8A • September 8, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Author Jance finds unlikely heroes in her fiction
‘There are little
pieces of me in all
my books’
By Nancy McCarthy
For Cannon Beach Gazette
When author J.A. Jance discuss-
es the key characters in her mys-
tery books, they seem more like old
friends than personalities from her
imagination.
She “met” retired Seattle police
chief J.P. Beaumont 30 years ago
on a train to Portland; they have the
same birthday. Arizona Sheriff Joan-
na Brady is short because the 6-foot,
1-inch Jance wanted to know what it
was like to be short.
During a talk and book-signing
sponsored by the Cannon Beach Li-
brary Aug. 24, Jance sat in an over-
stuffed chair on the Coaster Theatre
stage. She said her stories often come
from personal experience.
“There are little pieces of me in all
of my books,” she said.
Jance, 72, demonstrated her hu-
mor, which could easily turn into a
NANCY MCCARTHY/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Author J.A. Jance.
sharp retort when fielding audience
questions. She laughed at her mis-
takes and became emotional when
she talked about her parents.
“Eighty-one years ago today, my
parents were married,” Jance said.
They were together 68 years and had
seven children. Her mother cooked
three meals a day for nine people,
washed dishes, volunteered with
community organizations and kept an
organized house.
“She could have been a general,”
said Jance, who was the first mem-
ber of the family to earn a four-year
college degree. After her graduation,
Coast Happenings Calendar
Friday, Sept. 8
Wheels & Waves
7 a.m., downtown corridor,
Seaside, 503-717-1914, www.
seasidedowntown.com. A gath-
ering of show quality hot rods,
street cars and customs will be
displayed at the annual Wheels
& Waves car show and parade.
Canoeing
Noon, Broadway Park boat
dock, 1300 Broadway, Seaside,
503-738-3311,
www.sunse-
tempire.com, $20 to $30. SE-
PRD-led canoe trips travel along
the river and upper estuary near
the Necanicum confluence, reg-
istration required.
Kelsey Mousley
6 p.m., Cannon Beach His-
tory Center, 1387 Spruce St.,
Cannon Beach, 503-436-9301,
www.cbhistory.org, $15. A con-
cert and reception kicks off the
multi-day annual Cottage &
Garden tour with live music
by Kelsey Mousley & the Next
Right Thing.
Wes Wahrmund
6 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661. Wes Wahrmund’s classical
guitar skills amaze with light
jazz and original tunes.
Maggie & the Kats
6:30 p.m., Sweet Basil’s Café, 271
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1539, www.cafesweet-
basils.com, no cover, 21+. Mag-
gie & the Kats play world-class
blues music, Creole, jazz, funk,
rhythm-n-blues and soul.
Texas Hold’em
7 p.m., American Legion, 1216
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-2973, 21+. Cannon
Beach American Legion offers
a Friday night Texas Hold’em
poker tournament, doors open
at 3 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9
Wheels & Waves
7 a.m., downtown corridor, Sea-
side, 503-717-1914.
Discover Haystack
9 a.m., on the beach at Haystack
Rock, Cannon Beach, 503-436-
8060. Discover Haystack Rock
presents a program on “Marine
Debris Art;” meet at the red
HRAP truck.
Cottage Luncheon
Noon, Chamber Community
Hall, 207 Spruce St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-9301, $25. En-
joy a luncheon and presentation
by Dr. Doug Deur for the Cot-
tage & Garden tour; maps avail-
able at end of luncheon.
Cottage Tour
Noon, Cannon Beach History
Center, 1387 Spruce St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-9301, $35. The
self-guided Cottage and Garden
Jance admitted, she became an “un-
bearable snob” toward her mother,
who had only a seventh-grade educa-
tion. She read a poem from her 1984
book of poetry, “After the Fire,” in
which she wrote, “It is impossible for
me and my mother to be sisters.”
That attitude remained until, Jance
admitted, she had children of her own.
