|
BOOK REVIEWS
Here's what
reviewers are saying about INHERIT ALL THINGS
"J. Ryan Fenzel takes familiar and twists it
around with colorful characters, biting wit and surprises beyond every
ebb and flow. The reader follows the hero, Jack Sheridan, around our
beautiful Great Lakes from the Kalamazoo River Light, to Sleeping Bear
Dunes and beyond in search of long-lost treasure. Along the way,
Sheridan faces love lost and found, family, friends and foes - although
the reader cannot always be sure who fits into which category. This is
an enjoyable, exciting summer read." [
Full Review ]
– Nancy A. Schneider, Great Lakes
Historical Society Quarterly Journal
"A fine read crossing large chunks of time and
geography...Reading an adventure on Lake Michigan is not a bad way to
spend a few cold, winter nights."
- Steve Begnoche, Ludington Daily News
"Mystery and intrigue are eloquently woven into this well-written plot
of lost treasure from a long-ago Great Lakes shipwreck."
- Marilyn Grinnel, Hamburg Township
Library
"The
past is sometimes a tough nut to crack. Inherit All Things is a
novel of looking to the past and trying to decipher its mystery. Jack
Sheridan must dig through a century and a half's worth of puzzles to
figure out the location of an invaluable treasure buried beneath the
[Great Lakes]. A
thriller of history and adventure, Inherit All Things is
especially recommended to readers looking for a book to keep them on the
edge of their seats."
- Midwest Book Review
"In 2006 I had good things to say about
Descending from Duty, a novel from this publisher, and I can say the
same for this story [Inherit All Things], a kind of treasure hunt
steeped in Great Lakes history. You won’t want to put this one down
until you get to the finish."
- Alan Caruba, Bookviews.com
“A great, fast
read...historical romance, mystery, lots of action, and good pacing
throughout.”
-
Maria Wolf, Michigan Library Association, Cromaine District
Library
“A very interesting and
compelling story.”
-
Jon King, WHMI-FM 93.5 news director
Return to top.
READER RESPONSE
The most rewarding part of writing is getting feedback from readers.
Here are some comments that appeared in my e-mail inbox for Inherit
All Things.
“I just wanted to thank you for your current novel Inherit All
Things. I enjoyed it very much and especially like all the
Michigan references. I am planning a backpacking trip to South Manitou
Island this summer and will look at the Manitou passage with a different
eye now when I am crossing it.”
Tom Nisbet
Brighton, MI
"I stumbled across your book Inherit All Things and found it very
enjoyable. I have now put Descending From Duty on my
B-day/Christmas list and truly look forward to reading it...You are a
writer who is able to put me right there in your story."
Bill McLamara
Grand Rapids, MI
“I just finished your second book Inherit All Things. I
wanted to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually
enjoyed both of your novels very much. I especially liked the
references to all of the Michigan
cities. I moved to
Virginia
fifteen years ago and I miss it. Although I do not miss having to
shovel and clear the cars off of snow. Thanks again for your effort and
research on producing such great stories.”
Ken Wings
Virginia
“I finished the book yesterday - wow! I couldn't put it down. I
read over 200 pages yesterday alone…Excellent work with the twists and
turns. Thanks for writing the second book. Now don't waste any time
starting number 3 if you haven't already.”
Ron Berry
Brighton MI
“I finished the book over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. My
brother and I both thought it was awesome how you referenced your first
book in this one. I came across one line in your book that my English
Professor would have enjoyed, but I cannot remember if it was ‘Not with
Standing’ or ‘Nevertheless.’ Anyway, the Professor would give extra
points if we were able to use it correctly in our writing, because most
of the time it was used incorrectly. Thanks again for a great book.”
Eric Spitzley
Farmington Hills,
MI
“My wife Linda gave me a copy of your book Inherit All Things for
my birthday. She even had you autograph it. I just want to tell you how
much I enjoyed it. I loved it. Couldn't put it down. We've spent a lot
of time vacationing and exploring
Michigan
cities. We've spent many weeks in the Saugatuck area over the years. I
really enjoyed the events and sequences you wrote about taking place
there. Thanks for writing this wonderful story. I truly enjoyed it.”
Doug Smith
Wixom, MI
“Inherit All Things was a fascinating read. It has a great
fictional mystery embedded in authentic description of
Michigan
geography and history. The book has a quick pace and a surprising
ending!”
