Why Publish a 2nd Edition?

 When I am looking for a book to read, here are some of the things I like to do. I look at my friends on Goodreads to see what others are reading and what they think about a book. I question friends that tend to have the same taste in books that I do. "Any new books you want to recommend to me," I ask. I write the titles of book contenders  in a handy little thing I call my "working journal" and I also add them to a list that I keep on Goodreads  that is quite cleverly called... wait for it..."Books that I Want to Read." There are already more books on that list than I can shake a stick at but I can't afford to delete any of them. I still want to read them even if I put them on the list ten years ago. 

I like to take a look at online websites, too. Some of them offer free books, like Free Booksy, for example, or Perlego. And because I tend to like historical fiction, I follow a few FB pages that focus on that genre, such as the Historical Fiction Company which is one that reviews books, as well. If you like historical fiction, too, there are a lot of FB pages that may interest you.  And if you love to read other genres, there are many Book Lovers Club pages on FB too. 

I always read the brief summary of a particular book that I might be interested in reading. Doesn't everyone––whether I'm browsing in a library or browsing online through BookBub or Library Thing, or one of the other platforms such as those listed above. If I am interested enough to examine the book more closely, I like to skim the reviews written by other authors, newspapers, and professional reviewers. It's those very brief snippets of reviews that I'm talking about. They're printed in the front matter of the book, those very first pages of a book.

I've always ("always" as in... since I started writing books, I mean) been envious of those books with those first few pages that are devoted to telling the prospective reader how awesome some professional reviewer thinks the book is. How I secretly longed to have those pages at the front of  Driftless.

When I recognize the name of one of the reviewers, probably because I've previously read a book by that particular author, that makes their recommendation more powerful for me.  

And if I were to be entirely transparent, I should say that sometimes, only sometimes, mind you, I have chosen a book because I liked the cover. Yes, I can be one of those people, too. 

Over the past several months, I've thought about how I'd love to see some of the reviewer's comments about Driftless in the front matter and that got me thinking about printing a second edition of the book. 

More importantly, there were two other topics that I thought were important to be included in a second edition, too. 

1) A message from the Mayo Clinic. Facts about schizophrenia.  What you can do to help someone that you are concerned about.

2) Fifteen Questions for your book club discussion.   

as well as, tah dah––

3)  Selected Reviewer's Comments about Driftless. There are reviews from other Authors, a psychologist, a clinical social worker, a previous mental hospital patient, and professional book award judges.

Stay tuned. A 2nd Edition will be available soon. Happy reading.

Author Reading and Book Signing in Spring Grove

Summer is here! 
I am excited to have been invited to do a few Author Readings and Book Signings this year. I'll be in St. Louis, MO at Spine Bookstore and Cafe, in Memphis, TN at Novel., and in my hometown of Spring Grove, MN at the Public Library. The Reading in Spring Grove will be on Thursday, August 18th at 6:30 PM.  The library has chosen Driftless for a community-wide read this summer. What an honor for me to have my hometown choose my book to read and discuss. I'll post dates for the other Author events at a later time.

I am thrilled to be able to do these readings.  If you know of other independent bookstores that would be interested in having me come for an Author Reading and Book Signing,  you have my permission to point them in my direction. I may be contacted on this blog.  Or ArdysBrevigRichards https://www.facebook.com/DriftlessStory 

If you have not already read Driftless, I hope it's on your summer reading list. These fifteen questions may facilitate discussion in your book group. 

 

Reading Group Questions and

Topics for Discussion

1. What is the overall theme or message of Driftless?

2. Why do you think the author chose that title for this historical novel?

3.  Identify the values apparent in Driftless and compare them to those of today. Do you think these values relate to the type of community where the story takes place––a homogenous town and countryside populated with families that share a common ethnicity and religion?

4.  Much of the novel is told in Caroline's voice. Do you think that the first-person narrative approach is effective?

5.  There are many examples of friendship in the book: Arvid/Bear, Marit/Orpha, Caroline/Marilyn/Celia. Compare and contrast these friendships. 

6.  Describe Marit physically/emotionally. Where does she get her strength?

7.  Caroline and Arvid married quickly, giving them little time to discuss their backgrounds and experiences. Explain how this complicated their lives. Do you think that some people truly "fall in love" when they first meet? 

8.  Caroline was a stranger to the part of Minnesota that would become her new home. She did not share the same ethnic background. She'd never been on a farm, nor had she lived without electricity or indoor plumbing. What were the likely thoughts of Arvid's neighbors and church members about his choice for a wife?