When her mother died a few years
following her father’s death, Jance
said she shed no tears because she
knew her parents finally were reunit-
ed. But in her novel, “Damage Con-
trol,” she wrote a scene where an el-
derly couple drive off a cliff similar to
the death scene in the movie, “Thelma
and Louise,” and the tears broke free.
“I cried like hell when I wrote that
scene,” Jance recalled.
She also included a scene in the
book involving a memorial for a fall-
en officer. Jance said she wrote it in
memory of her brother, Jim, an Arizo-
na firefighter, who died unexpectedly
of a heart attack several years before
her parents’ deaths.
Another personal experience,
which ended up in a J.P. Beaumont
story, revolves around guilt. She
didn’t attend the funeral of Doug Da-
vis, a high school friend from Bisbee,
Arizona, because she didn’t know,
until after the funeral, of his death
at age 22 while serving in Vietnam.
Years later, after meeting the wom-
an who had been engaged to Davis,
Vance decided to write a Beaumont
“prequel” — “Second Watch” — in
which Beaumont searches for his
friend’s missing fiancée.
“People who have read my book
have sought out the cemetery and left
tokens of appreciation on his grave,”
Jance said. “Being a writer is a very
good job sometimes.
The popular writer is closely fol-
lowed by her fans, who remind her of
mistakes or ask about the well-being
of her characters. “When I had Beau
do a lot of drinking so he would have
something to do with his hands, read-
ers would ask, ‘Does J.P. Beaumont
have a drinking problem?’”
“The author was the last person
to realize it,” Jance said. In the next
Beaumont book, “Minor in Posses-
sion,” Beaumont goes into treatment.
To those who point out mistakes in
her 50-plus books, (she publishes at
least one a year the newest Beaumont
book is out this month), she recalls
YOUR GUIDE TO MUSIC, ART, COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL EVENTS ON THE NORTH COAST
walking tour features the unique
craftsmanship and architecture
of northern Cannon Beach,
maps available.
Reception & Concert
6 p.m., Chamber Community
Hall, 207 Spruce St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-9301. An eve-
ning concert and reception will
follow the cottage tour – wine
and hors d’oeuvres included,
with a raffle and live music by
Thistle & Rose.
Patrick Lamb
7:30 p.m., Coaster Theatre, 108
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1242, $35 to $40. Sax-
ophonist Patrick Lamb focuses
his music on old-school rhythm-
n-blues and soul with a flavor of
rock, jazz and blues.
Sunday, Sept. 10
Wheels & Waves
7 a.m., downtown corridor, Sea-
side, 503-717-1914.
Cottage Tea
11 a.m., Chamber Community
Hall, 207 Spruce St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-9301, $20. The
cottage tour concludes with an
English-style garden tea recep-
tion and presentation by Dawn
Hummel.
NAMI Meeting
2 p.m., Seaside Public Library,
1131 Broadway, Seaside, 503-
738-6165, www.nami.org. The
National Alliance on Mental Ill-
ness welcomes individuals and
caregivers of anyone who suffers
from mental illness.
Monday, Sept. 11
Burgers & Jam
6:30 p.m., American Legion,
1216 Hemlock St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-2973. The Le-
gion offers burgers and music
on Monday nights.
Tuesday, Sept. 12
Chamber Breakfast
7:45 a.m., Pig ‘N’ Pancake, 223
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-2623, www.cannon-
beach.org. The Cannon Beach
Chamber shares chamber news,
activities and features a local
business owner, no host break-
fast available.
Farmers Market
1 p.m., Hemlock/Gower streets
near City Hall, 163 Gower Ave.,
Cannon Beach, 503-436-8044,
w w w. c an n onb e a c h m ar ke t .
org. This market offers fresh
produce, pasture-raised meat,
organic cheeses, handcrafted
artisan food products and live
music.
Experience Family Dining in
a Relaxed & Friendly
Environment
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Patrick Lamb Band.
