Coming soon: Twelve Annas to a Rupee
Stephen Turner was a quarter Indian, but to the late 19th century Raj he was wholly native. The Raj underpaid, underemployed and mocked him for being Eurasian or 12 annas to the rupee. But Stephen and his wife Lily never wavered in their struggle to be part of the British establishment in Northern India. This is the story of their quest and their love. It’s also the author’s story. Barbara Sibbald, the Turner’s great-granddaughter, breaks the fourth wall as the novel unfolds to recount her parallel search for community as she researches her family history.
British maltreatment of Eurasians (called Anglo Indians after 1906) is largely neglected in literature. This 85,000-word literary novel, edited and endorsed by Canadian best-selling author Diane Schoemperlen, cracks open this gap with an historically accurate and personal narrative.
Advance praise for Twelve Annas to a Rupee
“The movement through time and the character development are consistently captivating and intriguing. I also learned so much about the history of India at this time. A rewarding and illuminating read!” — Diane Schoemperlen, Governor-General’s Award-winning novelist
The Museum of Possibilities
A collection of quirky short stories focusing on pivotal moments of intense longing—for love, for power, for fame, for freedom, for revenge, and perhaps most of all, for connection in an increasingly disaffected world.
The Museum of Possibilities won gold in the Foreword Indies 2017 Book Awards and silver in the e-Lit Book Awards.
“This collection is a brilliant example of the versatility and vast potential of the short story form.” —Peter Dabbene, Foreword Reviews
“Sibbald’s prose is succinct and sharp, which you would expect from a career journalist. What she also exhibits, in every story, is a storyteller’s grasp of momentum, a keen understanding of character and voice, and a knack for authentic dialogue. Each of her protagonists’ voices is distinct over the course of sixteen narratives. Add to this the diversity of content, structure and tone, and The Museum of Possibilities is a gallery worth visiting and revisiting.” —Jamie Tennant, Hamilton Arts & Letters
Read an excerpt
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A sample of reviews
The Book of Love: Guidance in Affairs of the Heart
(General Store Publishing House, 2011)
Three women, seven men and one very wise self-help book merge in this unusual mélange of fiction and self-help.
Read first chapter
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Regarding Wanda
(Bunkhouse Press, 2006)
Small-town journalist Wanda Stewart discovers she has a degenerative eye condition, forcing her to face her faltering marriage and domineering father.
Short listed for the 2007 Ottawa Book Award, Fiction. In an earlier incarnation, two of the chapters were nominated for the Journey Prize.
Read first chapter
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The Kitchen Chronicles
(Ottawa Magazine, 2013)
Food in fiction in 52 bite-sized dollops. Follow this fictitious family’s foibles as they wrangle in their kitchen, plus try the home-tested recipes. Food and pathos: you’ll be addicted in no time.
Read first episode: The Kitchen
Photo by Barbara Sibbald, taken at the Experimental Farm, Ottawa