By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
Lakesider Brenda Haas celebrates her wedding anniversary with her husband, Mike, on May 30 every year, usually by strolling through the lobby of Hotel Lakeside, where they said their vows 33 years ago. She has another thing to be excited about on that date this Chautauqua season.
Haas’ debut novel, Finding Sutton’s Choice, will hit bookshelves, including at Millie Magoo’s on Walnut Plaza, through Ten|16 Press, an imprint of Orange Hat Publishing. The book’s setting is Lakeside and other areas around the Marblehead Peninsula, places Haas knows very well. A portion of proceeds from every book sold in May will benefit the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation.
“How could I not pick Lakeside for my book setting?” Haas asked. “It’s such a unique location. I’m kind of an old soul at heart, and Lakeside is an old soul at heart. When you come into Lakeside, it’s like coming into this whole different world. It almost feels like a fictional place. I have been exposed to this town for a long time, and it’s very special to me.”
Newspaper Career
Haas’ writing has appeared in Leisure Living Magazine, The Beacon, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, My Outer Banks Home magazine and other publications.
She was a reporter and photographer for the Penn Franklin News Publishing Company in an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh for most of her career. She covered three school districts and wrote uplifting articles about interesting people and activities in the community. She dabbled in fiction writing in her spare time, but only as “a hobby.”
“I was always interested in writing fiction,” Haas said. “I never really thought that would be something that I would do professionally, but I enjoyed doing it.”
For the newspaper, Haas wrote a humor column called “A Little Bit of Life,” which featured personal essays about going through everyday life. Readers suggested that Haas could use her stories in a novel.
“I had a lot of fun writing about being a mom, a writer and experiencing my quirky life,” Haas said. “I didn’t feel super comfortable with incorporating my own stories into my fiction, but, eventually, I realized that we write what we know.”
The First Chapter
Haas started writing fiction for pleasure more than 20 years ago. Her first full-length novel, Something Strange at Water’s Edge, was a mystery set in Lakeside. She got some interest from literary agents, but it didn’t go to print.
“It was very Nancy Drew-ish and written for young adult readers,” Haas said. “I learned a lot from the process but eventually buried it in a drawer.”
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
A few year years later, Haas participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every November, the online organization challenges writers to start a new fiction story and write a 50,000-word novel draft in 30 days. Haas’ first attempt didn’t work out, but when she moved with her husband to Lakeside full-time in 2018, she challenged herself to try NaNoWriMo again. She found success with Finding Sutton’s Choice and completed the challenge.
“That was the beginning of my journey as a fiction writer,” Haas said.
Haas nearly doubled the length of the project, and final editing of Finding Sutton’s Choice took more than a year. She submitted to dozens of literary agents, receiving mixed results and a lot of feedback. After making more edits, she attended a Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) conference and came in personal contact with several very approachable independent publishers. She took advantage of the opportunity to submit directly to their editors and eventually received two traditional publishing offers. Haas accepted the contract with Ten|16 Press because the editor embraced Lakeside exactly as it is and did not wish to fictionalize regional aspects which make this area special.
The Finished Product
Haas wrote a synopsis about Finding Sutton’s Choice in her press release:
It’s been 10, long years since Charlotte Sutton’s abrupt departure, and, with a cryptic voicemail, the 28-year-old writer finds herself back in her hometown of Lakeside, Ohio. Only this time, her estranged father doesn’t recognize her, and a surprise half-sibling has taken her place. Chuck Sutton — newspaper editor, retired baseball player, and the town’s most beloved celebrity — is thought to have Alzheimer’s disease. Despite all this, the quaint waterfront community, flush with ivy-covered cottages and vintage charm, hasn’t changed even as everything else in Charlotte’s life has shifted. To reconcile her past and unearth family secrets, Charlotte must reconnect with Chuck through his diagnosis and reevaluate her own misconceptions about growing up in the small Ohio town that still holds her heart.
Haas wanted to connect with readers who have been impacted by Alzheimer’s and anyone who had a complicated or difficult childhood.
“I’ve seen way too many friends and family go through Alzheimer’s,” Haas said. “I wanted this story to somehow allow such a horrible illness to bring a family together instead of dividing it.”
As the author, Haas enjoyed having control of the fictional story and letting her characters turn negatives into positives.
“I was awkward as a kid, and I’m still awkward as an adult. I’ve embraced that over time,” Haas said. “In a novel, I can have my characters make different choices than I did, like in instances of being bullied, which I was throughout my school years. I think a lot of people don’t realize just how valuable and freeing writing can be for somebody and to be able to make those changes to past personal stories and even come to terms with them.”
Haas said none of the characters in the book are based on real people, but, like any writer, she feels everything and everyone she comes in contact with can impact her writing. Some Lakeside street names in the book were intentionally changed, because she didn’t want to indicate a connection to any one family cottage.
“Ten|16 Press did a phenomenal job of respecting the Lakeside culture and what Lakeside brings to the table,” Haas said. “I wanted to maintain that regional vibe. I’ve taken some liberties for the sake of the story, but I hope that I have managed to give my readers a sense of what Lakeside really is, and I hope I did it justice.”
An Invitation to Celebrate
On May 30, Haas will be doing a book signing at Millie Magoo’s, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., to celebrate her book “birthday” during the bookstore’s grand opening activites on the same day. Haas is also hosting a book launch party at the Steele Memorial Bandstand from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, featuring jazz music by The Pinup Project band with vocalist Morgen Stiegler, complimentary refreshments and book signings. All are invited. A portion of book proceeds from the July 10 event will benefit Alzheimer’s Association.
In addition to Millie Magoo’s, Finding Sutton’s Choice is available for preorder through ten16press.com, Amazon, Ingram and other online sources, or visit www.brendahaas.com for more details.
