More Than a Bootlegger's Daughter, a new book by June Wilson

I was fortunate to meet June Wilson at a local author event in Tottenham, Ontario. She was fun to chat with and I looked forward to learning more about her story!

Although born and raised in Toronto, I did spend twenty-five years in Tottenham raising four children with my husband. In 1998, I left my marriage and returned to Toronto where I found an apartment and work as a Toronto Area Manager for Welcome Wagon. From there I re-entered the world of administration work and finally retired in 2013 from the Finance Department in the Head Office of TD Bank.

My retirement afforded me the time to pursue my interest in writing and I began searching writing groups. Fortunately, I learned about a Creative Memoir Writing Class and promptly enrolled.  MORE THAN A BOOTLEGGER’S DAUGHTER is a compilation of the many stories I wrote over a span of about six years.

My first published work appears in my Grade 8 Yearbook in the form of a poem entitled “Spring.”   Subsequently, my writing has consisted of impassioned letters to the editor.  Also, when I began travelling in Europe, I was gob smacked by the beauty of the architecture and history and would write long emails to friends and family sharing what I was experiencing. Their enthusiastic response was great encouragement to continue. 

1. My life outside of writing includes visits to jazz clubs, other live music events, travel, piano lessons and a monthly book club.

2. Another writing project is not on my radar just now.

3. When I was writing, I often had to take a break due to the heaviness that would descend on me as I relived some events. 

4. Since my book was a personal memoir, I only had to research some of the facts around things like liquor laws of the time. Also, I had kept journals for the last twenty-five years, so I was able to verify the more recent events.  

5. My earliest memory of books in my life began as a young girl in a public school library. Due to my love of songs such as O Susanna, Camp town Races, etc  I requested a biography of the Composer, Stephen Foster. Memoirs became my go-to genre for the many life lessons I have found. However Maya Angelou is probably the most inspirational for everyday living. 

My love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew and now include Canadian authors Ian Hamilton and Louise Penny as well American authors Michael Connelly and Carol O’Connor. 

6. The first spark of interest in writing began in 2006 when a friend gifted me a book called Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott, an often hilarious account of her own writing and what she has learned.  Encouragement to write later came from various friends and the sense I had that it was important to record my history.

 MORE THAN A BOOTLEGGER’S DAUGHTER is self-published and may be purchased directly from the author by contacting June Wilson by email at apt_50@yahoo.com, https://www.facebook.com/Messenger, or by phone at 416 783-6983.