Ask Mrs. M – Part 7

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The questions never end! I received more questions after posting parts 5 and 6, so here is Ask Mrs. M part 7. Remember: if you want to ask a question, great! But make sure the question has not already been answered in one of the other previously posted parts 1-6.

1. What made you decide to write the Goldtown books? And where did you get inspiration for the stories/plots? (Annie)

The parents at homeschool conventions wanted a books series like the Circle C Adventures but with a boy has the main character. I did the math and it worked out great to have it set during the waning days of the California gold rush (1864). That is 15 year before the Circle C Adventures are set. This way I could include a young (age 12) Chad Carter, who visits Goldtown with his father in Tunnel of Gold (the rich Carter family are part owner of the Midas Mine). Jem and Chad get to be great friends. Years later, Chad marries Jem’s younger sister, Ellie. And we have come full circle! Where did I get the inspiration for the stories/plots? Mostly, I thought of something that had to do historically with the gold rush, like the Chinese miners, the Civil War, etc. I even used a riverboat and the southern “Knights of the Golden Circle.”

For the plot idea for Tunnel of Gold, well . . . go to YouTube and watch the Big Valley episode “Rimfire” >> A sheriff and his son, an overpowering mine owner who wants to use the sheriff to get rid of the Chinese miners so he can dig an airshaft, and you will see the similarities. Of course, in my version, the mine blows up and the kids are trapped, which is much more exciting than the Big Valley episode. LOL

2. When you get a book back after it’s been published, do you ever wish you could change your wording, a paragraph etc. (Micaiah)

Not so much any more, but when I first started writing the Circle C Adventures, I so wished I could make it better! My awesome publisher, Kregel Publications, gave me that chance for the tenth anniversary of the Adventures being in print. New covers and I could do what I wanted. I fixed a lot of stuff in Long Ride Home (my first book) but as I became a better writer, by the time I got to revising Price of Truth, it didn’t need a lot of fixing.

3. Also, do you ever wish you could add something to your books after they are published? (Micaiah)

See the answer above. I added over 4,000 words to Long Ride Home, even a new chapter for the Anniversary edition. It was so much fun!

4. What is your least favorite book you’ve written and why? (Lelah)

Andrea Carter’s Tales from the Circle C Ranch is my least favorite. Why? Well, because I wish I had not written it in first person. That gave it a completely different feel than the other books. Another reason is because the marketing manager at the time wanted to give it a strange cover. I did not agree. I wanted it to look like the rest of the books (with the tan covers at the time). However, the publisher gets the last say, so needless to say, I was never thrilled with the results. Worse, it’s been 8 years and I have still not “earned out” my advance. (The publisher pays you ahead of time and then you earn it out as the book sells.) For example, the two new Milestones books both earned out their advances in six months.

But good news! Kregel is letting me rewrite the Circle C short story book and actually creating TWO books with some being new stories.

5. Did you ever think about having Elizabeth Carter marry again? (H.)

I sometimes get a brief brainstorm to give it a try. But I’m not sure if I would have Andi accept this or have a hard time with it. It’ almost too late at this point, since Andi is married and would probably not care. But as a child and young teen, I thought it would be intriguing to put Andi and the family into this situation. However, I have never attempted to write it, so there are no draft that I could share with you.

6. Does Jem ever get married (anonymous)

Oh! I suppose he does but since my mind is still on writing Goldtown books when he is 12 and 13, I can’t even begin to imagine or plan anything like that out!

7. Are their any stories behind the names in the Circle C books other than Nila? (anonymous)

As a matter of fact, most of the core character of the Circle C series (and Goldtown) were named after friends or family. Here’s a quick rundown of the ones I can remember.

