Welcome to Cindy Lapeña’s latest novel, Welcome Inn.

Departing from her ongoing series, The Amulets of Panagaea, Cindy has written a novel that pokes good-natured fun at multicultural, multi-gender, blended families. She also takes a few swipes at PEI, which she has called home for the last 12 years. The official online release of the novel is July 1st, in time for Canada Day 2019.

Welcome Inn is the name of a charming, heritage bed-and-breakfast owned by Frank Gaudet of Roseville, PEI (population 200). Frank inherited his b&b from his dad who inherited it from his dad who built it with his dad when they first settled in PEI with the first Acadians. He has twins, Fred and Frieda, by his first wife, who died before the twins turned 12. Lost and unable to raise his twins alone, Frank seeks a bride from a catalogue and flies halfway around the world to fetch Zeny, a Filipina from a small town on a small island in rural Philippines.

Together, they raised their twins and have a daughter whom they name Victoria, who has always insisted on being called Vic. To help them with cooking and odd jobs, they hire an Iranian couple who are hoping to gain citizenship.

Fred and Frieda are grown up and work in Charlottetown. Frieda, who visits nearly every weekend, is responsible for bringing the Iranian couple, Behrouz and Anousheh to Roseville as part of her role as a placement officer with the PEI Association for Newcomers. Fred has worked with real estate and made a killing with the boom when newcomers started flooding into PEI in 2010.

Frank is head of the town council and is pushing to make Roseville a municipality, so he is doing everything he can to attract newcomers to the town, in the hope that they settle there. He is also very sentimental and keeps souvenirs of every place the inn’s guests have visited from in a vast collection in the basement. As the head of the town’s heritage committee, he does his best to preserve Welcome Inn as close to the original as possible. He raises interest in the inn as well as a bit of money that goes to its preservation by offering Victorian Christmas tours during the Christmas season.

Welcome Inn opens its doors to you in the midst of Thanksgiving preparations. Join the Gaudet family Thanksgiving gathering, when the whole family–and more–are getting together. Are you ready to find out what Frank’s big Thanksgiving surprise is? And after Thanksgiving, who knows what–or who–else is coming through the Welcome Inn’s doors?