
10 Fun Facts about Ginger’s Journal
The History of the Journal
1. I didn’t know when I started writing the Ginger Gold Mysteries that there would be a journal. When Ginger started hanging out in my head, I knew I wanted a woman who was ahead of her time ideologically, but I also needed her to have a set of skills that would be unique to women in the 1920s. The answer that came to me was to make her a former secret service agent during WW1. Now it made sense that she would now how to pick a lock, start an engine with a stocking, or was fluent in several languages.
2. Every time I needed Ginger to showcase a certain skill, I found I wanted to give context for when she learned it, so I would invent a situation she could’ve experienced during the Great War. Not only did I end up creating events, but also characters who first showed up in the 1920s, and then appeared in the journal timeline.
3. I knew I needed to keep track of these, rather random mentions of Ginger’s backstory as a secret agent so I wouldn’t lose continuity as the series went on. This was the beginning of what would become the Journal.
4. Once I started developing a backstory for Ginger that took place during the war years, I found I needed to develop her story line from before that. I introduced her late husband Daniel in Murder on the SS Rosa, but at the time, I hardly knew anything about him or how Ginger’s romance with him had unfolded. Once I decided to write her history, I began with her coming of age in Boston and the concept of Ginger’s Journal was born. I knew it wasn’t something I’d be getting professionally edited or that I would sell, but I thought fans of Ginger Gold would enjoy it and offered it for free to my newsletter subscribers as a thank-you.
How the Journal affected the writing of Ginger Gold
5. For the most part, I write the journal entries as I go along. I’m not hoarding entries and teasing my readers! There’s actually a lot of thought and research and time that ends up going into each one. (In fact, my husband Norm Strauss helps with a lot of that.)
6. I knew that writing each new mystery would direct what I’d enter into the journal, but what I didn’t expect was that sometimes the journal writing would direct what ends up in the books. Researching for the journal or just the development of a story idea while writing it sometime sparks a plot point that ends up in the next book. A big example of this happens in MURDER IN FRANCE.
7. The journal entry in this week’s newsletter entitled New Years Eve Disaster is a version of an event that turn’s Ginger’s life upside down. Even though the original draft was written first, the 1917 “disaster” becomes key to a crime in 1927 that Ginger and her good friend Haley Higgins are trying to solve.
The future of the Journal
8. New Years Eve Disaster takes place on January 31, 1917, which means the journal entries are heading into the final year of World War One. It’s revealed early in the first Ginger Gold Book, Murder on the SS Rosa, that Daniel didn’t survive the war, so some tender scenes are coming and at least one where Ginger and Daniel spend a day together, which we already know will be their last.
9. The ending is already written! The last scenes of the Journal are actually a prequel to Murder on the SS Rosa, when Ginger and Haley decide to take the steamship to England. It’ll be available exclusively to audio book listeners sometime in the spring. Stay tuned.
10. As for what I’ll do when the journal is finally completed, I’ll probably have it professionally edited and offer a revised and enhanced version for sale. Is that something you’d be interested in? Let me know in the comments.
I really looked forward to the Journal entries and wondered why they stopped.
I would love Gingers journal as a book format!
I’ve loved the journey of the journal. It would be wonderful to have an official version. May you keep getting inspired with these wonderful stories. We as readers are getting blessed by them.
Yes. I have been enjoying the journal entries.
I would like to see The Journal as one writing that we can purchase. I like your idea.
Sounds good!
I would love to have the entire journal available for sale. I love revisiting it.
Definitely would love to read the entire journal.
I would love to see the journal in book form 🙂 Though I am sad to see these story come to an end, I will look forward to your next set of character come to life …
Yes, please!
Love the idea to edit and publish Ginger Gold’s journals. I would surely purchase it!
I love all of your Ginger and Haley stories, so I am looking forward to reading her journal! Thank you for many happy hours of getting lost in your fabulous adventures.
I’d love you to publish the journal!
I would love a copy of the whole journal when it is finished.
Yes!!!!!
I personally would purchase a revised, edited and enhanced version of Ginger’s journal.
I love the Journal entries and would be interested in having them in print.
I would find it much more helpful if the Journal were available as a book or a series of novellas. I find it difficult to remember to come back to the Journal and so I tend to fall way behind on getting entries read.
The back story in the journal is actually as interesting to me as are the actual books. The Journal provides a lot of meat for the storyline.
Yes, please! It is difficult for me to remember the story between journal entries, so having it all in one book would be so helpful. I have every Ginger Gold book so far, and am loving the story. I don’t do audio books (too pricey!) so I am sad I will miss the final journal entry. I have really been enjoying reading about all of Ginger’s adventures and thank you so much for sharing them with us! 🙂
Author
If I publish the journal as an ebook and print, it will definitely include the final entry!
YES!!!
I would love the whole Journal as a book
Yes, yes, YES, YES!!!!!
I often turn to the Journal to refresh my memory when presented with a reference to what-has-gone-before. I will gladly purchase the completed journal when it is available. Thank you for the additional historical information. It has inspired many trips to resource material to increase my own knowledge.
~A~
I love the journal & read it faithfully!
Thank you.
donna
I would absolutely “love” to be able to get a printed, enhanced physical copy of Ginger’s Journal if and when it becomes available….
I look forward to each new journal entry and would definitely purchase the completed format! Thank you!
I would be interested in having the entire journal published.
I have enjoyed the journal entries. I would like to see them gathered into a book. I will be sorry to see them go but I understand.
Thanks for the hours of enjoyment.
I like the journal entries and would be interested in them all being published together.
I think you should enhance it considerably. You’re so great on character development, the journal adventures need a lot more flesh on them. But keep it up!
I’d love a copy of the enhanced journal. Looking forward to it. And why are the last scenes exclusively available to audio book listeners?????
Author
I want to encourage people to check out my audio direct page. The last scenes will be included in a Journal publication.
Sounds awesome. I’m not however s fan of audio books as I have auditory processing disorder.
Would be great to be able to read the journal as a book
I really enjoy reading the journal entries so it was great to read more about it.
Not happen that the ending is exclusively available to audiobook listeners – would be lovely it if was shared with all of us.
Would like to read the complete journal 🙂
Author
The last scenes will be included in a Journal publication.:)
Thoroughly enjoy the journal and would definitely read the completed journal.
Would be lovely if you shared the ending of the journal with everyone and not just the audiobook listeners.
Author
The last scenes will be included in a Journal publication. 🙂
Yes! Would like to read it as a novel.
I’d love to have the whole journal available to purchase.
I would love to read the journal! It would be interesting to see where the books came from and what your thought process was.
I really enjoy the journal entries
Love getting the information about Ginger’s journal and the back story. Waiting for the next book😍
I think that would be great.
I love reading the arcs of your books. Broad hint here. Yes, I would love to know other people would get to read or listen to all Ginger books, including the journal.
I have loved being part of the arc team & would love to hear any and all you tube versions of any books, journals, essays, notes, ideas etc……..
I would buy a book of all the journal entries. I really enjoy them.