The Pieces of a Novel

By Kate MacIntosh

Readers often ask how an author finds the inspiration for a novel. And writers love to chat about their muse, or the universe, gifting them a book concept wrapped up in a sparkling package ready to go. The truth is less romantic. Ideas for books come in pieces, like furniture you put together yourself with only a fiddly little Allen wrench and instructions that never make sense. There are many small parts that need to come together to make something greater. The process almost always involves occasional cursing and doubt that it will work. Writing my novel, The Champagne Letters, was no different. 

The first piece of my novel came over two decades ago. I traveled to France and toured the Veuve Clicquot champagne house. In between the free samples and crash course on how champagne is made, I heard about the founder, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, learning that veuve means widow. After her husband’s untimely death, the Widow Clicquot seized control of the company, even though being a woman business owner in the early 1800s was frowned upon. She had to cope with the Napoleonic war, foreign invasion, developing new techniques, having to smuggle her wines out of the country, and raising her daughter on her own. I remember thinking she would make an intriguing character for a novel. This was an ambitious thought because at the time I’d never written an entire novel (although I had many half-hearted attempts.)

Years later, I had forgotten about Barbe-Nicole, until I stumbled across a biography, The Widow Clicquot by Tilar Mazzeo. I inhaled the book, finding her story fascinating. Despite several moves in the coming years, this was a book that I continued to keep on my shelf. When I would see the bright yellow cover in the bookcase, I’d pause and think again about what a great story she would make.

Another piece of the idea for the book came from my long-standing love of historical novels, and particularly those with dual timelines. I’m captivated by stories that weave together characters from different time periods and connect their stories. It feels like getting two books in one. By this time in my life, I was writing more seriously. (Serious not to be confused with writing well.) I took various writing classes and attended conferences. My notebooks and computer filled with different stories and genres, as I slowly began to improve as a writer.

The next big piece of inspiration is proof positive that sometimes when things go wrong, it can lead us in a direction we didn’t expect. My husband left me and ended our marriage, leaving me crushed. Prior to our split, we had booked our dream 25th Wedding Anniversary trip to France. Needless to say, we weren’t going on that vacation together anymore. However, there was no way I was letting go of that non-refundable deposit after having to let go of so many other things in the divorce. I had traveled on my own before, but this trip felt oddly terrifying. My journey was not the same as the character in the book. I spent far more time eating my body weight in cheese and sniveling, but there was a growing sense that this was an opportunity for me to restart my life in a new direction.

Sitting in a café in Paris, glass of wine at my side, I began to make notes about a story idea and the Widow Clicquot began whispering in my ear. I’ve long believed in the power of books and fiction to light the way. We see things in fiction that we struggle to make sense of in our own lives. I gave the present-day character of Natalie the need to cope with her own divorce and having to restart her life in her fifties. But the beauty of fiction, unlike real life, is that as the writer I would control the outcome. I spoke to many women who had to restart their lives for a variety of reasons. Their stories of picking up the pieces of the future they thought they would have, and instead creating something new, inspired me. 

There were other small pieces that still needed to come together, a fascination with true crime, wine, the role of female friendships, and some pieces that were considered, but ultimately left out of the final version of the novel. (Just like the furniture that always has a few extra screws that never seem to fit anywhere.) When I completed The Champagne Letters, the story was more than any one-piece. It combined history, my experience, stories from others, and straight-up daydreams. It became its own unique creation. I couldn’t be more excited to share this book with the world, and hope that people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

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Kate MacIntosh is always in search of the perfect bottle of wine, a great book, and a swoon-worthy period costume drama. You’ll find her in Vancouver where in her free time she enjoys spending time with friends, teaching writing, and listening to true crime podcasts.

THE CHAMPAGNE LETTERS

Perfect for fans of bubbly wine and Kristin Harmel, this historical fiction novel follows Mme. Clicquot as she builds her legacy, and the modern divorcée who looks to her letters for inspiration.

Reims, France, 1805: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot has just lost her beloved husband but is determined to pursue their dream of creating the premier champagne house in France, now named for her new identity as a widow: Veuve Clicquot. With the Russians poised to invade, competitors fighting for her customers, and the Napoleonic court politics complicating matters she must set herself apart quickly and permanently if she, and her business, are to survive.

In present day Chicago, broken from her divorce, Natalie Taylor runs away to Paris. In a book stall by the Seine, Natalie finds a collection of the Widow Clicquot’s published letters and uses them as inspiration to step out of her comfort zone and create a new, empowered life for herself. But when her Parisian escape takes a shocking and unexpected turn, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she accept her losses and return home, or fight for the future she’s only dreamed about? What would the widow do?

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing