After a lifetime of writing for a living, former Eckville resident Lis Angus realizes her childhood dream with the debut novel “Not Your Child” on April 18.
The fiction thriller narrates the story of an Ottawa psychologist and single mother whose twelve-year-old daughter disappears. The immediate suspect is an Alberta farmer visiting Ottawa who claims the girl is his granddaughter who got abducted as a baby.
“I’m very excited to see my novel in print. It validates my dreams as a 9-year-old in ways that no other writing—no policy document or business article—could do,” Angus said.
Angus, recognized as Betty Anne von Tettenborn at the time, grew up on a farm northeast of Eckville and graduated from the Eckville Junior Senior High School in 1963. She later moved to Ottawa for higher education in journalism and social sciences.
After working for children and families in crisis followed by relocating to Toronto to raise a family and own a consulting firm, Angus retired to Kemptville, a small town south of Ottawa.
Having written amateur books with her cousin as a 9-year-old set Angus’ appetite for publishing real books. With spare time on hand, her passion for writing a novel resurfaced.
Angus credits her Grade 10 school principal for helping her learn to accept critiques as a tool for improvement. Mr. Anderson, who taught English to the students, also encouraged Angus to write fiction while reinforcing her self-image and goals as a writer.
While the novel is a work of fiction, Angus took inspiration from personal experiences for better narration.
In portraying the protagonist’s fears when her daughter went missing, Angus “drew on memories of my own terror when I briefly lost each of my daughters in shopping malls when they were small.”
The novel is published by The Wild Rose Press and is available in both ebook and paperback formats.
Angus continues her passion for writing with another suspense novel in the works.