Inspired by Michigan Lakes… and a giveaway!
Oh, how I’ve been looking forward to this day! The debut novel of my sweet friend, Jill Kemerer, just released!
I met Jill at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in 2012. She was wonderfully encouraging, bubbly, funny, genuine. As I got to know her, I learned that she had written TWELVE manuscripts and been seeking publication for years without success. Most writers write a few manuscripts that never sell. For many of us, that’s just part of the process of learning to write novels. But I’d never met a writer, prior to Jill, who’d written twelve complete manuscripts. I was inspired by her persistence and drive. Eventually, according to God’s timeline, Jill did sell a manuscript. Yay! And that manuscript became Small-Town Bachelor.
Jill has kindly offered to give away a copy of Small-Town Bachelor to one Inspired by Life Reader, so check out the giveaway entry box at the bottom of the post.
I’m so happy to have you visit us here, Jill! -Becky
I grew up in mid-Michigan and spent many weekends up north at my grandparents’ rustic cottage. The cabin was nestled under evergreens, had running water, electricity and a rotary phone mounted to the wall but no working phone line. We had a blast pretending to talk on that phone!
An old freezer was buried in the backyard. Guess what was in it? Dirt! It’s where my grandpa kept earthworms for bait, which is pretty smart now that I think about it. Dad would take Mom, my sister and I fishing on a little rowboat with an outboard motor. My sister was always enthusiastic about fishing, but I usually brought a book. I’d rather read than pierce worms on a hook. Later, Dad would fillet the perch and bluegill, batter them with Drake’s, and pan fry them. They were delicious.
The lake itself wasn’t very populated, but there were a few pretty log cabins along the shore. I loved dreaming about living on a lake. I still dream about it! One time we saw a black bear up in the backyard. That scared me, but not as much as the abundance of spiders inside the cabin. I did a spider check every night. Eek! The cottage was sold years ago, but my memories feel fresh.
My debut novel, Small-Town Bachelor, is set in fictional Lake Endwell, Michigan. I had so much fun coming up with the name. Did you know many Michigan towns and lakes had a blend of French and Native American names? Then Americans settled the areas and imposed their own dialect on the name.
I don’t know French and I certainly don’t know Native American languages! So I did some research. I pictured a lake surrounded by beautiful trees. A full moon reflecting on the water. Brilliant stars above it. Okay, how about Lake Star? Taking some liberty, I used the Ojibwe word for star, “anang,” although the Ojibwe settled farther north than my book is set. The French word for star is une étoile, and if you combine anang and une étoile, it kind of sounds like “anantwah.” An American might say it “endwell.” Perfect! Lake Endwell!
My second book, Unexpected Family, takes place in Lake Endwell also. Wouldn’t it be fun to visit some of the made-up places we read about in books? If only they were real!
Where did you spend time as a child? Do you have happy memories to share?
Jill Kemerer writes inspirational romance novels with love, humor and faith. A full time writer and homemaker, she relies on coffee and chocolate to keep up with her kids’ busy schedules.
Besides spoiling her mini-dachshund, Jill adores magazines, M&MS, fluffy animals and long nature walks. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Jill loves connecting with readers, so please visit her website www.jillkemerer.com You can also connect with her on:
Interested in buying Small-Town Bachelor?
Click here for links to purchase!
Enter to win a free copy of Small-Town Bachelor via the entry box below. Jill will email the winner once the contest closes. Best of luck! -Becky
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I enjoyed your post. It reminded me of the rustic cottage our family used to go to in the summers for a couple weeks. No phone, no running water but we had fun. It’s underwater now as a dam was built and the area flooded. But the memories are still around! Thank you for sharing.
Anne
Thank you so much, Anne! Everyone should spend a few lazy days (or weeks) in a rustic cottage near a lake! That’s really sad about it being underwater, though. At least a dam can’t destroy the memories. 🙂
Jill, it was nice to “meet” you today. I have lived in Michigan my whole life so when you were talking about the mix of languages for places it made me smile. Gotta love Detroit and Mackinac (among many others!) We usually went tent camping as a family when I was a kid. Many adventures there (from flooded tents to a skunk inside the tent while we were sleeping)
A skunk?? Yikes!! I love Michigan! I was in Saginaw yesterday to visit family. 🙂
We still tent camp with our teens. It’s an adventure, that’s for sure! So nice to meet you too!
Congratulations, Jill! Your perseverance is inspiring. I’m also a fellow Michigander who LOVES the beauty of this state. The novel I’m currently working on will tell some of Michigan’s early history. Thanks for your guest post today.
Ooh, Lynn, I love historical novels. I read Jody Hedlund’s Captured By Love, and I learned a ton about Mackinac Island. I’ve been there a bazillion times, but she really made it come to life. My father’s side (Devereaux) was very active in the logging industry in Michigan. Dad’s cousins still own sawmills and drykiln businesses. I love Michigan!
love Lake Michigan as a child! Love to win the book!
