A 20th Century Portia

by Mary M. Cushnie-Mansour

Thelma Bernice Kerr-Thomson was born in Toronto, Ontario on September 28, 1922. In 1942 she began her studies at the University of Toronto Law School, and in 1946 she entered Osgoode Hall. In September of 1949, Thelma was admitted to the Bar.In the 1941 census, there were 8,621 male lawyers listed in Canada; women numbered 129, and 112 of them were from Ontario. This fact incontestably says something about the times, confirming Thelma to be a bona fide pioneer of women studying law.Thelma accredits much of her success to the two men in her life - her father, who encouraged her to study law and her husband whom she worked alongside in their county law practice.j Thelma, herself, was a great advocate for women's rights in a time when women were just beginning to be heard. The local Crown Counsel in Lindsay constantly referred to Thelma as "Portia," especially when she was representing a young first-time offender. "Here comes Portia with her pitch for mercy," he would say as she entered the courtroom.From the times she grew up in, to the turmoil of love and career, to her many accomplishments within the career path she embarked upon - Thelma's story is a true inspiration to all women - then and now!

334 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Report cards regularly trumpeted Mary M. Cushnie-Mansour as a daydreamer. Teachers felt if she paid more attention in class, her marks would be better. Little did they know what was going on in her mind. From a young age, all Mary wanted to do was write, and write she did. Through elementary school, high school, and into her early 20's she wrote poetry, short stories, plays, and songs. For a time, though, Mary let life get in the way of her passion, and it wasn't until she was in her mid-thirties when she returned to university that the flame re-ignited. While studying Forms of Fantasy - J. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings,: " Mary began writing again, pumping out poetry, children's stories, short stories, and the beginning seeds of what would become the "Night's Vampire Series." Mary also enjoys writing mysteries, and has penned the "Detective Toby Mysteries."
Mary loves John Grisham's books and has every one of them. She also reads authors like Ted Dekker, Sidney Sheldon, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Joy Fielding, John Saul, Nicholas Sparks, Sandra Brown,Jodi Picoult, and Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. These are just a few of the authors Mary reads on a regular basis, and usually, she writes a book review on each of the books she finishes.

In the 90s Mary wrote several children's stories and mysteries that were left sitting on the shelves for far too long. Mary is happy to announce that she dusted many of these stories off and has published nine bilingual children's books, several children's picture books, youth novels, and short story and poetry collections. Mary has also written a vampire series and a detective series.

In 1991, Mary registered a publishing company - Cavern of Dreams Publishing - through which she published not only her works but helped other writers realize their dreams. She collaborated closely with an editing and illustrating staff and in January 2017, Mary turned the company over to her Editor-in-Chief so she could spend more time with her personal writing.

Mary's motto in life is to pursue your dreams no matter what life throws at you - it is never too late to "become."