Published Novels
Hi Readers! Thanks for stopping by and for you interest in my novels. Here are a few inside bits.
Mountains of Trouble, my first novel, is a historical fiction based on the true story of an incredible woman, Cora, who faced unimaginable difficulties with grace and faith. The novel begins in 1912 when she is 18 and is basically running from her troubled home in Iowa to a mission school in Kentucky where she will teach poor children in a one-room school. While researching Cora’s life, I found two nonfiction books about the Kentucky mission schools of the early 20th century. Many of the details about Cora and her family were told to me by her daughter, Helen. I first met Helen at a family gathering of my husband’s family. Helen was in her 80’s and I was immediately drawn to her wisdom and spirit. After she shared some shocking details about her life and her mother’s, she agreed to let me interview her by phone and write their stories. My second novel features Helen’s life.
Mending Helen’s Heart, published in 2021, is the sequel to Mountains of Trouble and is another historical fiction. It’s based on the life of Cora’s daughter, Helen. As I mentioned above, Helen had a light about her that was contagious and likely reflected not only her difficult past but also her work to overcome it and to live a joyful life. She had incredible gifts that were nearly snuffed out, which I detailed in the novel devoted to her story. I wish she lived long enough to see it in print, but she died in her mid-90s, a few years before it was released.
Stay Out of That Room, published by Midwestern Books in 2023, was a completely different novel from my first two, although it contained elements of truth. It features two teens, Kitty and Cindy, and is set in 1965 in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The girls are two of eight daughters who live in South Minneapolis. Their mother’s aunt – Polly – comes every summer to live in the once amazing mansion set on magnificent Lake Minnetonka, where it seems everyone is thin and beautiful. Everyone except Great Aunt Polly, who is the largest woman either sister has ever seen. Her summer home features room after room of once-beautiful art and furniture, and it seems endless rooms to explore. However, curiously, one room is always locked and Great Aunt Polly instructs the girls never to ask about the contents of the room or to try to enter it. As the days and then weeks drag on for Cindy and Kitty, finding their great aunt’s secrets becomes their mission and their pursuit becomes a sort of scavenger hunt as one clue leads to another and another. Along the way, they flirt with the handsome dudes next door as the foursome go sailing, swimming and enjoy a few evenings together. But nothing is as simple as it seems and they soon find themselves in dangerous situations their sheltered upbringing hasn’t prepared them for. If you lived through the 60s or wish you had, you’ll enjoy this lighthearted romp that will make you giggle and gasp. Hopefully the sequel will be available in 2024.
All three books are available in both paperback and e-book on Amazon.com. Clare's Author Page