An
Author's Sweet Retreat From the Winter 2008 Issue
Where does a world-famous author go when summer
starts to overheat? For Sandra Brown, the answer is simple: a Hansel-and-Gretel
cottage in the heart of North Carolina’s mountains. Exotic? No.
Just a place she fell in love with at first sight.
The
Browns' cottage has an almost fairy-tale quality that prompted author
Sandra Brown to fall in love with it at first sight.
She’s
not exactly a fantasy writer.
Still,
renowned mystery author Sandra Brown got her own fairy-tale moment three
years ago when she saw a charming cabin in Highlands in Western North
Carolina. And though the event lacked a bit of suspense, it did have
its own share of drama.
“We fell in love with the area when we were invited up there several
times as guests and our host was developing Highgate,” she recalls.
“He [Finley Merry] called one night and suggested we come and
look at this house. I went, not expecting to buy it, but when we saw
it, we fell in love with it.”
One of the big perks to being a major writer – Brown is the author
of more than 60 novels, 55 of which made The New York Times best seller
list – is the fact that you can live anywhere in the world you
want.
"Absolutely
mountain style," Brown says of her home with its master bedroom
that displays traditional log and beam features.
That
includes a summer home in the prestigious Highlands-Cashiers area.
Unlike her books, however, there’s no mystery about the area’s
attraction for Brown and husband Michael.
“We love the mountains, the cooler temperatures in the summer
and the foliage in the fall,” she says. “It’s just
such a charming community and there was nothing about it we disliked.”
Living The Dream
Born in Waco, Texas and raised in Ft. Worth, Brown attended Texas Christian
University and worked as a television reporter at KLTV in Tyler, a reporter
on “PM Magazine,” a model in Dallas, and a weathercaster
for Dallas’ WFAA-TV. Her husband, a former television anchorman
and award-winning documentary producer, challenged her to write a novel
and pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
She decided to do just that after she was fired from her job in 1976.
Mother of two grown children, Rachel and Ryan, she began her writing
career in 1981. Since then she has published 68 novels, some under pseudonyms,
and today lives primarily in Arlington, Texas.
But for part of the time, home is the house in Highlands.
“In the course of a year, we probably stay there eight weeks all
together,” she says, “mostly in summer. Then we come back
in fall and spend another week or so at the house in the spring.”
This
handsome rustic gazebo makes a perfect spot for summertime meals
at the Brown home, which the couple use for family get-togethers
with their children and grandchildren.
All
In The Family
Lots of things happen at the Browns’ summer place: Fun. Relaxation.
And special occasions.
“We use the home for family get-togethers with the children and
grandchildren [the couple has three grandsons, including an infant],”
she says, “and Michael and I like to go there to get away from
our offices and just take it easy.”
But how easy can she take it when, as an incredibly prolific writer,
she turns out an astounding average 2.6 books a year? And, while her
home at Highlands may be a resting place, it’s seen its share
of literary creation. The truth is Brown works at a near non-stop pace.
The exception: when she’s in New York for business or on the road.
“I don’t write when I travel,” she says. “Travel
is usually for other kinds of business or pleasure.”
A Perfect Match
It’s no accident that the house at Highlands captured Brown’s
heart at first glance.
The
home's defining feature is the enormous great room, a 30 x 33-foot
area big enough for the whole family's activities.
Built
by developer and friend Finley Merry to promote his Highgate community,
The Lodge, as it was dubbed, was used as a charity show house that featured
the work of top Atlanta designers. Once the project was finished, however,
Merry’s wife Charlotte lent her own creative talents to the décor.
At that point, Merry, who had built the Browns’ home in Hilton
Head, S. C. 12 years before, called the couple for a look-see.
The result: an easy, no-effort sale and acquisition.
“We knew we liked their stuff,” Brown notes, “and
it was move-in ready when we got it.”
Definitely a mountain house, The Lodge is constructed of native stone,
c. 1850s hand-hewn log walls and a tin roof. Rustic and comfortable
in nature, the interior is filled with matching-themed furnishing: large
pieces with happy fabrics, touches of leather and English pine antiques.
