CARLYLE - Born and raised locally, Corinne Hewitt and her husband Kenny have returned to Carlyle.
The Hewitts moved to Alberta in 2006 and resided on an acreage near Delia, 30 kilometres from Hanna. They have four grown-up children, Chantal, Courtney, Jaymie and Joshua, and six grandchildren, two girls and four boys.
Her husband was employed in the Alberta oil patch and she was a very active quilter. In 2009, she fulfilled one of her dreams and opened her very own quilting store in Hanna.
Quilting was mostly self-taught and Hewitt created and designed her own patterns, from pieced quilts to applique and hand embroidery. She was also a voracious reader and every year made a new year’s resolution to write a novel. Finally, in 2015, another dream came true. She invented the characters of Jacob and Abigail, and the first of her six Abbington Pickets books was written and published.
The Abbington Pickets series is Christian historical fiction and to date the following books are in print: Jacob of Abbington Pickets, Jacob’s Place and Letters from Jacob. She has also published an Abbington Pickets Cookbook, her first children’s book Papa’s Chair, and co-authored a Bible study that coincides with her first novel.
The characters and stories centre around a fictional town from 116 years ago, not unlike Cannington Manor, which has been Hewitt’s favourite place since childhood. Spending time there with her grandmother Carol, who worked as a tour guide for 18 years, Corinne learned all the history about the Victorian village and area.
Hewitt grew up in the RM of Moose Mountain near Cowper Creek, located north and east of Carlyle. She has always been interested in local history and has revolved her Abbington Picket series around the local countryside. She is an accomplished writer and plans on publishing her next novel, Jacob’s Secret, in the fall.
In the summer of 2020, the couple decided to relocate back to Carlyle and once their Alberta acreage was sold, did so in September 2021. They presently reside in her grandmother’s Carlyle residence, located on Second Street West. Her grandmother, 89-year-old Carol Thomas, is now living at Deerview Lodge in Wawota. Someday they plan on building a new residence on the home quarter where she grew up.
Hewitt and her husband own nine miniature donkeys and a few head of cattle, and will continue to grow the herd along with their son, Jaymie and father, Wes. Kenny Hewitt is now employed as a mechanic at Kal Tire in Carlyle, which is owned and operated by Wes and Gavin Thomas, Corinne’s father and brother.
Corinne is still an active quilter and pattern designer but does not plan on reopening a store. Her focus now is writing, preserving history, spending time with her family and beginning farm life. Hewitt also has several other pastimes which keep her busy, this includes baking bread, making homemade butter and has even resurrected the dying art of rope making. She plans on holding demonstrations for these and other interesting hobbies in the future.
A review from Amelia Griggs, an American author, after her first book was written: “I was very intrigued by this book, which is the first in the series of Abbington Pickets. It kept me on the edge of my seat, as there was a dark, deep family secret revealed early in the book. This made me even more curious to see what would happen and how the story would transpire.
“I enjoyed each chapter and couldn’t read it fast enough. I also liked learning about the main character, Jacob, and the various events that he experienced and how he dealt with them, including romance, mystery, deceit and tragedy.
“Corinne Hewitt has become one of my favourite authors. She puts her heart and soul into her writing. She is not only a gifted writer, but also a very creative storyteller. I look forward to reading more books by this author.”
