About my writing
My books are set in small towns because that’s what I know best. Except for Sophie’s Lies, they are historical fiction in nature. Other than learning about the logging industry and the nineteenth century as a whole, the
Family Saga Series
required little research. Hersey’s history was passed down to me by parents, grandparents and people I knew and listened to as a child.
The
Idlewild Series
was different, and I needed to learn through research. I found few real historical documents about Idlewild but a great deal concerning events of the 1920’s in Michigan and in the nation. It was a time of tribulation for our country, and I used what I learned to describe what could – or likely did – occur in the nation’s largest African American resort prior to the civil rights acts.
The
North Series
takes place in several small towns in northern lower Michigan: Pere Cheney, Burt Lake, Cross Village and Harbor Springs. The tales take place during the late nineteenth century when attitudes about morality tore lives apart, when medical knowledge consisted of bloodletting, when injustice toward Native Americans slept with greed, and ignorance became institutionalized. Research breaks my heart with terrible truths I sometimes wish I hadn’t learned.
Peninsula Series
begins with the copper mine strike of 1912 which indirectly resulted in the Italian Hall disaster on Christmas eve. I’ve been told the unparalleled beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula comes to life in both books as Heddi looks for forgiveness and the president of the Hecla and Calumet Mine finds grace. The prohibition of alcohol frames several historical events in Keweenaw Stump Juice and provides humor in the search for hidden stills and the distinctive characters tending them.
Sophie's Lies
came about as a result of conversations with many women over a couple of decades. They wanted to hear their voices in my work. They wanted to see the complex arguments they had with themselves in print on the pages of a book. I complied.
The Long March Home
blends America’s treatment of Native Americans with World War I. It highlights life in several of Pratt’s callous Indian boarding schools, and takes you to the trenches of northern France, the Allied need for unbreakable coded messages and the heroism of our Native speaking soldiers. Unusual and surprising friendships prove compassion is alive. I found tears and grins in the creation of this book. Once again, terrible truths make me wonder about the reporting of our history.
I am often asked how I create characters and events, and I don’t have a clear response. I make detailed lists describing new characters and refer to it frequently throughout the writing process, but the people in my books don’t always stay where or who I want them to be. They get pushy and go off on their own – do their own things. Many such people live in my books, but Harley in the Saga Series is the best example of a man who materialized and wouldn’t go away or die off. And I love him. He’s as real to me as someone with flesh and blood. So, I don’t know the answer to that question. Wish I did.
|
Thank you for your support and have a wonderful day!
 |
