Posted on by Jan Sikes

The Weight of Snow And Regret Blog Tour: Inspiration- #NewRelease @lizgauffreau.bsky.social

I am thrilled to welcome Liz Gauffreau to my blog today to tell you about her newest book release. I cannot wait to read this one. But I’ll step aside and let Liz share!

Thank you, Jan, for hosting me to kick off the blog tour for The Weight of Snow and Regret, Jan! For today’s stop, I’ll tell your readers about the initial spark of inspiration for writing the novel and share the images that pulled me into the story. But first, here is what The Weight of Snow and Regret is all about.

Description

For over 100 years, no one wanted to be sent to the Sheldon Poor Farm. By 1968, no one wanted to leave. 


Amid the social turmoil of 1968, the last poor farm in Vermont is slated for closure. By the end of the year, the twelve destitute residents remaining will be dispatched to whatever institutions will take them, their personal stories lost forever.

Hazel Morgan and her husband Paul have been matron and manager at the Sheldon Poor Farm for the past 20 years. Unlike her husband, Hazel refuses to believe the impending closure will happen. She believes that if she just cares deeply enough and works hard enough, the Sheldon Poor Farm will continue to be a safe haven for those in need, herself and Paul included.


On a frigid January afternoon, the overseer of the poor and the town constable from a nearby town deliver a stranger to the poor farm for an emergency stay. She refuses to tell them her name, where she came from, or what her story is. It soon becomes apparent to Hazel that whatever the woman’s story is, she is deeply ashamed of it. 


Hazel fights to keep the stranger with them until she is strong enough to face, then resume, her life—while Hazel must face the tragedies of her own past that still haunt her.

Told with compassion and humor, The Weight of Snow & Regret tells the poignant story of what it means to care for others in a rapidly changing world.

Inspiration: The Story

After finishing my debut novel, Telling Sonny, I didn’t intend to write another novel right away. I fully intended to return to the short story collection I’d been working on. Then I read an article in the Spring 1990 issue of Vermont Life Magazine: “Over the Hill to the Poor Farm: How an Era Ended Quietly on a Back Road in Sheldon Springs” by Steve Young.

Seeing the photographs and reading the history of the place, I was struck by the fact that while I was growing up, I’d lived only seven miles from the Sheldon Poor Farm—yet I knew nothing about it. I’d been by the poorhouse building once in the early 1970s, but it didn’t register with me that it had ceased being a poorhouse only a few short years before. I had to know more.

Around the time I read the Vermont Life article, I’d also been toying with the idea of a woman running away from her family with a blues musician, so I thought I’d combine the two ideas. It would be a lark, something fun before I went back to the short story collection. Little did I know where this idea would lead me!

Inspiration: The Images

More often than not, an image will prompt my imagination for a short story, a poem, or, in this case, a novel. These are the images that pulled me into the story of the closure of the Sheldon Poor Farm.

Books2Read Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/WeightofSnow

Author Liz Gauffreau

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg  prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.

She has previously published a novel, Telling Sonny: The Story of a Girl Who Once Loved the Vaudeville Show, and two collections of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance and Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right.  

Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://lizgauffreau.

Click/tap to follow blog tour: https://lizgauffreau.com/the-weight-of-snow-and-regret-blog-tour-2/

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134 Replies to “The Weight of Snow And Regret Blog Tour: Inspiration- #NewRelease @lizgauffreau.bsky.social”

  7. Huge congrats to Liz on the new book. I thought it was an amazing read, and the story has stuck with me since. I’m seeing her tour everywhere too, and it’s been fun to learn more about how the story came to be. Thanks for hosting, Jan.

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  10. The pictures are haunting and poignant, Liz. I can certainly see why you were inspired to write this story. I look forward to reading it. Congratulations on your release!

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  12. Thank you, Jan, for featuring Liz, and her new book. Congratulations, Liz, and much success with “The Weight of Snow and Regret.”

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  13. I can imagine how those sepia images inspired you to write Liz..in the UK poor houses were called Workhouses other names for the poor included almshouses (also called bede-houses) and poor farms…there are still some where I used to live but of course they have been modernised and now used for the elderly on low incomes…I wish you luck with your tour and sales Liz it does sound like an intriguing tale …

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    1. It’s interesting that they were called Workhouses, Carol. I recently saw an episode of “Call The Midwife” where they talked about the Workhouse howl. It was chilling! Thank you so much for stopping by to support Liz.

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      1. Thank you for hosting,Liz. It does sound intriguingly inviting…Yes “Call the Midwife” I believe there were a more than a few around the area where that was filmed and you do of course get the scary tales x

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  17. I love how an idea catches us and becomes a story, Liz. Even though I know where she ends up, I’m so worried how she got there.

    Thanks for hosting Jan!

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    2. I like to think of it as a creative spark, Denise. Whether that spark catches fire is up to us, but what a fun process! Thank you for visiting!

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    2. I love how the creative process works, Merril. And it all starts with a single thought or nudge. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  29. Thank you Jan for hosting the blog tour kick off for, Liz’s book, “The Weight of Snow and Regret.” Congratulations Liz on the book’s release! I bought my copy today! I look forward to the read.

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  31. The photographs are amazing. No wonder they sparked your interest in creating a work of fiction. Like everyone else, I look forward to reading tis story.

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  33. Oh my goodness! I already know from the pictures that this will be an amazing story. I just went and downloaded it into my Kindle. This story grabbed me immediately and I can’t wait to dive in. Huge congrats, Liz. Wishing you tons of success.

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    2. I cannot wait to read this one, sister! After we’ve both read it, we can talk about it. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and for grabbing the book!

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  35. I enjoyed Telling Sonny very much and was thrilled to learn that Liz was writing another novel. I plan to get to it in November, along with many other fine books that are waiting on my Kindle.

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    1. Thank you, Pete! I hope you enjoy the book when you’re able to get to it. I actually looked at my Kindle library the other day. I had no idea there were so books there as yet unread!

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  36. So great to see the book starting its tour, Liz. I loved this story – it’s rich with compassion and poignantly told. My dad remembers the poor farms in Vermont, and I enjoyed telling him about your book. It sparked a lot of conversation. Best of luck with the tour. Thanks, Jan, for hosting!

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    1. Thank you, Diana! I’m so glad my book prompted conversations with your dad. I’m surprised at the number of people who have told me they have relatives who were in the poor house at one time or another.

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    2. I am so excited to read this book, Diana. How wonderful that it sparked a lot of conversation with your dad! Thanks for stopping by and lending your support.

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    2. Thank you, Craig! Now that you mention it, I could write stories or poems from the point of view of the characters’ younger selves. Thanks for the idea! I’ve written it down.

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    1. Me too, Priscilla!! I know it’s going to be a great story! So many wonderful books being released right now. Thank you for dropping in to support Liz!

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