Our featured author for this interview is LDS historical and contemporary novelist, Annette Lyon. Annette, thank you for joining us today. Your first two books written for the LDS market are contemporary. Can you tell us about them and give us a synopsis on each?
My first book, “Lost Without You,” is about a woman named Brooke who’s nearly thirty and single who hopes she has found Mr. Right in an local police officer–then discovers he’s still grieving over the death of his wife from a few years back. They both have to grapple with the complications of what a second marriage would mean, including the LDS doctrines of being a second wife. There’s also a child from the first marriage in the mix, which brings additional complications. Some fun tension and suspense comes in when the mentally unstable ex-boyfriend comes back into the picture and wreaks some havoc. It’s a fun book. Some readers have said they love the theater elements–Brooke is in a production of “Into the Woods,” which was a blast to write about.
“At the Water’s Edge” is a bit different. It still has a suspense element and it’s definitely a romance, but it has other themes as well. It opens after Annela has decided to be baptized. The dominos begin to fall, and we see how that decision affects every aspect of her life–often in very difficult ways. The book holds a special place for me, because it’s set in Helsinki, Finland, where I spent a few years. All of the locations are places I went and where I spent time. Even the apartments are based on real ones.
With “House on the Hill,” you shifted from contemporary to historical fiction. What prompted the move?
The funny thing was that it wasn’t an intentional move; it was just a story I felt passionate about telling. The fact that writing historical books came easier and felt more natural to me–and that readers responded so hugely–was a bonus. I found my groove with that book, and now I’m settling in it and hope to stay there.
“House on the Hill” came about largely because of my love of the Logan temple. My father grew up in the area, so I spent time there visiting my grandparents, and I always felt a connection to the temple. I decided I wanted to be married there like my parents were. Following my wedding, I borrowed my parents’ book, “Logan Temple: The First 100 Years,” by Nolan P. Olsen. After reading it, I knew right away that I absolutely had to write something about it. I reread the book, taking ridiculously meticulous notes and making a master chronology.
It took me a few years to get up the courage to actually write about the past (during which time I published my first two books), but I finally did it–and loved every minute of the process.
We’ll continue our conversation with Annette Lyon tomorrow. In the meantime, you can visit her site and read her insightful blog.
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