Ask the Author: Dean Klinkenberg
Answered Questions (7)
Dean Klinkenberg
My great-grandfather came to the US around 1900 as a teenager. His life has always fascinated me, in part because he was the immigrant ancestor and in part because I look a lot like him. I've never been able to pin down exactly when he arrived or what the circumstances of his departure from what is now Belarus might have been. I've located 2 of his brothers on ship passenger lists and other public records, but my great-grandfather shows up in few public records before his marriage some 10 years after he arrived in the US, and he doesn't seem to have a paper trail with the INS. All this really intrigues me. I've always assumed that there's a good story buried in there somewhere (was he running from something?), if only I could find a few more clues.
Dean Klinkenberg
Hi, Sandi! Thanks for the question, and sorry you didn't win one of the giveaways. The Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau store in Moline has copies. Other than that, I'm not sure, although any bookstore should be able to order copies without trouble. I also sell directly through my website (http://mississippivalleytraveler.com/...) and through the usual on-line outlets.
You are right about the next book. Most of it will be set in Galena and Dubuque. I hope to have a rough draft finished by early March, but I expect it will be the end of the year before it'll be available. Thanks for your interest, and here's to river towns!
You are right about the next book. Most of it will be set in Galena and Dubuque. I hope to have a rough draft finished by early March, but I expect it will be the end of the year before it'll be available. Thanks for your interest, and here's to river towns!
Dean Klinkenberg
There are the obvious answers, like read a lot. I find it very helpful to have a couple of trusted readers who will give me honest feedback. They are hard to come by, so treat them well when you find them. But, you also have to live life, have adventures, take chances. It adds depth to our writing and meaning to our lives.
Dean Klinkenberg
Telling stories.
Dean Klinkenberg
There are certainly times when I don't feel like writing. That's usually a sign I need to take a break. If the weather is good, I'll go for a hike along the river. If that's not an option, I'll read or maybe binge-watch a show that I like, one with compelling stories.
When I get stuck in the middle of a manuscript, I go back to the beginning and read what I've already written, retracing my steps. Sometimes I go sit in a coffee shop with a notebook and let myself get lost inside the head of a character or two. One or more of these strategies is usually enough to get me going again.
When I get stuck in the middle of a manuscript, I go back to the beginning and read what I've already written, retracing my steps. Sometimes I go sit in a coffee shop with a notebook and let myself get lost inside the head of a character or two. One or more of these strategies is usually enough to get me going again.
Dean Klinkenberg
I'm working on the second book in the Frank Dodge mystery series. This one will be set in Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois and will play with the idea of rivalries. Frank Dodge has a nemesis, a more successful travel writer, who will be introduced in the book.
Dean Klinkenberg
I've been writing about the Mississippi River for several years (non-fiction exclusively) when a good friend suggested that I write mysteries set along the Mississippi River. River towns are unique places, with characters who aren't quite who they seem to be and plenty of places to hide a body, so writing mysteries set in those places sounded like a great idea.
For the first novel, I thought it would be fun to go back to where I started with my non-fiction writing about the river, to the Quad Cities region in Iowa and Illinois. Lucky for me, the basic story idea came to me quickly. I knew I wanted to write a story set in contemporary times that involved the discovery of a long-lost descendant of the region's famous gangster, John Looney.
For the first novel, I thought it would be fun to go back to where I started with my non-fiction writing about the river, to the Quad Cities region in Iowa and Illinois. Lucky for me, the basic story idea came to me quickly. I knew I wanted to write a story set in contemporary times that involved the discovery of a long-lost descendant of the region's famous gangster, John Looney.
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