Lina Patton is the author of the new novel The Lake Club. She is also an illustrator and a teacher, and she lives in Washington, D.C.
Q: You worked on The Lake Club for many years--can you tell us about that?
A: Writing The Lake Club has definitely been a labor of love.
I first started a draft in the summer of 2018 while I was working on a darker, more literary novel. I also had a different agent at the time who would take months to get back to me, so during that waiting period, I started a new, lighter project (which would become The Lake Club) to keep moving forward.
I had so much fun with the characters and disappearing into my memories of Minnesota, but I didn’t work on the manuscript seriously until four years later, after my darker literary novel didn’t sell, and I decided I needed to try something new.
But even then, it was a journey! I first wrote the book entirely from Augie’s POV, with Chat's romance playing a more central role. However, it felt too young, so after brainstorming with my now-agent, I decided to add Mrs. Crawley’s POV.
This was daunting at first, but it turned out to be really interesting because, at that point, I was in my 30s, years older than when I wrote Augie’s POV, and it felt poetic to add an older perspective at a later stage of life.
Still, that wasn’t the end. After adding that POV, I drafted several more versions to ramp up the tension and secrets. Let’s just say I learned to love revision!
Q: The novel is set at a lakeside country club in Minnesota--how important is setting to you in your writing?
A: This is a great question. To be honest, while I have always been a visual person and love painting pictures in my mind as I write, I didn’t realize how important setting is to me until well into The Lake Club.
This might be because Augie’s voice came to me first, along with the pull to write about working at the country club (we love to see people at work in fiction!), but more and more, the setting became a huge part of the story.
I, of course, knew I wanted to showcase the beautiful lakes, but as I wrote the surrounding characters and lines of tension, I realized how much the specifics and nuances of the locale added to the story–not just the beautiful shimmering water and neon-green golf courses, but the passive-aggressive Midwest behavior, the wholesome facades, and the generational wealth (and secrets!).
As such, I am now more aware of how much setting plays into not only the atmosphere of a story but also the tools you have in your toolbox.
I’ve also been delighted to see how much readers enjoy the setting in The Lake Club, and I’ll definitely be thinking more intentionally about the power of setting moving forward.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic among your characters Danika, Augie, and Chat?
A: I have been using the phrase “off-kilter love triangle” to describe the three quite a bit lately.
I know that when some people read the back copy and see the description of “two women clashing over a cute male nanny,” they often assume it’s a Fatal Attraction-type fight over a guy’s attention. And while that is so fun–and true in ways–the triangle’s real tension comes down to power dynamics rather than your typical romantic competition.
They all hit a nerve with one another, whether touching on old wounds or unmet wants, which makes their relationships messy and nuanced–and a fun place to explore.
Q: The writer Kristy Woodson Harvey said of the book, “A juicy mix of rich people behaving badly and love in all its forms, Lina Patton reminds us that, no matter how convoluted things have become, the truth really can be a clean slate.” What do you think of that description?
A: I am wildly grateful to Kristy Woodson Harvey for this blurb—I so adore her work and appreciate her generosity of spirit—and I think this description is a beautiful nod to each character’s true motivations.
At the end of the day, while everyone is hiding something and their actions may be questionable (to say the least!), I do think every character is trying to course-correct something from their past, and doing so out of love—whether for themselves, their family, or in pursuit of a greater moral reckoning.
I also appreciate how this description speaks to the many relationships in the novel, as we see all kinds of connections at play.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Speaking of setting, I’m diving back into my memories of living in Europe for book two! My husband is a Foreign Area Officer in the Army, and we spent four years in Germany and three years at the embassy in Kosovo.
While the novel is still in its early stages, I’m drawing inspiration from the embassy setting—which, in many ways, mirrors a country club, with its overlapping roles, complicated power dynamics, and everyone trying a little too hard to keep up appearances.
I hope to share more details soon, but for now, I’ll just say I’m having a blast writing it—and readers can expect more soapy suspense and glittering bodies of water!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I wrote The Lake Club with the hope that, above all, people would have fun reading it. I wanted to create something relatable yet escapist, tender but not intense—something that checks all the boxes of a beach read while still offering stylish, breezy writing. I hope it brings you extra lakeside, poolside, or beachside joy!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment