Writing
World of the Characters
A Painting to Die For is set in Ontario, Canada and various parts of England, including London. Three of the principal characters, Bill, Anne and Glen, are Canadian, although Anne and her father, Glen, have lived abroad for thirty years. Bill’s world is a humble apartment over a Scarborough strip mall which he uses as a studio where he paints.
While visiting Toronto, Uncle Glen arranges to meet with Bill at The Windsor Arms, an upscale hotel and restaurant in downtown Toronto. Glen has fond associations of the hotel, as many of his earliest development deals were negotiated here. Over lobster and mimosas, Glen tries to convince his nephew, Bill, to help him patch things over with his estranged daughter, Anne.
Canadian references abound in A Painting to Die For. For example, The Caledon Hills, north of Toronto where Uncle Glen once had a Victorian hobby farm called Clearview. It was here that Anne and Bill first discover art and each other, creating an uneasy bond that plays out in later chapters. The iconic Victorian farmhouse, complete with gingerbread veranda, comes to haunt their families.
In contrast to Bill’s humble digs in suburbia, Anne, Glen, Margaret and Aiden live lux lives in London’s exclusive Mayfair district. Glen also has a country retreat in Berkshire, while Margaret and Aiden have a place near Henley-on-Thames. The following images give a flavour for the kinds of locations described in A Painting to Die For.
