Devienne Weekes's Blog
March 31, 2026
The Stories Beneath the Water
There’s something about standing at the edge of a lake that makes you wonder what lies beneath.
In Montana — and across the West — entire towns disappeared when reservoirs were created. Homes, schools, roads, and lives were all swallowed by rising water. Most of the time, those places remain hidden… quiet reminders of the past.
But sometimes, when water levels drop, pieces of those lost worlds return.
A foundation.
A road.
The outline of a forgotten place.
That idea stayed with me.
What would it feel like to discover something that wasn’t meant to be found?
What stories would surface with it?
And how would it change the people who uncovered it?
Those questions became What the Lake Knows.
This story was inspired by real places, real landscapes, and the quiet sense that history never fully disappears. It waits — sometimes just beneath the surface — for the right moment to be remembered.
I’ve been incredibly grateful to see readers connecting with this story. Every message, review, and conversation has meant more than I can say. Watching What the Lake Knows find its way into readers’ hands has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
And while this story continues to grow, I’ve already begun unraveling the next one — a historical time-slip novel currently titled The Divide. Like What the Lake Knows, it explores connection across time, but with new characters, deeper historical roots, and themes of faith, love, and the ties that bind generations together.
If you’ve read What the Lake Knows, I’d love to hear what resonated most with you.
And if you’re just discovering it — welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
Stories have a way of finding us when we need them most.
Sometimes… they’ve just been waiting beneath the surface all along.
In Montana — and across the West — entire towns disappeared when reservoirs were created. Homes, schools, roads, and lives were all swallowed by rising water. Most of the time, those places remain hidden… quiet reminders of the past.
But sometimes, when water levels drop, pieces of those lost worlds return.
A foundation.
A road.
The outline of a forgotten place.
That idea stayed with me.
What would it feel like to discover something that wasn’t meant to be found?
What stories would surface with it?
And how would it change the people who uncovered it?
Those questions became What the Lake Knows.
This story was inspired by real places, real landscapes, and the quiet sense that history never fully disappears. It waits — sometimes just beneath the surface — for the right moment to be remembered.
I’ve been incredibly grateful to see readers connecting with this story. Every message, review, and conversation has meant more than I can say. Watching What the Lake Knows find its way into readers’ hands has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
And while this story continues to grow, I’ve already begun unraveling the next one — a historical time-slip novel currently titled The Divide. Like What the Lake Knows, it explores connection across time, but with new characters, deeper historical roots, and themes of faith, love, and the ties that bind generations together.
If you’ve read What the Lake Knows, I’d love to hear what resonated most with you.
And if you’re just discovering it — welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
Stories have a way of finding us when we need them most.
Sometimes… they’ve just been waiting beneath the surface all along.
March 15, 2026
The real history behind What the Lake Knows
The idea for What the Lake Knows started long before I began writing the novel.
I grew up boating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, a lake that swallowed a town decades ago. Today an island sits where the cemetery once stood.
Years later I moved near Clark Canyon Reservoir, another lake that flooded a community when the dam was built.
Standing along the shoreline, it’s hard not to wonder what stories might still be resting beneath the water.The idea for What the Lake Knows started long before I began writing the novel.
I grew up boating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, a lake that swallowed a town decades ago. Today an island sits where the cemetery once stood.
Years later I moved near Clark Canyon Reservoir, another lake that flooded a community when the dam was built.
Standing along the shoreline, it’s hard not to wonder what stories might still be resting beneath the water.
I grew up boating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, a lake that swallowed a town decades ago. Today an island sits where the cemetery once stood.
Years later I moved near Clark Canyon Reservoir, another lake that flooded a community when the dam was built.
Standing along the shoreline, it’s hard not to wonder what stories might still be resting beneath the water.The idea for What the Lake Knows started long before I began writing the novel.
I grew up boating on Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, a lake that swallowed a town decades ago. Today an island sits where the cemetery once stood.
Years later I moved near Clark Canyon Reservoir, another lake that flooded a community when the dam was built.
Standing along the shoreline, it’s hard not to wonder what stories might still be resting beneath the water.
