The book I’m working on takes
place in and around Bishop Hill ,
Illinois . I spent twenty-four
years of my adult life living and working there. I had a jewelry-making
business and raised two sons. I was involved in local organizations and on
occasion wrote for the Galva News. I think I know that area as well as anything
else in my life. Perhaps more than anything else. So naturally, the themes I
explore in my mystery novel revolve around my past experiences in this part of Henry County .
I say past, because I now live in Davenport ,
Iowa .
Central to my fictionalized story
of a recent college grad coming home to a mystery involving a prominent
Swedish-American folk artist and missing paintings is a cast of make-believe
characters that starts with a 103-year-old runaway. I found it far easier to create
these composite personalities than to name them all. In the midst of my first
NaNoWriMo surge of writing, I had to give up on finding everyone a unique
Swedish sounding surname. Instead, I went for the common and overused. This didn’t
turn out as bad as you might think; it actually presented a couple of
opportunities for humor. However, I wouldn’t call them Easter eggs in the
traditional sense of hidden treasures awaiting discovery by an astute reader.
They’re easy to spot and explained away early on.
Also in a lighter vein, I
took pains to add to my narrative many, many references to coffee. After all,
it’s such a Swedish thing to do. Stieg Larsson did it in his books, so why
couldn’t I? Two perfectly good excuses right there.
Anyway, I’m closing in on the
ending to my novel and still no cleverly hidden gem I’d call an Easter egg.
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