Curator, Cop

I often describe the protagonist of my Chloe Ellefson mysteries as a reluctant sleuth. Museum curator Chloe is much more interested in folklore and artifacts than in solving crimes. She gets pulled into investigations when her specialized knowledge is needed.

Otherwise she leaves police work to local cop Roelke McKenna. In the newest installment, Heritage of Darkness, Chloe and Roelke collaborate to solve a murder that takes place at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.

Chloe and Roelke are becoming more than friends. A romantic relationship has presented challenges, however. The two have very little in common.

So I was intrigued when Milwaukee radio host (and discerning reader) Mitch Teich asked me about the professional attributes Chloe and Roelke share.

Mitch is quite right. Every museum curator is a bit of a sleuth.

This wooden goat head reveals a lot about traditions that play a role in Heritage of Darkness.  (Image courtesy Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum)

Obviously the historical research needed to create programs at historic sites and museums involves investigation. Curators must be able to find and interpret clues in written records, oral tradition, artifacts, visual images, folklore, etc. in order to plan events and activities.

Old World Wisconsin's "The Spirit of Christmas Past" 

Chloe is a curator of collections. In a museum setting, artifacts are valued for what they can reveal about the people who made, owned, or used them.

Artifacts like this ale bowl always leave me wondering about the original owners. (Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum)

When an antique ale bowl disappears in the first book of the series, Old World Murder, Chloe's primary concern isn't the antique's monetary value.

In order to understand who might desperately want the bowl, she considers all the other reasons it might be important.  She must explore what's known about the piece in order to discover what has not yet been revealed.

So I guess Chloe and Roelke have more in common than it may initially appear.  That's good, because I have a lot more crimes in mind for these two investigators to solve.

For more information about the Chloe Ellefson mysteries, visit www.kathleenernst.com

Wreaking Havoc

The plot of my new Chloe Ellefson mystery, Heritage of Darkness, reflects the fundamental challenge I face each time I begin a new book in the series.  First, I pick a town and museum or historic site that I love to serve as setting.

Then, I start making (fictional) trouble.

Heritage of Darkness is set in Decorah, Iowa. The plot sees Chloe, her mother, and boyfriend/cop Roelke McKenna visiting Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum for folk art classes in December. The week gets off to a bad start when Chloe peeks inside an artifact trunk and finds a woman who was attacked and left for dead.

This is the trunk, which is on display in the Norwegian House exhibit at Vesterheim.

"I'll never be able to look at that trunk the same way," one of the curatorial staff told me after reading an advance draft of Heritage of Darkness.

Another key scene takes place in one of the buildings preserved in the museum's Open-Air Division. A volunteer who leads tours there had much the same reaction.

The Valdres House (in red) provided just what I needed.

Fortunately, both the volunteer and the curator thought that Heritage of Darkness was great fun.

Since all the books in the Chloe Ellefson series deal with the past, I work hard to learn as much as I can about not only the events that drive the actual plot, but the history of the museum or historic site being featured. I have a filter in my brain that automatically picks up on anything that I might be able to put to use in a mystery.

When I began writing the series, several writer-friends advised that I use fictional historic sites. I did consider that, but in the end couldn't do it.  My plots are inspired by real events, and I love having the opportunity to share museums I admire with readers.

Many readers seem to love that too. Some have the fun of reading a mystery set in a place they know well. Others are intrigued by what they read, and follow up by visiting the site.

So far, everyone involved with the host museum for each book has embraced the Chloe mysteries with enthusiasm. The books are set thirty years in the past, which provides some distance. Also, since I only write about places that I truly love, I think that in the end, that honest affection shines through more brightly than the passing details of a murder mystery plot.

Last week I had the pleasure of officially launching Heritage of Darkness at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.

Here I am with Steve Johnson, Vesterheim's Director.

It was a wonderful experience, in part due to the partnership that emerged as I worked on Heritage of Darkness. The staff has been phenomenally supportive. The museum gave us permission to include photos from their collection in the book, for example. In return, I'll do my best to introduce the museum to a new audience.

