Sometimes what we need is a charming feel-good book about three friends who share a love of books. No matter what is going on in their personal lives, Laurel, Paris, and Cassie have each other. In this Q&A with author Susan Mallery, she shares what inspired her to write The Summer Book Club, whether she’s a plotter or a pantser, which of the main characters she’s the most similar to, and a sneak peek at the next two books that are releasing this year.
When did you first develop the storyline for your latest novel, The Summer Book Club?
The inspiration for this book came from several different pieces that I wove together. The first piece came to me after I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole of home decorating and stumbled across the fascinating account of a thrifter who calls herself the Crazy Lamp Lady. Jocelyn goes to Goodwill and buys something for, say, $2, that she turns around and sells for $15. And somehow, she does this enough to be really successful. She has built a huge, devoted following—of which I consider myself a member—because she is fabulous.
Cassie came to me when my husband and I were visiting Bar Harbor, Maine, and I was struck by how different the East Coast is from southern California, where I grew up. Bar Harbor and my fictional Los Lobos are both oceanfront towns, but I wondered how the California coast would feel to someone who grew up in Bar Harbor.
Around the same time, I was talking to a writer friend about books we had read when we were twelve years old. A librarian put a Phyllis Whitney book in my hands, and in a very real way, it changed my life because that was the moment I started reading romance novels.
So I was in need of a new story idea, and I had all these different elements floating around in my brain. I sat down with a notebook and a pen, and I just did a stream-of-consciousness kind of thing, writing down everything that popped into my head. From these sparks—the Crazy Lamp Lady, Bar Harbor, and old romance novels—I developed The Summer Book Club. It’s one of the most feel-good stories I’ve ever written, with a hug-the-book happy ending.
Did you always know how things were going to turn out at the end of the book or did you just see where the characters led you?
In the writing world, there are plotters (writers who plot the story in advance) and pantsers (writers who work without an outline). I am on the extreme plotter end of that spectrum. My plotting for this book was about 80 pages long. I call it the world’s tiniest first draft. This is where I iron out all the story problems, which frees me to immerse myself in the emotions.
Which of the women do you feel you share the most characteristics with?
Probably Laurel. She’s a nurturer and a worrier—and a doer. She doesn’t wallow in her worries, she takes action. The book starts with her being called in for a meeting with her daughter’s teacher. When the teacher tells her that Laurel’s attitude toward men since her divorce may be poisoning her daughter’s mind against men, as well, Laurel is determined to do anything to fix it. Which means she needs to bring a positive male role model into her girls’ lives. She needs to make a male friend.
Which of the three main characters (Laurel, Paris, Cassie) was it hardest to say goodbye to after you’d finished the book?
I’m always so eager to write the next book that I don’t generally have a hard time saying goodbye to characters. I’m happy that they’re happy, and that frees me to let them go.
Which scene did you enjoy writing the most?
The scenes I love writing the most are the biggest emotional turning points for the characters. I don’t want to go into details because that would be a pretty big spoiler for the story, so I’ll just say that it was when Paris finally was able to forgive herself and believe in herself. Sometimes it takes a big trauma to make us realize our own strength.
You recently gave a talk during your book tour for The Summer Book Club. What do you enjoy the most about meeting readers of your work?
It’s a sort of magic to meet readers who love my books. When I write, it’s just me, sitting alone at my computer. In a way, it’s isolating. But on the days when the writing gets hard, I remind myself that someone out there is going to need this story. Every book is somebody’s favorite.
Are you working on your next book, and if so can we get a sneak peek?
Next up is For the Love of Summer in June. It is such a juicy premise—Erica is afraid that she’s losing her daughter Summer to her “other” family, her dad, stepmom, and baby brother. When Erica’s ex-husband is arrested, and his pregnant second wife loses her job, Summer begs her mom to let the woman move into her house. Erica would do anything for her daughter, but this is asking a lot. For the Love of Summer is the story of two women falling into friendship, how two women who married the same man discover they have a lot in common.
My final book of 2024 will be One Big Happy Family, which is my favorite, favorite, favorite Christmas story that I’ve ever written. It’s fun and emotionally complex, with a keep-it-real holiday spirit that I think readers will love. Single mom Julie isn’t exactly disappointed that her adult children have other plans for the holidays—she’s eager for alone time with her secret new much younger boyfriend. When her kids change their minds at the last minute and beg for one more Christmas at the family cabin, Julie swallows her nerves about how they’ll react to her new guy and pulls together a holiday none of them will ever forget. I love this book so much!
Leave a Reply