Questions and Answers
Why write stories based around the great lakes?
The SS Badger, the last coal-fired steamship in the United States, transports passengers and their cars from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. For my mom and my five-year-old sister, our dog and myself, it was a crossing over both literally and figuratively. Dad had already started working in Green Bay, and our family was being reunited to start our new life on the other side of the lake.
Living in lower Michigan, we had visited Lake Michigan beaches before, but I don’t remember ever leaving the shoreline. There was no adventure in the mind of this seven-year-old girl like crossing a huge body of water to a new life we knew little about.
While growing up in De Pere, our Mom taught my sister and I to swim, and made sure we made it to years of swimming lessons that would keep us safe.
Our Dad was an avid fisherman, and with his little 14′ boat and 35hp motor, my sister and I learned to waterski. On a calm day, that boat could make it from the boat launch in Allouez to the bay with one or both of us behind it.
For those who have never seen the Great Lakes in person, they are are called Great due to their size, not their beauty; though each would qualify for both. Ocean liners come and go from all over the world to these ports. These are not lakes to be toyed with; many a storm has sunk large shipping vessels prior to modern technology (think Edmund Fitzgerald).
When you live near a geological wonder that you can regularly interact with, it becomes a part of you. When I first saw its big sister, Lake Superior, it was an experience much like seeing the stars on an exceptionally clear night. To be honest, I still feel that way whenever I see any of the lakes – they are a part of my identity, yet a clear reminder of being a part of something larger than myself.
The Great Lakes area is full of history; the people of the Native Nations and those that immigrated here in more recent centuries have enjoyed a connection with nature here. They were connected to not only the lakes themselves, but the beautiful North Woods and breathtaking shorelines that connect them. The family lines run deep here, building communities of interwoven support and endurance.
In doing research for my first book, Stories of a Cabin, I have gotten to know more of the Southern Shore of Lake Superior, as well as the people who live and work there. Both are delightful, and I encourage any who haven’t visited this area to do so. I know I will continue to enjoy my trips there for many years to come, and there is so much to do and explore that boredom isn’t even on the horizon.
To watch for future books in this series, each set on a different Great Lake, join my reader list here.
What gives you connection to these lakes, and which is your favorite?