Sara Rath

Author

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Thanks for your question about "The Waters of Star Lake," and inquiring about a publishing date. I think it's going to be in a couple of years because I'm only on Chapter 2 right now. But it's evolving nicely, and many of your favorite characters will appear.

Sara

So glad to see there will be a sequel to "Star Lake Saloon...". Do you have a publishing date for "The Waters of Star Lake"?

Dear Sara - I was first introduced to "Spook Hill" when I married my husband in 1971 and he took me to visit his grandmother in Wonewoc. I asked the inevitable question of why it was called Spook Hill. As a boy, my husband and his mischievous friends would sneak through the woods behind their house and climb up the hill into the camp. He repeated stories they were told about some of the cabins being haunted. They would get so frightened, the slightest noise would send them scrambling back down to the safety of their own yards. Grandma Emma just laughed and shook her head. She passed away in 1998. One summer not long after her passing, my husband and I visited the Spiritualist Camp and we met with a medium for a reading. We had lost our son the same year and it was very comforting to experience that communion with him. The camp is in a beautiful setting although the buildings are indeed in need of repair. I'm looking forward to reading your book "Night Sisters" while on vacation in Arizona. We plan to visit Sedona....another very spiritual place!

Cyndi Ruetten

Ms. Rath,
I enjoyed "Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages," but fell in love with "Night Sisters." Part of the charm is the Wisconsin setting; I live in
Waukesha and though I am a proud native of the UP, Wisconsin has been my home for most of my 59 years and I am always thrilled to see a book set in
our state. Spiritualism has been one of the (probably too many) topics I've read about and been interested in over the years so the theme of your novel grabbed me right away too.

Thanks so much for a couple of great books, and
I look forward to your next novel. Oh, I don't know if the author has any say in the jacket illustration, but my compliments to whoever designed that great picture!

Sincerely,

Terese M. Robinson


Hello Sara My late father, John Moffitt, CBE was given a copy of your book "About Cows" from Bob Walton in Wisconsin, and a newspaper cutting about the book in the Wisonsin State Journal in 1987. The book has passed on to me, being a dairy farmers daughter and an artist who paints cows, there is a great connection. Regards Sue Moffitt


Hey there - your Star Lake Saloon ...I indulged myself with Star Lake and some Summer Wine while sitting on my deck surrounded by plants not pines, unfortunately. You write a good book. Since I love Wisconsin's North I was very pleased to find something to feed on --NLV


Hi Sara I just started reading your book Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages. Your book speaks right to my heart(long story)-thank you. Kim Rusch from Oconomowoc, WI.


I first became acquainted with your book Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cabins when it was reviewed in the Appleton Post Crescent. When I was growing up, my family camped at Star Lake near Sayner, Wisconsin. I was intrigued with the thought of reading something about the area that was so special to me as a child. I thoroughly enjoyed your book and found it hard to put down. It was a great escape. Paulette Laffin, Appleton, WI tnc256@aol.com


What a treat! I very much enjoyed the book, and will recommend it, especially to friends who have "places up north." Nann Blaine Hilyard Zion-Benton Public Library Zion, Illinois

I was first drawn to your book when I read that it was about northern Wisconsin. Being one of those "Chicago people", I vacationed with my family up north quite frequently. Your book captures the sounds, smells and tastes of my childhood vacations. I don't read a lot of books but I savored every page of Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages. I have not gone on a vacation for a few years now. Your book took me back to my favorite state without my leaving the backyard. Thanks. Gerry Piwowarczyk, Chicago, IL


Checked out Star Lake at my local library to read while vacationing at a resort(with cabins) in upper Minnesota. Had no idea of subject or setting. How ironic... I truly ENJOYED the book...one of the best I have read...hard to put down! Looking forward to the next one. Wish you well, R.A.Kronblad


