The village of Jemez Springs (it’s prnounced HAY-mess), New Mexico is the basis for the village of Redondo in my books. The buildings and layout are about the same, but everything has a different name and use.
I know many of the fine people of Jemez Springs and I want to make it entirely clear that no one in Jemez Springs is a resident of Redondo. The stories set there are populated with figments of my imagination, mostly werewolves, vampires, faeries, dwarfs, talking animals and trees, shapeshifters, dragons, trolls, a magic radio, and the occassional Britisher or Canadian. What I write is mythopoeic, showing an imaginative world that sheds light on God’s real world, on goodness and on evil.
In Jemez Springs, the library is the Redondo dance studio, the Jemez Stage Stop is the Kopi Shoppe, the home next door is the Christmas B&B, across the street from the Kopi Shoppe is the Pronto Market (something Jemez Springs desperately needs), Jemez Fine Arts is Coyote Art in the stories, the Laughing Lizard Motel is the bank, and the Jemez Artisans Co-op Gallery is the combined beauty shop and mortuary called Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow in the stories. Highway Four Coffee and Bakery is one of my favorite haunts in town, and it appears in the stories as Highway Cafe (I love their Redondo Plate breakfast). Again, in all cases I have used only the location and building without saying anything about the real people and activities that actually go on there. I’ve moved the cemetery next door to St. Isidore’s and have created a Village School across the street. The Professor’s home on the hill above town does not exist and neither do Jake’s home across the river and the vampire’s fortress high up on the slope opposite the Jemez Historic Site. If you look really hard up in that direction from the highway, you may think you see it, but it’s not there.
The Pueblo south of Jemez Springs finds occasional mention in the stories as do their ancestors at Chaco Canyon, but I have been careful not to name the Pueblo, describe it, or relate anything about its current and traditional culture, religion, or language. I have friends there and deeply respect the privacy of the Pueblo just as much as I respect the privacy of the residents of Jemez Springs. You should, too.
My stories follow the adventures of three sisters and their mother: Diana Skye, Ivy Skye, Caitlin Skye, and Dr. Naida Skye. Another character who appears in most of the books is Father Jake.
When I publish a book, look for an announcement link in the right side bar.
I am also writing a cookery book (authored by Father Jake), travelogues, a series of Bible Study books, and an autobiography (Gullible’s Travels). Much of the writing happens at the Public Library or Starbucks. I give heartfelt thanks to the excellent staff of both.