9.  When Arvid went to church after Caroline's hospitalization, he discovered the congregation already knew where she'd gone. If you were in his shoes, would you have found it comforting that friends and neighbors had already heard the tragic story? If not comforting, how would you have felt?

10. Why do you think Arvid waited as long as he did before hospitalizing Caroline the second time?

11. As more of Caroline's life experiences were exposed, did your feelings about her change?

12. In 1948, there was a stigma, perhaps shame, attached to having a family member in a mental hospital. Do you think the kindness and support shown to Arvid and Marit was typical of that era? Is that stigma any less in today's world?

13. Which scenes or developments in the story affected you most?

14. How does the setting or landscape of Driftless play a role in the story? Is the setting itself a character?

15. A question for fun: What stories have you heard from your own parents or grandparents about their courting days, their engagements, and weddings? 

#driftless, #historical fiction, #AuthorReadings, #SpineBookstoreAndCafe, #Novel., #SpringGrovePublicLibrary, #DiscusionQuestions

How Now Brown Cow?

https://www.pinterest.com/ardysnbread/driftless-novel-author-ardys-brevig-richards/

https://www.facebook.com/DriftlessStory/photos/a.109771474950611/137196742208084/

https://www.amazon.com/Ardys-Richards/e/B098SD3S8K?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Driftless takes place primarily in the 1940s. That was the last decade before medications were being developed to treat the diagnosis that sent our protagonist to the hospital. I wanted to know more about that treatment before medicine, so the 40s was the time frame. Thus, the story begins before my birth.

It is true that my brother and sisters were but small children themselves in the 40s, but still they had a lot to contribute to the writing of the book. Sometimes one or more of them were surprised to hear about something that only one of the older ones recalled. Or to hear about an event that occurred while the other children were not present. Memories are fascinating things, are they not? Sixty or even seventy years later, my six siblings were able to resurrect memories that would have otherwise faded into oblivion.   

I loved being able to use snippets of my siblings' memories in the writing of the book. I've often envied the years that the six of them had together--the shared chores, the hush-hush conversations meant only for their ears, the plotting to sneak something past our parents (although how often that was successful remains vague). There were all those stories told at the supper table, the debates about whose turn it was to get the white meat and who got the drumstick. My Grandma Brevig, that lived with us throughout the cold months, always took the neck and my siblings foolishly thought it was because she liked the neck. Hah. Several years later, the children recognized the error of their thinking. 

Who would not envy those private conversations whispered in the dark, three little girls lying in an ancient iron bed, cocooned beneath heavy quilts. My brother and sisters were experts at engineering their own entertainment with virtually no store-bought toys.  There was an abundance of laughter, teasing, and bickering between them, no doubt.  Of course, with six little ones, there was the incessant clamoring to insert oneself into the conversation. Oh, what a busy and energetic household it must have been! And I missed most of it. Arrived too late on the scene as it were to taste the full flavor of seven children under one roof. Sigh.

This post and those that follow will be about my very earliest memories at home on the farm. In order to give my brother and sisters their due, I am dredging up my first memories of each of them, with me on the farm. I am sorry to say that I don't remember my eldest sister, Mavis, living at home with us. At eighteen, she had graduated from high school and gone off to Humboldt Institute in Minneapolis. I had just turned four when she left home.

My first memory of my second sister, BevAnn on the farm, is a favorite of mine. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if it really happened the way I remember.  But let's set that aside for the moment. I ask the reader to humor me.

I had a deluxe playhouse on the farm. I don't recall asking for a playhouse or anything of that sort. In retrospect, maybe my parents were coming to terms with the fact that one by one, the first six children were going to be leaving home. Maybe my mom, Vivian said, "Oh, Alvin. That poor little Ardys will be left alone when they're all gone. She'll have to play by herself. So sad." On the other hand, she probably didn't say anything of the sort. But let's just go with it for now.

My playhouse was originally an old chicken coop, painted white, and it hadn't seen hard use. It had a gently sloping roof from front to back that was covered with aluminum siding. When it rained, it sounded like a Gatling gun overhead. On the front was a Dutch door which I thought was the coolest thing. I could open the top half, making the playhouse bright and sunny inside. A four-pane window was on either side of the door. 

The chicken coop had been sitting unused on one of the other two farms that were part of our Fertile Acres Brown Swiss Farm. My grandma lived in one of those two farmhouses during the warm months, while the third house sat empty. Obviously, the chicken coop had to be moved onto our farmyard to become my playhouse. I don't remember any talk about a plan to bring the chicken coop to our farm. My only memory of the move was seeing it take place. And this is where my sister, BevAnn comes in.

