"3 Threats" Novel Project Update

"3 Threats to the Homeplace"

Novel Project Update

In recent weeks, I've shared some planning documents on this projected novel with my writing community colleagues as well as here on "The Homeplace Saga" blog.

Earlier this week, I shared my latest thinking on the project in this article:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-When-is-a-novel-not-a-novel

On Friday, in this space, we will continue on with the story of the Homeplace and the good folks who live there with January 1997. I hope you will join me in this weekly journey of exploration.

"May we each have a Homeplace, if only in our mind!"

Dr. Bill  ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Beverly is our sixth…

“3 Threats to the Homeplace” preview 

6 POV characters

Beverly is our sixth…

Beverly is the least well developed of the four primary siblings of the Bevins family in the entire “The Homeplace Saga,” series of stories. Although she was a principal focus in the first novel, “Back to the Homeplace,” she has been largely in the background in the more recent ones. That changes with “3 Threats.” The first threat is that she has returned to Oak Springs - “permanently” - in her words. What impact this will have on the rest of the family, and the community, is a focus of the story, of course.

To learn a little more about her, if you are new to the series, or as a reminder if you are a regular, following is a piece I recently published specifically regarding her role in the upcoming “3 Threats” novel:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-Character-Development-CD6-Meet-Beverly-Bevins-Gates-Threshold

[http://www.amazon.com/Back-Homeplace-William-Leverne-Smith-ebook/dp/B003ELPVUG/]

As with the other major characters in “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction stories, you can use the developmental wiki as a reminder. Here are links to Beverly, and the other characters:

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/home

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Beverly

There are currently 5, about to be 6, references under Labels (right sidebar, scroll down):

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/search/label/Beverly

…where much of what we know about her comes through stories of her ex-husband, Paul, and her children, Scott and Heather, in Oak Springs.  Read “Back to the Homeplace” for more… ;-)

******

“May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds.”  Dr. Bill ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Peter is our fifth…

“3 Threats to the Homeplace” preview 

6 POV characters

Peter is our fifth…

Peter is the most mysterious and the most complex character in the entire “The Homeplace Saga,” series of stories. If you have not yet read, “Back to the Homeplace,” I certainly encourage you to do so, so that you learn to know Peter… To learn a little more about him, if you are new to the series, or as a reminder if you are a regular, following is a piece I recently published specifically regarding her role in the upcoming “3 Threats” novel:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-Character-Development-CD5-Meet-Peter-Bevins

[http://www.amazon.com/Back-Homeplace-William-Leverne-Smith-ebook/dp/B003ELPVUG/]

As we begin February of 1999, in “3 Threats,” Peter is devoted to the success of the McDonald Conservancy as well as to he “new family,” of course. Ronny Cox, formerly with the regional Department of Natural Resources, now Executive Director of the Conservancy, is now on board full-time to assist Peter and Board to implement the $800,000 grant they have received as well as to ensure that all of the segments of their five-year-plan are in place and moving forward. News of a threat to this whole new system sets them into a defensive posture.

As with the other major characters in “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction stories, you can use the developmental wiki as a reminder. Here are links to Peter, and the other characters:

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/home

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Peter

There are currently 3, about to be 4, references under Labels (right sidebar, scroll down):

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter

…where you get more information about Peter - but not a lot… Read “Back to the Homeplace” for more… ;-)

******

“May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds.”  Dr. Bill ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Jennifer is our fourth…

“3 Threats to the Homeplace” preview

6 POV characters

Jennifer is our fourth…

   

Jennifer Bevins also came of age in “The Homeplace Saga” stories of the 1990s…. she came back home to the Oak Creek valley as a practicing veterinarian in the summer 1996. To learn a little more about her, if you are new to the series, or as a reminder if you are a regular, following is a piece I recently published specifically regarding her role in the upcoming “3 Threats” novel:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-Character-Development-CD4-Meet-Jennifer-Bevins

Jennifer set up her Veterinary Clinic near the Bevins Stable and Trail Rides operations in the Summer of 1996 in “The Homeplace Revisited.” Late that summer, she developed a strong interest in her family history, along with her aunt Karen. She also met Brian Kirk, the young attorney whose mother had died too young, who also had developed a similar interest. We continued their story into the next novel, “Christmas at the Homeplace,” where they helped found the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society in their community. This activity will develop an important role in “3 Threats.”

As with the other major characters in “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction stories, you can use the developmental wiki as a reminder. Here are links to Jennifer, and the other characters:

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/home

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Jennifer

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/bevinsvet

There are currently 7, about to be 8, references under Labels (right sidebar, scroll down):

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/search/label/Jennifer

…where you get more information about Jennifer, including more about her relationship with her cousin, Heather, and the horses.

