Today the Huletts Current is happy to sit down with Anne White, author of many Lake George mystery stories. Her most recent novel, Cold Winter Nights, has just been released. All of her books take place in the Lake George region. They’re all great reads for the entire family.
To begin I understand you grew up in Whitehall, daughter of Helene and Bernard Murphy, and spent many happy hours in Huletts Landing. Could you give us some of your earliest recollections of Huletts?
“I grew up in Whitehall and loved visiting Huletts, which always always seemed so serene with its beautiful views of the lake. As an adult, I enjoyed going to the Casino. Several friends spent summers there as cooks, waiters or waitresses and visiting them was always fun.”
Are there any spots from Huletts Landing that you’ve included in your novels?
“My last four Lake George Mysteries take place in the fictitious town of Emerald Point just north of Lake George Village. (I consider it not far from Diamond Point, as you might suspect) My first book, An Affinity For Murder, involving paintings which may have been left behind by Georgia O’Keeffe, is set near the Village. I live in Glens Falls now, so I’m more apt to visit the southern end of the lake. I confess I haven’t included scenes from Huletts yet. Maybe next time.”
The Lake and how it changes during different seasons of the year, plays a central role in your stories. For people who perhaps only visit during the summer, can you explain how you see the Lake change during the year?
“I love seeing the changes and trying to capture them — the lush beauty of summer when the lake and all the places around it seem to be bursting with life; the unbelievable colors in the fall, that breath-taking panorma as you drive down the west side and look across at the mix of orange and gold with dashes of fiery red and the cool accents of the evergreens; the frosty blue, gray and white of winter; then the burst of life as spring comes on. Lake George has been called one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and for good reason.”
Your characters are quite colorful and when I’ve read some of your books, it’s clear that you portrait the essential elements of Adirondack living quite well. Without naming names, are there some people from your everyday life that you use for inspiration?
“My characters are a mix. I might start with the idea of somone I know, or knew, then change age, job, family connections, even appearance. I like to recast my characters the same way I do with locations. It’s fun when people guess. In the last couple of books I’ve tried to create characters who are closely tied to the locale — the man who studies bats in Secrets Dark and Deep and now the Adirondack Woodsman in Cold Winter Nights.”
I remember a good writing instructor once saying a great novel “has lots of conflict”. I don’t want to give any of your plotlines away but this is actually harder to do than it sounds. Are there any local conflicts that you’ve used that you’ve gotten positive feedback on?
“Because Loren, my leading character, is the mayor of the town, she’s pulled into whatever is going on. But Loren’s biggest problem is that she doesn’t know when to quit. She is a “buttinski”, but then so are most other amateur detectives in fiction. She’s often at odds with the Sheriff’s Investigator and increasingly with her fiance. So there’s built-in conflict there. My teenage character, Josie, serves as a kind of Watson. She’s more apt to be in conflict with her mother, Loren’s friend Kate. As for feedback — now with the Internet and e-mail, I sometimes hear from people who’ve visited Lake George, not about (political) conflicts, but to say how beautiful it is and how many happy memories they have of staying there.”
Anne, one character that would make sense in a future book, is an intrepid blogger who stumbles upon a sensational local news story and ultimately saves the day. You’re more than welcome to use this idea in your next book. (Big smile.)
“I love this idea since one of my goals is to do more blogging myself. Of course, someone would have to try to murder the blogger at some point.” (Big smile also.)
Anne’s Lake George Mysteries are available in Red Fox Book Store in Glens Falls and Dog Ate My Homework in Saratoga Springs. They can also be found on Amazon.com and her website, www.annewhitemysteries.com also.
The Adirondack Museum has a display depicting the bobsled run in the 1932 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid. (Click on the picture to see in full resolution.)
We’ve learned that TV personality and chef, Rachael Ray, will be returning to Lake George for her 7th Annual Lake George Alumni Assoc. Scholarship Benefit Show, April 22, 2010 at 7 pm. Pet & People Food Donation optional, book sales and signing, followed by a catered meal from her recipes. Tickets go on sale: Saturday, March 20 from 9 am -1 pm for $25.00 per-person. 6 Ticket maximum. LGHS Tel. Hotline 668-5452 Ext-1019
Rachael was born in Glens Falls, and grew up in Lake George. She is a 1986 graduate of Lake George High School.
