Welcome to Jo Dereske's Website
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Bio/Promo Photo: M. Ziegler I've lived in Northwest Washington State for more than 30 years but grew up in rural Mason County, Michigan. I longed to be a writer but as a child believed it was impossible since I didn't live anywhere near New York City. I left Michigan and headed west after college, positive I was destined to write about the wider, more exotic, world. But curiously, nearly all my books and short stories either have a connection to, or are set in, Michigan.
My first books: Glom Gloom, The Lone Sentinel, and My Cousin the Poodle, (Atheneum) were written for my two children. Since then, I've written eleven books in the Miss Zukas (Avon/Harper) mystery series, and three books in the Ruby Crane (Dell) mystery series. I've drawn heavily on my Lithuanian background and my love for the oddities of the Library world for the Miss Zukas series. Forgery, always an interest since I forged my first absence excuse in fourth grade, figures heavily in the Ruby Crane series. I now live in the foothills of Mt. Baker in Washington State. -------------------------------------------------------
Promotional Info - Jo Dereske Jo Dereske is the author of seventeen published books: two mystery series and three books for young people. Index to Murder, published in April, 2008 by Avon/HarperCollins is the eleventh Miss Zukas mystery, set in the fictional town of Bellehaven, Washington. In Index to Murder, Helma's artist friend Ruth creates havoc in Bellehaven by creating a series of paintings depicting the disappointments of her life. The New York Times called the Miss Zukas series, "a loving sendup of the stereotype of the prim and proper librarian." The Toronto Sun said, "You're in for a good time." Her books have been on numerous bestseller lists, including BookSense, Amazon and several individual bookstores. Bookmarked to Die spent two months as the number one paperback on the nationwide Independent Mystery Booksellers Association' bestseller list. Catalogue of Death also received the number one honor. Jo has taught in the University of Washington Creative Writing program, and spoken at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC as part of the Judith Austin Memorial Lecture series. She also teaches writing workshops and speaks at events. Jo lives in the foothills of Mount Baker near Bellingham, Washington and her website is www.jodereske.com  Ruby K-9 in Saar Creek |
 "Jo's Bookshelf." A display at Village Books in Fairhaven, WA, of twelve important books over my lifetime. I’m an obsessive reader, finishing at least two books a week, and naming my favorites was gut-wrenching! I’ve chosen books from across my life that touched me for various reasons and have stayed with me. But give me a minute and I can think of twelve more! But here they are:
The Little Brute Family, by Russell Hoban (I read this to my children so many times we wore it out)
Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Habit of Being, Letters of Flannery O'Conner
Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (Burgess works magic with language)
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
Shape of the Journey, poems by Jim Harrison
Lamb, by Christopher Moore
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (if there's only one book on a desert island, this is the one I want!)
Deliverance, by James Dickey
Iceblink, by Scott Cookman
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Pojar and MacKinnon
The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard (what I'm reading right now, so it's my current favorite) A few of my favorite websitesThere are too many grand websites out there! So from time to time, in the newsletter I'll highlight one I especially love. Otherwise, I recommend you check out Library Index to the Internet for links to great sites that are updated weekly - you can even have their new lists emailed to you. A source of continual wonder!
Old FavesIt's about time! Are you counting down to the big event, the wedding, the retirement? Enter your special date in Time and Date.com and you'll find out, right down to the number of seconds, how long you have to wait. Do the same to discover just exactly how long you've been alive. Or, how about checking the exact time anywhere in the United States? Sure, most of us can do that in our heads, but at Official U.S. Time, up pops a map that shows you where it's nightfall and daylight at the very moment. This one's for your secret lust to be a detective: Virtual Chase. How to conduct a background check. Could be veddddy useful!
You pay the taxes, so take advantage of this site: The Library of Congress maintains a Virtual Reference Shelf. Links to a zillion materials, including a nice feature called "Ask a Librarian" where you can ask that pesky question no one else could answer. I've used them; they're fast, courteous and know their stuff.
**** Miss your hometown news? Curious about what's going on today in Rotterdam? You can read online newspapers from anywhere in the world on ABYZ News Links, free.
**** Here's one that takes a strong stomach, but if you're a writer needing accurate details on autopsies or are just plain curious, try the Virtual Autopsy. It's from the University of Leicester and it's brilliant. **** |