Jeffrey W. Sipes
Indianapolis,
IN
"I had to let you know (finally) how much I enjoyed Inherit All
Things. I have also read Descending From Duty. I enjoyed both
books immensely. Inherit All Things is my favorite that you have
written so far. I was on the edge of my seat while reading it...I love
the characters and hope to see them again in future novels."
Jennifer Broom
Howell, MI
Return to top
CASTING THE CHARACTERS
After I'd settled on telling a treasure hunt tale I
needed to populate the story with a cast of characters. I knew the
characters from Descending from Duty would not fit, so I had to
start from scratch. Or did I? The more I thought on it the more
convinced I became that I had the characters I needed locked away in a
three-ring binder on my closet shelf.
Before writing DFD I had also penned two other
novels. These books served as a great training ground for plotting,
story structure, and characterization. In the end neither got to the
point of publication, but there were some great ideas there, and even
greater characters. One is a story titled Circling Jericho, with
an everyman character named Jack Sheridan as the hero.
Jack Sheridan works for an undersea salvage and
research company named Neptune's Reach. He leads salvage operations for
them in the world's oceans and in the Great Lakes. In Circling
Jericho, a mysterious man named Rafferty contracts Neptune's Reach
to recover a sunken relic from the Cold War era. It turns out Rafferty
is a mercenary intent on stealing a sensitive piece of military hardware
using Neptune's resources. He seizes the salvage vessel and threatens
the lives of the crew to force Jack's cooperation. Jack's son Connor is
among the captured.
To rescue his son and prevent Rafferty from
securing the military hardware, Jack rises to resist. He rallies the
crew, overpowers the mercenary team, and saves Connor from certain
death. Throughout the book Jack and Rafferty clash, trade barbs,
challenge each others beliefs, one-up each others strategies, and forge a
deadly rivalry. The story ends with Jack returning home to patch things
up with his estranged wife Lauren. In the final pages he receives one
last message from a presumed-dead Rafferty, setting an ominous tone for
Jack's future.
The characters in Circling Jericho play off
each other so well, and the world they live in matched up with the world
I planned to set my new story idea in so close I knew I had my cast.
Jack Sheridan would return to action, and he'd have with him feisty wife
Lauren, headstrong son Connor, and impulsive friend Markus. Other alumni
from Jericho show up in Inherit All Things too, including
Jack's self-absorbed former boss Lloyd Faulkner and military-minded
friend Joshua Rezner. But new characters were needed to tell the story
too. Jack's old flame Bobbie Weller is introduced, and plays a pivotal
role in regards to plot and conflict with Lauren. Bobbie's daughter
Alyson mixes things up between Connor and Markus.
Of course I needed a worthy opponent for Jack to
bump heads with on his way to the coins. I found my foil in Benjamin
Higgs, a man of imposing stature and long term ambition. He's just as
likely to bust teeth as exchange friendly banter with someone he's
leveraging for his ultimate end game. Higgs enjoys competition, and when
Jack appears on the scene it invigorates his efforts. He looks forward
to besting his new nemesis, and after each encounter his resolve grows
more and more lethal. To aid his efforts, he has Nate Kisko to lean on.
A second rate thug with no compunction to murder, Kisko does what he is
told and asks very few questions. There are other antagonists, and a
surprise or two down the road, but I don't want to give anything away.
Return to top
BUILDING A MYTHOLOGY
I’d settled on a treasure hunt story. I had
the major components of the plot. It was time to dig into the details. I
knew I didn’t want the typical treasure map with the X at the end. I
wanted the treasure to be concealed by an intriguing puzzle, and that
puzzle had to be cut from Michigan history.
After having visited some nice harbor towns and a
lighthouse or two in West Michigan during one of our family vacations, I
began to research the history of the area. I quickly uncovered a number
of very intriguing events centered around Allegan County. One stand out
that captured my imagination was an 1842 account of a group of shivering
shipwreck survivors fleeing to the Kalamazoo River lighthouse for
shelter after making their way to shore. The worst blizzard in a
generation had hit that night, yet this one ship had left a small
milling village port that she’d been taking on cargo from all day. I
began to wonder what could have been the reason for them to ship out at
the onset of the storm.
Digging deeper into the history of the milling
village, I discovered a fascinating turn of events that reverberated
across Michigan in the early 1800s. I don’t want to give too much away,
but I’ll give you a hint: The congressmen of our time are not the first
to royally screw up the banking system. With these elements, and few
more dashes of Great Lakes heritage, I had the makings of an intriguing
mythology for the treasure in my story.
Return
to top
THE STORY
Story details to come...Visit this page
again for more behind the book information.
Return to top |
