Fact vs. Fiction in Whispers of the Bayou In any story where facts are used to mold and shape fiction, sometimes it becomes hard for the reader to tell the two apart, particularly when learning about a history or culture that isn't overly familiar. This page explains which parts of Whispers of the Bayou are based on fiction and which are based on fact. However, and this is important:   DON'T READ THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ WHISPERS OF THE BAYOU! Otherwise, you'll learn some important plot points that might spoil the story for you. Have you read Whispers of the Bayou yet? If not, read it first and then be sure to come back here for this info. If so, then feel free to proceed now. Following is a list of the fact vs. fiction in this book: Though Cajuns are known for tall tales and myths, the expression "chucotement de bayou" or "whispers of the bayou" was invented by Mindy for this story. As far as Mindy can tell, there has never been a village in Nova Scotia called Colline d'Or, though certainly there was—and is—gold mined in the region where the Acadians lived prior to the expulsion of 1755. The concept of a village pooling their wealth for later security is purely fictional; there is no such angelus as described in this tale. The elaborate-cross-inside-a-bell symbol is also fictional, though Mindy got the idea for it when she spotted the "Acadian Cross" that stands as a monument to the Acadians in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia (below). This photo used with permission from the Société Promotion Grand-Pré. The story of the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia is true. Their tale is a heartbreaking saga of displacement, loss, death—and ultimately triumph in the face of tragedy. It is Mindy's hope that her story gives the proper respect to Acadian culture and lore and especially to these unique and delightful people group known simply as the Cajuns. They make her home state of Louisiana a more warm and musical and diverse place.