Contemporary Fiction
Date Published: January 15, 2026
Publisher: Windy Ridge Publishing
The Legacy of a Lie unravels a web of family secrets when the past
resurfaces, threatening everything its keepers tried to protect. At its center
is Maarit McDonough Malone, a brilliant yet flawed budding opera singer whose
scandalous choices ripple across generations.
Her daughters—Kay, a celebrated mezzo-soprano, and Anna, a self-doubting
composer—must confront the emotional fallout of their mother’s
long-buried lies. Alongside them are a young, truth-seeking journalist, a
lawyer, and a priest, all carrying the weight of secrets they are
professionally and morally bound to keep.
Set in the haunting beauty of Minnesota’s river bluffs and Lake
Superior’s North Shore, this is a story of legacy and
redemption—of truth breaking through the cracks of deception and healing
in the wake of generations of silence.
Interview with Ron Elcombe
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
The story is set in two Minnesota locations. The first is Ellston, a fictitious small town in the bluff country of southeastern Minnesota. The second is Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior. I have lived in both of those regions.
Ellston is a small Mississippi river town that clings to itself for security and survival. The river is both a constant, giving a sense of permanence, but simultaneously is always changing. It is the same and not the same. It starts somewhere else, flows past the town, and ends in some exotic place, far, far away. It is that dissonance of being rooted in a place whose dominant geographical feature is constantly pulling you away that shapes a person’s being.
Duluth (MN) and the North Shore of Lake Superior is a rugged and yet beautiful area dominated by the huge lake. The basalt that forms the shore of the lake comes from the center of the earth. One can pick up a pebble on the beach that is a billion years old, worn smooth by the glacier that formed the lake and the relentless wave action of the water.
When the lake is calm, it gives a sense of peace and strength. But, when the north wind howls down the lake, raising twenty- to thirty-foot waves, the lake is angry, the sense of fury and danger overwhelming. The residents, both human and plants, stubbornly cling to the land. They struggle, but they survive.
A place shapes people’s attitudes, behaviors, and world views. These contrasting locations, with the unique sense of place they impart, shape the story and the characters that populate the novel.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
For Legacy of a Lie, I needed to enter the world of adoption. I had to understand both the legal aspects governing the process and the emotional, physical, and psychological effects on adopted children. In my research I used both on-line sources and personal conversations. I read the adoption laws that were in effect at the time of the story, talked with adopted children and adoptive parents, and read about the myriad impacts of adoption on all involved. I was amazed at the wide variety of effects on both children and parents.
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
For this story, I researched two legends: Saint Urho, who drove the grasshoppers out of Finland thus saving the wine industry, and the Cherokee legend of the two wolves. Saint Urho is a complete fabrication, created by some Finnish people in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. He was invented because they thought the Irish were having too much fun celebrating Saint Patrick, a real saint. The Cherokee myth is an old story told to illustrate a moral point. Both legends play an important role in the novel.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
The biggest influence on me as I began to take the craft of writing seriously, were the sessions I attended at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival on the campus of the University of Iowa. One memory that stands out is of a critique I received on an early draft. The instructor was very critical of the chapter; he seemed to have been personally offended by my ignorance and surface understanding of the adoption world. His critique pushed me to acquire a deeper knowledge and understanding of that world. I remain grateful for his insight and honesty.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
I have experimented with different genres. I have several flash fiction stories (short-short stories) and a memoir that are unpublished. I also have a published essay, Morning at the Lake (Lake Country Journal, August 2025).
If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?
When I finish the trilogy I’m currently writing, I expect to try writing a play and perhaps some historical essays.
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
It is hard to pick one character in the book that I enjoyed writing more than the others. They all have their charms and their challenges. But, if I could pick one to have a beer with, it would be Paul Williams, the journalist in the novel. I admire his drive to tell the truth in difficult situations, his vulnerability to being overwhelmed by the ugliness he sees, and then finally being able to put the cynicism aside and appreciate the beauty around him.
About the Author
Ron Elcombe is a professor emeritus at Winona State University (MN), where he
taught various advertising and mass communication courses for 25 years. His
eclectic career encompasses teaching instrumental music, as well as sales and
marketing roles for multiple companies. He has been published in the Lake
Country Journal and several professional academic journals and has attended
seminars on fiction writing at the Iowa Summer Writers Festival. "The Legacy
of a Lie" is the first book in a three-novel series. He resides in Rochester,
Minnesota, with his wife, Sharon, and enjoys summers on the golf course and at
the family cabin in northern Minnesota.
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