When Lucy returns to North Hampton Beach fifteen years after the course of events that changed her life forever, she doesn’t expect a warm reception; in fact, she hopes that she will be able to conduct her investigation quietly. Such is not the case when she’s returning to a town that is convinced that she played some small part in one of the murders.
Also returning to town is Lucy’s first love, Ford Wagner, who, at the urging of his family, shunned Lucy when she needed him most. Now determined to make up for the past, he chooses to make up for the past and help Lucy discover who could have committed the murders that shook the town so many years ago.
Get an inside look into the latest book by New York Times Best Selling Author, Brenda Novak, in today’s Q&A, and don’t forget to order your copy, or pick one up at your favorite local bookseller.
When did you first come up with the storyline for your latest book, The Summer That Changed Everything?
I came up with it a year and a half ago. I was craving something with a deep, dark mystery in addition to a sense of community and an uplifting second-chance at love story, and that’s when the conflict for this story was born.
The story is set in North Hampton, had you visited the area before writing the novel?
This is a fictional setting based on Colonial Beach, VA. I first saw Colonial Beach when I visited fellow author Sherryl Woods. In the months that I don’t have a release, I feature a book from another author in my 40,000-member online book group on Facebook, then I interview that author at our book group meeting at the end of the month. After spending a couple of days in the area, I knew I wanted to set a book in a similar place.
Tell me about the research process for the book.
Other than visiting Colonial Beach and doing some online research, there wasn’t much more involved. I got lucky and had someone email me a fan letter who turned out to be the wife of the police chief in Colonial Beach–quite a coincidence! She agreed to be my first reader and vetted the manuscript for me, which helped a great deal since I’m not from the area.
The story is told through various points of view from the main characters of Lucy and Ford to others with connections to the case. Was it difficult to go between the different POV’s?
Not at all. I actually enjoy doing this–love looking at any situation through multiple viewpoints.
Out of all of the characters who did you feel the most connected to as you wrote their storyline?
I felt the most connected to Lucy, probably since I found her to be the most sympathetic. I loved the courage she displayed when navigating the difficulties she came up against.
While we learn who really killed Aurora earlier in the book, did you always know who was ultimately responsible for the deaths of the Matteo’s?
Actually, I didn’t. If I know the killer ahead of time, I can’t seem to keep from leaking it to the reader sooner than I want that information to get out. So I’m a “pantser.” I write based on the conflict and characters and let the plot unfold organically from there.
What scene from the book was the hardest to write?
The ending is always the hardest for me. I have so much going in my books that it’s difficult to tie it all up!
Once you’d finished writing the book was it hard to say goodbye to the characters, or did you feel you’d left them exactly how they should be?
It’s always hard to let go of characters you’ve “lived” with for months (while writing the story). But other stories beckon…
If the book was turned into a feature film, who do you imagine in the leading roles of Lucy and Ford?
I’m afraid this is a question I always struggle to answer. I’m not familiar enough with popular actors and actresses (don’t watch many movies), but I do have someone in mind for Ford. My new favorite male actor is Timothee Chalamet, so I’d have to say him!
Are you working on your next novel, and if so, can we get a sneak peek?
I’ve already turned in my next novel. It’s called MEET ME IN ITALY and it’s set on the Amalfi Coast. It comes out April 7, 2026, and I can’t wait to see how readers like it. My daughter was married there a year ago, which made me eager to share the beauty of that place with others!