This yearly event and Rachael’s generosity has been able to provide the following:
Media Room and School Equipment
6 - $1,000.00 scholarships to 2nd year College LG Graduates
1 of the scholarships is dedicated to a student in the Hospitality Industry!
APA Loses Big, Must Pay Legal Fees, Who is Responsible?
This is a big story when even the NY Times reports on it. The APA is taking such indefensible and outrageous positions (remember Foster Brook and the “waste” on the bottom of the lake?) that now taxpayers are having to bail them out. It will be interesting to see who is held responsible at the APA for this huge mess.
Bald Eagle Being Nursed Back to Health
A great story appeared recently in the Adirondack Journal about a group of local citizens who are trying to save an injured bald eagle.
We’ve all been transfixed on the news stories coming out of Haiti recently after the devastating earthquake that country experienced. Recently I had a chance to speak to Catholic priest, Fr. Murat Dorcent, who was present during the earthquake that hit Haiti. I met him as he traveled through the Northeast telling Americans what they can do to help and to thank people for their generosity. Fr. Dorcent traveled a circuitous route through the Dominican Republic to get to the United States.
Fr. Dorcent is the pastor of Our Lady of the Nativity parish in Verrettes, Haiti. It is approximately 1.5 hours by car from Port-Au-Prince. His large parish encompasses one mother church, 14 mission chapels and 6 schools that educate over 1400 children. Some of the mission chapels can only be reached on foot. Fr. Dorcent’s parish community serves over 50,000 people. He described the area where he works as a mountainous area in the country. However, he happened to be in Port-Au-Prince the day of the earthquake. His country parish is now receiving survivors and refugees fleeing from the carnage of Port-Au-Prince. He related to me that he has told his staff to receive anyone fleeing Port-Au-Prince. He is providing food and shelter to all those who make it to his parish. Below is a map of where Fr. Dorcent’s parish is in relation to Port-Au-Prince.
In the weeks since the quake, Fr. Dorcent has received over 50 orphans into his parish and close to 1000 people who have fled the city. He is trying to equip one of his schools with sewing machines to teach the displaced how to sew so that they can have a skill in order to find work. He will feed them and house them as long as there is a need.
Fr. Dorcent speaks French and some English. The last time I spoke French was in high-school. The interview below is the best I could do given the language differences.
Father, can you tell us exactly what happened the day of the earthquake?
“I happened to find myself in Port-Au-Prince that day. I was near the Presidential palace. The earthquake was violent shaking up and down, left and right. Every building just fell down. I was outside, near the Presidential Palace and saw it collapse. I rushed to the seminary where 200 seminarians were trapped. Thousands of people screaming, fleeing, yelling. It was beyond awful in scope. No words can describe what I saw that day.”
How bad are things in Haiti now?
“Today, we talk only about matters of life and death. Like it says in the book of Isiah, suffering has been brought unto us. We have seen Good Friday, we don’t know when Easter will come.”
What are your immediate needs?
“Our short term need is for food. Any donations right now go toward feeding and housing the homeless. Our long term needs are for our schools. We have children but we also are trying to teach adults technical trades.”
I know you have traveled to the United States with a message for Americans. Can you tell us this message?
“May God bless and protect the people of North America. Now and forever. Haiti is forever grateful.”
Fr. Dorcent is returning to Haiti this week. To send a donation directly to him, I have listed his address below. He assured me that all aid he receives goes directly to those in greatest need. He has told the Huletts Current that he will give us further updates in the months ahead.
Pere Murat DORCENT
Cure de la Paroisse Notre Dame de la Nativite des Verrettes
Boite postale # 45 HT4310
Saint Marc, Haiti
I found this site recently, www.PhotosFromOnHigh.com, and there was a page dedicated to local sites which everyone should recognize.
New Lake George Mystery Book
If you want to curl up on a cold winter night with a good Lake George mystery you might want to check out Perky’s Projects review of Cold Winter Nights by Anne White.
Finally the Train May Run on Time
The Post Star reports that things may be speeding up for train service into Whitehall.
“They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order”
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945
We’ve learned that TV personality and chef, Rachael Ray, will be returning to Lake George for her 7th Annual Lake George Alumni Assoc. Scholarship Benefit Show, April 22, 2010 at 7 pm. Pet & People Food Donation optional, book sales and signing, followed by a catered meal from her recipes. Tickets go on sale: Saturday, March 20 from 9 am -1 pm for $25.00 per-person. 6 Ticket maximum. LGHS Tel. Hotline 668-5452 Ext-1019