Patrick Lamb and
band in concert
Saxophonist
Patrick
Lamb returns to the Coast-
er Theatre Playhouse on
Saturday, Sept. 9, for an
end of summer celebra-
tion. Lamb’s last three
singles have been top five
nationally on the Billboard
Charts. He was recently in-
ducted as one of the young-
est members into the Ore-
Art of Aging
3 p.m., Hoffman Center, 594
Laneda Ave., Manzanita, 503-
368-3846, $5. Janet Holboke
will speak about memory loss
at the next Art of Aging/Art of
Dying series.
City Council
5:30 p.m., Cannon Beach City
Hall, 163 Gower St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-1581, www.
ci.cannon-beach.or.us. This is a
work session.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
Thistle & Rose
5 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661. Thistle and Rose perform
original tunes, folk and Ameri-
cana from the 70s and 80s.
Thursday, Sept. 14
Floating Glass Balls
8 p.m., Bill’s Tavern, 188 Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach, 503-
436-2202, www.billstavernand-
brewhouse.com, no cover.
The Floating Glass Balls plays
beachgrass music: a blend of
bluegrass, Caribbean, folk,
swing, contemporary and coun-
try.
Thistle
8 p.m., The Wayfarer, 1190 Pa-
cific Drive, Cannon Beach, 503-
436-1108. Bobby “Bobcat” Rice
and Paul Dueber of Thistle play
gon Music Hall of Fame
and has been given the In-
dependent Spirit Award by
the city of Portland.
The concert begins at
7:30 p.m. and tickets can
be purchased online at
coastertheatre.com, at the
Coaster Theatre box office
or by calling 503-436-
1242.
an American-inspired music
mix of blues, folk, ballad, rock
and originals.
Friday, Sept. 15
AAUW Discussion
6 p.m., Beach Books, 616 Broad-
way, Seaside, 503-738-0808.
Shannon Symonds and Jay Bar-
ber will give a talk on domestic
violence and sex trafficking,
open to the public.
Wes Wahrmund
6 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661.
5 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661.
6 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach, 503-
436-2661.
Author Reading
Cannon Beach Reads
7 p.m., Hoffman Center, 594
Laneda Ave., Manzanita, 503-
368-3846, www.hoffmanblog.
org. Pauls Toutonghi, author
of “Dog Gone: A Lost Pet’s
Extraordinary Journey and
the Family Who Brought Him
Home” will be featured.
7 p.m., Cannon Beach Library,
131 Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1391,
www.cannon-
beachlibrary.org. This month’s
selection is “Wise Blood” by
Flannery O’Connor.
Sunday, Sept. 17
Legion Breakfast
9 a.m., American Legion, 1216
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
$4 to $8. Proceeds help support
local veterans, families, com-
munity organizations and the
high school scholarship fund;
open to the public.
Muttzanita Festival
10 a.m., on the beach at Lane-
da Ave., Manzanita, 503-368-
3436,
www.muttzanita.com.
The annual Muttzanita charity
festival offers vendor booths,
games and contests to keep
festival goers engaged with
like-minded animal lovers.
Evensong
6 p.m., Cannon Beach Com-
munity Church, 132 Washing-
ton St., Cannon Beach, 503-
436-1222. Evensong features
performers Jennifer Gooden-
berger and Wes Wahrmund,
meditative songs and quiet re-
flection.
Monday, Sept. 18
Burgers & Jam
6:30 p.m., American Legion,
1216 Hemlock St., Cannon
Beach, 503-436-2973.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
Farmers Market
1 p.m., Hemlock/Gower streets
near City Hall, 163 Gower Ave.,
Cannon Beach, 503-436-8044.
Texas Hold’em
Wednesday, Sept. 20
7 p.m., American Legion, 1216
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-2973, 21+.
Saturday, Sept. 16
Buddy Walk
9 a.m., Quatat Park, 493 Ocean-
way, Seaside, 503-312-1378,
www.sammysplace.info, $8 to
$15. North Coast Down Syn-
drome Network and Sammy’s
Place hosts its annual Buddy
Walk on the Beach fundraiser,
includes activities, music and
more; registration required.
powered by
Bunco!
