Sumas author and former librarian Jo Dereske will read from "Index to Murder," her latest book about Helma Zukas, the Bellehaven librarian who uses her skills and talent to solve local mysteries, this time about the theft of two paintings by her friend, Ruth.
As in your other Miss Zukas books, you often refer to local places and events, and sometimes inside jokes and references — such as the issue of building a new library — that only Bellinghamsters would catch. How do you weave in those references, and still make the book work for a reader in, say, Texas?
Whatcom County is my home and my "canvas." I enjoy taking a small, even insignificant, issue and twisting it into murderous proportions. The inspiration for "Index to Murder" came from three years of observing a stream bank dotted with baby trees protected by blue plastic tubes.
As for the new library issue, reality caught up with me! When I began the series in the '90s, the Bellingham library had recently been enlarged. I wanted to give my fictional Bellehaven library a continuing struggle for a new building — and look at us now!
I like to think that a reader in Texas will find it a pleasure to read a Northwest take on issues that are often universal, and to feel she’s just experienced a visit to the Northwest.
Do you take personality traits or individuals in our community and use them in your novels?
I do use personality traits of people I meet or observe, but I've never used an actual "whole" person; it's far too limiting when you're writing fiction to be restricted by an existing personality.
You've incorporated some things from your Lithuanian heritage in this series, as well. What's enjoyable for you about the whole "word" process?
I grew up in a large family with little money but an absolute lust for books and words. My mother paid close attention to how people used language, and that's been the basis for the way my characters speak. Ruth, who's fearless, will never speak like Helma Zukas, whose strongest expletive is "Oh, Faulkner!" And when the library director, Ms. Moon, speaks, I hope readers can hear the sneaky undertones behind her perfectly reasonable words.
Dialogue is the easiest part of writing for me; I "hear" my characters' individual voices. I love the physicality of words and often savor them aloud while I'm writing, a habit of my father’s since English was his second language.
At one point, one of your characters says that to commit a murder, one must have "means, motive and opportunity" — a good recipe for any good crime/thriller/mystery writer. What kinds of things do you talk about when you present a writing workshop?
The two questions I hear most often in workshops are, "How can I write anything original when there are so many writers?" and "How do I get published?" Creating on paper is a lonely business, and I try to reassure writers that being original doesn't mean you're saying what no one else has ever said, but that you're giving it your own unique view, which is original.
The first thing I ask anyone who asks how to get published, is, "Is your book finished?" Holding workshops is a continual learning process for me, since each attendee brings different expectations and experiences. Talking about books and writing is terrifically invigorating, and it encourages every writer to write more, and every reader to read more. I’m always jotting down titles people mention.
The setting of the Pacific Northwest is, as in many good novels, its own character. What kinds of things do you keep in mind in creating the setting of this series?
I try to portray the "feel" of the Northwest, the way our weather affects our moods and outlook, the breathtaking beauty, our relative isolation, and yes, even the curious righteous earnestness that occasionally pops up. The Northwest setting has dictated the plot for every book: the Ski to Sea Race, the reservation, the mountains and islands. And in this book, environmentalism and chain-saw artists. I've toyed with moving Miss Zukas to another part of the country but I couldn't write the same series if I did.
What kinds of things do you use from your career as a librarian in terms of theme, character development and plot in this series?
As a librarian, I was exposed to a gamut of personalities, who walk through my books in one form or another, from the man who accused me of stealing words from the pages of a book to the child found hiding in the adult reference section so he could feast on a set of encyclopedias. Librarians especially will tell me tales from their own libraries. I’m always learning from readers!