I'm looking forward to hearing your comments! I won't
promise that all of them will be published on this webpage, but I will read and
respond to them all. Let me know if you don't want your comments made public.
I'm deeply grateful to all those who have taken the time
to write to me. You've inspired me to keep writing!
Readers'
comments are helpful and appreciated at info@mindshadows.com
"The Summer Before The Storm and
Elusive Dawn are not only well written, suspenseful, and enjoyable, but
also historically accurate. The amazing amount of research provides an
excellent educational background on the Great War and on aviation. The writer
obviously has a keen interest in and knowledge of the subject." - Arthur
Bishop, WWII pilot and author, son of Billy Bishop, VC, Britain's top WWI
Ace (who makes an appearance in Elusive Dawn)
"I could not put this book down! The
characters, many of which won my affection in the first novel, are so vivid and
real that they feel like old friends. Every page is filled with a bevy of
emotions, ranging from despair and foreboding regarding the horrible war, to
elation and hope for the future. Wills' writing made me feel like I wasn't even
reading words on a page, but actually experiencing everything along with the
characters themselves." - Ashley Katsuyama, NY
"I just love your Muskoka novels. Just
recently, I attended the War Museum in Ottawa and with your characters in mind,
I could see Chas flying high in his plane! Attaching a soul to the stories and
pictures we looked at brought a whole new human meaning to me. It was no longer
something we once learned about in school - it had a face, a life, a love and a
tragedy." - Susan Ross, Peterborough ON
"When I read the Muskoka Novels I couldn't
put the books down, and even though I've read them several times now I'm still
unable to put them down. I am drawn into their world and I find myself still
captivated by every detail. This series is absolutely fantastic. It is
everything I want in a book and cannot wait for the next addition to the
series. " - Katelyn Walton
"Please accept my congratulations on an
engrossing novel. Once begun, it was impossible to put down. Because of last
year's anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, I have read much of the recent
writing about that cataclysmic First World War battle. But that writing did not
capture the terror, the mud or the wastage of human life in the detail or
degree that you managed to capture in Elusive Dawn. I have also read
most of the writings of Billy Bishop and his son, Arthur, and others about the
air battle of that First World War. Again, you captured those terrifying
moments as they must have been with the agony of a flaming crash.... I commend
you on both the mountain of detail of research and the skill with which you
handle it and achieve an extremely lifelike sense of the moment. And, I can
envision a huge organizational chart above your computer, as you strive the
keep track of all of the members of the ever-expanding families and historical
personalities you reference. Monumental. Congratulations!!! Needless-to-say, I
look forward with great anticipation to the next volume of your Muskoka
Novels." - Bill Rathbun, Gravenhurst ON
"WOW! Congratulations Gabriele on your
splendid book Elusive Dawn.... I had two uncommitted days to dedicate to
your marvelous book. What a masterpiece. What a talent. You are really a
romantic!!! Yes, I cried.... It is truly great to read about our splendid
history and you are a magnificent story teller. There are books I've read about
the founding of our country that I couldn't put down and others that were so
dry I couldn't read them. Thanks for your wonderful talent. I look forward to
Book 3 of the 'Muskoka Novels'." - Trudy Davis, Guelph ON
"Congratulations on another captivating
and well researched book! Elusive Dawn is a wonderful read! Through
The Summer Before The Storm, and now Elusive Dawn, we have come
to know a whole new family...characters that are so real we can't help but be
affected by their lives. We've laughed with them, cried with them, felt their
fears, anxieties and pain...shared their joy and their sorrow. You have a great
talent, combining fact and fiction into a fascinating, engrossing tale of love,
loss, inner strength, hope and the power of faith. Elusive Dawn is truly
a tribute to our Canadian forces and those behind the scenes who executed, so
bravely and unselfishly, their committment to the war effort. Thanks for this
great story! I often find myself thinking about 'our new family' and what you
may have in store for them. You always leave us wanting more! Can't wait for
Book 3!" - Nancy Graham, Lindsay, ON
"Congratulations, Gabriele - you have
created another masterpiece! Your characters and the War are so very real.
