by jphilo | Jan 25, 2024 | Mystery Update, See Jane Dig!, See Jane Ride!
A West River Mystery progress report is in order, so that’s what you’re getting today. Check out these small things about See Jane Dig! (Book 5) and See Jane Ride! (Book 6) that are making my heart go pitter pat.
- My editor reported that she’s read most of the See Jane Dig! manuscript. She said it’s not terrible. Whew!
- See Jane Dig! should be released in October of 2024.
- The See Jane Ride! plotting workshop with my editor has been moved up to January 29. I had to cancel a vacation and several speaking engagements while waiting for my hip/leg/back issues to resolve. As a result I’m ahead of schedule on research and brainstorming and want to turn recovery time into writing time as well.
- I started my research by reading Rally Rewind: 75 Years of Sturgis and paying special attention to accounts of details about the 1978 rally. That’s the year when See Jane Ride! takes place, and I want it to be as authentic as possible.
- Next up was an interview with my cousin who started attending the rally in 1977, an event he and his wife still participate in. He contributed several colorful memories that I can’t wait for Jane to experience too.
- Monthly calendars for June, July, and August of 1978 have been printed. The rally dates for that year, along with those for the Tipperary County Fair and Jane’s teacher inservice are on the calendar and ready to be consulted during the plotting workshop.
- Last but not least, you all came through with biker name suggestions. Here’s the complete list: Gunner, Rooster, Sweetie Pie, Tiny, Mouse, Crankshaft, Knucklehead, Loser, Skid, Smoke, Lifter, Flywheel, Flathead, Wanderer, Spoke, Burnout, and last but not least, Stryker the Biker and his sidecar sidekick, Hitch the Hiker.
Which one (or two) do you like best? Leave your favorites in the comment box. That’ll make my heart go pitter pat too.
by jphilo | Jan 11, 2024 | Mystery Update, See Jane Ride!, Sturgis rally
Do you want to help name a few characters who will appear in an upcoming West River Mystery? To be clear, I’m not talking about See Jane Dig!, the next book in the series which will be released in October of 2024. The characters in Dig! already have names and the first draft of the manuscript is with the editor. What I am talking about is the fifth in the series, See Jane Ride!
I know, it’s confusing. Thank goodness I like working ahead. Here’s the scoop on progress so far:
- Brainstorming for Book 5, See Jane Ride!, is underway.
- When brainstorming, ideas matter more than spelling. Be gentle regarding the brainstorming clip above.
- See Jane Ride! takes place in July of 1978.
- The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will be woven into the plot. So will a few bikers.
- Sturgis rallies from the mid-seventies to mid-eighties were in the tens of thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands the event now boasts. Tens of thousands are still a lot of people in a town of under 10,000. Believe it or not, rallies were wilder and crazier back then than they are now.
- Some of those tens of thousands meandered into Harding County when we lived there. A few will wander through Tipperary County in See Jane Ride! also.
You’re invited to suggest names for the bikers who show up in the story. They’ll be big, beefy people (perhaps two men, though a man and a woman would be more interesting.) They’ll wear leathers and bandanas. That’s as far as my imagination will go until the two bikers are named. It’s hard for me to fully envision them until then.
They need names soon so I can write their character studies before meeting with my editor on February 14 to workshop the plot. (In honor of Valentine’s Day, a cherry pie will be in the oven. Dessert is good motivation for any task and the best way to celebrate a holiday.)
So I ask you again, do you want to help name a few characters for Book 5 in the series? If so, you can leave them in the comment section or click the contact button at the top of the page and send your ideas via email by February 1. I can’t wait to read your suggestions!
by jphilo | Dec 27, 2023 | See Jane Dig!
See Jane Dig! is now in the editor’s hands. I couldn’t be happier.
Not having to think about the fourth book in the West River Mystery Series during the holidays is all I wanted for Christmas this year. My editor won’t start working on it until after the first of the year because she wants to enjoy her Christmas break, too.
Not that See Jane Dig! isn’t enjoyable. It is!
That was not my opinion upon finishing the first draft last August, when I thought it was pure drivel. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that was not the case when I began revisions in early October.
Not that it was enjoyable when revisions began. It wasn’t!
Which is why authors revise first drafts and send them off to editors who gently point out the unenjoyable bits authors miss and suggest changes. Which sends the author back to the revising grindstone so a manuscript becomes more enjoyable. Until then I’m going to enjoy the holidays without giving Jane a second thought.
That’s a lie.
I’m already thinking about the research to be done before meeting with the editor to plot out the fifth book. But I’m not going to work on Book 5 until after New Year’s, and then it will only be looking up stuff and reading. No writing. Absolutely no writing.
That’s a lie, too.
I’ll probably start brainstorming ideas and plot points and character names the minute this blog post is published. Because letting my creative juices flow before starting a new project is almost as enjoyable as knowing that See Jane Dig! is now in the editor’s hands.