6:30 p.m., American Legion,
1216 Hemlock St., Cannon
Beach. The Cannon Beach
Women’s
Auxiliary
offers
monthly Bunco games every
third Wednesday.
6:30 p.m., Sweet Basil’s Café, 271
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1539, no cover, 21+.
Garden Club
Noon, Tolovana Hall, 3779
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
www.tolovanaartscolony.org.
Attendees should bring lunch,
coffee, tea and dessert provid-
ed; annual dues are $5, new
members welcome.
Thursday, Sept. 21
Senior Craft Fair
10:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside, 503-738-9323, www.
sunsetempire.com, $3 to $6.75.
Local artisans highlight their
creative talents, includes hand-
made crafts, jewelry and more.
Artist Travelogue
7 p.m., Hoffman Center, 594
Laneda Ave., Manzanita, 503-
368-3846, $5. Linda Cook will
share photos from her travels to
Cuba at the next “Travelogue:
Celebrating Global Culture &
Community Through the Lens
of Local Citizen.”
Floating Glass Balls
8 p.m., Bill’s Tavern, 188 Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach, 503-
436-2202, no cover.
Thistle
8 p.m., The Wayfarer, 1190 Pa-
cific Drive, Cannon Beach, 503-
436-1108.
Friday, Sept. 22
Wes Wahrmund
6 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661.
Maggie & the Kats
6:30 p.m., Sweet Basil’s Café, 271
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1539, no cover, 21+.
Texas Hold’em
7 p.m., American Legion, 1216
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-2973, 21+.
“Blithe Spirit”
7:30 p.m., Coaster Theatre, 108
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach,
503-436-1242, www.coasterthe-
atre.com, $20 to $25, rated PG.
Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” is a
supernatural comedy to die for.
SERVING
LUNCH &
DINNER
OPEN AT 11:30
Tuesday’s Open at 4pm
Delightful Beer
Garden • Ocean View Deck
Pool Tables • Darts
Full Bar ( including Bill’s Tavern brews )
but that’s not all...
We have a fabulous patio
where you can enjoy the
weather and your meal.
Smoked Pork Ribs • Steak • Seafood
and much, much more!
“TO-GO”
Orders Welcome
156 N. Hemlock • Cannon Beach
Owned and Operated by the Cleary Family
Thistle & Rose
1 p.m., Hoffman Center, 594
Laneda Ave., Manzanita, 503-
368-3846, www.hoffmanblog.
org, $40. Pauls Toutonghi will
teach a workshop on “Writing
with Balance.”
Maggie & the Kats
Serving Seafood, Pizza,
Sandwiches, Espressos, Beer,
Wine, Ice Cream and our
Homemade Desserts
503.436.9551
Writing Workshop
Wes Wahrmund
Wes Wahrmund
6 p.m., The Bistro, 263 Hemlock
St., Cannon Beach, 503-436-
2661.
the lesson she learned from basket
weavers on the Tohono O’Odham In-
dian Reservation, where she was a li-
brarian. Mistakes, Jance said, “are my
contribution to making sure my art is
not perfect. Only the Great Spirit is
perfect.”
While fielding questions from the
audience at the Coaster, Jance dis-
played her humor and a bit of impa-
tience.
When a man asked her if she
worked from an outline, Jance told
him that, in her 30 years of doing
book-signings, it’s usually a male
who asks that question, and it’s usu-
ally a retired engineer. The questioner
admitted that he was a retired chemi-
cal engineer.
Jance said she hated outlines.
Instead, she added, she starts with
someone who is dead, then she spends
“a lot of time figuring out who did it
and how. Occasionally, I paint myself
into a corner.”
The first 20 percent of the book is
difficult to write, the middle 60 per-
cent is somewhat easier, and the last
20 percent is a “banana peel,” and
that’s what I know what the ending
will be,” Jance said.
Located in SOUTH Cannon Beach
music fi rst
3301 S. Hemlock St. • Tolovana Park
503.436.1130 • Minors Welcome