Wilmont Kreis

Accompanying the first five nuns to Canada, are two more interesting ladies, the enormously wealthy Marie-Madeleine de Chauvigny, known as Marie de la Peltrie—a widow at a young age, she lived with the sisters but never became a nun. So great was her wealth that when the ship to the new-world could not handle all her belongings, she hired an entire additional ship, Saint-Joseph, to carry her, the nuns and her belongings to the new world. Along with her came Françoise’s old friend from the convent in Mortagne, Perche, France—none other than the rotund Sister Marie-Claude, who again takes on the role of Françoise’s friend and confidant. Read More 

1634-Return to the New World: More nun tales.
Included in the few Nuns who come to the new world are a few ladies who will become icons of Canada. Marie Guyart, known as Marie de l’Incarnation became head of the Ursuline Convent. Françoise Langlois helped her learn the ways of Canada and its natives, taking her on a voyage to stay in an Algonquin camp. Sister Marie Forestier was one of the three Augustinian Nursing nuns. Françoise takes her on a trip to an Algonquin camp where they arrive just following a brutal Iroquois raid, requiring the young nursing sister to use her novice skills to treat and save a number of braves as Françoise and these two French sisters become best friends. Read More 

1634-Return to the New World: Bring in the Nuns:
The religious needs of Quebec had been handled since the beginning by Priests and Brothers mainly Jesuits, unlike the rest of the Catholic world, Nuns were absent. Not until July, 1639 did the ship Saint-Joseph arrive with the first religieuse in Canada. Two groups stepped off onto North American soil: Three Augustinian nuns in their gray habits to run the hospital, and three black habit-wearing Ursulines to teach. As anyone who has attended Catholic school will know, Canada would never again be the same. Read More 

Don’t forget The Beaver Wars is now available in print and on Kindle from Amazon.com. Those of you who have finished 1634-Return to the New World can get to work finding out what happens to Françoise. Those of you who have not yet finished, you can order it now–just don’t peek Read More 

1634-Return to the New World: Half-face.
Once Françoise is married and settled she begins to see a phantom, a highly scarred man in voyageur dress who appears suddenly in the background, studying her, then disappears with equal suddenness. Eventually he appears at her home, he is Guy, alive though terribly scarred from his near death struggle with the Iroquois. He approaches her when she is alone with her infant son. You will need to read the story for the rest. It’s too good to give away. Read More 

I don't want to give away too much, but the long awaited sequel to 1634-Return to the New World is now available in print and in Kindle on Amazon.com. Here is the trailer to The Beaver Wars:
THE BEAVER WARS
The Beaver Wars relates both to the tumultuous period in early French-Canadian history and the wars between Native tribes. During the last half of the 17th century, Iroquois tribes to the south battled Huron tribes to the west over control of the lucrative fur trade which reached into many other tribes and European colonies.
Eight years have passed since families from Perche, France left their homes to join Samuel Champlain in his efforts to reclaim French Canada. As early residents of this wilderness, Francoise and Noel Langlois prospered. When the story opens, however, Francoise's life is in danger from a mysterious Iroquois arrow shot from the forest as she and her young daughter collected chestnuts.
As in all his historical fiction, Dr. Kreis blends history and storytelling into an exciting page-turner, filled with factual details of the period portrayed by wonderful characters, most based upon actual people who became an integral part not only of Québec, but of all the New World.
If you enjoyed 1634—Return to the New World, Fearful Passage North, The Allards Series or other novels by Dr. Kreis, you will love this one. Read More 

Book Thirteen: Half-Face part one: As I noted in a previous post, the early life of Françoise Grenier-Langlois, is very scant in historical literature, but it seems relatively clear that she appears very early in French-Canadian History when she and Noël Langlois are wed in the third marriage of Québec history and proceed to produce a large family of early leaders of Canada. I used my creative license to flesh-out her early history as a waif of the streets of Paris who is swept off her feet by an older man with many rough edges. He spirits her to the new world in its very early years where he bands with renegade courier-des-bois and turns young Françoise’s life into hell.
She is only rescued when this man (Guy) is said to be killed by Iroquois, leaving Françoise free to forge friendships with some of the more reputable Québécoise eventually causing her to be returned to France and a better life with her new friends. When she returns five years later, she finds her old abuser is still around when he returns to cause trouble. Read More 

Book Thirteen: Montmagny: As Canada mourned the loss of the most loved Champlain, France sent a replacement. Charles Huault de Montmagny lacked Champlain’s devotion to Canada but brought much needed administrative skills the new land lacked. He began with a tour of the land from Tadoussac to Montréal with Captain Noël Langlois and his Indian guide and companion, Jacques-Henri. He rebuilt defenses including transforming the wooden fort overlooking the city to a stone fortress, reorganized the military, and began modernizing Québec. At the same time, he negotiated with the natives and saw the arrival of the Ursuline and Augustinian Nuns. Read More 

Book Thirteen: The death of Champlain: The father of Canada, Samuel Champlain’s life was filled with fits and starts, triumphs and defeat, advancement and decline. In truth, Canada at the time of his demise was not markedly different from its state when he founded Québec in 1608. The primary difference was that with the arrival of the Percheron express with a few real families, Champlain left the small seeds of success at the time of his death on Christmas day 1635.
From this point you can follow the growth of French Canada through the end of this book, to The Beaver Wars, due out in a month or so, followed by The Allard Series: Book One: The New World, Book Two: The Hunter, and Book Three: Peace and War, all available in Print or on Kindle through Amazon.Com. Read More 

The Beaver Wars: The English colonies shared the interest in furs early in their colonial life. The French traded with the northern tribes, Algonquin, Huron, and others, while the English trade was generally with the more southern tribes like the Iroquois. As the beaver became scarce, the trappers moved inland, but soon the Iroquois lands were out of beaver, causing the tribes to north, into the traditional lands of the northern tribe. The Algonquin/Huron tribes were traditionally less friendly with the Iroquois, and as the beaver trade became competitive, this competitiveness turned to hostilities, and tribal battles increased in frequency as well as violence beginning what has been called “The Beaver Wars” and it is in this setting the second book of the series is set. Read More