Til First Snow
When a reclusive businessman catches a free-spirited artist not only trespassing on his private property but mining clay from his stream for her pottery, he finds her not only unapologetic for her thievery but downright combative at having gotten caught. A few minutes into their heated exchange all that is forgotten. Lydia is one beautiful and passionate woman and Ben's been lonely for far too long. He's not thinking seduction, however. He's too principled to take advantage. A civilized arrangement is something else again, especially as the thief he's stumbled upon is both homeless and impoverished. Such an arrangement would only benefit her.
The nerve of this wealthy gent's proposition! Doesn't he understand personal happiness is more important than financial security? Lydia might only have lint in her pockets, but a man so lacking in trust that he won't even give her his name has one nerve thinking he has the right to object to her choices in life. Unlike himself, Lydia knows who she is and where's she's going. If a few societal dictates get broken along the way - so be it!
And break some societal dictates they do...Til First Snow.
I take inspiration for my work from many different sources. For example, the idea of casting Lydia as a potter searching for local sources of clay stems from an experience with my youngest son. He was mucking about in our stream and found a large source of clay on the banks. This led to a discussion about how clay was used by potters for centuries. As illustration for our discussion we made a small pot together and left it to bake in the sun. The stream with it's rich banks of clay still runs through the property before winding through acres of conservation land behind, inspiring the initial scene of "Til First Snow".
My stories most often feature women who are unafraid to push boundaries, women with expectations that exceed their current circumstances. They make their own way in the world, cutting a path for others to follow. The men are often self-made, well positioned financially but flawed. Both struggle to overcome limitations in their circumstances and imperfections in their personalities. Til First Snow is a story about an impoverished but independent woman potter and teacher and the wealthy a New York City real estate developer she encounters in the Berkshires. She struggles with poverty and the circumstances of being a woman in the 19th century. He struggles with self-imposed isolation and guilt over the effects urban development has on the displaced populations.
The story is set in the Bershires of Massachusetts during the Gilded Age, a destination for the newly wealthy, artists and literary notables. Many of the surviving "cottages" of the elite are now open to the public. Some are exclusive resorts like Canyon Ranch, Wheatleigh and Blantyre. Others, like Edith Warton's "The Mount", have been protected and restored along with the spectacular gardens designed by her neice Beatrix Ferrand. (By the way, Beatrix has a connection to Bar Harbour, Maine, the setting for my TAINTED LOVE SERIES.) Ventfort Hall in Lenox, Massachusetts now houses The Museum of the Gilded Age. You'll also find Chesterwood, the summer retreat of Daniel French, sculptor of the statue of Abraham Lincoln that overlooks the mall in Washington, D.C.
Even prior to the Gilded Age, the area was home to distinguished literary persons. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "The House of Seven Gables" while living in a cottage just outside Lenox. It was in the Berkshires where Hawthorn met fellow resident and author Herman Melville, who wrote "Moby-Dick" while in residence at Arrowhead in nearby Pittsfield. Melville got the inspiration for several of his novels, including "Moby-Dick" in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the setting for my book, "ACQUISITION".
There are a number of interesting background details from this area and this time. Check them out in the links of Behind the Book.