Eagle River Detectives, Book 1: This One’s For You, Dad! follows a fifteen-year-old girl and her siblings in a small Nebraska town who set out to solve the mystery of why her parents were expelled from the town. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I went to a bookfair at my grandchildren’s elementary school and found that the heroes in most of the proffered books were mostly animals and fairies and other imaginary characters, not children. The closest I could come was “Barbie Saves Camp!” I loved the Boxcar children and Nancy Drew books as a child, so the obvious solution was to write books for children that featured smart, compelling kids, meant to be role models to admire and inspire.

What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?

Telling and seeking the truth, showing a co-operative spirit, and love between family members are a few. Also, they are Christian children, so they showed this by their actions, i.e. they go to church on Sundays, they pray before meals, ask God for protection when in danger, and thank Him for His help and the many blessings in their lives.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I use a lot of idioms, which I feel is a common language of culture that binds people together, so, something kids should know.  Also, I wanted to have these be free-range children, who, in a tight-knit community like Eagle River, Nebraska, can move safely about town without the need for constant adult supervision. And finally, I wanted it to be a compelling read for all ages, in particular older adults, because it harks back to a world of freedom that we remember well. Also, each book comes with a bundle of activities found at http://www.katherineklemp.com

When will book two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?

Eagle River Detectives, Book 2: Timothy Grant, Reluctant Hero was released October 2, 2022,

Eagle River Detectives, Book 3: Hide and Seek was released June 1, 2023, and

Eagle River Detectives, Book 4: The Mystery of the Old House was released October 18, 2023.

Tim takes the lead in Book 2, Gabby in Book 3, and Jodie in Book 4.

This completes the four-book series, The Grant Legacy.

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