Marilyn's Musings

WELCOME TO JEFFERSON COUNTY  Eight and a half years ago, my wife and I moved to the North Coast of California, otherwise known as Redwood Country, but also known for its rocky shores, its backdrop of tall mountains, its salmon and oysters, and, yes, it’s main cash crop, marijuana.  It didn’t take me long to fall in love with this setting, in spite of the fog and rain. Also, the more I learned about its history of lumber barons, Native Americans, and generational grudges, the more I itched to write about this place. I wanted to celebrate its amazing geography, its scenery, its history, its economy, and mainly its people. The trouble is, I write fiction—mystery fiction—in which people get killed and things sometimes get ugly. As a relative newcomer, I certainly didn’t want to offend my new neighbors or anyone else who mattered. So how could I celebrate this remarkable place, this land of rocky coastline, rugged mountains, and forests of towering redwood trees; this gentle b...