Katherine H. Klemp

The desire to write juvenile fiction came to me as I looked over the book offerings at a book fair held at my grandchildren’s school. Remembering Dick and Jane, two likable children featured in the early reading books of my childhood, and the heroics of Nancy Drew, the clever teen detective, I browsed through the selection of books, curious to see what my grandchildren’s young heroes were like. I couldn’t find any. Most of the books featured extraordinary animals performances, like when the pigeon drove the bus, or stories of imaginary characters like Mermaids or fairies. The closest I came was a paperback called Barbie Saves Camp, and everyone knows Barbie is not real. I decided to give children real live role models to look up to, hence the Eagle River Detectives.

There are three main types of writers: plotters, pantsers, and planters. Plotters have detailed outlines before they begin. Everything is planned out. Pantsers write “from the seat of their pants.” They sit down and see where the words take them. Planters are a combination of the earlier two. They have a good idea of how the story goes but leave room for surprises along the way. ? I am a pantser. I start with a germ of an idea for the plot. During the day I think about where the story has taken me so far, and then in the evening, I begin to write.

I am often surprised when things take twists and turns I didn’t expect. For example, I thought I knew who the “bad guy” was in Eagle River Detectives, Book 1 and was surprised to find the villain was someone else, and I didn’t figure out who drew the “treasure map” in Book 3 until the third to the last chapter!

When you write a series it is important to have a common theme that ties the books together. The four Grant children and their family and friends become well known to the reader as they follow through the series. Another strong theme is the small town in which they live. Eagle River, Nebraska has a special flavor, and the reader gets to feel very much at home in this town just as the Grant children do. I enjoyed building a warm and welcoming environment. The Grant kids love their little town, and so do I.

I had the fun of having each of the Grant children take the lead in one of the four books. Carly, first, then Tim, then Gabby and finally, Jodie. Each time I wrote a new story I developed an appreciation for the new main character. These children have become real to me, and I hope the readers feel the same connection to them as I do.

Sometimes you just make yourself write. It can be a draining experience.

I like to include new discoveries for the reader. From learning about Carnegie libraries in Book 1 to helping the environment through the Isaac Walton league in Book 3, gaining knowledge about the world we live in is important to kids. In addition, my friend, Jan Hughes, a former teacher, has developed an activities bundle for each book. They can be downloaded for free at katherineklemp.com . Good role models are important. The Grant kids are resourceful and resilient. They like one another and respect each other’s contributions to solving the mysteries. They make a great team.

Books 1,2 and 3 have been recorded and the audio books are nearly ready to release on Audible

I enjoy being part of the Allauthor.com family. It is important that self-published authors surround themselves with resources that help showcase their books, like entering the cover of the month contest or by talking about themselves and their work on their author page. The mock-ups are a great tool, too!