“It’s absolutely mountain style,” Brown notes, “and
it blends into the setting perfectly. It’s very private, and we
love the the outdoor living area with its fireplace. We grill out there.”
Spanning approximately 3,700 square feet, the home’s main feature
is its great room, an enormous 30 x 33-foot expanse.
“This is where we do most of our living,” says Brown. ”Everything
opens to this one giant room and that makes it a great family house.
Everybody can be doing something different but we can all be in the
same area.”
Easy Living Space
The home’s first floor includes the great room, kitchen, master
suite, study/TV room, guest room and three baths, including his and
her baths in the master plus the guest bath and powder room. Two more
bedrooms and baths occupy the second floor.
Completing the living space is the guest cottage, a charming structure
with mini-kitchen with wet bar and microwave, two bedrooms and two baths.
Today’s version is the second incarnation of the cottage, which
was destroyed by lightning in February 2006. Replacing the original
took nearly 15 months but was worth the work and trouble.
“We duplicated the plan and Finley did the reconstruction,”
Brown says. “The exterior wasn’t damaged that much, but
inside, the walls, infrastructure and under the eaves had to be put
back together. We took up the flooring – a special plank flooring
that wasn’t damaged – and they [the work crew] saved it.”
Now, with things back to normal, Michael enjoys operating Michael Brown
Video Production Co. from his office in the cottage, while the non-stop
author relaxes in the great room, watches shows in the TV room or works
in “a little tiny room off the master that I turned into my writing
office.”
If she runs true to form, Brown may just make it the scene of inspiration
for her next best seller.
Builder's
Corner
"We
knew we liked their stuff," Brown says of Finley Merry and
his wife Charlotte. Merry also built the Browns' home at Hilton
Head, S.C.
A
veteran builder and developer, Finley Merry has been in the housing
industry for four decades.
The developer of Highgate in Highlands, he was formerly a full-time
resident of Augusta, Ga., mainly working in commercial real estate with
some residential and construction interests, including building most
of the homes at Highgate.
At his North Carolina development, which he bought in 1998, Merry built
The Lodge as “a speculative venture to promote Highgate,”
a community of 62 homesites. The home, comprised of three log cabins
with some 150-year-old logs, was found and dismantled in Tennessee,
then reassembled at Highgate, an effort that more than suited builder
Merry, who admits he loves to work with old materials.
The unique design, created by Atlanta architect Jack Davis, was then
turned into a 2001 showhouse, which drew “the very top designers
from Atlanta,” and dramatically increased traffic at the community.
“I used the house as a showhouse to benefit charities in The Highlands
area,” Merry recalls, “then it went on the market.”
Eventually, he called Sandra Brown.
“The Browns had bought a house from me at Hilton Head,”
he says,“ and we had become friends. They had visited us here
in the Highlands and seemed to like the area.
“At the time I called, I was doing some renovation to the house.
My wife and I bought a great deal of the furniture and had had stenciling
done to the floors in two rooms.”
The finished result was stunning. “The main house runs about 3,700
square feet with the accompanying guest house about 1,100 square feet,”
says Merry. “It’s made from old barn board and rusted tin
for the roofs. Both houses have a number of fireplaces of stacked stone
and we used old logs for decorative beams.
“The living room (great room) is certainly the most distinctive
feature.
Originally, it was a living room and porch but I thought it should be
bigger, so now it has lots of room: 30 x 33 feet with 20-foot ceilings
that start at 16 feet.”
Topping it off are bold splashes of color and greenery by landscape
artist Mary Palmer Dargan in keeping with the project. The result?
“It’s very much a cottage,” Merry maintains.
With exposure in multiple national magazines including Veranda
and Southern Accents, Merry today enjoys a different lifestyle.
“I still have my house in Augusta,” he says, “but
I spend the bulk of my time at the Highlands home.” –NVL
