NOVI — Florida resident and Novi native Rachael Ramas is taking readers of her debut novel, “Objects in Lakes,” on a thrilling adventure this summer through her home state, where it seems like there is a lake around every corner, and a journey from Paradise to Hell is a popular day trip.
“This is like my love letter to Michigan,” said Ramas, who spoke to the Novi Note over coffee ahead of her book signing in Ann Arbor June 23. “I wanted my first book to be all about Michigan. I don’t think you realize how special Michigan is, or maybe even the place you grow up in, until you move away.”
She said that she didn’t realize how naturally friendly Michiganders are until she moved to the east side of Florida. There, she said, her friends tell her how nice she is when she says “excuse me,” instead of telling people to just get out of the way, and they tease her for calling soda pop, “pop.” So, she said she thought it would be fun to write a book that shines light on Michigan culture.
“This is a very atmospheric book; you get the whole vibe of Michigan,” Ramas said. “You know, Vernors, pop, excuse me, watch out for deer and then towards the end of the book I’m like, ‘Gosh, I can’t explain just metro Detroit; I’ve got to explain up north, too. Because (people) are like, what does that mean, you go up north, and I’m like, ‘Well, we’re here, and then we go up here and Traverse City and the U.P. is so different than metro Detroit,’ so I wanted to give that vibe, so part three we go up north so you can get that vibe, too.”…