******

“May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds.”  Dr. Bill ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Christopher is our third…

“3 Threats to the Homeplace” preview 6 POV characters  Christopher is our third…

Christopher Ogden would probably now be considered the central figure in “The Homeplace Saga” stories of the 1990s…. when you read the stories. To learn a little more about him, if you are new to the series, or as a reminder if you are a regular, following is a piece I recently published specifically regarding his role in the upcoming “3 Threats” novel:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3_Threats_Character_Development_CD3_Meet_Christopher_Ogden

In the summer of 1996 we introduced you to the mare Christopher purchased, Shadow, and his new dog, Chase, pictured (above) on the front of “The Homeplace Revisited.” In that novel, of course, he met and proposed to his future wife. This novel has been referred to as a “double romance” novel, as well as moving forward with the rest of the family storylines.

As with the other major characters in “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction stories, you can use the developmental wiki as a reminder. Here are links to Christopher, and the other characters:

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/home

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Christopher

There are currently 8, about to be 9, references under Labels (right sidebar, scroll down):

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/search/label/Christopher

…where you get more information about Christopher. The first one has a story about his marriage to Nicole… at the Methodist Church.

Character number 4 will be introduced next Friday, in this space.

******

“May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds.”  Dr. Bill ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Bart Bevins next…

“3 Threats to the Homeplace” preview 

6 POV characters  

Bart Bevins next…

Bart Bevins was the third of the Bevins siblings and has appeared in each novel in "The Homeplace Saga"as well as the novella, “Murder by the Homeplace.” I have written about him a number of times, of course, in this space. However, most recently, I published the following, specifically regarding his role in the upcoming “3 Threats” novel:

http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-Character-Development-CD2-Meet-Bart-Bevins

It has been said (see below), that Bart Bevins reminds them of Missouri native, actor John Goodman.

John Goodman on the red carpet at the Emmys in 1994 - Wikimedia Commons

Of course, he has his own Character File in the Developmental Wiki: “The Homeplace Saga: Beyond the Books,” for those of you new to my writings, or who may have forgotten:

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Character+Files

http://homeplace.wikispaces.com/Bart

Bart, and his wife, Diane, will continue to play key roles in “The Homeplace Saga” stories, as we move forward, into 1999 and beyond, of course.

If you scroll down to Bart in the Labels, right sidebar, you find ten entries where he is mentioned, in the context of the stories.  Specifically, I wrote “Meet Bart Bevins” that includes some of the other references.

Here is an interview with Bart by local reporter, Penny Nixon:

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/2012/07/penny-nixons-my-hometown-bart-bevins.html

Here is the Profile I wrote of Bart as one of the major characters in “Back to the Homeplace.”

http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/2011/05/tuesday-profiles-bart-bevins.html

Over the coming weeks, I do want you to get to know these characters, so that when “3 Threats” does come out, you’ll want to learn even more about them.

******

“May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds.”  Dr. Bill ;-)

3 Threats - 6 POV characters - Lori Winslow first…

"3 Threats to the Homeplace" preview

6 POV characters

Lori Winslow first…

Over the next six Fridays, I will share with you some background (and questions to be answered) on the 6 characters that will “tell the story” in my next novel in “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction stories: “3 Threats to the Homeplace,” set in early 1999.

Earlier, stories on each of the 6 “point of view” (POV) characters were shared on my HubPages (short story) writing platform, in more detail. I encourage you to read this, if you have not already. Or, you may want to re-read it, again, to be current in the stories. Here is the link: http://homeplaceseries.hubpages.com/hub/3-Threats-Character-Development-CD1-Meet-Lori-Winslow

Storm clouds on the horizon

http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1435014

Source: Freeimages.com user smithwil

You may recall that Lori Winslow is the oldest daughter of Karen and Jason Winslow. Jason died in 1993. Karen was one of the four Bevins siblings who came “Back to the Homeplace” in response to their mother’s unusual will, in that first novel in this series.

In “Christmas at the Homeplace,” Lori moved back to the Oak Springs valley from Los Angeles to help her mother, Karen, run the Homeplace Country Inn on part of the original family farm land, two miles east of town. It looked across the farm toward the Mill on Oak Creek. 

Lori has been looking into developing some of the land, in between, into a residential “Homeplace Estates,” to continue the family legacy in a new direction for the next generation. There are now several couples of that generation who would like to build their “forever” homes on this land, as well. Lori wants to facilitate their vision. Will the older family members support that vision?

Here is a reminder of the “Back of the Book” tentative description of the next novel:

“In February 1999, social and economic times were booming for The Bevins Agricultural Corporation and the McDonald Conservancy with additional farm lands purchased and additional lands donated to the Conservancy. The Conservancy just received an $800,000 State of Missouri Conservation Grant to implement their major operating plan. Then it happened. 

Bad things come in “threes:” 

1. Bevins sister, Beverly, moved back to Oak Springs “permanently.” Remember what happened the last time she did that? 
2. A mature man appears in Oak Springs claiming half of the Bevins-McDonald property at the time Mildred (McDonald) Bevins died in the fall of 1986. He says he is very serious, and his claim will be upheld in court.
3. An F-3 Tornado strikes in the Oak Creek valley, with devastating results.”

“May we each have a Homeplace, if only in our minds.”

Dr. Bill ;-)