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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashlander boulders on Ashland Fiber Network wants to be able to keep trade secrets Volunteer award, State of City address presentations Tuesday Police Reports Mt. Ashland Ski Area crew dips to five Education Crunching the numbers Chickenpox in rear-view mirror? Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area crew dips to five Mt. 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Guest Opinion: The relevance of socialism in the U.S. ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Support single-payer ... Our View: Adjusting the lines ... Guest Opinion: The relevance of socialism in the U.S. ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Support single-payer ... ASHLAND PEOPLE Author moulds mystery into real places — like Ashland Comment By John Darling for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling for the Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 3:20 pm By John Darling for the Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 3:20 pm Excerpt from 'Sonora Crossing' --> From "Sonora Crossing," by Darrell James   "Go on, sweetie," Del said, relenting and separating herself from Aurea. "Go with Tio Santos. It will be all right." H... » Read more X Excerpt from 'Sonora Crossing' From "Sonora Crossing," by Darrell James   "Go on, sweetie," Del said, relenting and separating herself from Aurea. "Go with Tio Santos. It will be all right." Her words were meant to comfort the child. They sounded false to Del's ear — nothing whatsoever was going to be all right. Del would meet her end here, on this blasted patch of desert. And Aurea would return with Santos to live her life inside a fortress. Del urged Aurea away, and the child, reluctantly but obediently, left her side and crossed to stand near her uncle. "Such a fine child she is," Santos said. "Now, it is time to say adios, Ms. Del Shannon." Santos leveled the gun. "Nooooooooooooo!!!" A sudden shriek filled the air and echoed across the landscape It had come from Aurea. Santos held his fire, dumbstruck by the child's sudden willingness to speak. Aurea broke ranks and ran to Del's embrace. Del swept her into her arms and held her close. Everyone — the men, Santos, Del herself — was staring at the child. "Aurea!" Santos said, dumbfounded. "You ... you speak! I ... I  don't understand, child. You used your voice! How is it so?" Aurea said nothing. "Her wishes are obvious, Santos. Let her go with me." » Social News Darrell James had a fascination with reading detective novels, an interest that went on so long that, in 1995, he started wondering if he might be happier writing them himself. As it turned out, he was a lot happier, kicking back in his easy chair with his laptop on his lap, cracking a beer and letting his main character, Del Shannon, unfold her own character as she tracked down a series of missing persons, all of whom, of course, had disappeared by nefarious means. James, then an Arizona resident, got a trio of his Del Shannon novels in print and became a popular mainstay at annual conferences for detective-mystery novel fans. That's where, over drinks, he met his partner, Pam Dehnke, when he overheard her describing her love for this beautiful artsy town of Ashland, Oregon, where she’d visited for 30 years. His wife had died suddenly of a heart ailment a few years before, says James, so he and Pam took up with each other. Soon, he fell in love with Ashland, too, and they moved here last summer and bought the 111-year old Nitingales Inn, on North Main at Helman. The B&B, known as the Ann Russell House, was the home of Ann Hill Russell, a stone mason who took over her late husband James' business and carved many of the tombstones in Ashland, says historian George Kramer. The family had a quarry and created the Hilll-Dunn Cemetery by Emigrant Lake. She was one of three daughters of the pioneer Hill family, which emigrated here in 1853, when Ashland was barely two years old.  This home and the adjoining "Three Sisters" historic homes sit behind a rough-hewn stone wall, erected about 1915 when the level of Main Street was dropped 15 feet to make the entrance into downtown more level, he says, and to make Main part of the new Highway 99. It’s the perfect setting for James' next series of detective thrillers, which will also help with the couple’s “bed and brunch” trade, because, he notes, readers like to visit the spots they’ve read about and retrace the steps and sights of the protagonist they’ve come to identify with. His first book, “Nazareth Child,” 2011, was the winner of the Left Coast Crime’s Eureka Award for best first novel. It has Shannon sleuthing vanished cult members in Appalachia. In “Sonora Crossing,” 2012, she tracks a psychic 6-year old into a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. In “Purgatory Key,” 2013, she seeks two missing teen girls who were seeking buried treasure in Louisiana bayou country. A fourth book is due out soon; all of them are published by Midnight Ink of Minnesota. “It all began when I got thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to be the guy who is writing these mysteries I love,’ so I just set out to be a mystery writer," he said. "I wrote short stories, 30 of them, for eight years, then in four more years I sold my first book to a publisher I was introduced to at a reader-writer conference.” James eschews outlines and storyboards, describing his writing style as “seat of the pants.” He likes to put his feet up to write. He starts with a basic idea and then in comes the imagery, conflict and clues to why the person has gone missing. “I believe in strong character development in a shifting and changing plot,” he says. “Del is a loner, tough, independent. She was abused. Her mother disappeared and hasn’t been found. She’s attractive, but I downplay that. I get criticism about that, her beauty, from women. She has love interests who come and go.” James writes in the third person, with strong character point-of-view. “I let the character decide where things go, based on their own skills and personality. Their personal nature does it, not me,” he notes. “I get on my soapbox with authors who don’t get in the point-of-view of their characters. In storytelling, you even get in the villain’s point-of-view so that you feel how he feels justified in what he’s doing.” James says he writes with no sense of what the market wants, but “I set out to thrill myself as I massage and mould the story. It has to work well for me.” His chief influence has been the late Elmore Leonard. “I studied at his feet, though he never knew it,” says James. “Leonard’s stories sound simple but the voice on the page is so visual for me. It moves and operates as though real. He said he didn’t want to be seen or heard on any page.” James writes about six hours a day and is edging into success — he says sales of books (including Amazon’s Kindle) are in the high ten-thousands. His short stories have appeared in many mystery magazines and anthologies. He was a finalist for the 2012 Anthony Awards for Best First Novel and for the 2012 Macavity Awards for Best First Mystery Novel. John Darling is a freelance writer in Ashland. [email protected].   By John Darling for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling for the Tidings Posted Dec. 19, 2014 @ 3:20 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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