Hey everyone! 

 The fall weather is finally here! Anyone else excited? I know I am, and it’s not just because of the colder temperature. Because Christine Smith’s Know the Novel is here!!! 

 I’ve been following Christine’s blog for a few years (because I’m a normal person and, y’know, totally not a stalker or anything) and one of the things I always look forward to is her Know the Novel tag. I’ve always wanted to take part in it but didn’t have a blog so I never got the chance. Until now! And to celebrate, I decided to work on two novels this fall! (It’s totally not because I couldn’t decide what to work on so I just picked both.) 

 The first project I’m planning to work on is the second draft of my first Window Lake book. Since I already have a Meet the WIP post for it that answers basically all the questions of the first Know the Novel post (which y’all can read here!), I’m not gonna talk about here. But I will be talking about it for the next two Know the Novel posts! 

 The second project is one that’s been sitting in my computer for the past year (which, to be fair, is not very long compared to other ideas I’ve had), and I decided there’s no better time to work on it than now! That project is Maple Row Cafe. It’s a second chance romance story with fall vibes, amnesia, and lots of coffee, and I’m honestly super excited to finally write it. 

 So without further ado, here are the questions! 

 1. What first sparked the idea for this novel? 

 I actually had the idea from listening to “right where you left me” by Taylor Swift. The original concept was a lot different than what it is now, but the basic idea is the same— a girl trying to give her uncle and his high school sweetheart (who has amnesia) a second chance at romance. I really wanted to write a book that takes place in autumn, so I combined that idea with fall vibes and here we are! 

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

 Yeah, I’m not any better at this than I was before. I could probably do a lot better, but this is what y’all get for now: 

 In order to escape the pressures that have taken over her life, Abigail Hudson decides to stay with her estranged Uncle Owen for the fall. When she arrives in her uncle’s small hometown and finds out he’s been living on his own for the past twenty years, she makes it her duty to push him out of his comfort zone and get him a social life. 

 When someone new moves into the neighborhood, Abigail believes she’s found the perfect friend for her uncle— their new neighbor, Hattie Lautner, who moved back into her childhood home after a high school accident left her with amnesia and caused her to move away for many years. What Abigail doesn’t realize when she introduces the two, however, is that they already have history with each other. This is a cause for two minor problems— Hattie doesn’t remember Owen, and Owen refuses to reconnect with his high school love because of the guilt he’s been trying to avoid ever since the accident. Now Abigail finds herself attempting to give the two a second chance, while trying to come to terms with her own struggles that she’s been trying to avoid.

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

 The story takes place in your typical small American town in your typical small-town-romance novel. I’m still trying to decide on a name, but the placeholder for now is Redbrook. My favourite aspect is probably the cafe where basically everything happens— Maple Row Cafe (hence the title of the book). 

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

 Abigail Hudson (INFJ/INTJ) – Abigail is the overachieving, stressed perfectionist and protagonist of Maple Row Cafe. After struggling with both college and life in general, she decided to take a break to stay with her uncle for the fall. She’s very determined, studious, and is basically trying to figure out what a break is. Even though she doesn’t have many friends, she’s intent on getting to know her uncle and, more importantly, getting him a social life. 

 Owen Hudson (INTP) – Owen is Abigail’s estranged uncle who, as you can probably tell, mostly keeps to himself. Despite this, he’s known by most people in his small town for a number of reasons, and he’s one of Maple Row Cafe’s most loyal customers. He can be polite but it’s hard to get to know him well. 

 Hattie Lautner (ESFP) – Hattie is Owen’s new neighbor and also his former girlfriend of a few years who suffers from amnesia caused by an accident. She’s outgoing, lively, and tries not to let her amnesia spoil her enjoying life. She’s returned years after her family moved because of the accident to try and reconnect with the home she doesn’t remember. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

  There’s no antagonist! Well, besides each character’s own inner struggles and guilt and all that fun stuff… 

6. What excites you the most about this novel? 

  The relationships! And the characters, obviously, but since this story is focused more on the characters’ relationships than each individual character, I am slightly more excited for the relationships. 

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

  I was originally planning (and am still hoping) for this to be a standalone, because I already have enough ideas to write without adding a sequel or prequel to this story. But who knows? An idea for another book probably will might pop up at some point… 

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

 I’m gonna be plantsing, I think. I don’t have too much of an idea for the whole plot, at least not as much as I usually do, but I’m not walking in completely blind either. (I don’t think my brain will ever allow me to do that.) 

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

 Hmm… I don’t know if the second chance romance + amnesia thing is unique or not, but I’m not aware of another story that has it, so I’m just gonna pretend it’s unique. And the main POV character has no part in the romantic relationship! (Besides, y’know, trying to play matchmaker because that’s always fun and totally a good idea.) Also the romance is not the only important relationship in this story even though it’s a romance story, because we love platonic relationships too! 

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

 Here’s the part I definitely didn’t spend too much time on! 

Aesthetics of Maple Row Cafe:

 Pinterest board: https://pin.it/GKpe21zm2

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1X2Ko2wkINMN9rgm9Qt0et?si=nHpw-Ps7RtqqD9zzxvobqw

So there we are! I’m really excited to get started on both novels and for the next Know the Novel posts! (Totally not because I get an excuse to share snippets 👀)

Thanks for reading! – Em