The Inspiration Behind Sweet Lake

The inspiration behind a book—the impishly persistent idea that darts through my head demanding center stage—never arrives in quite the same way.

For Sweet Lake, the frothy potion of the perfect “What if?” mixed with irresistible characters I couldn’t wait to bring to life came about quite by accident. During a busy November, I received a surprising email. The note from the Lake Union editor praised the novels in my backlist. Then she closed with the question that left me slack-jawed.

Would I like to pitch a new series?

It’s no exaggeration to say that I nearly tumbled from my chair. When I shook off my shock, I let out a shout so loud that it woke sweet Lucy, dozing beneath my desk. She bolted from the room.

Later I’d soothe her canine nerves with a chewy biscuit. But as I reread the mail, I couldn’t shake the stars from my eyes. Would I like to pitch story ideas to the women’s fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing? After years of writing independently, would I like the chance to work with crack editors, gifted book designers, and a talented marketing staff?

Well, YES.

Fortunately, the invitation came during one of those rare celestial events. You know the kind of rare planetary alignment I’m talking about: a moment when a woman with four sisters is on speaking terms with most of them. In particular, and after a long Arctic freeze in our relationship, I’d begun trading bland Facebook comments with one of my younger sisters.

If you come from a large brood like I do, you’re familiar with the sort of Greek tragedy (and comedy) that runs rampant in sprawling, dysfunctional families. Take my middle sister, divorced for twenty long years, who’s furious because I invited her ex-husband over for dinner at the behest of their adult son. Or the sister who argued with our stepfather in 1995, peeled out of the driveway with our ailing mother in the passenger seat then installed Mom in a guest bedroom. That one is still miffed because I continue to refer to the affair as a kidnapping.

Then there’s yet another sister who gave me the evil eye for years. True, I did skip her son’s wedding reception in 2010. At the time, I was on less-than-stellar terms with the woman my ex was dating. If I’d attended the reception, I feared I might pop her one good in the kisser.

Okay. So maybe your family isn’t as interesting as mine. Or there’s too much feminine influence in the Nolfi tribe. You choose.

While you’re coming to a decision, consider: juicy, nutty, familial relationships are manna for the hungry writer. We live for this stuff. If you’re standing in line at the grocery store spilling your woes into your smartphone—if you’re going full throttle, and I sidle into line behind you, trust me, I am listening.

And, in the days after receiving the mail from Lake Union, I wondered, How can I take the joys and heartaches from a lifetime of sisterhood and shape them into a new series?

Immediately I struck on an idea: Why not depict two separate groups of close female friends? A young woman named Linnie Wayfair came to mind, along with the two girlfriends with whom she’d been close since childhood. Together, they were working to save an historic inn. Since I didn’t want the book restricted to female relationships, I decided to open with Linnie gearing up for battle with the filmmaker brother she’d assumed was gone from her life.

Next? The outlandish, and much older Sweet Lake Sirens popped into my head.

If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with my real-life sisters, I’ll let Linnie explain. In this scene from Sweet Lake, she’s received unexpected guidance from the co-leader of the Sirens, which she shares with Daniel Kettering:

“Frances has a saying about sibs. It struck me as corny when we were chatting. Now I feel differently.”

“What was the saying?”

“A sibling carries your history.”

She read the longing in Daniel’s eyes, felt her bruised heart answer in kind. One of the busboys peered through the French doors but left them to their privacy.

“Beautiful, don’t you agree?” She lifted her face to the shifting heavens, the orange day bleeding down to the horizon. “We only have our parents for part of the journey—friends too. But a sibling? Freddie remembers the stuffed bunny I dragged around until first grade and the day I got my first pimple. I remember the wild boy of the woods, the tree house he built without our parents’ knowledge, and the summer he fell in love with filmmaking. It’s the same with you and Philip. I’ve heard him talk about how you taught him to ride a bike while your dad was away on business.”

“Philip told you about the lessons?” Daniel asked, clearly moved. “I wasn’t aware he remembered.”

“Well, he does. You watched your little brother fall in love—you carried him after he buried his wife. You’ve been part of each other’s lives from the beginning. You’ll continue to carry each other’s history all the way to old age.”

“Frances is wise.”

“She is.”

“With regard to siblings, she’s damn quotable.”

—

Christine Nolfi is the author of the award-winning Liberty Series. Most days, she’s on excellent terms with the other women in her life.  Visit her on Twitter at @christinenolfi and christinenolfi.com.

About SWEET LAKE

Linnie Wayfair knows just how many people are counting on her. But knowing doesn’t make doing any easier.

Everyone in Sweet Lake, Ohio, wants her to muster all her business sense and return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope she’ll forgive her scoundrel of a brother and reconcile the family. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open the inn—and her heart—to new possibilities. And her hilarious lifelong friends Jada and Cat are dropping none-too-subtle hints for her to ignite a romance with Daniel Kettering, the sexy attorney who’s been pining for her for years…

Now a shocking turn of events will open old wounds and upend the world Linnie has carefully built. She has to make changes quickly—and the results, though not entirely what she expected, might be what she’s been yearning for all along.

Buy SWEET LAKE HERE

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing