About
MY MOTHER ONCE told me, Kris, you should write. Well, writing is work, and while I was working at a real job, I didn’t want to come home and work even more. When I retired after thirty-four years in the banking industry in Salem, Oregon, I still didn’t write for a long time, but I never forgot my mother’s words. Then, one day, I set out to write a book…. one book and only one book.
Green Ridge was going to be the novel of my lifetime. Boy, was I wrong! Readers had other plans and told me they wanted more. A Matter of Trust was written as a sequel to Green Ridge and in it, I introduced a few more key characters. My readers, by now quite a few, had fallen in love with the characters and wanted yet another book, and then another. I kept going, taking about one year to complete each story. As someone who was going to write only one novel, I have now finished the fifth book in the Green Ridge Series, The Coldest Case.
With each book, new characters kept popping out of the pages, endearing themselves to readers, making them laugh, perhaps provoking a tear or two. Anytime a writer can create characters with that kind of depth, the writer has done their job.
What is next for Beth, Arthur, Dave, Mick and the rest of the Geezers? Right now, I’m not sure but read a book and join them in the enchanting world that is Camp Sherman. In the meantime, I’ll work on something that, hopefully, will keep you turning pages. I have a great editing crew I rely on to make this happen.
By the way, Camp Sherman, Oregon is a real place. The venerable Camp Sherman Store carries my books. Stop in and you’ll see why I love it so. Buy a book while you’re there because they don’t take mail orders. Two more wonderful stores where you can find my books is Reader’s Guide at 735 Edgewater Street NW in Salem, Oregon and Books N Time at 210 Water Street, Silverton, Oregon. Neither store takes mail orders so go inside and lose yourself in the racks and racks of new and used books. Leave with an armful. Tell them Kris sent you.
“
I set out to write a book…
one book and only one book.
“
About My Books
There are many genres of mystery writing. Although most stories will slop over the lines, we mystery writers tend to stay in the general field of one or the other genre.
You could call my books Soft-boiled mysteries. Murders, let’s face it, are messy, but I’ve tried to mute the violence so that you know what happened, but you won’t get splattered by gore. I hope.
There is romance in the form of hugs and a smooch or two. If you want a bodice ripper, you’ll need to read someone else.
Swear words? Oh, yeah. If it fits the character, I throw them in there.
What I also have are characters I hope you’ll get to know and love. They are funny, smart, goofy, lovers of life and just about everybody in it. Most of them are oldsters shelved by society and are hoping to find purpose. Oh yes, rooting out the bad guy is high on their list.
I have made a pledge to various book clubs that my characters, who are up in years, will never die. This also goes for the critter characters. I received so many beatings over the loss of a critter in the first book, Green Ridge, that I’ll stick to that pledge forever. Trust me.
These books are a series starting with Green Ridge, followed by A Matter of Trust, Evil on the Run, Peril on the Prowl, and The Coldest Case. For the best experience, I recommend you read them in order. However, I wrote each book as a stand-alone novel with back-stories on the characters, so you don’t have to read them in order to enjoy them.
Now would be a good place for a wish like Bon Appetit for readers. If you know one, let me know.
Camp Sherman
