What is the title of your book?
Love Finds You in Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin
Where did the idea come from for the book?
My publisher, Summerside
Press, was looking for stories set in resorts and I was raised in Lake Geneva--a perfect fit I would say!
What genre does your book fall under?
Historical Romance
Which actors would you choose to play your
characters in a movie rendition?
When I first developed my
characters I decided
that my heroine, Meg Alden, looked like an actress from the 30s whom I think is Gloria Stewart,
but I can’t find the source now.
In my mind's eye, Jack Wallace, the hero, bore a resemblance to Jack
Kennedy during his college days.
As I wrote the story, I realized more and more
that I was picturing Meg and Jack more as how my parents looked at that age, which
isn’t too far from the original “famous people” models I used.
Here’s a shot of
my parents when they were young and in love.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will she give her heart to
the man who stole her job?
Will your book be self-published or represented by
an agency?
I am represented by Terry
Burns at Hartline Literary, and the book is published by Summerside Press, due
to release April 1, 2013. You can preorder it on line right now at Amazon.com
and other online bookstores.
How long did it take you to write the first draft
of your manuscript?
Counting the three months of research, about nine months.
What other
books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Any books in the “Love
Finds You” line or historical romances set in small towns during the 30s and
40s.
Who or What
inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always dreamed of
wanting to write a story set in my beautiful hometown and when my editor
encouraged me to come up with a proposal, I decided on focusing on the Riviera
Building which was built in 1933. The “Riv” has become an icon of Lake Geneva
and is historically protected. The second floor ballroom hosted many big bands
during that era and it has proven itself to be a worthy “co-star” in my story.
What else
about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Today Lake Geneva is still a
beautiful town, but it is vastly
different than the town of the 30s or even the 50s and 60s. My story
gives a glimpse of the town as it was when Main Street was lined with retail establishments that included at least two drugstores, a bakery, two hardware stores, a meat market, and many other businesses. People went to town
to shop and socialize. Nowadays people do their regular shopping at the edge of town
where Walmart and Target are located. I took great care through my research to
include actual stores and restaurants that were there during 1933 depict the
small town life that existed back then. It’s a nostalgic look at Americana
during the Great Depression that carried forward for several decades.
But, one
thing hasn’t changed since a very-long-ago glacier first carved out Geneva Lake—the
lake itself. It’s still spring-fed, crystal-clear, beautiful body of water there for all to enjoy.
My book is already listed on Amazon and other on-line bookseller sites. If you click on my book cover, you will be taken to Amazon to pre-order, but feel free to purchase at other sites if you wish!
Blogger's Note: Late yesterday I learned that the sequel to my debut novel Thyme for Love, will be released in about three weeks! This blog was already written for today. Be sure to look for Love Will Find a Way, a contemporary mystery romance that concludes Marc and April's journey to love with a few mysterious twists and turns along the way!
Next week two of my author
friends will be posting about their new books at their blogs. Be sure to hop on
over there and check them out.
Ada Brownell: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/
Lynda Schab: http://www.on-the-write-track.blogspot.com/
