Young Writers Society

It's autumn in a small town somewhere in the United States. Charlotte Pink is an amateur actress who has just turned twenty-five, and has always dreamed of making it big. Still a hopeless romantic in spite of being unlucky in love, she reflects on a woman named Madison, who she and her best friend Laura had met and become close to over the summer. Under the Apple Tree will be the months that Charlotte and Laura knew Madison, from when they met in the spring to when their paths ultimately diverged for the final time.

This novel will be a sobering reflection on the stories that women tell ourselves about love, the value our culture places on romantic love of all else, and what happens when we don't meet the expectations we place for ourselves by our mid twenties.

I'm excited to dive into something that is more autobiographical than anything I've yet written, and to fully commit to a contemporary work that stands on its own. Stay tuned for updates, and friend me on the NaNo site!

I wrote bios for each of the central characters in the novel. I may add additional ones as required (including additional members of the book club), but these are who the action will revolve around. I'm trying to figure out careers for both Madison and Erin. For Erin especially, I need to figure out what would have her making six figures in her early thirties. I also need to figure out what Charlotte does for a day job, but I'm running with a few ideas.



Charlotte Pink, the narrator and lead character of the novel. Shortly before the novel begins, she was ghosted by a man she had been seeing. Despite being the child of a bitter divorce, unlucky in her own love life, and stagnant in her acting career, she still has an optimistic view of her romance and what the future brings. She is twenty-four for most of the novel. By its end, she turns twenty-five.
Laura Bennett, Charlotte’s best friend, also an actress. Twenty-three years old, the women met doing theater in Charlotte’s first year of graduation. Raised in wealth and privilege in a two parent household, Charlotte and Laura have nonetheless bonded over their common dreams and interests. Laura has never had a boyfriend because she has never met the right person and intends to wait until then.
Madison Browning, the valedictorian of her high school, a star soccer player, Madison her pick of the best universities in the country to go to. Instead, she followed her boyfriend to the small town university in which the novel takes place, but the relationship quickly fell apart. Twenty-one years old, she has just graduated when it begins. She loves classic literature and old movies, and spends more time with them than in reality. She has been a part of Erin’s book club when the novel begins.
Erin Hall, thirty years old, Erin holds a prestigious position with a cushy salary. Recently married and living in a nice house, Charlotte reflects on how a past version of her would have been jealous of Erin, but realizes she is not. Charlotte finds her difficult to figure out, psychologically.
Brady Thompson, thirty-one years old, he has a sibling-like relationship with Erin, who he has known for years. He is a social worker, and meets Madison when she first becomes involved with Erin’s book club. While Madison tells Charlotte and Laura that they were in love and dating, her story unravels throughout the course of the novel.
Tanner Hall, Erin’s husband. An architect, he has a busy schedule and only sporadically appears throughout the novel. Madison becomes obsessed with Tanner and Erin’s marriage, convinced it is a loveless one.
Darren Gallagher, an Irish foreign exchange student who ghosted Charlotte and started seeing someone else. An unseen character, throughout the novel, Charlotte downplays how much she liked him and hoped that they would become something more.
Sharon Jones, Charlotte’s mother. While the two often have a fraught relationship, Charlotte turns to her for advice at several points throughout the novel.