Welcome to Takeover Tuesday!
You can enter to win a print copy of Provenance by Carla Laureano, courtesy of the publisher (US ONLY). You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends September 21, 2021.) Share on X If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along.
From two-time RITA Award–winning author Carla Laureano comes a story of romance, transformation, and the beauty of belonging.
Los Angeles interior designer and former foster kid Kendall Green is in high demand, both for her impeccable eye and for her uncanny ability to uncover the provenance of any piece. But for all her success, skyrocketing costs have put her California home and her business in jeopardy. Then an unexpected inheritance provides a timely solution: a grandmother she never knew has left her a group of historic properties in a tiny Colorado town on the edge of ruin.
To young, untried mayor Gabriel Brandt, Jasper Lake is more than another small town—it’s the place that saved his life. Now, seeing the town slowly wither and die, he’s desperate to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, his vision is at odds with a local developer who wants to see the town razed and rebuilt as a summer resort. He’s sure that he can enlist the granddaughter of one of its most prominent former citizens to his cause—until he meets Kendall and realizes that not only does she know nothing of her own history, she has no interest in reviving a place that once abandoned her.
In order to save his beloved town, Gabe must first help Kendall unravel the truth of her own provenance—and Kendall must learn that in order to embrace the future, sometimes you have to start with the past.
Grand Lake, Colorado: The Real-Life Inspiration for Jasper Lake
By Carla Laureano
For Denverites, it’s a time-honored tradition to escape the urban sprawl of the flatlands in favor of any of the hundreds of small towns in the Colorado mountains. Shortly after moving into the state fifteen years ago, we discovered the adorable mountain town of Grand Lake, Colorado.
A short distance from the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park and located at about 8,400 feet, Grand Lake is a tiny town of less than five hundred people, more oriented toward tourism than commerce. It sits on the largest natural body of water in the state at the headwaters of the Colorado River and it boasts lots of superlatives: home of the highest registered yacht club, the highest golf course with grass greens, and the snowmobile capital of the world.
And yet in the fifteen years that my family and I have been visiting, we’ve seen significant changes. The small cabins at the end of the town’s main street—Grand Avenue—have been razed in favor of sprawling modern houses. The formerly untouched shore now sprouts massive vacation homes. And the normally sleepy town is now glutted with cars and visitors on every weekend with decent weather. Good for the town’s economy, perhaps, but we’ve seen the town’s character gradually change over time.
The town was a natural inspiration for the setting of my new book, Provenance: Jasper Lake, a town in the mountains of Colorado being threatened by rampant development. This book, then, is an homage to the Grand Lake that I remember from decades past and a way to record its current charm in the face of future changes.
One of the best parts of writing the book was incorporating the actual features of the town under fictitious names. Here are some of the real Grand Lake landmarks that made it into the book under a different name:
Sagebrush BBQ & Grill—This restaurant near the end of Grand Avenue is our lunch or dinner stop every time we visit—not just because it sports some of the best barbecue we’ve had in Colorado, including locally made game sausage, but because it has the perfect small-town watering hole feel. It made an appearance in Provenance under the name Pine View Cantina.
The Hub Coffee and Cones—This coffee shop was once located in a rustic log cabin with a wide patio, serving both coffee and ice cream, but its recent, hipper remodel served as the inspiration for Main Street Mocha in Provenance. Both act as a gathering place for the town and serve locally roasted coffee (Denver’s Coda Coffee in real life, counterpoint to a fictional one my readers might recognize—look for the mention!).
Meandering Moose Mini Golf—After years of being abandoned, the Lilliput miniature golf course opened again in Grand Lake in 2020 as the Meandering Moose, only to have it threatened by massive wildfires and COVID-19 shutdowns. Its longtime abandoned phase inspired the derelict mini golf and amusement park/arcade of Jasper Lake—and the lamented absence of the younger generation—so it’s hopeful and exciting to see its real-life counterpart again come to life.
Grand Lake—The lake itself figures large in Provenance; while Jasper Lake is a bit smaller than its inspiration, it boasts an equally important presence in the town. Both towns are oriented around the shoreline and both Grand Avenue and fictional Main Street give glimpses of sparkling blue water as you pass side streets and alleys.
Grand Lake Yacht Club—While the yacht club in Provenance gets only a passing mention during Gabe and Kendall’s tour around the lake, the real-life counterpart has a fascinating history. Founded in 1902, it sponsors a yearly regatta with a silver cup donated to the club by Lipton tea founder, Sir Thomas Lipton. Local lore says that there might have been some hyperbole involved on the part of the Grand Lake founders—Lipton had sponsored three America’s Cup competitors and likely didn’t know that the Colorado yacht club was a small club with few members and no actual clubhouse! However, Lipton’s involvement went a long way to inspiring membership and helped make the club and its annual regatta what it is today.
Should you ever find yourself in northern Colorado, perhaps on a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, be sure to set aside a day to explore Grand Lake, look for the similarities to Provenance’s Jasper Lake, and absorb the small-town mountain charm!
About Carla…
Carla Laureano is the two-time RITA Award–winning author of Five Days in Skye, London Tides, and the Saturday Night Supper Club series. She is also the author of the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.
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I have so many favorite places to visit! In the spirit of the book, my best friends lived in Estes Park for years, so that’s a favorite. We winter in Fort Myers, so that’s a favorite. Toronto is a lovely city, so I love that. New Orleans definitely has the best food. Key West also has awesome food and fun. I pretty much love everywhere.
I really have not traveled out of my home state of Minnesota. But I love to visit Duluth MN- Moorhead MN- Well basically I love all of Minnesota!!
I haven’t been many places, either. I visited the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (specifically Chanhassen) a few years ago. It’s a lovely area! I’d love to see more of the state.
Good luck, Sonja.
That’s great that you’ve been able to travel to so many places. Out of those you mentioned, I’ve only been to Toronto (when I was in high school). I really enjoyed it.
Good luck, Candice!
For relaxation, I so enjoy visiting the beach, but love going to historical places to learn new things or remember things previously learned.
Both sound wonderful, Betsy! Good luck!
My favorite place to visit is Mackinaw Island.
I’ve never been there, but I have heard wonderful things about it from many people. I hope to see it one day. I have been to a few places in Michigan, and I love them, so I’m sure I’d enjoy Mackinac Island, too. Good luck, Danielle!