Jane Kirkpatrick and Free Books!

A true story, imagined, of one of the first black women to cross the Oregon Trail and the law suit that makes us remember her and be inspired by her courage.

Before we visit today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Chapel Springs Revival, by Ane Mulligan, is:

cpk153@ . . .

and the winner of the signed copy of Song of the Prairie, by Vickie McDonough, is:

may_dayzee@

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing addresses, and we'll get your books to you right away.

I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's revisit with novelist Jane Kirkpatrick, author of A Light in the Wilderness (Revell, September 2014).

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling author of 26 books, including A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center, an award won by Barbara Kingsolver and James Michener.

Her works have been finalists for the Christy, Spur, Oregon Book Awards, WILLA Literary, Reader’s Choice Awards, and have won the WILLA Literary Award, USABestBooks.com Award and the Carol Award for Historical Fiction. Many of her titles have been Book of the Month and Literary Guild selections.

Jane speaks internationally about the power of stories in our lives and is a frequent keynote and retreat leader. She was named the Distinguished Northwest Writer of 2005 by Willamette Writers.

A former mental health clinic director, consultant to Native American tribes and a rancher for 27 years, Jane now lives with her husband Jerry and two dogs in Central Oregon near Bend.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

-- I’m a licensed pilot.

-- I wrote wretched little poems as a child.

-- My first article was published in Sports Afield about how to repair a fishing rod in the wild using pine tree pitch. I don’t fish much but my husband told me this story and I loved it! So I wrote my version.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of A Light in the Wilderness.

Letitia holds nothing more dear than the papers that prove she is no longer a slave. She trusts these words she cannot read – as she is beginning to trust Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant cattleman who wants her to leave Missouri and come west with him.

Nancy Hawkins is loathe to leave her settled life for the treacherous journey by wagon train, but she’s so deeply in love with her husband and knows she will follow him anywhere.

Betsy is a Kalapuya Indian, the last remnant of a once proud tribe in the Willamette Valley, Oregon Territory. She spends her time trying to impart the wisdom and ways of her people to her grandson. And she’ll soon have another person to care for.

As season turns to season, suspicion turns to friendship and fear turns to courage, three spirited women will discover what it truly means to be free in a land that makes promises it cannot fulfill. Based on a true story, imagined.

What is it about Letitia that will make your readers care about her?

Letitia is making an incredible change in her life, entering into an unknown both in relationships and landscapes. Her courage in a time of trial, her good humor in the midst of sorrow, her faith and allowing others to sustain her in a wilderness place I think makes her one of those characters that we cheer for and learn from at the same time.

That the story is based on fact makes it all the more remarkable for what she accomplished during a time when Oregon Territory was not friendly to persons of color, had exclusion laws and lash laws meant to strip the dignity and freedom from anyone of color courageous enough to build their dreams in Oregon Country.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

This one is easy-easy. Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave as Letitia



and Jason Biggs (the sweet husband from Orange is the New Black) for Davey Carson.



If you could set your next novel absolutely anywhere you’d like, where would you set it? And during what time period? Why?

Somewhere in the west in the 1850s because as Pulitzer prize winner Wallace Stegner once said “It is not an unusual life curve for Westerners - to live in and be shaped by the bigness, sparseness, space, clarity & hopefulness of the West…” It just makes a great setting for exploration of the human spirit.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

Mistaken by Karen Barnett. It was an authentic portrayal of the time period (during prohibition); each of the characters had desires and flaws that made them real and made me care about them. The dialogue was snappy and poignant; the secrets characters had were unveiled with great pacing and there was mystery, danger and surprise. And I learned new things, always a plus for me! I stayed up late to finish it….

What are you working on now?

Two Elizas Tangled in Time…it’s about Eliza Spalding, first missionary to the Nez Perce Indians and her daughter Eliza Spalding Warren who at age ten survived a massacre and how memories entangle us and also lead us toward family unity if we allow.

Where else can readers find you online?

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
Youtube
www.jkbooks.com where readers can access my monthly Story Sparks newsletter and my blog, Jane’s Words of Encouragement.

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

What makes a story sweep you away and give up daily tasks or stay up late just to find out what’s happening next? Or, Stephen King (I think it was) said writers shouldn’t write what readers skip over. I try to write using that advice. But what do you skip over when reading a novel that you know you’ll finish? Description? Dialogue? Details of fact? Long sections of text? Just curious!

Thanks, Jane! I think maybe it was Elmore Leonard who suggested not writing those parts readers skip over--I have him in mind because I'm currently binge watching Justified, based on his writings.

Thanks for visiting with us, Jane, and for telling us about your novel. Readers, Jane has offered to give a PDF copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, September 15. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Jane's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Olivia Newport, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a signed copy of the book.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.