CK Van Dam's Blog, page 7

“On the Dakota Frontier” series continues

I wrote Proving Her Claim: On the Dakota Frontier 20 years before it was finally published. But my second book took only (only!) a year to research, write, polish, and bring to readers.

I write “only” because more prolific writers publish three, six, or nine books a year. I can’t imagine the pressure, but I’m proud to say that Lone Tree Claim: On the Dakota Frontier will be published in October. It’s the story of another strong pioneer woman who stakes a claim in Dakota Territory. Katie Rose Kelly, a determined widow, leaves her father’s home in Chicago to start a new life after the Civil War.

Like Proving Her Claim, the inspiration for Lone Tree Claim has historical roots. Several years ago, the South Dakota Ag Heritage Museum featured an exhibit entitled “The Unspun Tale: Sheep in South Dakota.” As I walked through the exhibit, I was struck by the headline “Sheep for the cash. Cattle for the prestige.” It’s a common and well-known adage among farmers and ranchers in our part of the country.

And on those ranches that ran both sheep and cattle, women were often responsible for the sheep. That’s the plot for Lone Tree Claim — that, and a host of natural and man-made challenges that my gutsy heroine faces.

I’m excited to introduce this new book — and a new family of characters — to readers this fall.

The post “On the Dakota Frontier” series continues appeared first on CK Van Dam.

September is National Literacy Month

During National Literacy Month, I’d like to thank the teachers and mentors dedicated to helping children and adults learn to read.

Reading has always been one of my “favorite things.” As a child, my mother and father would read to my sister and me before bedtime. While my mother “stuck to the script,” my father would ad-lib with ridiculous comments about what the characters said or were doing. That kept us on our toes and kept us glued to the story. As a mother, I read to my children to give them a love of reading, whether it was a book, a comic book or a magazine. Now, I’m thrilled that bedtime reading is part of my grandchildren’s nightly rituals.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of disappearing into a book.

In my community, several programs are working to increase literacy for people of all ages. The Promising Futures Fund‘s Book-a-Month Club started in 2019 to give books to low-income school children. The Promising Futures Fund currently covers 240 kindergartens through 5th-grade classrooms across 13 elementary schools in Sioux Falls. To date, roughly 5,700 students have received 51,000 books! As a “charter member” of the club, I love visiting the classrooms to read to these kids.

REACH Literacy focuses on adult literacy in Sioux Falls. This organization is expanding its programs through a new Literacy Center dedicated to teaching adults to speak, read and write in English. During National Literacy Month — and beyond — I will be supporting this organization’s programs as well.

Please consider volunteering at a school or library, donating to a local or national literacy program, or setting aside “story time” with your kids. It’s true that “readers are leaders.”

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The post September is National Literacy Month appeared first on CK Van Dam.

September is National Literacy Month

During National Literacy Month, I’d like to thank the teachers and mentors dedicated to helping children and adults learn to read.

Reading has always been one of my “favorite things.” As a child, my mother and father would read to my sister and me before bedtime. While my mother “stuck to the script,” my father would ad-lib with ridiculous comments about what the characters said or were doing. That kept us on our toes and kept us glued to the story. As a mother, I read to my children to give them a love of reading, whether it was a book, a comic book or a magazine. Now, I’m thrilled that bedtime reading is part of my grandchildren’s nightly rituals.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of disappearing into a book.

In my community, several programs are working to increase literacy for people of all ages. The Promising Futures Fund‘s Book-a-Month Club started in 2019 to give books to low-income school children. The Promising Futures Fund currently covers 240 kindergartens through 5th-grade classrooms across 13 elementary schools in Sioux Falls. To date, roughly 5,700 students have received 51,000 books! As a “charter member” of the club, I love visiting the classrooms to read to these kids.

REACH Literacy focuses on adult literacy in Sioux Falls. This organization is expanding its programs through a new Literacy Center dedicated to teaching adults to speak, read and write in English. During National Literacy Month — and beyond — I will be supporting this organization’s programs as well.

