About the Book

Book: The Broken Weathervane

Author: Laura DeNooyer

Genre: Women’s fiction, dual timeline fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction

Release Date: September 2, 2025

Two co-workers seek the same information. One wants to publish it; the other has good reasons to keep it hidden.

As Leslie Wickersham, Raymond University grants officer, seeks information to unravel a family mystery, English professor Gregory Stafford seeks an elusive interview with one more Buckwalter relative for his upcoming author biography. While Greg and Leslie guard coveted details from each other, her goals are further complicated by letters of blackmail threatening to reveal all she has worked hard to hide.

In this dual timeline novel alternating between 2015 and the 1950s, loyalty is tested and secrets abound when family honor collides with truth. Leslie grapples with the trade-off: how far will a person go to help a loved one thrive?

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About the Author

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Amanda Cox. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

More from Laura

The Shame of Silence

In the 1950s, nobody talked openly about mental illness. We think it’s stigmatized today; it was worse then.

When a family member is physically ill or in an accident, folks will line up outside your door to bring comfort or casseroles. It’s an easily shared prayer request. But when a family member has an episode related to mental illness, it’s shrouded in secrecy and shame. Thus, the people most needing prayers and support don’t get them.

That’s the experience of Fritz, Eddie, and Klara Buckwalter in the 1950s timeline of The Broken Weathervane.

Leave It to Beaver

Television in the 1950s became a household word with its daily entertainment. Sitcoms included Danny Thomas’s Make Room for Daddy, I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, and Father Knows Best. Variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show along with comedy shows featuring George Burns, Jack Benny, and Red Skelton had viewers laughing in living rooms across America.

But those shows illuminated the lighter side of life. Today, we fondly embrace the innocence and nostalgia of Leave It to Beaver. But that’s far-fetched from everyday realities. Especially for those plagued by mental illness.

Old Dog, New Tricks

In the 2015 timeline, two co-workers are at cross purposes—both seeking the same information for different reasons.

When my protagonist Leslie Wickersham is hired as the grants officer at Raymond University, she doesn’t count on having to teach an old dog new tricks. By dog, I mean the brassy, pretentious English professor, Dr. Gregory Stafford—who isn’t all that old, but is behind the times.

The dean expects Leslie to drag Greg into the 21st century via social media, something Greg has relegated to the annals of Hogwash and Absurdity.

Their proximity becomes her chance to pick his brain for nuggets from his upcoming biography of local author Linus Fritz Buckwalter.

But she can’t let him know that Fritz is her great-uncle. Or that the one last interview Greg is holding out for—Klara Buckwalter—is Leslie’s grandmother.

Due to Klara’s silence, Leslie hopes Greg holds the key to knowledge about the family rift.

Answers start appearing when Klara gives Leslie her 1950s diary. The answers are shocking—but also contradict Greg’s research.

If you appreciate stories with:

small town family secrets
family drama
dual timelines (2015 and 1950s)
moral dilemmas
family loyalty vs. honesty
an honest, tender treatment of mental illness

. . . then this story will touch your heart.

My hope is that book club discussions will help increase understanding, transparency, and empathy for those who suffer. Open dialogue about mental illness is that important first step toward reducing the stigma associated with it. The Broken Weathervane is the perfect catalyst for that.

An Interview with Laura

What is your favorite thing about being a writer? First of all, everything can be fodder for a story. No experience or pain is wasted.

Additionally, story is one of the best ways to touch others in deep places. People might not listen to a sermon, advice, opposing view, or constructive criticism, but they will listen to stories. I’m deeply touched when a reader reaches out to me personally to share her experience of my story.

Many readers have reached out to tell me how The Broken Weathervane resonated with them due to their own friends or family members struggling with mental illness. That blesses me immensely. I hope the novel invites more discussion among people with similar challenges.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? Over the years of penning stories, I learned how much my writing is cathartic as an exploration of the soul.

A Thomas Jefferson quote comes to mind: “I cannot live without books.” That’s true for me too, but I could add, “I cannot live without writing.”

Writing has served as a creative outlet, a catalyst for ideas, a source of solace, and a way to explore a myriad of confusing thoughts and feelings. I wrestle with difficult events and emotional challenges from my own experiences as these scenarios somehow wind up in my stories, bringing fresh insights, fostering empathy, stretching my limits and my faith. That makes story writing a form of journaling.

In The Broken Weathervane, I explored themes of transparency, honesty vs. family loyalty, mental illness, and challenging family dynamics—themes I’ve wrestled with. I hope the themes resonate with readers too.

Writing is a journey, not just a means to an end. As a teacher, I always taught that the writing process—or any creation of art—is just as important as the product, if not more so. It’s what we learn along the way that gives it meaning.

Can you share a real-life event that inspired your writing? I dedicated The Broken Weathervane to my dad who was the inspiration for this story. Over the years, my dad shared a family story about his father and uncle who were in business together with their youngest brother who struggled quite a bit. The two older brothers did everything in their power to help him succeed in his own businesses and later let him work at theirs. I loved the way they cared for him despite all the difficulties they encountered. I often wondered what the issues were.

This was the spark of the 1950s timeline in my novel. Then the characters took on lives of their own. In the 2015 timeline inspiration, I needed two people at cross purposes with each other—both seeking the same information (from the 1950s) for different reasons.

Last year, my dad was in hospice for five months. I was glad I had the chance to tell him I’d dedicated the book to him. He was surprised and pleased. It was bittersweet launching a book (with a time frame out of my control) while watching him decline. Though he passed away nine days after the book was released, he was cheering for me during those months prior.

What questions do you ask yourself when preparing to write a new book? Crucial questions for me when planning a novel are:

Do I have a passion for telling this story?
Why should this story matter to readers?
What unique slant or perspective can I offer?

Additionally, the story must sustain my interest for the long haul—through all the ups and downs of feedback, criticism, multiple revisions, obstacles, rejection, and fears.

Regarding The Broken Weathervane, I also asked:

How can I relay a story about mental illness in a way that evokes empathy and also fosters hope, healing, and good discussion?
How can I balance the story with more light-hearted elements so as not to be overly dark and depressing?
How can I redeem the heaviness of the situation without being trite or unrealistic?

How are your characters like you? Different? My 2015 protagonist Leslie and I have both been teachers, love literature, and have wrestled with depression.

Even so, she’s very different than I am. She’s able to hold her own with prickly Professor Greg Stafford—something I’m not sure I could do well! She’s much more assertive than I am. That’s why I particularly enjoyed writing the scenes where they interact. They both push each other out of their comfort zones.

Both Fritz and Eddie Buckwalter were a challenge for me. In the 1950s timeline, I wrote in Fritz’s larger-than-life personality and voice. Other than our common interest in storytelling through writing novels, we are nothing alike. He’s a businessman, for one thing, and an extrovert who loves being the center of attention.

I purposely didn’t use Eddie’s point of view because I didn’t believe I could do him justice, considering his mental health challenges. So, I instead wrote from the perspectives of his wife Klara and his brother Fritz. I think that helps in making Eddie a sympathetic character. Despite their aggravation and confusion about his antics, they love him dearly.