efforts to control it. I had an opportunity to pick wild blackberries while visiting my husband’s aunt and uncle in Chilliwack. It was a bit of a tricky thing to do because of the enormous thorns on the canes and the prickly undersides of the leaves, but the taste of those ridiculously sweet, plump berries made a few scratches and pricks by the thorns worth it.
The southside of Chilliwack (the part of the city south of Highway 1) is an interesting combination of rural farmland and urban development. On the same ‘block,’ one can find a chicken farm nestled up to a modern home with a welding business attached and a local pub and eatery not far from that. There doesn’t seem to be the same emphasis on zoning in Chilliwack as there seems to be where I come from (Leduc, Alberta).
A lot of new residential development has occurred over the past couple of decades in the hills surrounding the city lower in the valley between them, including a hill I was told was called “Chilliwack Mountain” and another called “The Promontory.” The landscape in these areas is beautiful, thus attracting new residents and thus new development. It also brings people closer to other residents, like bears and cougars. I’m not certain how comfortable I would be living in an area where bears enter your backyard to play on your children’s swing sets or in the family pool. On the Promontory, this isn’t unheard of.
A Few Photos:
I’ve included some photographs I took while researching the location of my story. I hope you enjoy them!
An Announcement:
Thank you again for reading. A major change will occur in the coming weeks on my website and blog. After much consideration, I’ve decided to change my brand and platform from the name “Jenni Roman” to my own name, “Pauline Grabia.” This change will take effect as of September 1, 2023. My content will remain, as will the blog and what you can expect from my website. All that is changing is the domain name and name of the site, reflecting my decision to use my real name as my author’s name rather than a nom de plume. To stay updated on the change and everything related to my website and blog, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. Check out my other blog posts, and don’t forget to return on Wednesdays to catch the most recent installment of my novel, Filling the Cracks, of which I am posting one chapter each week for twenty-five weeks. Chapters One and Two are already up at www.paulinejgrabia.com/my-blog. Chapter Three will be posted next Wednesday. Please share this blog with your friends and family. May God bless you richly this coming week and always!
Pauline
