Antoinette is an emerging writer, writing from the Canadian prairies. Presently working on a short story collection, she has completed two novels in a series of three. These satirical novels are set in the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan and follow the (mis)adventures of 80-year-old Lee twins as they solve murders, fight villains, and each other. Sibling rivalry remains alive and well.
"I enjoyed writing these novels, taking stabs at the patriarchy on the way. Creating snippy PawPaw, the Siamese cat who strenuously objects to humans with guns, badges, and penile bulges, made me laugh. I'm also partial to phobic psychiatrist Annabel and her voluptuous twin, Gloria, writer of erotic fiction. And then there is Scottie, the Tyrannosaurus rex, whose claim to fame is that he is a she and who the heck cares anyway about gender or age? So says Plastic Boobie Barbie, the animal rights activist who activates centenarian Old Man Schlenker into becoming a YouTube sensation as a Spoken Word Poet.”
Dr. Annabel Lee and the Disappearance of Absalom the Bull
80-year-old psychiatrist Dr. Annabel Lee is slipping into the abyss of love. Having a fondness for Freud, Ativan and alcohol, phobic about cats, driving, and bridges, she vows to fight the critical voice of her long-deceased but still disapproving mother and...live a little.
But, before she can kiss the love of her life till he gasps, she has to take care of her responsibilities, responsibilities she has been neglecting in the haze of old lady love. She reluctantly answers a summons to advocate for a disabled young man. Once in the bustling metropolis of Eastend, she discovers that he has not only disappeared but is a suspect in the murder of the local pig heiress found strangled in her pink kink playroom.
Roped in by the RCMP, Dr. Annabel uses her considerable skills of hypnosis to interrogate a suspect while the small town is in scandalous upheaval. A kerfuffle between a posse of animal rights activists and local animal farmers complicates the investigation, as does the longstanding competition between her and her twin, Gloria Petunia. Instead of being a loyal sister, Gloria sabotages Annabel and pushes her straight into the abyss of despair.
Before the climax in the kink playroom, Annabel has to solve the riddles of the mysterious pig heads deposited all over town, the body—sans finger—left between the prickly pears, and the disappearance of Absalom the Bull.
While red herrings rot in the prairie sun and she is dying for a gin and tonic, Annabel has to decide: Duty or pleasure? Work or love? Will she ever be able to tell her mother, she of the niggly voice from the grave, to shut up?
This novel explores themes of mental illness, ageing, animal rights, and self-actualization while taking jabs at the patriarchy. Genre-straddling, it fits into contemporary women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, and mystery cozy. There even is a snippy Siamese commentating on the pitiful patriarchy. And who doesn’t love a talking cat?
Antoinette is also working on a short story collection, The Lure of Lighting an Egg and Other Fabulous Stories.
This collection reflects on the pandemic in The Truth about Eggs and The Lure of Lighting an Egg. Other stories include This Womb is Mine, a satirical exploration of gender. The unFree Associations of Artemisia Gentileschi is an experiment in structure, while magic realism gives...life...to Life is a Serious Business. She hopes to complete the collection by the end of 2025.
