This past May, my college roommate and I—now 58, yet still fueled by our old AC/DC playlists from our St. Olaf College dorm days—set off on a three-hour cruise up Interstate 94 and pine-lined Highway 371 from St. Paul to northern Minnesota. Our destination: Words by the Water, A Minnesota Authors Experience at Madden’s on Gull Lake. Words by the Water was a lakeside literary event raising funds for the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library.
The program featured PJ Tracy, the New York Times bestselling crime-thriller author of the beloved Monkeewrench and Maggie Nolan series, both of which command a fervent Minnesota fan base. And PJ Tracy just happens to be the college roommate I was traveling with, Traci Lambrecht. The organizers had generously invited me to accompany her to the event.
I was both thrilled and sentimental. Traci and I see each other frequently on Zoom and squeeze in the occasional in-person visit, but a road trip to one of Minnesota’s most beautiful resorts? That was a rare treat. And as a travel writer and a PJ Tracy fan, I couldn’t wait to see her in “author mode.”
© Tonya Hennessey
Rock, Friendship, and Fiction in Brainerd, MN
Traci and I met during our first days as freshmen at St. Olaf, a small Lutheran liberal arts college in Northfield. We bonded instantly—two young women with quick laughs, a rebellious streak, and zero patience for dorm quiet hours. (After college, Traci sang lead for a Minneapolis punk rock band called Poke.)
Friday afternoons were sacred: the door shut, a six-pack cracked open, and AC/DC’s Back in Black blasting from my stereo—loud enough to drown out the Whitney Houston sing-alongs drifting from down the hall. We loved Whitney’s impressive voice, but at 19, nothing got our adrenaline going like Angus Young on guitar.
I moved to San Francisco in 1992, and Traci eventually landed in Los Angeles. She was dating a Hollywood director, and deep into her Monkeewrench successes with her mother, writing partner, and closest soul, PJ—who sadly passed in 2016.
These years in Los Angeles would eventually form the backdrop for characters Sam Easton, Margaret Nolan, and Remy Beaudreau in PJ’s fast-paced Detective Margaret Nolan series. And it gave us the chance to make more mischief together in the SoCal sun.
The drive north rekindled college road trip and LA vibes. Back in the day, Traci’s rig was a massive white horse-hauling Ford Supercab we called White Lightning. This time, the car was a Mercedes GLE 350, but the playlist was the same—classic rock up loud as spring unfurled along the highway.
The Journey into one of Minnesota’s best resorts
Even in early May, Minnesota’s lakes country feels like a world away from the city. The oaks and maples were still bare, their spindly branches reaching toward warming skies. But the pines were deep green against the last traces of chill. We skirted one glassy lake after another—some so close they lapped at the shoulder of the road—and passed through small towns with roadside diners promising “walleye every Friday.”
Because spring was late this year, the nights were forecast to be in the upper 30s, chilly for this time of year.
By mid-afternoon, we turned down the long road into Madden’s on Gull Lake, passing other resorts before arriving at the copper-cupola-topped building where the writers conference would take place. Generous to the Brainerd area community, this resort, best known for its five-star golf, also doubled as the locale for a high-end library fundraiser.
Checking In to a Lakeside Getaway
Our comfortable cabin sat just steps from the shoreline, with two queen beds, a kitchenette, and sliding glass doors that opened to a wide view of the lake. Cattails and purple loosestrife framed the water’s edge. Suddenly, a band of deer bounded past as if staged for a Minnesota postcard. A shared fire pit waited about 50 yards away for evening gatherings.
Madden’s has been family-owned for over 95 years, with 1,000 acres of rolling woods, wetlands, and miles of shoreline. It’s consistently ranked among the Midwest’s top resorts—#3 in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Readers’ Choice list and U.S. News’ #1 Minnesota hotel for 2025.
They have a terrific array of outdoor amenities–boredom has no excuse at Madden’s. Guests can golf on four courses (including The Classic, ranked #80 among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses), take a kayak or paddleboard out for a spin, or challenge friends to pickleball and tennis. For those who live for the wild, trap-shooting, guided archery, and a full-service marina for fishing and boating await.
