Sara French
Special to The Record
Denman resident Sheila Carnegie has once again become a best selling author with the release of her third book “Tales from Old Toad Island, Humourous Adventures of Esmerelda Perkins, Book Two”.
We first met Esmerelda in Sheila’s first book “Dog Days and Nights, Adventures of Esmerelda Perkins, Book One.
In between these two books Sheila embarked on a more serious note when writing “Beyond the Veil, A Personal Story of Spiritual Connection” which also made the bestseller list.
Esmerelda Perkins is an eccentric, rather befuddled and aging character.
In “Dog Days and Nights” she is asked by a friend near Victoria to supervise the breeding of an amorous Shiloh Shepherd dog and to look after three cats and three birds. We learn the dynamics of their interactions with humans and each other. The story is based on actual experience with some liberties taken.
In “Beyond the Veil….” Carnegie presents a tale of profound love, intrigue, murder, and a warning – all presented through a spirit intrusion.
She is visited by Annabel Elizabeth Henley who lived in the 16th century. Annabel reaches through time in order to relay a message of grave danger to her reincarnated lover. Carnegie meets this man, Dhyanesh, on a cruise through the Galapagos Islands and is drawn into his circle of cultish mysticism. This brings forward the recognition that we are all connected in spirit and of the vast possibilities of the spiritual world. This is a true story and required the author to engage in regression therapy in order to reconnect with Annabel.
Carnegie has just published her third book “Tales of Old Toad Island…..”.
Many written aspects of Toad Island look familiar to a Denman Islander. For instance it’s possible to attend a committee meeting every night of the week, and the RCMP attend BC Ferry meetings where the ferry corporation attempts to explain their cable ferry project to unimpressed islanders. There are many other similarities. Esmerelda stumbles her way through learning the intricacies of Old Toad Island. Along the way, in writing letters to a friend, she talks of online dating sites, relationships, sustainability, local colour, aging, and life in general on a small island.
Sheila Carnegie is a retired educator, human resources consultant, world traveller, textile artist and great cook. Currently she resides in Cotacachi, Ecuador in the mountains out of Quito and on Denman Island. She will be at Abraxas Books on Denman Island on June 6 from 1-4 pm for a book signing and will have her three books available.