I just finished reading my second ever Carla Laureano book. I expected it to be fabulous, based on the first, and I wasn’t disappointed. She’s becoming a go to writer for me, and her back catalogue is heading to my Amazon wish list. Provenance tells the story of Kendall and Gabe, and for more details, here’s my review. I was so taken with the book that I wanted to learn more about the writing process. Thankfully, Carla graciously agreed to answer a few questions.

Where did the idea come from, because it’s a very different twist on a house renovation story?

I always find it difficult to answer this question, because my stories always come together with pieces from disparate sources. I do distinctly remember, when I was still casting about for my next idea, passing through a section of Denver where unsalvageable historic houses were being torn down to build new modern ones. My first thought was “that’s so sad to lose a piece of history.” My second thought was, “I wonder what amazing architecture and furniture and rugs and things there might have been inside the original.” Immediately, I realized those thoughts were a basis for a character, and the vague outline for Kendall Green, designer and antiques dealer, was created.

The book is mostly set in Colorado – did you have a town in mind as you wrote?

I based Jasper Lake roughly on Grand Lake, Colorado, the town at the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. It has long been one of our favorite weekend destinations. Over the years, we’ve seen the area around it get more developed and grow more expensive. Thankfully, the western charm of its main boardwalk still remains. Many of the book’s locations (the barbeque restaurant, the abandoned mini golf course, the sandwich shop, even Gabe’s log house rental) are all based on real places. Since this is set in Clear Creek County and not Grand County, though, the geography is different. To my knowledge there is no Make-Out, ahem, Look-Out Point! 

How much research did this take as you looked into the different furniture and architecture details?

This research for this was wider than it was deep, if that makes sense. It was pretty easy to research the architecture of the late 1800’s in Colorado and decide on the types of buildings I wanted to describe; likewise, there is a wealth of information on historical renovations online. The interiors of Kendall’s houses were inspired by the interiors of several real houses I found on architectural websites. (You can take a peek on my Provenance Pinterest board here.) Most of my time was spent looking up tiny little details about auction houses and the history of applied arts in England. I also had to dig into the boring details of county bureaucracy to make sure my main storyline was plausible.

I know you plot your books, but at any point did your characters surprise you?

Kendall kind of surprised me throughout. Without giving anything away, there was a scene at the end involving Kendall’s developer nemesis that I expected to be a climactic, triumphant victory and she just had a totally different reaction! The outcome of a certain scene with her foster parents also went a different direction than I envisioned. Even though I do plot, I rely heavily on intuition when actually writing. I go with what feels right for the flow of the book even if it takes me off in a different direction. It’s almost always the right decision.

And is there one central message you’d like readers to take away?

There are a lot of different messages in this book: the true meaning of family, the importance of forgiveness, God’s hand in the course of our lives, the need to be equally yoked in romantic relationships. The thing I like about fiction, and especially Christian fiction, is that every reader brings something different to the book and come away with the message they need in the moment. If this story speaks into readers’ lives in a positive way, I’ll feel like my job is done.

About Carla…