It's exactly what I hoped would happen when I began conceptualizing a mystery series featuring an historic sites curator.

I'm grateful for all the museum staff and local readers who have forgiven me for wreaking fictional havoc at the sites featured so far in the Chloe series. I hope to keep writing Chloe Ellefson mysteries, and building partnerships like this, for a long time.

Display at the Vesterheim Museum Store.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kathleenernst.com/chloe_ellefson.php

The Zone

I attended a signing by William Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart, and Libby Fischer Hellman last week at the fabulous new indie bookstore in Madison, WI.

It's always fun to attend events featuring other mystery authors. One of the things I enjoy is hearing questions from people in the audience.  It's helpful to learn what mystery readers want to know.

One man noted that athletes sometimes described being "in the zone," when everything disappears except the play. He wondered if authors every experienced something similar.

Responses ranged from "hardly ever" to "all the time, and it's wonderful." I won't attribute comments to specific authors because I'm paraphrasing from memory, but it was clear that people had very different experiences.

I spent years in the living history world as both an interpreter at an historic site and a reenactor at a variety of parks and battlefields. Reenactors sometimes speak of "the bubble," a moment when everything seems so real that they forget the present. Such bubbles are rare, and only last for seconds, but they are powerful. They are one of the reasons some reenactors go to extensive lengths to recreate a period environment as closely as possible.

Cavalry reenactors at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

I've had a few such moments over the years. When I worked as an historical interpreter, I spent my days in period clothing, going about the everyday tasks and chores of a 19th-century farm woman. While I loved sharing stories with visitors, I must admit that my favorite times were cold or rainy days when few guests ventured onto the site.

That's me, working at Old World Wisconsin, 1982.

These days I venture into the bubble most often in my imagination. Like most writers, I have days when I never lose awareness that I'm sitting in front of a computer, trying to figure out what to say next. Deadlines are always looming, so I don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to carry me away.

More often, though, I do enter what has been called a flow state. Wikipedia defines it this way:

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.

For me, Flow means disappearing into the scene I'm imagining. Although I often write in coffeeshops, I don't hear what's going on around me, or see who is coming or going at the next table. When I go on writing retreats, and hole up somewhere quiet, it's even better. Hours can pass before I emerge.

When I get going, even my cat knows to settle down.

My first four Chloe Ellefson Historic Sites mysteries were set in places I knew very well, which made it easier to disappear into my imagination. I'm celebrating the release of Heritage of Darkness this month. It's set in Decorah, Iowa---a place I love---and I hope that readers will be able to disappear into the pages in much the same way.

I'm also working hard on the fifth book. I chose to set this book in places I don't know as well, and at the beginning I wondered if I'd be able to find a good rhythm. Happily, once I got going, the writing began to flow.

As I thought about the gentleman's question, I realized that for me, pushing myself to write even when the words aren't flowing well actually leads me back to that place where they do flow. It's a paradox of sorts, but my advice is this:  don't stop because you're not in The Zone.  Keep working, keep going, and The Zone will find you.

INKSPOT NEWS - October 5, 2013

 Here are the new releases from Midnight Ink for October, 2013. They're all excellent reads!

Devil With a Gun by M. C. Grant

The riveting sequel to Angel With a Bullet, “a fast-paced combination of violence and sex” (Kirkus Reviews), Devil With a Gun leads Dixie Flynn to an incendiary confrontation with the most ruthless killers in San Francisco.

Heritage of Darkness by Kathleen Ernst

"Chloe’s fourth...provides a little mystery, a little romance and a little more information about Norwegian folk art and tales."—Kirkus Reviews

Plague Ship by Leonard Goldberg

"[An] all-too-plausible medical scenario that will send chills up the spine."—Kirkus Reviews


Also, on Tuesday, October 8th, from noon - 1:30 PM, Beth Groundwater will appear at the Colorado Mountain College, Coronado Cafe Room 701, 901 South Highway 24, Leadville, CO 80461. As part of their Local Author Series, she will talk about her path to publication, answer questions, and sign copies of her mystery novels.

