Saskatchewan Arts Board

Judith Silverthorne isn’t afraid of ghosts. In fact, she spent six years researching the ones believed to haunt the halls of Regina’s Government House. Inspired by a real-life pair of youngsters and a “real live” ghost, her resulting children’s novel, Ghosts of Government House, was published with the assistance of the Arts Board’s Flexible Loan Program.

“I’ve always been fascinated by ghost stories and I love history, especially old places. When I first heard about the ghosts at Government House about a dozen years ago, I was intrigued, and as I did personal research, it seemed natural to write a book for kids about it,” she says.

Silverthorne is an award-winning author who has published nine children’s novels and two non-fiction books for adults.  Ghosts is a departure from her other books and a bit of a challenge to write. “I’m used to doing concrete research about ‘real’ and live objects and people, but writing about ghosts, you have to believe in them at least a little and go with impressions psychics or others who are intuitive might suggest,” Silverthorne says. “The hardest challenge was finding a balance between making the story at least a bit scary, but not too much so that young people wouldn’t be afraid to visit Government House. This book was for younger children too, so I wanted them to be able to sleep at night, though I, myself, enjoy a good mystery and solid scare.”

Silverthorne was thrilled to have Lieutenant Governor Gordon Barnhart host her May 2011 book launch at Government House, with an audience of more than 120 people. His Honour also provided the introduction to the book.  At the event, he said, “Silverthorne interwove historical facts with a wonderfully imaginative story to create an educational and adventurous tale.”

Silverthorne self-published Ghosts of Government House, with assistance from Regina-based Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing. She chose this route because she wanted the book published in time for Government House’s 120^th anniversary in 2011. “I wanted to catch the market during the many celebrations. With a new gift shop opening at Government House, which provided a natural outlet for sales, it seemed fortuitous to go ahead with self-publishing,” she says. “There was also a great deal of interest of Government House from visiting school groups, and with my natural inclination to incorporate historical facts throughout the book, it seemed the thing to do to make learning even more fun for children.”

Silverthorne says she wouldn’t have considered self-publishing without the help of the Flexible Loan Program. “I didn’t have the personal resources needed to have the book edited professionally, have the cover and book design created and pay for the printing costs,” she says. "The timing for marketing was perfect to publish the book when I did, and this garnered many sales as I had expected, and also helped acquire far more attention than if I had gone through regular publishing channels at a later time.”

Ghosts of Government House is available at local bookstores and online, as well as through Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing, Saskatchewan Publishers Group, various library service providers, and Silverthorne herself.

The Flexible Loan Program is a $1.15 million initiative of the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. It offers short-term, low-interest, demand loans of up to $25,000 for eligible commercial sector activity. Loans are approved based on a viable business plan/proposal, and the application form and loan agreements are available as required by contacting the Saskatchewan Arts Board’s Creative Industries Consultant Karen Henders at (306) 787-9634, (800) 667-7526, or   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Above: Silverthorne signs her book at the launch of Ghosts of Government House in May 2011.

Right: Silverthorne reades passages from her novel at Government House.

Photos courtesy of Judith Silverthorne.