I just want to tell you I enjoyed your book. I live Hannah's life at an 11 cabin resort in Hazelhurst, South of Minocqua. It has been in my family since my grandparents and my husband and I are now raising our boys 6, 8 and 11 at the resort. My cleaning crew loved your description of cleaning being a social occasion between everyone and the light hearted gossip. I think cleaning with the ladies is one of the best parts of running the resort. We are either related or good friends and we have a good time. I also liked the desciption of naming the guests. We do not use their home towns, but do come up with some, usually are based around some experience with them, "the stinky bathroom guy, The hairy spring spaniel people, etc. I am passing a well worn copy of your book around my resort, it was given to me by one of my Madison guests who met you at a book signing. So hats off to your wonderful book about my life, thanks for saving me and my husband the hardship of writing a book! Jenny Gibson


I JUST LOVE YOUR BOOK, I FOUND IT ONE DAY AT MY JOB (FINDERS KEEPERS,LOOSERS WEEPERS) I LOVE THIS BOOK, IN FACT I HAVE LOCKED MY SELF IN OUR CAMPER(YES, I'M WISCONSINITE, PROUD OF IT!!) ANY WHO!!!! I HAVE TO LOCK MYSELF AWAY TO READ THIS BOOK. I CANT GET ENOUGH TIME TO READ IT. I SOO MUCH RELATES TO THE UP NORTH. I HAVE A PLACE IN MINOQUA, AND I LIVE IN MADISON. WHEN I READ THIS NOVEL. I FELT LIKE I WROTE IT MY SELF!!!! BEEN THERE........DONE THAT........ THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL AND TRUE TO LIFE NOVEL!!! I LOVE IT!!! BEST I HAVE IN YEARS!!!! "

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Suggested BOOK GROUP QUESTIONS & TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
STAR LAKE SALOON & HOUSEKEEPING COTTAGES


(1 ) “Hannah’s name was a palindrome.” How does this first sentence reflect the theme of the novel? (A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same, backward and forward). Hannah feels the synchrony of her name promises a steady balance. Does this statement foreshadow the novel’s events? Does Hannah eventually achieve equilibrium at the end of the book?

(2) At the beginning of the novel, Hannah may not be an exemplary figure but she has traits that many of us share. Are the results of her reinvention truer to her heart than the life and identity she leaves behind in Madison?

(3) One of the themes the author returns to again and again in the book is the inevitability of change – in the environment and in people’s lives, and the disparity between Hannah’s past and present selves. On page 107, Hannah tells herself “Predictability can be reassuring.” Do you agree or disagree with this? Would you be willing to risk a big change in your own life, even if it caused disruption or readjustment for the rest of your family?

(4) Discuss Hannah’s changing opinion of Dennis Windsor. On page 33 she felt she had “met a dependable ally who had nothing but her best interests at heart.” By page 263, Hannah makes a move to destroy his career. Is Windsor really a villain, or can you empathize with his motives?

(5) On page 291, Chloe says “I like the mother I had up at Star Lake better than the mother I have down here.” Compare the relationships between the women in the story, especially
Hannah as daughter of Lily and as mother of Chloe; Chloe’s relationship to Hannah;
Lily’s relationship to Hannah and to Chloe. Does Hannah treat her mother like Chloe treats her? In what ways are Lily and Ginger alike?

(6) Three generations of women (including Ginger) are ultimately responsible for the continuation of Hal Larkin’s legacy. Why doesn’t Dan Kerry take a more pro-active role?

(7) What makes Ginger such a likeable character?

(8) Hannah fantasizes about Dan Kerry when she is back in Madison and “in the safety of her own bedroom…She would not risk conjuring such dangerous fiction at Star Lake…But it was harmless to pretend here, so many miles away.” Do you agree that such fantasizing is harmless?

(9) Tyler Cole plays a complex part in the book. On page 287, why is Hannah so upset when he says “I’ve met someone else,” and she asks, “Willowy?” Do you think Hannah would have married him, after all? Do you think she should have?

(10) Metallic mining played an important role in the development of Wisconsin as a state. Today it is strictly regulated by the Department of Natural Resources. How do you feel about further economic and residential development of “wilderness” areas? Would you be likely to purchase a cottage that was once part of a family resort?