Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne

 

 

 

RaeAnne Thayne is the author of the new novel The Lost Book of First Loves. Her many other books include The December Market. She lives in Utah.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Lost Book of First Loves, and how did you create your characters Alison, June, and Beck?

 

A: So many things inspired the idea! I’m very intrigued by the idea of found family. With the prevalence of DNA testing now, many secrets from the past are coming to light. It actually happened in my own family, where a loved one who is adopted found his birth family through DNA tests. It’s been a wonderful experience for him, creating new family ties.

 

I also wanted to write about a heroine who has recently been diagnosed with a life-changing medical condition, which is how I came up with the idea of June.

 

Alison was a great character, in her mid-20s and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She’s at a crossroads after losing her father before the book starts and needs connection, which is why she goes on a quest to seek out a woman who was a strong DNA match that she had no idea existed.

 

For Beck, I'm very interested in ASMR videos on YouTube and stumbled on somewhere where people were creating the same thing he does. I loved being able to give him an artistic passion he could develop after tragedy uprooted his life five years before the book starts.

 

Q: The novel is set in Wyoming--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: Setting is vital in every book I write. It almost becomes another character. In this case, June needed the peace and beauty of Alison’s Wyoming ranch to heal mentally and physically after her cardiac event.

 

I live in northern Utah, about three hours from Jackson Hole. During college, I spent a summer working inside Grand Teton National Park and truly came to love that area. It was great fun to return to a place that means so much to me.

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I researched quite a bit about June's cardiac condition and what the outcome would be for her. I also did quite a bit of research about the process of creating resin furniture. And I had a lot of fun looking at different ranches in Wyoming and trying to find one that matched my imagination for the Painted Sky Ranch.

Q: What do you think the novel says about family?

 

A: It is definitely possible to create a new family later in life, as long as you are willing to open your heart to let others in.

 

Also, we often have no idea about the lives our parents or grandparents lived before we came along. Their pain, loss, and loves shaped them in ways we can’t even imagine. In this case, the sisters were able to read their father’s writings to get some insight into his thought processes, but most of us aren’t that lucky.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I recently finished the editing process for my upcoming Christmas book, Snow Kissed, which will be out in October. And I’m hard at work at next year’s summer title, which has a working title of The Wood Briar Bookshop, though I expect that will ultimately change.

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Lost Book of First Loves is really a story for anyone who understands and appreciates the healing power of story.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with RaeAnne Thayne.