The Making of The House on Hemlock Hill

There’s a lot that goes into creating a book: from the initial inspiration that sparks the idea to write a book to collaborating with the publisher to craft the best book possible.

The Author’s Personal Experiences

Many settings and details in The House on Hemlock Hill are inspired by author Brittni Nelson’s personal experiences. Brittni and her family live in a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse that overlooks Lake Winnebago. Renovating this home helped Brittni imagine the book’s main character, Alyssa, and the setting of the mystery.

Many of the stories in the book came from Brittni’s family’s experiences fixing up their house, such as finding newspapers under their kitchen floor. One character enjoys eating her grandmother’s Swedish pancakes, a tradition that Brittni’s mom passed down from her own grandmother. The family recipe is printed in the book.

The book includes diary entries from a girl who lived in the house on Hemlock Hill in the 1950s. Her entries include stories about farm life, school, and friendship during that time. To get these stories, Brittni collected information from family members such as her mom’s family taking baths in the middle of the kitchen. Brittni’s in-laws were dairy farmers, who shared details about life on a farm to help her build a credible fictional world.

Artwork Created by the Author

Brittni painted the image used on the cover of The House on Hemlock Hill using her home for inspiration to create the creepy, run-down house image. Vagabond Creative Studio used the watercolor painting in designing the full cover. Brittni also sketched images of farm life, which are sprinkled throughout the book.

Input from the Editor

Editor Sophia Dramm put in a few of her touches during the editing process such as providing her grandfather’s name, Eugene, for one of the characters. In the book, the family moves to the rural Wisconsin community from Chicago. Because Sohpia lives in Chicago, she was able to round out some details for the setting.

The House on Hemlock Hill has many personal and beautiful touches. It’s more than just a book; it’s a piece of art.