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Christine Nolfi is the author of The Passing Storm.
Christine is the author of The Road She Left Behind, an Amazon bestseller since its release in June 2019. She is also the author of three series of novels, twelve books in all, which have been reviewed in Redbook, USA Today and Kirkus Reviews and have been recognized by the International Book Awards, Royal Palm Literary Awards, Readers’ Favorite Awards, and Best Book Awards. Christine is the proud mother of four adopted children and two stepchildren. Today she resides with her husband in Charleston, South Carolina.
Here’s the synopsis for The Passing Storm:
Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days. As memories sweep through her, some too precious to bear, Rae gives shelter from a brutal winter to a teenager named Quinn Galecki.
Quinn has been thrown out by his parents, a couple too troubled to help steer the misunderstood boy through his own losses. Now Quinn has found a temporary home with the Langdons—and an unexpected kinship, because Rae, Quinn, and Connor share a past and understand one another’s pain. But its depths—and all its revelations and secrets—have yet to come to light. To finally move forward, Rae must confront them and also fight for Quinn, whose parents have other plans in mind for their son.
With forgiveness, love, and the spring thaw, there might be hope for a new season—a second chance Rae believed in her heart was gone forever.
Let’s get to know Christine as she talks favorite novels, writing inspiration, favorite genre to write and more!
What are some of your favorite novels?
It’s unfair to ask a novelist this question! Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish immediately come to mind. In lighter fare, The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs and The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis are recent favorites. In nonfiction, I’ve reread Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond several times and found The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee un-put-downable.
When did you know you wanted to become an author?
In early childhood, certainly. My late mother would tell anyone who’d listen that I taught myself to read at age two. While her assertion remains unsubstantiated, I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t writing stories.
After college I worked in public relations with the notion of writing a novel in my spare time. As you can imagine, living from deadline to deadline isn’t conducive to creating fiction. In my thirties, I adopted my four children (a sibling group from the Philippines) and put off the dream yet again. I finally became serious about writing fiction in my forties. Luckily, my first books—Second Chance Grill and Treasure Me—were well received by readers.
Where do you draw your writing inspiration from?
I’m fascinated by the extraordinary moments in seemingly ordinary lives. The uncelebrated heroism, the moments of absolute grace, and the life-altering tragedies that force people to reassess, regroup—and which also give them the opportunity to rise above sorrow to lead a richer, more authentic life.
Do you base any of your characters off of real people and/or events?
The Passing Storm features a record-breaking blizzard that occurred in northeast Ohio, but the characters are pure inventions. While people I’ve known in the past may influence the development of a particular character, I shy away from depicting actual people. It’s much more fun to allow my imagination to run wild.
What’s your favorite genre to write?
My earlier novels were solidly women’s fiction. The Road She Left Behind and The Passing Storm are closer to upmarket lit. The same is true of my 2022 Lake Union release, which I’m currently polishing.
What are you currently reading and what’s on your TBR list?
I’m reading The Palace of the Drowned, an atmospheric story set in Venice by Christine Mangan. In Five Yearsby Rebecca Serle and Ariadne by Jennifer Saint are at the top of my TBR.
Click here to order The Passing Storm on Amazon.