I was barefoot in the barnyard and looking beyond it to the narrow road rising up and over the cow pass. Up over that rise appeared my dad driving the tractor. He was pulling a hay wagon and atop the wagon sat the white chicken coop. My recollection is very clear on this next point. My sister was riding inside the chicken coop as it moved down the road.  She stood just inside the door which was open at the top, closed on the bottom.  She saw me watching the chicken coop travel down the road and she waved to me. This is what she called out, "How - now - brown - cow-?" That is my entire memory of the arrival of what became my wonderful playhouse.

Now, there may be a few details about that memory that one might find suspect. The first might be, did Alvin really allow his daughter to ride inside the chicken coop while it was being moved down the road? Hmmm. Given that she'd ridden on a moving haywagon countless times by then, I think he would have said, "Alright." The second detail that might be questioned is whether I could have really heard the words that she called out to me from across the barnyard and over the sound of the loud tractor. Hmph. To that, I'm going to say that the higher pitch of her voice would surely have broadcast toward me right over the top of the deeply guttural, droning sound of the tractor engine. Wouldn't it? The third detail might be, why would she have yelled out "How - now - brown - cow -?" Well, why not?

2021 Writer's Digest e-Book Award for Contemporary Fiction

2021 WRITER'S DIGEST e-BOOK AWARD

Contemporary Fiction

I am honored that Driftless has been chosen to receive the 2021 Writer's Digest Award for Self-Published e-Books in the category of Contemporary Fiction. The official announcement will be published in the May/June edition of the Writer's Digest. 

I couldn't be more pleased with the positive feedback that I've received from so many people on my first novel. Driftless is a historical novel. I have attempted to portray the type of family farming that was practiced in the Bluff Country of southeastern Minnesota in the 1940's and 50's. I also allowed myself some small measure of pride in writing about the determination and loving character of my Norwegian-American ancestors who settled that area.

From the readers' feedback received, I should say that the considerably more weighty historical story in Driftless is about the kind of mental health treatment that was available during the 1940's and 50's for folks hospitalized in  Minnesota state hospitals. It was, of course, no better and no worse than what was available across our nation and world at that time. Too many families never saw their loved ones return home to them from the hospitals. And many of those hospitalized were not, in fact, mentally ill.  Those who behaved "differently" because of other physical and/or cognitive limitations for which there was inadequate care in the community led to many hospitalizations. That was a story that I especially felt needed to be told.

Looking forward to Author readings at bookstores

Thank you to all who have read the book and a round of applause to everyone who has encouraged others to read it, too. It seems to me that there can be no greater compliment for a book (and its author) than to have a reader ask a friend, "Have you read this book yet? Oh, you should read it. I think you'd like it."

Thank you too, to everyone that has posted a review on Amazon. Even a sentence or two makes a valuable review.  (I'm hoping for 100 in 2022). We all know that there are so many great books to read. "So many books, so little time," is what I often think; it can be hard to decide which book I'll read next. I do look to see what other readers say about a book before I pick it up to read. I greatly appreciate all of your reviews.  And I welcome the recommendations of others about books you think I might like.  

I am working on a second historical novel whose setting is also within the southeastern corner of Minnesota. I can't help but write about the kind of life that children had in those years before I grew up and away. Yet, even now when I close my eyes and remember children playing and learning to work alongside parents, I can't help but see that place and time where the summer-time creeks ran clear and cold between hardwood bluffs. Autumn displayed her colors like a glorious quilt there. The winter's snow lay thick and sparkling in the moonlight, and the smell of freshly-cut alfalfa in the spring was...ahhh. It's still hard for me to imagine anyplace better to be a kid.

Ardys Brevig Richards

 

Pinterest Board Accompanies historical novel, Driftless

Driftless is a historical novel. Just for fun, I have designed a Pinterest Board as a companion to the book. My Pinterest board reflects many of the author's memories of growing up on a family dairy farm within the Driftless Region of southeastern Minnesota. Those memories informed the writing of portions of this story.

Driftless is set on a family dairy farm in 1948. The family name (Fjeld) and the name of its exact location (Hawk Ridge) are all fictitious.  Spring Grove, however, would have been the actual hometown for the families living on Hawk Ridge. That town and all other geographical place names referenced in Driftless are real places. Spring Grove was settled primarily by Lutheran Norwegian immigrants in the mid to late1800's. Like the author's own family of origin, the Fjeld family milks Brown Swiss cows; they raise pigs and chickens and they use a team of draft horses to farm the land. They also have a very smart herding dog named Teddy. Children raised on Hawk Ridge roam the farm and play in the wooded bluffs. They attend a one-room clapboard country schoolhouse within walking distance, as did the author. And like the author's family, the farm families on Hawk Ridge attend the rural Lutheran church a few miles away. 

