Today we have Pamela Meyers stop by. Tell us about Shelter
Bay – a brief blurb:
Life is there for the taking for
adventure girl Maureen Quinn until fate changes everything.
Shelter Bay is Book 2 in my
Newport of the West Series. Newport of the West was the nickname Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin (my hometown) acquired after the movers and shakers of Chicago began
building their “summer cottages” on beautiful Geneva Lake after the Great
Chicago Fire. Book 1, Safe Refuge, begins with the fire and moves quickly to
Lake Geneva, following a fictional well to do family, to their new environment
in Wisconsin.
Shelter Bay takes place 20
years later and focuses on Maureen Quinn, the daughter of Anna Hartwell and
Rory Quinn of Safe Refuge. Maureen is an “Adventure Girl” who isn’t afraid to
try new things and break ground for women of the day. She dreams of traveling
the world with her childhood partner in crime, Preston Stevens, until fate
changes everything.
Is there one particular message or
“moral of the story” you hope readers walk away with?
Sometimes something we think is
right for us is not in God’s will for us and we need to trust Him and be
patient in waiting for Him to act and give us what is right and honoring to
Him.
How did Shelter Bay get started?
I explained that in the first question.
Tell us about your research process.
Each one of these books in the series has required a great deal of research. First I need to know what the town of Lake Geneva is like during the timeframe of the story. I do this by going to the Lake Geneva Library and the Geneva Lake Museum and combing through microfilms of the local newspaper of that day and also old photographs and other writings by historians. Then to broaden the scope I look into what is going on the world stage. When I learned 1893 was the same year as the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (World’s Fair), I knew I had to send my characters to the fair. That got me reading the book The Devil in White City, a nonfiction book that was a wealth of information on the fair and all the events involved in building the exposition in record time. I didn’t pay much attention to the other line of reporting on the serial killer that was doing harm at the same time. Later when I realized I need to find a branch of military my male character could enlist in that kept him close to home and would appeal to his love of being on the water, I learned about the U.S. Life Saving Service and researched into where he could be sent for his stint with them. The Internet is a marvelous tool. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken me to learn all I needed to know to write this book without it.
What impact did your research have on you personally?
Being that it’s set in the town where I grew up, learning way more about the history of the area than I ever knew has enriched my love and appreciation for those that came before us in the establishment of the town and the lake. I love my hometown more than I ever did growing up.
How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all?
Because it’s set in my hometown, I can’t help but see myself in the stories and whenever I go to Lake Geneva, which is only an hour’s drive away, I look around and see the people who came there in the 19th Century and think about how it looked to them then. It’s a real connection to the past.
While you were writing Shelter Bay, do you think it mattered where the book was set?
The reason I set out to write the series is because a lot of the rich history of the town and lake has been fading. As many of the beautiful mansions that were built after the fire have fallen to the wrecking ball or burned down and new people who have no clue or heartfelt connection to the past, the area’s unique history continues to diminish. It’s my hope through reading my stories and hearing my presentations at the library and museum, I can kindle a spark of love for the area and the need to preserve the history for generations to come.
Pam has written most of her life, beginning with her
first diary at age eight. Her novels
include Thyme
For Love, Surprised by Love in Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin, Second Chance Love,
Whatever is True, and Safe Refug, Book
One in the Newport of the West Series.
Pam resides in northern Illinois with her two rescue
cats. She’s an hour or so away from her home town of Lake Geneva, the setting
for the series, where she can be found researching and nosing for new story
ideas.
Social media and buying links
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2kqP5CC
Link to purchase from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Bay-Newport-West-Book-ebook/dp/B07S3XMSW5
1 comment:
Hi Pam! Great interview! Congrats on your new release!!
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