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!
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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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?
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