The Heart of Splendid Lake: Amy Clipston Discusses Her New Book

I am so lucky! Amy Clipston is visiting my blog tonight, to talk about her newest book, The Heart of Splendid Lake. This is a contemporary romance novel, a departure from her usual Amish romances, and it releases one week from today, on Tuesday, September 14th! So, sit back, get comfortable, and read more about The Heart of Splendid Lake. You'll find out why this story is so special, Amy answers some of my questions about this book, and there's a purchase link also! 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bestselling author Amy Clipston transports readers to a picturesque lakeside town in this heartwarming contemporary romance.

Brianna is the youngest of the three Porter sisters and the only one who chose to stay in the small town of Splendid Lake, North Carolina. She followed in her father’s footsteps and became an expert boat mechanic, helping him run their small resort with cabin rentals, a convenience store, and a marina.

When Brianna’s father unexpectedly dies, Brianna is steeped in grief and guilt—then left alone to clean up the mess. To make matters worse, a constant stream of real estate brokers begins marching through her property, offering to buy the family land. In particular, she keeps running into handsome real estate mogul Scott Gibson.

As Brianna struggles to keep it all together, Scott finds his way into her heart. And as the two fight against their feelings, they just might find themselves forging a surprising and exciting new love at Splendid Lake.

You can order your own copy by clicking this link https://amyclipston.com/lake.

Amy's Thoughts About The Heart of Splendid Lake

Writing The Heart of Splendid Lake was a fun and emotional journey for me. While the story's setting is fictional, I had a blast writing about North Carolina and incorporating part of my home state. I also poured my heart and soul into the book and included a lot of my own life experiences. I hope readers enjoy spending time at Splendid Lake. I dedicated this book to the memory of my father and my special childhood memories of family vacations at Schroon Lake, located in the Adirondacks in New York State.

"Inquiring Minds Want to Know"

• Amy, fans of Amish fiction consider you one of the VERY best authors in this genre. What prompted you to write this contemporary romance novel? A specific event? A need to change gears, so to speak? The need for a new challenge?

I enjoy reading contemporary romance novels, and I wanted to try to write my own. The idea for the book began during a conversation with a friend when I told her that I wanted to try writing contemporary romance along with my Amish books. I told my friend about my childhood vacations spent at Schroon Lake in New York state, and we tossed around book concepts. I came up with the idea for The Heart of Splendid Lake, and my agent and I pitched it to my publisher. I’m so grateful for the chance to share this story, which is very close to my heart. 

• Did you find yourself writing a scene for The Heart of Splendid Lake and then realizing that this was a scene more suitable for an Amish story? 

This question makes me smile because while writing my contemporary books and during edits I almost changed a few of the words to Pennsylvania Dutch! (I told my editor that and she laughed!) Honestly, I wrote the draft of The Heart of Splendid Lake in nine days. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. I need to also mention that this book needed a whole lot of edits, and I rewrote the middle of the book. I learned so much, and I believe the challenge of writing something different will make a better writer, which I hope will extend over to my Amish novels as well.

• The synopsis says that Brianna is the youngest of the three Porter sisters. BTW, I love your choice of the surname Porter :-) Is there a chance of a series featuring stories about the other two sister?

I had originally pitched the book as a series with each book featuring one of the sisters, but my publisher wanted three standalone novels instead. Readers will be able to enjoy another Splendid Lake story, though. I wrote a contemporary Christmas novella that is set in Splendid Lake and will be featured in a novella collection next year. Brianna’s best friend, Ava, who runs the coffee shop, will make an appearance.

• Amy, I know that you have an amazing family support system and I always enjoy seeing pictures of your mom, your husband and sons, and your beautiful cats. Do you lock yourself away from all of them when you're writing? What does a typical work day look like for Amy Clipston?

I used to need complete quiet when I wrote, but now I don’t mind the noise. I write in the family room, and my desk is a coffee table that lifts up. If my family is too loud, I’ll use ear buds and a favorite play list to drown then out. My mom keeps me company while sitting on the sofa and reading a book. If I’m on deadline, I’ll write all weekend and during the week when I log off from my day job. If I’m not on deadline, then you can find me watching movies or binge-watching shows, working out, or doing chores around the house.

• I know that you wrote The Gift of Love, a non-fiction book about the journey that you and Joe took during his kidney transplant. Amy, would you ever consider writing a fiction novel with this theme?

Kidney failure and dialysis have worked their way into my novels. While I haven’t featured an actual transplant, I have included secondary characters who are struggling with kidney disease since it’s something I know well and can relate to. I featured a character with kidney failure for the first time in my Amish book The Courtship Basket, and I mention dialysis in my upcoming novel The View from Coral Cove. I also write about strokes since my father suffered a massive one in 1994. I feel including those issues will help readers relate to the characters if they have experienced something similar. And if they haven’t, I hope that maybe the book teaches readers about those struggles.

Thank you, Amy, for answering these questions. I'm in love with the beautiful cover and I'm looking forward to learning more about Brianna, Scott, and Splendid Lake, North Carolina!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Clipston is an award-winning bestselling author and has been writing for as long as she can remember. She's sold more than one million books, and her fiction writing “career” began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan University and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Amy works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC, and lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and five spoiled rotten cats. You can find Amy at AmyClipston.com, or follow her on  Facebook     Twitter     Instagram