Please consider volunteering at a school or library, donating to a local or national literacy program, or setting aside “story time” with your kids. It’s true that “readers are leaders.”

The post September is National Literacy Month appeared first on CK Van Dam.

Naming characters

Recently a reader asked me, “How do you name your characters?” That’s a great question.

In Proving Her Claim, the main characters are Norwegian and Lakota. For Anna Olson and her family, I actually tapped my family history. It’s rife with Olsons and Johnsons, as well as Olafs and Johannas.

In naming Two Hawks, Yellow Bird and Shining Water, I researched how the Lakota culture names family members.

There are, however, some basic rules for naming characters in literature. I learned not to use names that were too similar to each other or names that start with the name letter, such as Jake and Jack, or Tom and Tim. That can be confusing to readers. Also, the names should be easy to pronounce.

 offers several rules for naming characters:
1. Check the meaning of names. Lucifer, for instance, certainly makes a statement.
2. Get your era right. I wouldn’t have used a 21st-century name, like Heather or Madison, for a character in the 1800s.
3. Say the names aloud. A good name on paper might be confusing to the ear.
4. Use different initials and a variety of syllables for the cast of characters.
5. Consider alliteration. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books is a good example.
6. Don’t be too specific with names. Writers’ Digest cautions that can lead to lawsuits by “real life” people.
7. Double-check to ensure the names are ethnically correct.

I’ve also read about authors who  off the naming rights. Often, the highest bid is donated to a charity. That’s a great idea — as long as the name makes sense for the character.

Spoiler: In my next novel, you’ll see a lot of Irish names, as well as alliteration.

The post Naming characters appeared first on CK Van Dam.

Naming characters

Recently a reader asked me, “How do you name your characters?” That’s a great question.

In Proving Her Claim, the main characters are Norwegian and Lakota. For Anna Olson and her family, I actually tapped my family history. It’s rife with Olsons and Johnsons, as well as Olafs and Johannas.

In naming Two Hawks, Yellow Bird and Shining Water, I researched how the Lakota culture names family members.

There are, however, some basic rules for naming characters in literature. I learned not to use names that were too similar to each other or names that start with the name letter, such as Jake and Jack, or Tom and Tim. That can be confusing to readers. Also, the names should be easy to pronounce.

offers several rules for naming characters:
1. Check the meaning of names. Lucifer, for instance, certainly makes a statement.
2. Get your era right. I wouldn’t have used a 21st-century name, like Heather or Madison, for a character in the 1800s.
3. Say the names aloud. A good name on paper might be confusing to the ear.
4. Use different initials and a variety of syllables for the cast of characters.
5. Consider alliteration. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books is a good example.
6. Don’t be too specific with names. Writers’ Digest cautions that can lead to lawsuits by “real life” people.
7. Double-check to ensure the names are ethnically correct.

I’ve also read about authors who off the naming rights. Often, the highest bid is donated to a charity. That’s a great idea — as long as the name makes sense for the character.

Spoiler: In my next novel, you’ll see a lot of Irish names, as well as alliteration.

The post Naming characters appeared first on CK Van Dam.

Writing (and Riding) the Dakotas

That was the title of a panel discussion at this year’s Western Writers of America convention. And, even though I was a first-time attendee, I was asked to participate and provide a South Dakotan’s take on Writing Dakota.

Panel members discussed how the Midwest’s particular traits become part of the story. The land itself often plays an integral part in the story line. (A collection of articles in Old Trails and New Roads in South Dakota History does an excellent job of defining some of the state’s unique characteristics.)

The land is a topic that’s close to my heart. Proving Her Claim is set in Dakota Territory just after the Civil War. It’s a time when pioneers where flooding into the western lands, pushing native tribes into smaller and smaller tracts of land.

For my part of the panel, I explained how the prairie became a character in my novel. In her first encounter with Two Hawks MacKenzie, Anna Olson compares her childhood home with her new home.

 “I grew up on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Bay is huge and we had lots of green trees, hills and valleys.” Her eyes swept the flat, endless expanse of prairie. “Out here, it seems the horizon goes on forever. It’s beautiful, so wide open, and so wild.”

