The following is an interview with USA Today bestselling writer Kelli Estes regarding the release of the novel, Smoke on the Wind, through Lake Union Publishing. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Estes about her creative process in bringing the story and its characters to life on the page, the themes that she hopes will resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of Smoke on the Wind, through Lake Union! For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe the story’s premise?
Kelli Estes: Thank you! Or, as they say in Scottish Gaelic, Tapadh leibh! This story is very close to my heart and I really hope readers enjoy it. Smoke on the Wind is a story about two women walking the same path through the Scottish Highlands in separate times, each with her son, each carrying the extra weight of past trauma and fear of her future. In 1801, Sorcha Chisholm is brutally evicted from her Highland home and is fleeing from a murder accusation – she must keep her son safe and find a future for them both. Keaka Denney, in present-day, is still reeling from the pain of her husband’s infidelity before his untimely death and is hiding his betrayal from their son. She is spending her last week with her son before leaving him at university in Scotland and returning home to the States alone. What neither woman expects is to find a connection between them that defies all logic.
BD: As the story is set in two timelines across centuries, what can you share with us about your research of the Scottish Highlands and your creative process in bringing Sorcha’s and Keaka’s stories to life on the page?
KE: I tend to be a very slow writer because I prefer to have a firm grasp of historical events, details, and setting before I start writing. I’ve had a lifelong love of Scotland, and so I came to the project with a good understanding of her history, but I dug further into the Highland Clearances and learned that it was so much more complicated than I, and most others, even realize. The seeds of what ultimately became a mass eviction of thousands of people from their ancestral homes were sown two hundred years earlier with the joining of the crowns of England and Scotland. I knew my historical character would be brutally evicted from her home and then I had to figure out where she would go from there. That’s when I realized that I could tie in my burgeoning love of hiking in Scotland. I was already researching history that happened along Scotland’s most popular long-distance hiking trail, the West Highland Way, for my own trek. When I walked the trail with my oldest son in 2019, I knew some of the history, and I knew that I’d be setting my novel on the trail, so I felt like I was walking every inch of the 96 miles with my characters, as well as with the spirits of people from history.
My son was 16 at the time that we walked the WHW, and he was starting to talk about his plans after high school. That’s when I knew that this book would be about a mom in present day about to leave her son at university in a foreign country, and how hard it would be for her to do so. That’s when my historical character spoke up and told me she had a son of her own whom she’d be walking with, and she, too, couldn’t imagine a future without him by her side. The book became one about mothers and sons, and finding oneself through difficult challenges.
As well as the history, I researched the mythology and storytelling traditions of Scotland and came to understand how certain beliefs shaped everyday lives. I also was studying the Scottish Gaelic language and falling in love with Scottish music. All these things make up Scotland and so they, too, shaped my novel.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that these women’s stories may connect with and impact readers?
KE: With immigrants and immigration being often in the headlines these days, I think that Smoke on the Wind might encourage readers to come to a deeper understanding of the violence and situations in various homelands that force a person to either flee, or to be expelled, from their homes. I often feel that humanity has been forgotten in the narratives being bandied around these days and, maybe, my character could help remind folks that there is a person there, with people who love them, and a home they may not have had a choice but to leave. I also feel that readers will connect with the women in my novel because they are experiencing what women experience every day, unrelated to geographic location or time period. We all love our families and want what is best for them, as parents we struggle to let go, as women we are searching for who we are and where we belong when the circumstances of life are forcing us to change. And, more than anything else, I think my readers will see themselves in my characters in the way that they care about the people around them and do their best to hold on to hope in even the worst circumstances.
BD: What makes Lake Union the perfect home for Smoke on the Wind?
KE: Lake Union is fantastic at providing top-notch editing and design while respecting the author as the expert of her story. Everyone is professional, responsive, and enthusiastic, and I’ve felt throughout the entire process that I’ve got an expert team on my side who loves book club fiction as much as I do. I’m excited to be working with Lake Union and look forward to future projects with them.
BE: Are there any projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight our readers?
KE: I hope that readers who enjoy Smoke on the Wind might check out my past dual timeline novels. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, about the anti-Chinese sentiment of the late 19th century, was a USA Today bestseller, won a few awards, has been translated into twelve languages, and is out on option for TV. Today We Go Home, about the women who disguised themselves as men to fight in the US Civil War, is a favorite with book clubs.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Smoke on the Wind and your work?
KE: The best way to stay up-to-date about me, my books, and to receive notice of sales and giveaways, is to subscribe to my newsletter. Find the link on my website: kelliestes.com. Speaking of my website, go there to find all sorts of extra goodies such as information on the Scottish Gaelic language, info on the West Highland Way, glossary of terms in the book, recipes, a couple playlists of Scottish music, and more. Readers can also find me hanging out on Facebook (@kelli.estes) or on Instagram (@kelli.estes).
