When Wild Ones was published in March I discussed the conflict with the ranchers and Federal agents that had inspired the location of the Double T Ranch. However, the actual premise of Wild Ones was based, in part, on a story I read quite a few years ago about a series of suicides by teenagers in a youth correctional facility. I’d long since forgotten what magazine, date of publication, or any of the details, but I was just sent a box of my things in which I found the story. It was written in Feb. 1998 by a staff writer at The Oregonian (from what I can tell, still on staff there), who writes about family issues.

Stark School, the fictional correctional facility in Wild Ones, was inspired by the Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Salem, Oregon. It opened in 1914, the state’s first reform school for girls. It was turned into a co-ed facility in the ’70′s, but in 2008 became an all-male school. In fact, Stark School in my book is a co-ed facility. I have actually never visited Hillcrest, but my idea for Wild Ones was ‘what if the girls were actually happiest at the state-run school and it was the possibility of being sent away from their friends and to another foster home that they dreaded?’

And the story pretty much wrote itself after that.

Locally (as well as on their websites), Wild Ones can be purchased at:

It’s also available at any bookstore that has an online store. If you can’t find it, ask them to order you a copy.

I’ll be doing a Rapid Fire Reading (a NIWA event http://niwawriters.com/) at Another Read Through, June 14th at 1:30 p.m. and signing books at Jacobsen’s Books & More on July 12th (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) with the lovely, talented Anne Hendren, author of Project Runaway and A Dream of Good and Evil http://annehendren.com, during the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market.

Come and chat with us!