It Was a Really Hard Hike
The climb that inspired my new novel, up Conic Hill on the shores of Loch Lomond
It’s funny how writing a book goes. I don’t know about you, but when I sit down to write a book these days, I have a sense of where it’s going. In fact, I’ve trained myself to plan and plot and map out the whole thing, start to finish, so there are no surprises.
And then those darn characters just show up and take over. (Which makes writing a novel so much fun!)
I wrote a first draft of the book that became CAVE OF SECRETS and booked a flight to Edinburgh to spend time on the shores of Loch Lomond, where part of the book takes place. I’d spent the summer of 2022 in the Scottish Highlands and been to Edinburgh and Glasgow decades earlier, but I’d never been to Loch Lomond. No idea why I set the novel there!
But I figured a good book feels real, authentic, and I could Google to my heart’s content but there’s nothing like on-the-ground research. So I booked the flight, hopped the plane and took a notebook so I could jot down all the details I’d need for the story.
I love traveling alone. It’s a huge challenge to my comfort and ease. All my fears come to the surface, and before loneliness can set in, I summon my inner strength to confront whatever feelings may arrive. I embrace the uncertainty, even as it knots my stomach and makes me second-guess my plans.
Hoards of tourists filled tables at the little inn where I stayed, which did a thriving business all day long and into the night. Fine food, great drink, music piped through speakers mounted to the big old trees out front. The window in my room overlooked the deep glacial lake.
The inn happens to be on the path of the West Highland Way, so lots of hikers came through for refreshment and rest. So when I wanted to do a true Highland hike, the proprietor directed me across the street to a trailhead up Conic Hill.
I thought it would be easy. I’d been on a boat ride on the loch that gave me a gorgeous view of the “hill” - Scots refer to hikes as walks and mountains as hills, by the way. It was way more than a walk up a hill.
But I digress. From the boat, I saw people like ants climbing up and over and down the other side. It looked easy. A rounded hill which didn’t rise up into the clouds, no snow-covered summit. I could do this.
Right?
I climbed through the forest, up the steep path and very soon was out above the trees, where the path narrowed and grew even steeper. Then, there were the stone steps. I don’t know if you can see it from this picture, but they were so steep that my heart beat in my throat and I refused to look down from where I’d come.
At the top, I swore I would never be able to return the way I’d come. It was just so steep! And then there was a wind-smacked view of the loch, which sits on a fault line that you can see via a series of islands in the water and then this hill. It was stunning. Literally breathtaking.
I wavered on the hillside, watching people make their way up higher, toward the summit, so they could descend down the other side. Which I had planned to do.
But I got up that far, about two-thirds of the way, and I started to shake. I was afraid to go higher, and nervous to go back down. And I felt so disappointed in myself.
I sat for a long time, writing in my journal, as the wind brushed my face raw. And then I went down the way I’d come, shaking all the way down those steps.
In CAVE OF SECRETS, one of the protagonists, Eve, climbs Conic Hill and darts into a cave in a sudden thunderstorm. There is no cave on Conic Hill; that’s purely fictitious. But the hike was inspired by my climb last May.
I made Eve braver than me. She has no fear as she saunters up the mountainside, even paws into the soil to pull out the perfectly-preserved journal that will change her life.
The Monteith House pub and inn in the book was inspired by the Oak Tree Inn where I stayed in Balmaha, on Loch Lomond. The furniture and the food are similar, but there was no hot barkeep like Mac, another protagonist. Of course, I wasn’t really looking. I missed my hot husband!
Whenever I give a talk about my first novel, WOMAN OF VALOR, people always ask if the book is autobiographical. And I say, “This is fiction. Sure, I took details from my own life and experiences, but that’s where the similarities end.”
Good fiction has a mix of real and imagined. It has to be real enough to be believeable, but the fun of writing a novel is in creating worlds and characters that are just beyond the scope of real life. I love escaping into a story and immersing in another place and time and someone else’s life for a while. Don’t you?
In two weeks, I’ll be sharing the gorgeous cover for CAVE OF SECRETS!! Keep reading, please. That’s when I’ll also announce launch events with registration links for you to grab a front row seat. And, there’ll be a preorder link for the paperback (sorry, e-books don’t allow preorders—but I promise there will be an ebook for you come August).
P.S. I’m 37K words into the first draft of my next novel!! It’s a book 2 in the Woman of Valor series, and boy is it fun to write. (The characters are doing the same thing—taking over the story and steering me in new directions. Fun, fun!)
Opportunities, Galore!
Hey folks—if you want to write with me, you’re in luck!
I’m teaching a brand new class starting this Friday, April 26th, called Mining Your Life for Story. There’s a seat or two left—grab it while you can!
There are a few spots available in the Accountability Cohort that begins May 13th. Details here.
I’m offering a summer special for Coaching Writers! It’s a special two-month discounted package with weekly calls. Writers are either using it for help with their Marketing Strategy and implementation or working on their craft. I have one opening for a June coaching client and then there will be an opening in August. Click here if you’re interested.
Last chance to win Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan in the April book giveaway. Paid subscribers are entered in the drawing. If you’re not one yet, you’ve still got time!
Happy Passover!
I am so excited for our Seders tonight and tomorrow—with 13 people coming tonight and 16 tomorrow. I’ll share pics on my social media if you’re interested to see what it’s like. It’s one of my favorite holidays as we sit around a table late into the night and basically tell stories—bringing past, present and future together in tangible and meaningful ways.
I’ve been leading our Seders since I divorced my first husband and had to take responsibility for making Passover meaningful for me and my three kids. I was nervous in those early years—my ex’s family has vibrant, loud, late-night festivities and I’ll admit, I was competitive back then and wanted my kids to have a meaningful Jewish experience with me, too.
What I’ve come to learn and finally embrace over the years, though, is that Jewish identity is about more than going to synagogue or following religious strictures. It’s also about having deep and meaningful conversations, and delving into the words. Judaism is very much a words-driven religion and community (and I can do words!!)
I learned to do a Seder at my children’s level, so each year we did a little bit more, as they were able to handle it. I made it about them and us connecting—not about reading every word and singing every song.
Over the years, I’ve amassed a collection of Haggadot, the books which lay out the instructions for the Seder. I have scholarly ones, feminist ones, a Harry Potter Haggadah, a cartoon one and so many more. This year, I added a post-October 7th Haggadah to the collection. This past weekend, I sat down to create the order for our Seders, bringing together insights from long ago, from today, and more. I’d love to hear what makes this celebration meaningful for you!
My family’s tradition has always been to invite Jewish and Gentile friends to our Seders, and it’s a tradition I love continuing. For the more we learn about each other, the more we can reasonably live side-by-side in this crazy world. And build understanding, appreciation and find the inevitable similarities in all our traditions.
Jewish identity is important to me not just as an author who writes novels with compelling Jewish characters but also as a person in a time where identity is fraught. I’m proud of the legacy and heritage I’ve inherited. It’s not easy to be a Jew, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Off to immerse in my lovely traditions and rituals!!
Love to you all,
Lynne
Thanks for reading Lynne Golodner’s Rebel Author Newsletter. If you find value here, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or sharing this newsletter with friends. I write every Monday about writing and publishing, and am so grateful that you’re here!
Happy Passover, Lynne. May it be meaningful. Peace and blessings.
I smiled to read of your climb, even more the description of your writing process. Oh, those sneaky characters and unplanned plot twists that pop up! I’m constantly trying to figure out which ones to whack and which ones to nurture. Write on!!