Saving Carlton: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Saving Carlton: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.Following find an interview with author H. Lee Hardies:
1. What is the name of the book and when was it published? Saving Carlton, published February 2026.
2. What’s the book’s first line? “Does anyone really need a balcony on the tenth floor of an office building?”
3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”. SAVING CARLTON is a romantic comedy about re-building lives and other things that matter to us. Denver architect Daniel Olsen blows up his career and his engagement to a socialite in a twenty-four-hour period. He takes refuge first in his fixer-upper home and then faces an opportunity in a historic mountain mining town that could either save him or be the final straw in his career.
SAVING CARLTON explores the historic preservation and rehabilitation process through the eyes of the idealistic young architect, an eccentric investor and a colorful cast of townspeople. Local political rivalries, a decades-old mystery and a moderately spicy romance unfold, further complicating Dan Olsen’s search for meaning in his life.
Can a disillusioned architect rediscover his passion in this quaint and quirky mountain town? His career and his future depend on it.
4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event? The story was inspired by my own experiences as the architect for the historic rehabilitation of the Tabor Grand Hotel in Leadville, Colorado. The reconstruction and preservation process are accurately described, as are a few personal experiences of mine. The characters and the town are fictionalized, as is the romance.
5. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book? For anyone who has ever had to start over, or has even thought about it, the novel offers humor and hope in a warm and uplifting story of love and friendship.
6. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of? The main character, Dan Olsen, is a composite of several people: me, our construction project manager, and someone else more interesting than either of us. Friends and family seem to see me in Dan’s character, so I may not have adequately disguised that. The most distinctive thing about Dan Olsen is his determination to find solutions, despite obstacles and the learning curve he faces.
7. When did you first decide to become an author? I started writing a historical fiction novel twenty years ago, and I revived that effort in 2023, after I retired. I began writing Saving Carlton in early 2025. When I completed it, I suppose I felt I had a second career.
8. Is this the first book you’ve written? Saving Carlton is the first book I have completed and published, although King’s Quarry will be complete in the next month or so.
9. What do you do for work when you’re not writing? I am a retired architect. Much of my work involved historic preservation and adaptive re-use, and I still serve on the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee for the Town of Berthoud, CO.
10. How much time do you generally spend on your writing? Thanks to my early-rising dog, I typically write from about 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. every day with some added evening hours some days.
11. What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie? Knowing the difficulty in reaching a wide audience, with the limitations of time and marketing budget.
12. What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors? Find a balance between writing and the self-publishing, marketing and promoting activities. Each author needs to decide what is most important to them. Most of us want to write more than we want to sell our books or ourselves.
13. Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why? I would definitely consider it. My goal is to have more people read and enjoy my work. If traditional publishing can make that possible while giving me more time to write, that would appeal to me.
14. Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?) I belong to a writers’ group, where we read each other’s work aloud. Hearing reactions to my work, such as group laughter at a place I had intended, is the greatest reward yet. Having a belief that others will have similar reactions is what keeps me writing.
15. Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire? I am a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin, even though he is not a novelist. Much of what I have learned about writing effective dialog I learned by studying his work. (I have to include Mark Twain here, as well.)
16. Which book do you wish you could have written? Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton.