Lily Iona MacKenzie

The Ripening Lily Iona MacKenzie

Sexual awakening can be messy business.

Tillie Bishop never knew her father, and when her mother abandons her, Tillie quickly becomes streetwise. Even in Calgary, forces of the coming 1960s-a decade of rebellion, discovery, and upheaval-are already at work within her. As a Canadian Girl in Training, she's tried to follow their Christian guidelines, but she prefers to make up her own. She smokes cigarettes in the church bathroom during the group's meetings and plays kissing games afterward with neighborhood boys. Barely a teenager, glamour becomes her new guiding star, and she fantasizes about a future of dating men and having sex.

At seventeen, during a stay in Toronto, she becomes a band groupie and throws herself into the "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" scene-just what she she's been looking for. Then, seeking more adventure, she moves to San Francisco, drawn to its psychedelic night life, leading to a deeper downward spiral. However, Tillie's grit and ability to face life's challenges are inspiring, the seeds for later discovering her artist self.

Tillie takes readers on a wild ride through a period of riotous personal and cultural change. Join her if you dare!