Prequel # 1
The Briars
Bemused
~ Coming Spring 2026 ~

“At sunset, the binding will unwind,
snapping the vessel in two.
If there’s no one to link to, no one to host us . . .”

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Trapped in the Royal Ontario Museum’s American Indian Gallery, three terrified spirits wait anxiously, fearing they’ll go poof!

Still gripped by the terrors of her nightmare—her ensnared moments before the Halifax Explosion—Emily scurries to the trolley for Toronto. That’s exciting for a twelve-year-old on her own.

But such trips are destined to be filled with odd people and bizarre events.

That’s ignoring a museum filled with magic.
 

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Travel back a century to Toronto. Even in 1919, a trip to this great city is not boring. Emily runs into some of the most curious people, the dreamers:

 

A curator whose collection forms the nation's foremost museum, and the formidable woman who helped him make it happen. 

A sickly young nurse, Miss Earhart, collapses into Emily’s arms; she wishes to fly.

 

The nosey teacher, Miss Macphail, wants to become the first woman elected to Canada’s House of Commons.

Mystery, magic, suffrage, the post-war anxiety and promise, and a plucky protagonist make this book a pleasurable read for the classroom or for cozying up by the fire. Readers of R.L. LaFevers, Ransom Riggs, Susan Cooper, and Jacqueline Kelly will find enjoyment in this book.

The Briars Bemused is a prequel to the Emily Twillum Adventure series.