Shelia, we try to get to Lake Michigan once a year, but my husband and I dream about owning a little cabin of our own on Lake Michigan someday! It’s breathtaking!
family cabin
JCP, nice! I miss our times up north. Wish we still had a family cabin for weekends!
Entry form would not work for me. Would love to win the book!
I’m so sorry, Gail. Technology can be so tricky. 🙁 I’m also giving away copies on Goodreads.
Jill,
I’m immediately intrigued, having grown up in Mid-Michigan, as well. Clare, as a matter of fact. I now live in Kansas, but every I’m drawn to any book set in my home state.
Carrie
I have family near Clare! My husband’s parents used to have a cottage on Lake George, which isn’t too far from there! I hope you’re not getting too many storms in Kansas yet. Isn’t the tornado season coming?
Jill,
I too grew up spending weekends at a cabin on a lake that my grandfather built. It was very rustic and our family, along with aunts and cousins would load the cars on Friday nights and head there. We swam, fished, rowed the boat down to the dam, and even went frog-gigging some at midnight. What great memories you have stirred up! Thanks.
Terry
Frog gigging!! I have a feeling that was tons of fun! I, too, have a large extended family. Most of my memories revolve around aunts, uncles and cousins!
Thanks for sharing a little about yourself! My parents had a cabin in northern Minn–no indoor plumbing, & we had to prime the hand pump each spring! The lake was surrounded by pine & birch bark trees–no telephone–only 2 stations came in on the old AM radio! I dreamed about having a cabin for years–didn’t happen, so I have tongue & groove knotty pine & a wood stove in my family room, & it’s the favorite room of my house!
MS Barb, how fun!! You’re so smart to bring the “cabin” to you with your wood stove and knotty pine. You can enjoy it all year round! BTW, birch trees are amazing. Love them!
Wow, I haven’t been to Saginaw for a couple years…haven’t been able to get “home”. I usually went to Saginaw and Frankenmuth whenever I could get back to my home town. My parents had built a cabin – knotty pine with an oil heating stove – no working phone. It has been even longer since there, so you brought back memories! I enjoy reading books in my home-state setting. Especially in the spring when I am missing lilacs so much, I do miss living there…but I don’t miss the snowstorms! All the best to you as the Lord leads your writing and brings it to the open hearts of awaiting readers!
Jeannie, Frankenmuth is so dear to my heart! My hubby proposed to me there! Thank you!
I grew up in Canada and our family always used to vacation at a lake called Rice Lake in Ontario. Then when I was a teenager we started going to a Vacation spot in Muskocka called Lake Medora. We had good times . I married a guy from the U.S. A and now we have lived at a lake in Ohio for 31 years.
I’m picturing blue skies and clear waters in Ontario! Sounds wonderful! And now you’re living on a lake. How cool! We lived right on Lake Erie for a year, and I loved it!
This is called Lake Lorelie. It is a private community so not as big as Lake Erie. While growing up I lived near lake Ontario. It did get rather polluted as the years went by and had an order. I think it was because of the businesses in Toronto.
Here along the Ohio river you can see that it is polluted also. But it’s nice to take a river cruise and we’ve done that a few times too. Sometimes the steam boat come into Cincinnati and we went on one from Illinois for a breakfast cruise. Lovely.
Nice!! Yes, Lake Erie has pollution, too. We had Toxic Algae Bloom last summer! Yikes!!
Definitely wouldn’t want to swim in it would you. I can remember as kids that we used to go swimming in lake Ontario on a hot evening. Than after it got stinky we quit as did everyone else. Such a shame.
We had an uncle who lived way out in the country & we would go there quite often. My dad & I fished in the private pond and always got a LOT of bullheads (similar to catfish, but yellow bellies). My aunt would cook a great big huge lunch for us & they had a lot of land to explore. Had so much fun! My dad also had family in Michigan we’d visit every so often. His sister had a lake cabin on Lake Michigan (I think) & we’d swim or watch the ducks and feed them. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents house during the summer months. So I had a lot of good family connections 🙂 I do miss those lazy, hazy summer days as a kid…so carefree & happy!
Thank you for a chance to win a copy of “Small Town Bachelor” ,sounds like a great story!
I miss lazy, carefree days of summer, too. My love of reading really exploded during the summer months! I always had a book, bought one or borrowed a stack from the library! Your memories made me smile!
Thank you for the interview! I love meeting new to me writers. Spending time at my grandparents was fun. They had a garden we got to help with. I was most impressed with the beans that grew up the string that we had nailed to a frame. We also got to play with all of the board games that they kept in the back bedroom closet. Thank you for sharing and for the giveaway 🙂
Lori, I love gardening! And my grandparents kept board games too. Love those memories!