And that’s no lie.
by jphilo | Dec 15, 2023 | Mystery Update
“Bud and Rachel have to be in your book,” my Harding County friend said as we sat down to coffee several years ago.
“But they sold their company to the West River Telephone Co-op the year before we moved to town,” I said.
“That’s a minor detail,” she said. “Besides, you’re writing fiction, right?”
“Okay,” I agreed, “tell me how their phone system worked.”
She didn’t need to describe Bud and Rachel because they and their mule lived in Camp Crook when we did. We saw them from time to time, the most notable being the night before we moved to Iowa in 1985 to be closer to hospitals where our son could be treated for his rare medical condition.
Hiram answered the door and invited Rachel inside.
“Me and Bud wanted to tell you goodbye and to give you this.” She handed us a back issue of the county paper, Nation’s Center News. “There’s an article about me and Bud in there. So you don’t forget us.”
“Thank you,” I said, noticing that she had written “Please look on page 3” above the masthead in spidery letters.
Next she gave Hiram an envelope. “It’s a little traveling money. For emergencies.” She smiled at our son, who’d had lots of medical emergencies since his birth three years ago.
Rachel and Bud were no strangers to childhood medical emergencies. Rachel was born with a cleft lip and palette in 1910 and was spoon fed Carnation canned milk during her early months. Eventually the people in the small Montana community where her family lived raised money so her mother could take her by train to Mayo Clinic for surgery. Bud lost his vision in a 1928 dynamite explosion when he was eleven.
Rachel’s surgery was successful but not elegant. Her speech was difficult to decipher, especially on the phone, but she never stopped talking or connecting calls. Bud’s decades-old scars were visible, but he climbed telephone poles and installed phones confidently.
I can’t imagine the West River Mysteries without Gus and Betty Yarborough, for whom Rachel and Bud were the prototypes. Betty is a vital communication (and gossip) hub in a time before cell phones. Gus and Betty exemplify the essential roles people with disabilities can play when given the opportunity to use their abilities.
As for the $35 Rachel and Bud gave us, it was the exact amount needed to pay for a new prescription medication our son needed on the trip to Iowa.
As for the newspaper article, it lives in a file in my office along with my most prized South Dakota memorabilia from our years there.
As for Rachel and Bud, you are remembered.
by jphilo | Nov 15, 2023 | See Jane Dance!
The See Jane Dance! Party is now history. It was a wonderful morning, which led me to create the See Jane Dance! book party top ten list. The list would have been much longer, had I not exercised great restraint. Note that I didn’t follow David Letterman’s habit of saving the best for last by presenting his top ten lists in reverse order. The items on this list go in chronological order. Now that we’ve got that straight, here goes…
- The party happened, which is a minor miracle. The owner of Chocolaterie Stam and I met to plan the event on October 11. Shortly thereafter, a pinched nerve laid me low. I continue my preparations from bed and wasn’t sure I’d be able to attend the event. Had it not been for my husband, who ran errands when he wasn’t driving me to physical therapy or massaging my sore back, the party wouldn’t have happened at all.
- The weather was fantastic––sunny, calm, jacket weather. The day could have been snowy, windy, and cold. Iowa in November is fickle that way.
- Friends arrived early and helped us set up. My husband and I thought we’d arrived with time to spare. However, the parking meter accepted credit card payment only, a transaction that gobbled up every extra minute. Fortunately, friends we’ve known for 30 years arrived early. They pitched in and everything was ready when party time rolled around.
- People came. Friends from our old church, friends from our present church, teaching colleagues, a former professor from my college days, someone I knew in elementary school, the parent of a former student, even my former eye doctor! Despite their busy lives, they came. This fact never ceases to amaze me.
- They bought books. Another fact that never ceases to amaze me. People spent their money on my books. Why, I continually ask myself. Why?
- They bought treats at Chocolaterie Stam, too. You may not know this, but the folks at The Stam host events like this for free. Their only profit comes from what is purchased during the event. Many, many thanks to those who purchased chocolate or beverages or gelato on Saturday morning!
- I didn’t cry while reading Chapter 1 of See Jane Dance! aloud. The chapter is sad. It’s actually on the funny side. It was the sight of so many dear people smiling and cheering me on, smiling and laughing, to realize how richly God has blessed me, that nearly brought me to tears.
- The gift baskets raised $320 for Wonderfully Made Family Camp. I have no words. No words.
- Not all of the free chocolate medallions gotten eaten. The extras are in my freezer waiting to become the key ingredient in gourmet s’mores at our next family campfire.
- Becca Smith’s live fiddle music. Her toe-tapping songs added a perfect, festive touch to the party. After the party ended, the Chocolaterie Stam’s regular Saturday afternoon musician arrived, and the two of them began jamming. You can hear a snippet of their impromptu concert at this Facebook link.
If you attended the party and would like to add to the list, now’s your chance! Just leave a comment in the box below.
