A city girl lands on a farm
Ivy Hanson, at age 16, believes her life is over when her Hollywood-bound mother dumps her at her grandparents’ South Dakota farm.
Sometimes home is where you least expect it.
It’s 1963 and struggling to fit in, Ivy reluctantly agrees to be the secretary of her grandmother’s Wednesday Club, a group of six older women who meet monthly to discuss current events, find ways to help their rural community, and sometimes share a little gossip.
As weeks, and then months pass and Ivy’s mother rarely keeps in touch, Ivy is unexpectedly drawn into the lives of the Wednesday Club members and their struggles. A painful secret, a broken heart, the disappointment of left-behind dreams, the life and death realities of rural living, and the ache of abandonment.
Ultimately and surprisingly, it’s the Wednesday Club women who help mend something deep within Ivy and provide a sense of belonging she’s never known.
Wednesday Club characters
The photos below were pulled from old magazines and were used for inspiration as I wrote the novel.
Ivy
Ivy has spent her entire life in Omaha, a Midwestern city with a population of almost half a million people.
At age 16, Ivy is thriving in a large urban high school where she has a best friend, a boyfriend, and a social life that revolves around dances and shopping and excursions around the city.
All that comes to an abrupt end when her mother Vonda Marie drops Ivy in rural South Dakota — with grandparents she barely knows, in a place she does not want to live.
Vonda Marie
Strikingly beautiful, Vonda Marie has always dreamed of being a movie star. But her dreams were cut short with her pregnancy at age 16.
Now, at 33, Vonda Marie is finally getting her break. She’s won the Pearl Soap photo contest which includes an audition in Los Angeles for a national ad campaign. Her teenage daughter can only be a hindrance.
Vonda Marie’s best bet is to drop off Ivy with her grandparents on their farm as she heads to Hollywood for her destined fame and fortune.
Cora
There’s always been so much tension in Cora’s life. Her daughter Vonda Marie and husband Delmar were always in conflict, until Vonda Marie moved away to Omaha.
Now Vonda Marie is bringing Ivy to live with them. And though Cora loves the idea of seeing her sweet granddaughter, she wonders how Ivy will cope in a small town.
Cora never dreams that it will be her Wednesday Club that throws out a lifeline for Ivy.
Delmar
The one thing that irritates Delmar the most is people being irresponsible.
A successful and well-respected farmer, Delmar believes that if it involves hard work, it will always pay off. He learned this at an early age when his father died and he had to run the farm and support his family.
He just can’t forgive what his daughter Vonda Marie has done with her life. And now, he’s afraid his granddaughter Ivy is turning out to be just the same.
Etola
At 47, Etola sees her chance for happiness slowly drifting away. If she doesn’t act soon, she’ll end up stuck with her sister Bathilda forever.
Determined to find a husband, Etola embarks on a plan to transform herself into something closer to the women she idolizes in her favorite movie magazines.
Etola is funny and lovable and we can’t help but cheer her on, especially when we learn the tragedy she endured the first time she almost made it down the aisle.
Bathilda
For Bathilda, there is a right way to do everything — and if more people would pay attention to her, they would all be better off.
The rules according to Bathilda include working hard and avoiding anything that is lazy, sloppy, or frivolous. If only her sister Etola would understand this.
Though fiercely loyal to her sister and brother, the truth is that Bathilda much prefers her beloved animals to any of the humans in her life.
Hattie
Hattie smiles a lot. Consistently competent and sensible, everyone relies on Hattie to be the helpful and cheerful friend to all.
As President of the Wednesday Club, Hattie keeps the group organized as she skillfully negotiates any conflicts. She’s self-sufficient and seems to love living alone.
What her friends don’t know, or at least don’t speak about, is the painful secret that keeps Hattie from letting anyone, especially Arlo, get too close.
Florence
Florence feels she’s different from the rest of the Wednesday Club members. For one thing, she’s recently moved from Texas, where life is definitely more sophisticated.
A former Avon saleswoman, Florence knows a thing or two about how to ensure her outward appearance is properly groomed and polished at all times.
Because if things look perfect on the outside, maybe no one will learn what’s really happening below the surface.
Tillie
With three children under the age of five, Tillie has her hands full. She loves her husband James, but still — life is hard and her dreams of becoming an artist seem lost to the reality of her life.
Stuck in a run-down trailer in her mother-in-law’s back yard, Tillie just can’t seem to measure up to Mildred’s expectations.
Luckily for Tillie, the members of the Wednesday Club recognize her talent and want to support her dreams.
Arlo
According to Arlo, it’s good to be kind and he goes about living that philosophy every day. Everyone always says about Arlo: “He’s such a nice guy!”
Just shy of 50, Arlo is a little on the quiet side but his blue eyes twinkle when he smiles and he never leaves the house without a splash of Old Spice cologne.
So why is it that Arlo always seems to be the second choice for the ladies when it comes to husband potential?
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The boxes where the Wednesday Club story patiently waited.