Author J.A. Jance on Storytelling and DANCE OF THE BONES

J.A. Jance, author of DANCE OF THE BONES talks about storytelling with Fresh Fiction Reviewer Leanne Davis!

Leanne: Hi, J.A.! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. I’m a fan of all your series and I love that you have both male and female leads. Is there a difference in your approach in writing a female protagonist versus a male protagonist? Joanna versus J.P?

J.A.: No, I tackle each writing project the same way. I start with someone dead and spend the rest of the book, walking along with my characters, trying to figure out who the killer is and how come.

Leanne: There are 24 books in the J.P Beaumont series! What are your future plans for J. P. Beaumont and can we expect to see more books in the series?

J.A.: I haven’t given up on Beau, and I certainly hope he hasn’t given up on me. I expect him to be back, but I can’t say when.

Leanne: You often incorporate Native American themes into your stories. What started your interest in Native American legends and lore and drives you to include their histories and stories in your books?

J.A.: I spent five years as a K-12 librarian on the Tohono O’odham reservation west of Tucson. The stories and legends in the books are the stories and legends I learned as a storyteller. I went to the reservation knowing nothing about Indians other than what I read in the history books, and history books are always written by the winners. I had no concept of the discrimination they had endured. I hadn’t seen signs like the one in one of my student’s home towns that said: NO DOGS OR INDIANS ALLOWED INSIDE! The people on the reservation took me in. Four women in particular, Melissa Juan, Rita Pablo, Pauline Hendricks, and Loretta Ramon, took me into their circle and taught me the customs and lore. By writing the Walker books, I hope to bring my readership into that same welcoming circle.

Leanne: I love all your characters, but Joanna holds a special place. Do you consider any of your characters to be your favorite one to write? If so, why?

J.A.: Fortunately for me, I love ALL my characters.

Leanne: I love when your series cross paths. DANCE OF THE BONES features both J.P and the Walker Family. Will we get a chance to see more of these fantastic partnerships and if so can you tell us which of your series we can look forward to seeing together?

J.A.: That’s a question I can’t answer. Since both Beau and Brandon are involved in cold case work now, I can foresee them working together but not where or when.

Leanne: Can you give us a hint at what you’re working on now?

J.A.: I’m working on the next Ali book, Clawback.

Leanne: Thank you for joining Fresh Fiction and welcoming all of us into your circle!

About J. A. Jance

J. A. Jance is the NYTimes best selling author of more than 40 books divided among four separate series-- Arizona sheriff, Joanna Brady, Pacific Northwest homicide detective J. P. Beaumont, Sedona's Ali Reynolds, and Tucson's Walker Family.

J. A. was born in South Dakota and divides her time between Seattle, Washington and Tucson, Arizona.

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About DANCE OF THE BONES

J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker, two of New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s most acclaimed series characters, join forces for the first time in one of the most suspenseful works of her career.

Years ago, Amos Warren, a prospector, was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon and The Last Chance to find Amos's "real" killer and clear his name.

Sixteen hundred miles to the north in Seattle, J.P. Beaumont is at loose ends after the Special Homicide Investigation Team, affectionately known as S.H.I.T., has been unexpectedly and completely disbanded. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to Beau for help.

Those two cases suddenly become hot when two young boys from the reservation, one of them with close ties to the Walker family, go missing. Can two seasoned cops, working together, decipher the missing pieces in time to keep them alive?