Dance of the Winnebagos: Jackrabbit Junction Mystery
Dear ReaderFor once in my life, I'm going to keep something short and sweet--this note to you. My editor will be amazed.I am often asked how I came up with the title of this book, DANCE OF THE WINNEBAGOS.Once  upon a time, I was playing hangman at work with one of my coworkers, who is also a very talented artist (that has nothing to do with this story, but she really is amazing and I like to crow about her, even when  not mentioning her name). It was her turn to come up with a word, and she added a lot of spaces on the white board. After I landed two consonants and a vowel, the board looked like this:T _ E    _ _ _ N _    _ _    T _ E    _ _ _ _ E _ _ _ _ _ E _I  was feeling pretty ambitious that day. I took one look at this puzzle and yelled, "The Dance of the Winnebagos!" (I know, the letters don't match up--I've never done well in spelling bees.)My coworker laughed, hung my poor stick man, and then wondered what in the heck The Dance of the Winnebagos was.I said, "I don't know, but it would make a great book title, don't you think?"This  game of hangman kick-started my brain. A weekend of plotstorming with my critique group fleshed out the story even more. Before I knew it, I had a fun cast, an intriguing mystery, and book that practically wrote itself.After I finished it, this book caught the interest of my  agent. It was also a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest. But being that it's a mix of genres (my usual style), my agent and I couldn't find a home for it with a publishing house. Now, years later, it will finally have its chance in the spotlight, and I can't wait to share Claire's story with you.I  picked Arizona as the setting, because I lived there for a year and loved every minute of it. I picked a beagle to share the limelight with Claire, because I'm a fan of Snoopy.For those of you who have read my Deadwood Mystery series, you may remember that Claire Morgan is Violet Parker's childhood neighbor, as well as Natalie's cousin. Harley Ford is Natalie's grandfather, too.And now, this short note has become a little long, so I'll wrap it up with a tip of my cowboy hat.Welcome to Jackrabbit Junction!Ann CharlesAward-winning author of the Deadwood Mystery Seriesanncharles.com--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.