Technology is getting way ahead of me. This month I'm doing a "teleconference" interview, and I'm not even sure how it works. All I know is that on April 26 at 7:30 pm I'll be hooked up to an interviewer by phone, and we'll chat. The weird thing is that anyone who wants to can listen in. No, not on the radio. By phone! If you're interested, visit http://www.armchairinterviews.com/ and see what it's all about. You can sign up to participate in my interview, and you can even send in a question for the interviewer, Andrea Sisco, to ask me. Andrea has read both NIGHT FALLS LIKE SILK and its prequel, THE NIGHT REMEMBERS, and she's an experienced TV interviewer. Should be fun.
Well, I've improved my web site updating habits. Now that A VIEW OF THE RIVER (Sept '05) is finished and well along in the editorial process at my publishing house, I can breathe a little easier. I don't know why this was such a difficult book to write. I love the setting, love the characters, was intrigued by the setup right from the getgo. The hero is an Ojibwe holy man. He might also be called a pipe carrier, but the term "medicine man" is Hollywood-ish. We (husband Clyde and I) have known several holy men, and I'm fascinated by the challenge that calling presents. Traditionally, a holy man does not take payment for conducting ceremonies, but might receive gifts. Non-Indian "new agers" seem to have a fascination with Indian medicine, and, of course, I do, too--even though I'm not a new ager. There's a bit of hippie in me, and I'm getting some age on me (as Clyde would say), but I'm the Eagle's Nest resident skeptic and straight man. And that's the role of the heroine in A VIEW OF THE RIVER.
If you hop over to www.kathleeneagle.com and go to the April News, you'll see pictures of our baby's wedding (2 years ago), the event that really inspired this story. When I visited with the manager of the Linden Hill Retreat and Conference Center (Little Falls, MN) she showed me some strange pictures that were taken on the premises. Ghost photography? Interesting, but rmember, I'm a skeptic.
Imagine my surprise when one of the pictures taken by my dear author friend Pamela Bauer revealed an orb on Christopher's cheek. You can see it vaguely on my web site, but--you'll have to trust me on this--it's perfectly clear in the original photo. Together with the history of the estate--built by lumber barons whose industry caused the displacement of the Ojibwe back at the turn of the 19th century--the atmosphere at Linden Hill really got my creative juices flowing.
My editor says the book is fabulous. No, she doesn't have to say nice things. She's got The Power. Her first comment: "Why can't I meet a man like Birch Trueblood?" I can't wait to find out what readers think.