Creating A Memorable Read: Understanding Place

I am finally returning to Maine this week.

For over twenty-five years, Maine has held an important place in both my mind and my heart. When my mom and I first crossed the Piscataqua River Bridge (the big green one, for those of you in the know) in the summer of 1994 to look at colleges for me to apply to, I started to have the feeling that I was finally where I wanted to be. For a kid who had just moved for her eighth time and was about to start her senior year of high school in a place where many people didn’t remember her from the last time she had lived in northern Virginia, this was perhaps the most important realization. And Maine didn’t disappoint and certainly delivered. 

Like many graduates of the small liberal arts colleges in Maine, I left the state and moved to Boston after commencement. After a twelve-year stint in Chicago, Boston has once again been home for the past eight years. But Maine is close–I am in Portland in just ninety minutes–and taking my children to the places that I hold dear feels significant and beautiful. When I set out to write my debut novel, there was no question…FIRST COURSE would be set in Maine.

At times while I was writing it, I did wonder if the specifics of places where the characters lived, loved, interacted, ate, drank, etc. would resonate with those outside of New England. Then I thought about the books that have stayed with me the most, and they tend to incorporate places almost as key characters in the writing; they are that important. Elin Hilderbrand’s 28 Summers takes us to Nantucket with vivid descriptions of beaches, roads, and waterways.

I’ve only spent one weekend in Philadelphia, but Jennifer Weiner’s books have led me through the neighborhoods and city streets. Christina Consolino’s Rewrite the Stars made Walloon Lake in Michigan–completely unknown to many of us–come to life for the reader, and Sarahlyn Bruck’s Daytime Drama truly works due to her understanding of Hollywood sets and layouts, as well as the intricacies of Southern California roads (and traffic!) and locations. A true understanding of place makes for a memorable read and a welcome escape to somewhere new.

As for FIRST COURSE, I set out for Maine to shine in all its summer splendor. The beauty of Peaks Island when you need to escape everything you’re grappling with? Stunning. The many bridges and sights along the drive up the coast to Camden? Charming. A late-night trip to L.L. Bean? Essential. A brownie from Standard Baking Company in Portland? To die for. I wanted the waves to crash in the background and the hammocks to sway and the drinks to taste just right while sitting in Adirondack chairs. Bring me some antipasto and I’m all set.

I’ll be heading up to Maine later this week to drop off copies of FIRST COURSE at bookstores and a gourmet market in Cape Elizabeth, the location of the Whitman summer home and main setting of the story. I’ll sit on a patio in Portland and have lunch with a college friend. There is nothing like the initial feeling of crossing that bridge and coming back to the place that gave me so much.

—

Jenn Bouchard is a Navy brat who moved eight times before going to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. There she helped run large concerts and campus-wide events, survived the epic ice storm of 1998, met her future husband, and graduated with a degree in Political Science. She then moved to Boston, where she fell in love with the Red Sox and completed her master’s degree and teaching certification at Tufts University. She lived in the Chicago area for twelve years, but then came “home” to Boston, where she got season tickets to Fenway and began writing fiction.

She has been a high school social studies teacher for twenty years and is a regular presenter at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference. A mom of two, Jenn is an avid cook, volunteers as a fundraiser and reunion planner for her Bates College class, and is the past president of the alumni association. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Grub Street, and Women in Development of Greater Boston. FIRST COURSE is her first novel.

Visit her website at jennbouchard.com, and find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @JennBouchardBOS.

FIRST COURSE, Jenn Bouchard

“The food and the characters are equally scrumptious in First Course—a delicious debut from Jenn Bouchard.”  –Emily Belden, author of HOT MESS and HUSBAND MATERIAL

Second acts can be delicious.

When four life-altering catastrophes hit in just one day—including the loss of her parents in a tragic plane crash—twenty-four-year-old Janie Whitman retreats to her family’s summer house in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Here she tries to provide stability for her older sister Alyssa and two young nieces by cooking them amazing food.

Through a mix-up with the alumni office at her parents’ alma mater, Janie meets a young high school guidance counselor named Rocky at a volunteer event, and their fast-tracked romance helps Janie to see possibilities beyond the life she had known just a few weeks prior. But with her ex-boyfriend (and former boss) making overtures beyond her wildest dreams, as well as Alyssa’s estranged husband willing to do whatever it takes to win her back, the Whitman sisters are faced with big decisions.

Despite the obstacles in their way, when Janie and Alyssa are tasked with establishing a lasting memorial for their parents, they just might find the second acts they are seeking.ADVANCE PRAISE FOR FIRST COURSE

“I loved this story of reinvention and finding love when you least expect it. With charming characters and a setting that will have you rushing to book a trip to the Maine coast, First Course is the perfect book to tuck into your beach bag this summer.” –KRISTIN CONTINO, AUTHOR OF A HOUSE FULL OF WINDSOR

“Jenn Bouchard’s debut, First Course, is a sweet, romantic story about Janie, a young woman who, after a series of traumatic events unfolding in less than 24 hours, learns how to pick herself up again and rediscover who she is as a sister, daughter, aunt, girlfriend … and cook. Bouchard’s writing is snappy and smart and whisks the reader away on a virtual summer tour of Maine. First Course is the perfect book for readers to take on their own trip to the beach or pool.” –SARAHLYN BRUCK, AUTHOR OF DESIGNER YOU  AND DAYTIME DRAMA

BUY HERE

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Category: On Writing