Author Rebecca M. Zarnow on Her Literary Home

January 20, 2026

Author Rebecca M. Zarnow on Her Literary Home

Dear Readers:

Recently I met author Rebecca M. Zornow, who, like me, is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. We knew all many of the same places, which is always fun! She appeared on my podcast Books & Brews Light, talking about her fantasy novel, Landsome Roads. Look for her interview to go up soon at the Books and Brews channel. One thing we didn't get around to talking about was her historic house, so, being a huge fan of historic houses--having looked at many of them myself over the years--I invited her to write a blog post about it.

Author Rebecca M. Zornow on Her Literary Home

Last summer, I moved into a house just down the road from where Laura spent the early days of her marriage in Appleton, WI. Along the river from where she lived in married student housing at Lawrence University is a house on a hill. Originally built by the foreman of a local brewery in 1915, that house would only change family hands three times, becoming my own in the summer of 2025.

With my kids 8 and 10, and myself outgrowing my home office space, I was looking for a new house, something with one more bathroom and more than one communal space, but definitely literary. To me, literary meant Victorian, bookshelves, and a beautiful garden.

My husband and I kept an eye on the market for several years before feeling it was the right time for us to engage a realtor. If we were ever going to have a shot in this housing market, we had to be able to act fast.

But it seemed our timing was still off. There were lovely houses with mid-century character and open concept living areas, but none of them mine.

We were just getting ready to pause on house hunting because of an upcoming international trip, when we saw it: Over an acre next to our city’s downtown district. Racoons and deer visitors. Cherry and pear trees. Brilliant woodworking throughout the house, the kind of old growth marked with richness. A screened-porch and beautiful view from the hill.

The books I could write in that house…

The only thing missing was Victorian character—it was a muted, cherry pink stucco—yet, even so, I knew it was the one. When we got back to our current house, I pulled out a journal and turned to an entry from around 2018. There was a drawing of the home we had seen that day. A house with four bedrooms on the second floor, river walking trail just off the property, and spacious writing office.

Our move was quick due to the impending trip abroad and the house had been vacant for over half a year, so I was eager to get in and clean up. When I pulled up for the first time, key in hand, I saw a fawn curled up in the yard. A good omen.

Historic homes usually come with a lot of work to be done. Ours is no exception, however the work is ongoing maintenance rather than renovation. The most immediate owners of the house had won two awards from the city for historic preservation and the couple had excellent attention to detail. There are some stylistic changes to make—No flowers in the garden?—but even there, the couple was thoughtful about installing bold but classic wallpaper and huge, non-period specific windows over-looking the yard.

Where Books Are Written

They made decisions with the long term in mind.

Now, I’m finding my perspective has shifted too. I’m not only thinking about the work today, but decades in the future, knowing I’ll write and cook and host and age in this home.

What fruit trees do I want to feed grandchildren from? Can I help the cedar trees come back? How will I set up my writing desk? What decisions today will be an investment in my future?

Find more about Rebecca and her writing at:

Landsome Roads // My newest novel

RebeccaMZornow.com // Author website

Conquerbooks.com // Book coaching

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