As the story progresses, Anna comes to love the Dakota plains, from the endless horizons to the prairie grasses and flowers.

If springtime on the plains was a riot of purple, pink and yellow prairie flowers, then autumn’s colors were a golden hue. The waist-high grasses, now dried and brown, waved in golden ripples across the endless expanse of Dakota Territory.

Not all the panel members wrote about Dakota Territory. Several of the writers had books set in contemporary times. But even today, Dakota’s unique geography, from the flat lands east of the Missouri River to the rugged terrain of western Dakota, lends itself to story telling.

Panel members didn’t discuss just the geography and terrain. The panelists also provided information on how to research Dakota’s history through insurance records and historical documents.

And the “Riding” portion of the panel’s title? Yep – several of the panelists live and work on ranches. They’re writing and riding Dakota.

The post Writing (and Riding) the Dakotas appeared first on CK Van Dam.

Writing (and Riding) the Dakotas

That was the title of a panel discussion at this year’s Western Writers of America convention. And, even though I was a first-time attendee, I was asked to participate and provide a South Dakotan’s take on Writing Dakota.

Panel members discussed how the Midwest’s particular traits become part of the story. The land itself often plays an integral part in the story line. (A collection of articles in Old Trails and New Roads in South Dakota History does an excellent job of defining some of the state’s unique characteristics.)

The land is a topic that’s close to my heart. Proving Her Claim is set in Dakota Territory just after the Civil War. It’s a time when pioneers where flooding into the western lands, pushing native tribes into smaller and smaller tracts of land.

For my part of the panel, I explained how the prairie became a character in my novel. In her first encounter with Two Hawks MacKenzie, Anna Olson compares her childhood home with her new home.

 “I grew up on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Bay is huge and we had lots of green trees, hills and valleys.” Her eyes swept the flat, endless expanse of prairie. “Out here, it seems the horizon goes on forever. It’s beautiful, so wide open, and so wild.”

As the story progresses, Anna comes to love the Dakota plains, from the endless horizons to the prairie grasses and flowers.

If springtime on the plains was a riot of purple, pink and yellow prairie flowers, then autumn’s colors were a golden hue. The waist-high grasses, now dried and brown, waved in golden ripples across the endless expanse of Dakota Territory.

Not all the panel members wrote about Dakota Territory. Several of the writers had books set in contemporary times. But even today, Dakota’s unique geography, from the flat lands east of the Missouri River to the rugged terrain of western Dakota, lends itself to story telling.

Panel members didn’t discuss just the geography and terrain. The panelists also provided information on how to research Dakota’s history through insurance records and historical documents.

And the “Riding” portion of the panel’s title? Yep – several of the panelists live and work on ranches. They’re writing and riding Dakota.

The post Writing (and Riding) the Dakotas appeared first on CK Van Dam.

The next book in the “Claim” series

I didn’t set out to be a multi-book author. I thought once I’d written Proving Her Claim, I’d have the writing bug out of my system.

I was wrong.

Like Proving Her Claim, my next book was inspired by a fact or, more accurately, a museum exhibit. Several years ago, the South Dakota Ag Heritage Museum presented a retrospective: The Unspun Tale: Sheep in South Dakota.

The exhibit drew me in with this statement: Sheep for the money; Cattle for the prestige. Sheep, after all, provide two paychecks: wool and mutton. It was those hardy sheep that often helped farmers and ranchers make ends meet. I thought about that and the more I learned, I found that women often managed the sheep while the menfolk rode herd on the cattle. I had another story to tell about women homesteaders.

That’s the basis for my new “Claim” book scheduled for publication this fall. Lone Tree Claim is the story of a woman from Chicago who moves west to start a new life. Here’s a synopsis:

Like many Americans, Civil War widow Katie Rose Kelly was determined to build a new life for herself after the devastation of war. She was drawn to the Dakota frontier, where she claimed 160 acres and became a sheepherder.

But that was just the beginning of her journey.

