ENNOTVILLE – Pride is what fueled Sandra Lovell’s newly released novelette and it’s also what kept this small community together throughout the decades.
Lovell began her life in Kitchener, Ontario and as she grew she landed in Waterloo, a neighbouring city as close as a 10-minute drive.
Although she didn’t live in Centre Wellington her memories as a young girl sure did.
“My great aunts lived and died in Ennotville,” Lovell told the Advertiser.
She reminisced on times at her grandmother’s house in Ennotville, playing, laughing and engulfing herself in the stories her grandmother would share.
Stories of Ennotville and the history that made the township filled Lovell’s ears at a young age.
Little did she know she’d be “honouring” the late residents and their lives in that area.
A Hardy Hamlet is the title of her first self-published novelette which was released earlier this month.
A novelette chronicling two centuries of Lower Nichol Township living in and around Ennotville, Ontario using heritage facts and historical fiction is how Lovell describes her work.
“I’ve always had an interest in heritage, in genealogy,” added Lovell. “I had written that little piece for the 2022 (Ennotville Library) anniversary.”
The Ennotville library is what originally sparked this writing journey for Lovell.
The short story
As the pandemic began Lovell was handed the gift of time, allowing her to pursue a passion project.
She wrote a short story for the historical library’s 175th anniversary in 2022, titled An Ennotville Encounter.
It follows a local legend, Jesse James, an American fugitive on the run after a Sept. 26, 1872 Kansas City Exposition ticket office heist, where $8,000 was stolen and a girl was shot, stated Lovell.
An excerpt of the story that began it all:
“In 1872 Ennotville with a population of barely 100, had a hotel with a tavern and banquet hall. In addition, a small general store provided some provisions for inhabitants there. Carpenters, labourers, a mason and a blacksmith offered their services in the slowly growing community.”
Historians believed James fled to Ontario after the heist which is depicted in her short fictional story.
“My relatives were quite involved in the library’s establishment … and I being a heritage buff and interested in genealogy got involved,” she noted. “Based on that short story and the writing I had done; I was kind of encouraged … to do other writing.”
With the success of her short story Lovell took her love for history to new heights.
The writing process
“It didn’t start too well … I had writer’s block and then information overload,” said Lovell. “I finally got it sorted out.”
What began as a novel changed into a series of short stories with historical facts and fiction.
Lovell’s work is packed with historical short stories and information dating back to 1822.
Lovell more specifically focuses on the “opening of the land and the settlement of the area.”
The idea of acknowledging a small hamlet that was closely tied with her genealogy only excited her more.
Her research led her down many paths of heritage and hardship for the small community.
She discovered events of fire, train collisions, farm accidents and death which inevitably played to the title of Lovell’s piece.
“I’m just amazed by the things that they had to overcome,” she added.
During the writing process she explained her difficulties staying consistent and juggling the historical information.
“There’s so much information you have to sift through to find out what’s the most interesting or relevant,” noted Lovell.
She relied on old newspaper articles and old Wellington County history volumes to gain an understanding of Ennotville’s history.
The novelette from start to finish took a year to complete.
To find a copy of Lovell’s work those interested can visit the Magic Pebble Book store in Elora.
This store is the only place currently holding A Hardy Hamlet which is being sold for $10.
“I just want people that have a connection to the area or people that are just interested in heritage to have a look and consider all of what they (residents of Ennotville) have survived,” she said.
Local writers
Magic Pebble Bookstore owners Fiore Guido and Robin Gow took in A Hardy Hamlet to support Lovell’s journey.
“We try to have as many local writers as possible,” Guido told the Advertiser.
He explained the importance to “support and encourage an understanding of the local history” in the surrounding communities, adding the bookstore has many local history books written by both professional and amateur writers.
“We want to be a local bookstore, that’s what we are that’s what we want to be,”
When Lovell submitted her work to the store Guido saw it as another opportunity to give back to his community.
“I would describe it as sort of a journal on Ennotville and life in Ennotville,” Guido stated.
Because Lovell is self-published Guido noted all the funds brought in by her work will be donated to the Aboyne Rural Hospice fundraising campaign.
The store used to donate funds to the foodbank in the area but recently switched to support the hospice.
Guido shared the risk factors that coincide when supporting self-published authors such as the impact it could make on the “reputation of the shop.”
“We have to weigh that (risk factors) against supporting local authors and encouraging our patrons to learn the history of the area,” he said.
To order Lovell’s work online those interested can visit the bookstore’s website magicpebble.ca.
As for her future writing endeavors, Lovell doesn’t have any projects in the works as of now.