1. Chad, named after my oldest son. His character is similar to my son’s–determined, likes to argue, but has a soft heart. Chad’s character is also very much like “Nick” in the Big Valley TV show.
2. Mitchell, named after our pastor’s number 7 child. Why? He was blond and I envisioned Mitch to be blond.
3. Melinda Jane, named after the little girl I taught in our co-op, who ended up marrying my son Andrew. Go figure. (The real Melinda Jane goes by “Jane” to her friends and family.)
4. Aunt Rebecca, named after one of my friends’ daughters. At age 14, Rebecca was the only one in the one-day writing group that I hosted who said, “Yes, you should do it!” when all the other young writers (and even fellow adult writers) said, “No! Don’t kill off Taffy!”
5. Jeremiah “Jem” from Goldtown, named after the character “Jem” in To Kill a Mockingbird. I just loved the way it sounded, but I didn’t want to be a copycat and have his full name be Jeremy (like in that book). I also wanted a strong Old Testament character that I could refer to occasionally a Jem’s namesake. Also, the new covers for Goldtown will feature a new Jem, my grandson Levi. He was just a toddler when the books first came out, but he was perfect at age 12.5 to model Jem, who is also 12.5 years old.
6. Ellianna (Jem’s sister), named after my second oldest granddaughter. While I named her for one granddaughter, I used my oldest granddaughter, Kaetlyn, as the role model for looks (auburn hair in two short braids, freckles, etc.) I could not use her name, as it’s too modern.
7. Cousin Nathan, named for my oldest grandson. No reason except that I wanted to give him a part in the whole process.

8. What was your favorite trip growing up? (Sophie)

When I was in the 8th grade going into 9th, our family of six traveled from WA to State College, PA, so my dad could learn about computers. He was a math teacher and the entire summer school was paid for. I used the old green/light green computer paper to write all my stories that summer (scrounged out of the trash cans in the computer center). I saw my very first firefly! (They are awesome by the way.) My little sister and I went outside to play in a huge rainstorm, since the rain was warm (unlike rain in WA). Every weekend, our family went somewhere–Hershey factory, Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., Penn’s Cave, and a whole bunch of fun experiences. On our way home, we spent a night in NYC. I rode the subway and went to the observatory.

Then we visited relatives in Minnesota, where I rode my first horse! My mother’s cousin put me on the horse, showed me how the reins worked, and told me to go ride. I loved it! I galloped and pretended I was on the Bonanza TV show. A wonderful trip that lasted all summer.

9. What is your favorite game? (Sophie)

That’s too hard to pick. I am a game player. I like all kinds of games. I can’t pick a favorite. Maybe . . . bridge as an adult. As a kid, I loved Sungka, a game my cousin David taught me when they came home on furlough from the Philippians (they were missionaries). I still have the original, hand-carved Sungka board (and little shells). The game looks similar to this board, but mine is darker and more intricately carved. David and I would play this game for hours at our aunt’s house when we visited. His family also taught me and my sisters the game of “Rook.”

10. Are you ever going to make Elizabeth die?

Hmm . . . intriguing idea. Possibly but not in the near future.

11. In both book series (Goldtown and Circle C) you have a parent die. In Goldtown Jem’s mother, and in Circle C Andi’s father. Was that on purpose or did it just happen? If it was on purpose, did you have a special reason, or did the idea come from a true-life experience? (M the Andi Fan)

For the Circle C books, well, to be honest, the books started out as Big Valley fan fiction (adding the Andi character to the series). Tom Barkley had been shot and killed before the series aired, leaving his wife and three sons to run the ranch. So, that is why Andi’s father died too. Basically, having no father in the picture opens the stories up so Justin, Chad, and Mitch can take on that role, giving them a major presence (at least, that’s what the editor said when he reviewed the manuscript for consideration for publishing). I can’t image what Justin’s role would be in the books if he was not Andi’ advocate and father figure.

For the Goldtown books, have no mother opened the door for a reason for Aunt Rose and Cousin Nathan to come West to take over caring for the household. Her husband (Nathan’s father) was killed at Gettysburg, so it was quite realistic. Oh, yes, and remember that answer about the episode “Rimfire”? The boy was motherless with a sheriff father. So of course that sounded like a great idea to me.

12. Do you plan to write any more Circle C Milestones book?

That is a very leading question! Ask me again after I finish the last two Goldtown books. I think I would like to explore something with Jared and the twins, or maybe even do something like Louisa May Alcott did with her Eight Cousins novel. But I’ll see how drained I am after giving my all to Ocean of No Return, which I am still working on as this blog post goes live.