Ask the Author: Dan Jorgensen
Answered Questions (9)
Dan Jorgensen
Yes, it's me! Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Thanks for the note.
Dan Jorgensen
One of the benefits of writing historical fiction has been getting to connect with other writers in the genre', including the wonderful Diana Gabaldon, whose characters Claire Randall and Jaime Fraser, I think, make for one of the best "love" and "adventure" couples ever created. I've enjoyed reading -- and watching -- their story in Gabaldon's books and on the television series created from them. That having been said, however, I think my favorite couple comes from the amazing Sara Gruen book "Water for Elephants." The aging Jacob Jankowski's reliving his youth through the tales he tells of being in a Depression-era circus and his love for Marlena Benzini creates two of the most memorable characters in all of fiction and a tension-filled, dramatic story surrounding their connection with one-another. There's little doubt that Gruen has done incredible research on the era and circus life at the time, knowledge that puts us deeply into her story. But, she also does a remarkable job in sharing the magic of the human heart in her presentation of these two great characters.
Dan Jorgensen
Hi Micheline. So sorry to have missed your earlier message. I've been out on a book and speaking tour across the country and am just getting back to my messages -- which is not a great excuse and I apologize. Anyway, regarding your question: I spent a lot of time "walking" and "driving" the grounds and locations on several occasions as I was both gathering background and getting the lay of the land for putting my story together. On top of that, I kept photographs of the region at hand from the 1890s so I could refer to those, and I also kept a chart on my characters. With that I had a running look at where they were at any particular time and who they were interacting with at that time. It was both challenging and fun as I put it all together, and when I had it completed, I felt like it had really come together in the way I had envisioned it. Glad you liked it too. All the best.
Dan
Dan
Dan Jorgensen
Yes. I would be happy to meet with you in person, and I'm sure we could figure out a time-place-date that would work for us all. I've been out on a two-month book and speaking tour, so I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I'm just "catching up" on messages, etc. I'll be back in Colorado on Labor Day.
Dan Jorgensen
I was working as a reporter/feature writer for the Southern Black Hills newspaper "The Hot Springs Star" and writing a weekly piece about historical events and people. The more I did that the more it became apparent to me that this might be the base for a good novel, and then I discovered that a lot of the people I was writing about had all been in the area around the same time in the early 1890s. That sparked my interest in doing the book, set in 1894, and bringing them together for this tale "And The Wind Whispered." The title, by the way, comes from Lakota tribal lore that says the Great Spirit moved beneath the sacred Black Hills, came forth from Wind Cave, and the wind whispered as the Great Spirit created the Lakota people and their world.
Dan Jorgensen
How not?! I'm excited to sit down at the computer each day and put words to the screen. I actually feel a bit of a letdown on those days when I can't do at least some writing -- which is why I love doing the blog. It gives me an outlet to write each and every day and I'm always inspired by the stories I find about my fellow writers.
Dan Jorgensen
I'm working on two novels -- one a murder mystery/adventure set in the 1950s with a Native American protagonist, and the other a 1920s historical fiction piece. Both are set in the Black Hills, which I love as a setting. I do a little on each one each day, although some days I do a lot more on one or another depending on how the story is progressing.
Dan Jorgensen
It's an old saying, but it's absolutely true, write first about what you know best and try to find a way to weave that "self" knowledge into whatever story you are crafting. Your own life and events around it have so many rich details that will help you in putting together stories that others will want to read, too.
Dan Jorgensen
I write a daily blog "A Writer's Moment," and try to focus it on a writer who was born on that day. Thus, I get into the person, background, things he or she write, etc., and once I have put all of that together as a blog post I'm almost always "off and running" on my own writing as well.
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