48°
Green told Daily Voice her life inspires her and because she lives in town, that means there are definitely things that happen in Westport as a result. A dinner she went to last year at The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield even found its way in. "I don't think I consciously thought about it until I got to a place in the book where it seemed to make sense to put it in there," she said.
The prolific author -- 16 of her books have been New York Times bestsellers -- said she tries to write stories that reflect the lives of real women "with humor, warmth, hopefully a little bit of wisdom and definitely lots of emotional resonance."
"I’m trying to write books people can relate to," she said. "Of course they are also escapist and 'feel good.'"
"Falling," her 18th book released Tuesday, July 19, is loosely based on her move to a cottage in Westport with her children after her first marriage ended and eventually falling in love with her landlord – and now husband.
That, she stressed, is where the truth ends. She said "Falling" is her least autobiographical book. Instead, she drew from the concept of how she met her husband -- and built on it from there.
The story follows Emma Montague who leaves her stifling upper-crust life in England to re-invent herself as a high-powered banker in New York City. Craving a slower pace and more meaningful relationships, she eventually leaves the city, settling into a fixer-upper on the beach (think Compo!) in Westport.
That, of course, is where she meets her landlord Dominic and manages to charm him into letting her renovate the cottage’s dated interior, reigniting her long-abandoned passion for interior design. The novel follows her blossoming friendship with Dominic and his young son, Jesse, teaching Emma about love and family and, this being a fast-paced page turner, life's inevitable curveballs.
Green said the takeaway from "Falling" is that it's a love story about family, but not in the way Emma or any of us expect.
"It's the same message as many of my books, but perhaps a little stronger," she said. "That the key to happiness is not getting what you want but wanting what you’ve got."
As for what's next, Green said she's already three quarters of the way finished her next book, one about three sisters who are estranged from their mother and a little bit from each other but who are called back to the Westport family home when their mother becomes ill.
Follow Green online at www.janegreen.com/.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Wilton and receive free news updates.