Christmas All Year Long

My fourth Chloe Ellefson mystery, Heritage of Darkness, is soon hitting the bookshelves. Chloe Ellefson, my curator-protagonist, has traveled to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Iowa.

The book takes place during the first week of December, 1982. Chloe is asked to interview several elderly people about their Christmas traditions. Those traditions shape the plot. The book’s climactic scenes takes place against the backdrop of the museum’s annual Norwegian Christmas Weekend.

Several friends have wondered about the Christmas theme. Have I limited my audience? Will people want to read the book in July? Will Jewish readers be put-off?  Etc., etc.

I can’t help wondering why I haven’t ever gotten the similar questions in reverse. The first book in the series, Old World Murder, takes place in June; The Heirloom Murders takes place in July; The Light Keeper’s Legacy takes place in September. No one’s ever asked if I’m worried that readers won’t want to read those books in winter.  No one’s suggested that the series is only of interest to Christian readers because Chloe was raised in the Lutheran church.

Perhaps it’s the specific holiday that prompts the question.  Are people in the mood for Christmas reading while sunning on a beach?  Will people who don’t observe Christmas be interested?

Obviously, I hope so.  What attracted me to this time and place is the wealth of heritage and traditions swirling around the holiday observances.

Photo courtesy Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.

Chloe discovers that some of the customs popular in Norwegian-American communities have roots that stretch far into the pagan past, when evil spirits roamed the skies during the darkest, coldest days of the year. Any humble peasant who dared venture forth was in danger, and people developed unique traditions as they tried to ward away evil.

Darkness, evil, fear…all pretty good stuff for a mystery writer!  I had great fun weaving some of the folklore into the plot.

So, what do you think? Are you careful to read books only “in season?” Do you mind reading books that touch on specific holidays? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Want to learn more? You'll find lots of resources on the Heritage of Darkness page of my website.

The Amazing Race

by Kathleen Ernst

I recently turned in the manuscript for the fourth Chloe Ellefson mystery, Heritage of Darkness.  There’s still work to do—final corrections, proofing, writing acknowledgments—but the book is basically done.

Phew.  Reaching this stage always makes me feel as if I’ve just completed the last sprint of a long and challenging race.

Which reminds me of the one reality TV show I watch faithfully—The Amazing Race.  Eleven teams race around the world, performing tasks and trying to avoid elimination.  The jubilation the winning team displays upon crossing the final line and meeting Phil, the host, reflects my feelings when I zipped that manuscript off to Terri, Midnight Ink’s host…er, acquiring editor.

Last fall was crazy-busy, so I needed a little extra time to finish Heritage of Darkness.  That means that I’m already behind schedule for Chloe #5.  As I write this,  I’m digging into the new book.  This morning I began assigning names to the new characters hovering patiently at the edge of my brain.

The process reminds me of the first episode of each installment of the Amazing Race.  A new season started recently, and all of the participants are strangers to me.  I don’t know who the nice people are and who are jerks.  I don’t know why, or even if, I should care about any of them.

After completing Heritage of Darkness, I’d finished the stories of characters I’d come to know intimately.  Now, my new secondary characters for Chloe #5 feel flat.

Fortunately, the writing process will reveal all.  I’ll discover which characters are unnecessary to the story (“I’m sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the novel.”)  I’ll come to know the rest in all their juicy complexity, each with a role to play.

That’s one of the pleasures of delving into each new installment of the Chloe Ellefson series.  I love watching the two main characters—who I know very well--grow and change and learn to work together.  I love getting to know the new cast.

I love traveling to new places, seeing the sights, discovering what I can about local history and culture.  I love poking around, sometimes backtracking down blind alleys, striving to meet unexpected challenges, occasionally stumbling over the unexpected but perfect souvenir.

If that all sounds like a leisurely way to approach a novel…well, I guess it is.  I don’t outline.  The journey itself reveals what I need to know.  The pace will pick up as I travel deeper into the story.

Until I reach the final leg, with not a million dollars (uproarious laughter) but instead a deadline looming on the horizon, and a frantic sprint needed to get there.


www.kathleenernst.com