McMinnville author to debut new novel, "Water"
McMinnville writer Linda Kuhlmann, author of the “Koenig’s Triple Crown” books and other novels, will debut her newest novel on Sunday, Feb. 25.
She will read from “Water,” the second installment in her “Cal Jamison Mystery Series,” and talk about writing at an event from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room, 300 N.E. Third St. Wine and appetizers will be provided.
In the first Cal Jamison book, readers were introduced to Cal, a retiring Marine who was injured in Afghanistan. He returns to his native Oregon to look for answers to a cold case mystery.
“Water” continues Cal’s story with another cold case. It brings in his grandfather, a sheriff’s deputy and a member of his old unit in Afghanistan.
Kuhlmann is currently working on the third novel in the series, “Earth.” A fourth, “Air,” will follow.
She said she starts each book and series by writing about the characters and their backstories. The action and dialogue grow out of the character descriptions.
Her favorite part of the process is the research, she said, “Fun!”
For “Water,” she traveled to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to learn about the base and the workings of the Marine Corps. She met a colonel there who used his own time to show her around and help her make details accurate.
Since the book is largely set in central Oregon, she also met with the Deschutes County medical examiner and traveled to locations near Sister and Bend.
In addition, Kuhlmann worked in one of her hobbies, fly fishing. For years, she said, she loved fly fishing on the Nestucca and on small rivers and lakes all over the state, including Central Oregon.
“Out on a still lake on a rowboat fishing with a dry fly … it’s just beautiful,” she said.
Accordingly, fishing plays a key role in one of the central mysteries in “Water.”
The new novel was published in December 2023. Kuhlmann planned a debut event in mid-January, but that was postponed because of the ice and snow storm.
Her novels, including “Wind,” are available on Amazon and from other book sellers. For more information, go to her website, lindakuhlmann.com.
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