Hello all! I know it's been several weeks since I've updated, but never fear, whether the weather has been fair or foul, I have been diligently working away on the book. Exciting things have been happening!
I sent real letters out (WHAT?!) and heard back from 2 out of 3 of the people I was trying to reach (still hoping for that perfect third...).
-- I interviewed 7 people over the phone, and more via email.
-- I transcribed 6 eyewitness interviews (phew!), which took foreeeeeeeverrrrrrr...
-- I wrote substantial first drafts of 10 eyewitness chapters, which for the most part will only need fine-tuning now.
-- I finally tracked down old newspaper articles for two different major stories after years of not having them and it driving me crazy. Now I am
completely sane. Hahaha!
-- I wrote a blog post over on the Green Hand page about my writing process:
http://greenhandbooks.blogspot.com/2018/03/behind-scenes-what-goes-on-in-winter.html
I took my first fieldtrip, to a couple of undisclosed locations (shh!), in the wind and rain, 7+ miles of tromping over the course of the afternoon with plenty of mud -- just yesterday, in fact! It was a great opportunity to see all the skeletons of Maine autumn before they are usurped finally (one of these days, I swear it's coming) by a real Maine SPRING!
I saw lots of tracks, little mole (and vole?) tunnels and holes everywhere, deer tracks by the dozen, I think even a young moose track (see photo), plenty of deer scat, what I think was a turkey vulture overhead (so huge!), a great blue heron, an early woolybear caterpillar, chickadees, and a gazillion trees (of course).
In between all that I did tons of research on loose ends -- locations, verification of when/where/how and other miscellaneous facts, more reading about Maine black bears, and so on and so forth.
This is one of 3 file boxes I've been filling, and an example of the array of printouts and books that happens when I am working on nitty-gritty bits. Plus I have all sorts of Maine topographic maps that I've been trying to get organized so I know what I have when I need it. Maine is a biiiiiig state. I don't know if you've noticed.
In the weeks to come will be more field trips, hopefully (fingers crossed) more interviews, and further illumination on some pesky mysteries tied into a particularly gnarly chapter.
Truth is stranger than fiction! Take my word for it.