Or just unwind on sandy lakeside beaches. To me, one of the choice things about Minnesota is the beauty of its lakes. Carved eons ago by wandering glaciers, these intimate bodies of water host beautiful shorelines, and Gull Lake is shallow and clear. There’s something uniquely invigorating about swimming in a lake. Crisp, fresh water against your skin, waves lapping gently, the earthy scent of nearby pines wafting by.
Champagne and Country Quiet at Madden’s on Gull Lake
The dinner program ended by 9:30 pm, and afterwards we sat relaxing and chatting in our room. We settled into an evening punctuated by fireflies. I had brought a bottle of French champagne to celebrate the occasion, and we sat out on the patio in our fluffy robes, sipping bubbly and enjoying the starlit night.
It was country quiet, where the sounds were different from city life. Crickets chirping instead of cars, a campfire crackling in the distance, and loons calling as the late spring chill descended. After all, we were in northern Minnesota, just a few hours from the Canadian border.
Words by the Water: Literary Stars & Local Flavor
The Words by the Water dinner was packed, nearly sold out. The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library put on a terrific event, pairing elegance with warmth. We were introduced to our table—every seat filled with women who had paid extra to dine with Traci. Each of them was giddy to meet their favorite author.
Between bites of wild rice pilaf and decadent chocolate cake, guests mingled with Minnesota literary stars like Lorna Landvik, Allen Eskens, Curtis Sittenfeld, Karen E. Cooper, and Gretchen Anthony. The evening’s remarks celebrated libraries’ vital role as community lifelines, even as they face book bans, censorship, and shrinking budgets.
Traci’s talk stole the night, sharing how she and her late mother—her Monkeewrench coauthor—would make up stories together when she was just three, acting them out with raucous laughter. “This showed me the import of emotions, and that writing is emotion. That’s the beauty of writing,” she told the crowd. “It’s cathartic. It opens new worlds—just like a library.”
The next morning, while some guests lingered over brunch, I strolled the wetlands path because the sun was so warm. I ambled slowly, luxuriating in vibrant cottontail rabbits bouncing, the bright bark of red osier dogwoods, and the trills of returning songbirds.
At the end of the event on Saturday afternoon, there were long lines for book signings, with the authors taking up two tables.
© Tonya Hennessey
Resort Life: Music, Scenery, Connections
As I sat sipping an iced latte on the patio deck above The Social 9 golf course, soaking in Madden’s unfussy luxury, ’70s rock and reggae—from the Doobie Brothers to Bob Marley—evoked the soundtrack of my teens, my generation. Madden’s has a vibe that feels tailor-made for GenXers and Boomers.
Madden’s is an idyllic locale, expansive grounds dotted with small sun-dappled ponds. During our visit, bright spring blue skies peppered with fluffy cumulus clouds shimmered across the vast Gull Lake waters. Lake wildlife abounded, and I couldn’t get enough of the tiny turtles sunning themselves on rocks among the reeds, unbothered by the darting lake otters.
Friendship, Nature, and the Written Word
The weekend wrapped with long lines of readers waiting for autographs and armloads of books headed home. For me, the real story was this: two women who met at 18, cranking hard rock in a Lutheran college dorm, now celebrating one’s literary stardom in a place that felt both new and familiar. It was rewarding to see my friend receiving such love and admiration for her beautiful writing and her history with her lovely mom.
Madden’s spectacular setting elevated our girls’ trip. It reminded us that while 58 may be the number on our driver’s licenses, it’s just one more marker on the never-ending adventure of a life well-lived.
Note: Don’t miss the newest Monkeewrench installment, The Deepest Cut, coming out on September 5, 2025.
© Tonya Hennessey
If You Go to Madden’s on Gull Lake
Madden’s on Gull Lake is about 2 ½ hours from St. Paul/Minneapolis, in the Brainerd Lakes Area, which spans Crosslake, Brainerd, and Pequot Lakes. It’s a wonderful area to visit year-round, with winter bringing ice fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
The area is full of “Up North” Minnesota lore, like the Paul Bunyan Trail, dedicated to the iconic lumberjack, and the new National Loon Center.
Madden’s offers diverse dining options. Savor everything from sunset seafood at Mission Point, cozy pub bites at O’Madden Pub, to quick treats at the market or pool deck. Cap off your stay with a luxury spa treatment in a tranquil setting with views of Gull Lake.
To learn more about Tonya Hennessey or read her food and travel-related stories, visit TonyaHennessey.com and Create24.co.