Having read The Summer Before The Storm and now Elusive Dawn, I
cannot help but think of our Canadian troops in Afghanistan. It has become a
custom for people to line the overpass bridges and form a bridge tribute on the
"Highway of Heroes" (Highway 401 from Trenton to Toronto) in honour of the
fallen soldiers and their families as the motorcade passes through our Region.
Thanks for sharing your talents with your readers. I am so proud to say that I
know a Canadian Author. I look forward to Book 3 of 'The Muskoka Novels." -
Marie North, Courtice, ON
"I have just finished your most recent
novel, Elusive Dawn. How thoroughly I enjoyed the story! It was a match
for the previous three. I marvel at your skill in developing so many
interesting characters. Your magnificent description of people, places, and
events is tremendous. My father served in France during World War 1, and was
hospitalized due to influenza. How alive this section of your story became for
me! Thank you for sharing your love of writing with so many people." -
Evelyn R. McLean, Lindsay ON
"The characters we came to love in The
Summer Before The Storm, the first volume of Gabriele Wills' planned
trilogy, THE MUSKOKA NOVELS, we revisit in the second volume, Elusive
Dawn. In this one a selected group of them is engaged in World War 1 in
England and France as combatants or volunteer workers. Connection back to the
first novel is created by references to what had been life shaping happenings
in summers in Muskoka. Actually these memories and reminiscences are a
spiritual sustenance, a soul solace, during their war experiences. Muskoka, a
"civilized wilderness", represents a "normality" they hope to experience again.
Elusive Dawn is very much a Muskoka novel. The characters are
temporarily transplanted Muskokans. They are in constant communication with one
another. And one saves the life of another with a blood transfusion.
Victoria (Ria) continues to defy the stereotyping of that time in history
of females. She was not a suffragette. What she did was push the boundaries in
other ways. She flew planes and drove an ambulance, fully aware of the dangers.
Other strong female characters were Zoë, Ria's cousin, a nursing volunteer
and Ellie, a fellow Muskokan who studied medicine in Canada. All of them have
problems in their love lives.
The author has done prodigious research into
every aspect of her novel .. domestic detail, landscape (flora and fauna,
sights, smells), architecture, air warfare, battlefields, battles, trenches,
field hospitals and rehabilitation centres, injuries and their treatment and
the whole spectrum of emotional states .. loneliness, awareness of mortality,
terror, shell shock and post traumatic stress. And not to be overlooked .. the
wartime songs, British class consciousness and the British perception of
Canadians as colonials.
The reader becomes immersed in the lives of her
characters and suffers and rejoices with them. Canada is ever present with Jack
commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook to record the war in paintings. And letters
from family at home in Canada keep Muskoka alive. Phoebe's schizophrenia keeps
everyone there on the alert.
The reader expects that volume 3 will deal
with the NEW problematic situations and the OLD problematic relationships that
the characters face on their return to Canada. The DAWN of normality is still
ELUSIVE." - Muriel Cluett, Toronto, ON
"It is hard to choose the right words to
convey to you how wonderful your books are. First and foremost, the characters
have become 'friends' who I would like to meet. Your writing skill enables the
characters to come alive and join the list of the famous heroes and heroines of
the classics. Secondly, your research into the culture and events of the times
is so thorough… While reading both books, I was torn between wanting to
read continuously to see what was going to happen, and not wanting the book to
end.... I was glad to see that you are continuing with the lives of these great
characters, but will now be impatient to read the next book.... I learned so
much about the First World War from reading the books and your writings bring
it alive. I have never been fond of reading about wars from factual and history
books. For me, once there are names and faces attached and people's stories,
the history takes on a whole new dimension.... It is also fascinating to see
the evolution of the roles of women and how the social manners and expectations
have changed. I think you have a gift for writing quality and substance.... I
am anxiously awaiting the next book in the Muskoka Series." - Anne Wright,
Guelph, Ontario
