Q&A: Libby Buck's Haunting and Heartfelt Debut Novel

North Carolina author Libby Buck discusses her debut novel, Port Anna, and how a childhood cottage in Maine inspired the story
by Ayn-Monique Klahre

Born in Chapel Hill, Libby Buck moved around the country and world with her family before returning to the area to go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school. She and her husband settled here to raise their family, and she worked at the university for 10 years in the art history department. But while North Carolina is home, the rocky shores of Maine have been a constant vacation spot for her family. Her debut novel, Port Anna, centers around Gwen, a professor at a Southern university who, after being abruptly let go, heads north to a family cottage in coastal Maine to regroup. There, she reconnects with old friends, makes new ones — and is forced to reconcile with trauma from her past.

How did you start writing?

I stopped teaching in 2010, but I’d always wanted to write a novel. I majored in English at University of Virginia, and once I stopped doing academic writing, I realized I could write anything I wanted!

Was this your first novel?

No, I started a manuscript that was loosely based on my dissertation. That got me an agent, but it did not sell on submission. So I met with my agent and he asked what I was writing next. I had an idea about historical fiction based on a modern artist, and he was like, Yeah, yeah — what’s next after that one?

How’d this start?

It’s my love letter to Maine. My parents bought a cottage on the mid-coast there when I was 7. We were living overseas at the time, and it became a toehold for us in the United States. It was a tiny, unwinterized cottage built in 1913 by two women who were life partners and professors. I wanted to keep their spirit alive.

What do you love about Maine?

It’s not one of those places where you sit by the pool and raise a flag for a piña colada. There are gravel beaches and the weather can come in and stick around for a while. It can be cold in the middle of summer — as a child, I vividly remember my mother trying to come up with activities for us during weeks of rain. One summer we made blackberry jam, another we made granola. If that appeals to your soul, it’s hard to shake. To me, Maine brings me so much joy. I gave all of that emotional content to my main character, Gwen.

The ghosts in the house are characters. Is this based on your experiences?

Yes, but ours weren’t as loud or opinionated as Gwen’s! Maine’s one of those places where people talk about ghosts like they’re right around the corner. But they’re not frightening or threatening.

Are there any North Carolina references?

There were initially, but a bunch had to come out to get to the meat of the story. But you’ll recognize a few of the names!

Do you still get up there?

Thankfully I married someone who loves it as much as I do, so we’d bring the kids up for a few weeks in the summers — they’re grown now — and we still go up as much as we can.