Summer of Love by Kerry Maher

California history, addiction and recovery, winemaking and the hippie culture of the 1960s are all part of Kerri Maher’s latest, complex novel. We discuss why it was important for her to include all these aspects, and how both lived experience and in-depth research shaped the book. She reveals what she sees as the rewards and challenges of writing fictional characters versus real people from the past, and also hints about how the fantasy element in this book affects the next book she is working on.

My feature article with Kerry Maher is available now on the Historical Novel Society’s website.