As a woman alone on the wide-open Dakota frontier, she fought nature as well as powerful cattle ranchers who saw sheep as competition for valuable grazing lands. With grit and determination, Katie built a new life, fostered new friendships, and kindled new love.

While this historical fiction book could be categorized as a Western romance, there’s a strong storyline about the friendship and support that women offer one another. I’ll write more about that in a future blog.

I hope you’ll check back in a few weeks for more information about Lone Tree Claim: On the Dakota Frontier.

The post The next book in the “Claim” series appeared first on CK Van Dam.

The next book in the “Claim” series

I didn’t set out to be a multi-book author. I thought once I’d written Proving Her Claim, I’d have the writing bug out of my system.

I was wrong.

Like Proving Her Claim, my next book was inspired by a fact or, more accurately, a museum exhibit. Several years ago, the South Dakota Ag Heritage Museum presented a retrospective: The Unspun Tale: Sheep in South Dakota.

The exhibit drew me in with this statement: Sheep for the money; Cattle for the prestige. Sheep, after all, provide two paychecks: wool and mutton. It was those hardy sheep that often helped farmers and ranchers make ends meet. I thought about that and the more I learned, I found that women often managed the sheep while the menfolk rode herd on the cattle. I had another story to tell about women homesteaders.

That’s the basis for my new “Claim” book scheduled for publication this fall. Lone Tree Claim is the story of a woman from Chicago who moves west to start a new life. Here’s a synopsis:

Like many Americans, Civil War widow Katie Rose Kelly was determined to build a new life for herself after the devastation of war. She was drawn to the Dakota frontier, where she claimed 160 acres and became a sheepherder.

But that was just the beginning of her journey.

As a woman alone on the wide-open Dakota frontier, she fought nature as well as powerful cattle ranchers who saw sheep as competition for valuable grazing lands. With grit and determination, Katie built a new life, fostered new friendships, and kindled new love.

While this historical fiction book could be categorized as a Western romance, there’s a strong storyline about the friendship and support that women offer one another. I’ll write more about that in a future blog.

I hope you’ll check back in a few weeks for more information about Lone Tree Claim: On the Dakota Frontier.

The post The next book in the “Claim” series appeared first on CK Van Dam.

Researching the art of cheesemaking

When I give an Author Talk, I’ve found that audiences are very interested in the research involved in writing a historical novel. In Proving Her Claim, Anna Olson travels from Wisconsin, the #1 cheesemaking state in the country. Her plan is to start a dairy farm and make cheese.

That meant I needed to learn how to make cheese — at least well enough to describe the process to readers. And that meant research. Coincidentally, I toured a cheese plant in upstate New York several years ago as part of a work assignment. That tour showed me how the “big players” make cheese.

Anna’s dairy and cheese production was on a much smaller scale, but the basic process was the same. Today, Anna’s Deer Creek Dairy would be producing “artisan cheese.” Traditional cheesemakers produce cheese by hand on the farm using old techniques passed down through many generations. These artisans rely only on their senses of sight, smell, and touch.

Cheese starts with pure, fresh milk. Acidification is the first step in making cheese by adding a starter culture to the milk. In the book, Uncle Olaf presented Anna with a batch of starter culture from her Aunt Christina, an award-winning cheesemaker in Wisconsin.

Without giving away Anna’s secret family recipe, here’s how cheesemaking was described in the book:

First, she briefly cooked the raw milk, then she added Aunt Christina’s starter culture, being careful to hold a bit of the culture back for future batches. The starter culture turned the milk slightly acidic, making it ready for the rennet, which produced milk curds. Anna then cut the curds into small cubes and heated the mixture until she was satisfied with the texture. Skimming off the liquid whey, Anna was pleased to see large slabs of curds forming on the bottom of the cooking vat. She processed these slabs, rubbing in salt for flavor, and then pressed the result into one of the cheese presses that Uncle Olaf had made for her.

With that, Anna Olson’s Deer Creek Dairy was on its way (whey?) to becoming the Dakota Territory’s premier dairy.

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