Back to the Evergreen State

In the beginning, it was my go-to venue, the place where the Northwest Passage series developed. Washington state was a secondary setting in The Journey and The Fire, the primary setting in The Mine and The Show, and the sole setting in The Mirror.

Since then, it has received only one mention, a wedding chapter, set in Vancouver, in The Fountain. That will soon change.

In the book three of the Second Chance trilogy, I will return to my former home state, setting chapters in Camp Lewis, Tacoma, Mount Rainier, and perhaps other venues. I will revisit familiar territory.

Last week, I began researching the series finale by paying a visit to the Lewis Army Museum, part of what is now Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the process, I learned a lot about Washington's early history, the United States Army, and Camp Lewis, a sprawling city of 37,000. Situated in the shadow of Mount Rainier (pictured), it was the largest military post in the country in 1918.

Southern California, the destination of the Carpenters and Lees at the end of Annie's Apple, will also get a turn in book three. So will northern France, the site of some of the fiercest fighting of World War I. Along with Western Washington, the venues will form the foundation of a novel that will bring a family saga to an end.

I intend to research all three places — and others — this spring and summer and begin writing the book itself in early August. I hope to publish the finished work no later than February 2024.

Note: The public domain photograph of Camp Lewis, featured on a 1917 postcard, is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.