As was true in 1948, people in need of psychiatric hospitalization were taken to Rochester State Hospital in Rochester. Many of them lived out the rest of their lives in the state hospital. Also true was that the orphanage in Owatonna, Minnesota was at one time, the third-largest orphanage in the U.S. The author has attempted to be true to the practices of the day within both state institutions. Neither of them exist today.

Minnesota is across the Mississippi River. Taken from Wisconsin.

Driftless in paperback: Available on Amazon

Author, Ardys Brevig Richards

The paperback version of Driftless is finally available!  Yay!  I am so glad and so thankful to my editor and mentor, Deb Akey, for all her work despite CoVID. She's my hero. 

This is me grinning like I've won the lottery. I'm holding the first paperback proof of Driftless. A second proof 

followed this one, and finally, the paperback was published and available on Amazon on 9/01/2021.

Driftless is Published!

 PUBLISHED!

 

At long last, Driftless is published. I am so excited! 

The paperback version will be available before the end 

of July, but the eBook (Kindle) version is available on

Amazon.com now. 

Book Update and Syttende Mai 2021

To all followers and anyone awaiting the publication of Driftless, I apologize. I am sure this comes as no surprise to anyone by now, but as it turns out, I had a very poor concept of how long it really takes to prepare a manuscript for publication. How naïve I was to think the book would be available by the Syttende Mai (17th of May) celebration in my hometown, Spring Grove, Minnesota.  The story of Driftless takes place in my hometown and surrounding areas.  

I am so fortunate to have a good friend and author (for who else would invest so much time and energy) that is helping me with the nuts and bolts of publishing. There are still a few steps before final publication but it's getting closer. I have so much to learn. 

Despite the fact that the book, Driftless will not yet be published, I will be attending Syttende Mai (pro. somewhat like "SOOT 'n deh My") next week. It will be Spring Grove's 47th Syttende Mai celebration. It would have been the 48th but there was this nasty world-wide pandemic which interfered with... everything. I will get to see people that I haven't seen in many years. And, it will be the first time I will be in close proximity with more than a handful of humans since before the pandemic took hold in the U.S. fourteen months ago. 

Viking ship carrying Sons of Norway members,
in the Syttende Mai parade. c. 1984

Only recently have I dared to hug a person aside from my spouse. Only recently have I accepted and even initiated an occasional handshake. What a bold move that was! To touch another human being is such a wonderful thing. Let's not ever forget that. 

But on to Syttende Mai. What is the significance of the 17th of May, and why are people celebrating this date in Spring Grove, Minnesota? 

Syttende Mai marks the signing of Norway's constitution and independence from Sweden in 1814. In Norway, it is also called Constitution Day or National Day. It is celebrated in Spring Grove (and has been since 1973) because Spring Grove was the first Norwegian settlement in the state of Minnesota. There are representatives of other ethnic groups that call Spring Grove home now, but still, you would be hard-pressed to find a greater number of Norwegian surnames in any similarly sized town or state. (Maybe you could, but you'd be hard-pressed. Check out North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin if you must.)

All manner of wonderful things happen during Syttende Mai, so many things that three days are required to celebrate properly. It's a time to reflect upon the Norwegian heritage of the area. It's a time to make and enjoy some of the foods that our Norwegian ancestors were preparing at the time of their emigration to Minnesota. Time to appreciate and celebrate some of the wonderful Norwegian folk arts and some of the Norwegian-American artists and authors that made Minnesota their home. There will be parades, banquets, car shows, theatre performances, birding, musical events, the ubiquitous city-wide garage sales, and lots more.  Check out the websites below for details. 

Occasionally, Norwegian may still be heard spoken during the Syttende Mai celebration, not as frequently as when I was a child, but there are still those that speak it. If nothing else, one might hear the Norwegian National Anthem performed a cappella by any number of random celebrants who learned it in Spring Grove High School. In fact, there's already a plan that when I meet with my classmates from the class of '74, we will do just that. Ah, the fond memories.

Syttende Mai

Norwegian Ridge Birding and Nature Trails

Giants of the Earth Heritage Center

Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement

COMING: Spring of 2021

NOW PUBLISHED!

by Ardys Brevig Richards

Publishing in the Spring of 2021. 

Until then, find snippets about Minnesota history, people, and places on this website. Many of these have inspired the writing of the author's first book, a quasi-historical novel.