The Magpie's Tales

The Magpie's Tales is a series of novels about the people history rarely remembers.

Across generations, one Canadian family faces war, hardship, prosperity and loss as a young nation grows around them.

Origins follows the family as they build a life and find their place in a new Canada, from the North-West Rebellion through the South African War.

The Horsemen finds the next generation fighting to hold that family together, as the First World War and its turbulent aftermath transform both their lives and their country.

History unfolds not only on battlefields and in the halls of power, but around kitchen tables, in schoolhouses and on lonely farms. At the heart of the series is one enduring question:

Who are we when life asks more of us than we think we can give?

The Magpie's Tales - The Horsemen

Book Two of the Series 


A Canadian family’s struggle to remain a family while history repeatedly pulls it apart.


Preview

On the eve of World War I, a prairie family bound to horses and hard soil must face battles at home and abroad, as faith, duty, and fear collide in a world riding with the horsemen of the apocalypse. 


The Magpie’s Tales –   The Horsemen continues the story of the Davis family as the First World War and its aftermath transform Canada and the people who call it home. From the battlefields of Europe to the farms, cities and political corridors of the Canadian West, war, influenza, prohibition and social unrest test old loyalties and expose long-held secrets. At its heart is a family struggling to hold together as the country around them changes. 


Publication Date TBA

The Magpie’s Tales - Origins

Book One of the Series


The Magpie’s Tales – Origins, delivers a heart-pounding and emotional journey through the struggles and triumphs of a family facing the relentless forces of history. It’s a vivid, unforgettable exploration of resilience, human connection, and the enduring pursuit of legacy in a world on the brink of transformation. 


Step into the rugged and untamed North-West Territory of Canada at the turn of the 19th century, where the Davis family’s epic tale unfolds in a landscape teeming with danger, opportunity, and drama. The Magpie’s Tales – Origins is a gripping family saga that ignites themes of ambition, love, loss, and redemption against the backdrop of historic upheaval, including a daring cattle roundup, the South African conflict, and the tumult of World War I.


William Davis, a charismatic gambler with everything to lose, risks it all by selling cattle and horses to the British Army. His audacious moves set the stage for thrilling stakes that could either catapult his family into prosperity or drag them into ruin. But it’s not just William’s risks that set tensions ablaze—his son, Sam, defies his wife and enlists to fight in South Africa, unraveling the family fabric in unexpected ways.


In a shocking act, William drags a teenage Sam onto the battlefield at Fish Creek in 1885, narrowly avoiding disaster. Elizabeth Davis’s fury erupts at her husband’s recklessness, as William's thirst for influence drives him to gamble not only his fortune but his family’s future. Meanwhile, John, the younger son, feels abandoned as Sam’s decisions fracture the family when they need him most.


Sam’s sporadic letters from South Africa reveal his transformation. His once-bold sense of duty morphs into biting critiques of British actions, and he returns home forever changed. Amid unspeakable loss, including heartbreak for John and Jennie, a tentative reconciliation begins to mend the family. Sam becomes Jennie’s lifeline, pushing her to rebuild her life—but his efforts lead her toward a risky, forbidden affair.


As the Davis family’s saga deepens, unexpected alliances form. Newcomers Cecilia and Bert enter their lives through twists of fate, adding intrigue and complexity. Together, the characters navigate treacherous paths through heartbreak and hope, forging bonds that reveal the strength—and fragility—of loyalty, trust, and forgiveness.

 

The Magpie’s Tales – Origins, Trailers

Risk it All

Origins