We have just come back from our annual trip to the Red Wing Pottery Convention. Every year there is an auction for members only and this year tough economic dishes drastically affected prices.

I especially noticed this with the lily pitcher and basin that has a key role in Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace. In the novel, Kay describes the set as a stunning example of Red Wing craftsmanship and mentioned an asking price of nearly $1,500.

True for the late 1990s and early 21^st century, but the auction demonstrates how prices have cooled with the economy, housing market, etc. At the Thursday auction, two sets of the lily pitcher and bowl sold for $475 and $650 respectively. The prices will eventually come back, but like everything else in the current economic climate antique and pottery markets have taken a huge hit.

In approximately three weeks, the 2008 election season kicks off with the Republican Convention held in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and soon after that, the Democrats select their nominee in Denver. The confetti won’t be swept up off the convention center floors before the Presidential Election gets under way in earnest.

The story arc of Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace covers five years and three elections. Set in Minnesota, home of the nation’s highest voter turn-out, the Pierson family understands that voting is not a right but a privilege, and one they exercise regularly.

Nationally between 1960 and 2004, voter participation in presidential election years declined from 63.1% in 1960 to 55.3% in 2004. There were encouraging blips, as percentages rose between 2000 and 2004, from 51.3% to 55.3%. Still, that pales in comparison to Minnesota where a whooping 76.8% of the population voted in 2004, leading the country in voter participation.

The decline in U.S. voter participation didn’t occur overnight and tangible factors contribute. In the age of YouTube where every politician’s foibles can be looped endlessly on the Internet, voter cynicism is high. Other factors in the nation’s political system also come into play, most notably the weakening of traditional party allegiances. Both the Democratic and Republic parties have been losing clout for years, but with a never-ending war, weak economy, the foreclosure mess, and rising unemployment, this election year stand to be very important.

In the novel, it’s also clear that the Pierson family is active in DFL politics, hosting fundraisers, handing out candidate literature, and answering phones. Because Minnesota has such stellar turnout, it seemed important to include this subplot. Rather than focusing on the family’s political affiliation, I wanted readers to remember why it’s so essential to exercise a privilege too important to ignore.

The presidential election of 2000 was a true cliffhanger, too close to call the morning after. At the time, I was working as a course developer for an international consulting firm. A few days before the election, I asked a co-worker if he was planning to vote. He said no, that his vote didn’t matter. I mentioned in passing that was too bad, because in other parts of the world people are willing to die for the privilege to cast their vote in a democratic election. The day after the 2000 election, as the world waited in anticipation to see who the next President of the United States would be, Chris informed he had decided to vote after all and was glad he did.

The voting sub-plot in Shades of Darkness helps describe the Pierson family’s political activism in a progressive state. But it also serves as an impetus to get readers involved in their community and the world at large by implementing one of the most important privileges we as Americans are lucky to have.

“Land of 10,000 Lakes” (Minnesota’s slogan) and the month of August (National Water Quality Month) is the perfect time to dive into water facts. A few quick facts about Minnesota’s many lakes are:

Voyageurs National Park (located in northern Minnesota) is the largest water-based park in the entire National Park System.

Number of Lakes in Minnesota:
Well over 10,000 with 11,842 lakes (each measuring 10+ acres)

Depths of Six Minnesota Lakes:
Lake Superior:             1,290 feet
Ten Mile Lake                209 feet
Lower LaSalle Lake        204 feet
Loon Lake                     202 feet
Rainy Lake                    161 feet
Leech Lake                   150 feet

Number of Natural Rivers and Streams:
6,564 (69,200 miles)

The lake pictured on the cover of Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace is Lake Superior. one of the five Great Lakes. This chain of lakes is located in eastern North America on the Canadian/North American border.  Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth.

Minnesota Water Facts 

One year ago today, the I-35W Bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. Thirteen people lost their lives and over 100 more were injured, some severely.

In many ways this was not simply a tragedy in another state, but one that could happen at anyplace and at anytime. What the accident did was to shine a light on not just Minnesota’s bridge troubles, but the nation’s structurally deficient bridges as a whole. After the Minneapolis collapse, the Associated Press reviewed repairs on every state’s 20 most traveled bridges with structural deficiencies and discovered only 12% of those had been fixed. Generally the most common approach was to plan for bridge repairs in the future rather than fix them now.

Other findings:
Sixty-four percent of bridges received no work beyond regular maintenance, though the majority was scheduled for future repairs.
Twelve percent had their structural defects fixed, usually through a major rehabilitation or outright replacement.
An additional 24% of bridges have seen a partial improvement, either through a short-term to temporary fix addressing the defect, or an ongoing project that is not complete. The worst bridges were located in Indiana, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Work in these states was conducted on only one of 20 of the most heavily traveled bridges that were deemed structurally deficient.

One year ago Friday, August 1, a number of Minnesotans lives changed forever. Thirteen died in the Mississippi as the I-35W Bridge buckled and collapsed into the mighty river. Another 100 or so were injured, some severely. That night, the Minnesota Twins played the Kansas City Royals so that 25,000 fans wouldn’t pour out of the Metrodome and gum up even more traffic already snarled from the bridge collapse.

The most harrowing aspect was that a major bridge had come tumbling down in the United States of America. This, of course, was not supposed to happen here. But it most definitely had and the collapse of the I-35 Bridge had affected the lives of many, many people just by leaving a huge gap over the Mississippi River and altering traffic pattern until a new bridge could be built.

In my novel, a passing reference is made to how the Twin Cities are literally linked together by a vast network of bridges that cross the Mississippi, Minnesota, and Saint Croix Rivers, plus numerous lakes. The book notes that rush hour is always slow over the Wakota Bridge that ferries traffic on I-494 over the Mighty Mississippi. Without the bridge, the Twin Cities could not be melded together on the East side of the Metro.

When the bridge collapsed last year, cities all over the country got a brutal wake up call - this calamity could happen anywhere. Large numbers of bridges were inspected, some closed down for good. At the end of 2007, the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an article on another bridge in dire need of replacement, the bridge spanning the Mississippi in downtown Hastings, MN.

Over the last weekend in July, large chucks of cement fell from the Maryland Avenue Bridge near 35-E and downtown St. Paul. Two vehicles were hit — one on the windshield, one on the hood — and debris from the chunks, which fell from the underside of the bridge, choked off traffic on Interstate Hwy. 35E for more than eight hours as crews inspected the overpass and knocked off other loose concrete as a precaution.

Bridges connect numerous cities across the United States. The only positive to come out of the Minneapolis 35-W bridge collapse was the inspection of similar bridges. Still, even having endured a national tragedy, the once proud state of Minnesota still doesn’t have enough money to fund and maintain crucial aspects of roads like bridges.

The GOP Convention scheduled for August 30 - September 4 in Minneapolis and St. Paul is a mere five weeks away, as family who reside there constantly remind me. On the one side is the argument  that suicide bombers, chemical or biological attacks, lone gunmen, terrorist attacks, riots, blockades, or all of the above could shut down the Republican National Convention scheduled for St. Paul/Minneapolis August 30 - September 4.

From the beginning planning stages, St. Paul officials and protesters have been engaged in a prolonged dispute over granting a request by antiwar demonstrators (the Coalition to March on the RNC to Stop the War) requesting a change in the route and time of a Sept. 1 march they want to take place right outside the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.

On the opposite side, officials claim they have up-to-date Intel on the plans of anarchists to disrupt the convention by blocking the 12 mile stretch of I-94 between downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis. If I were an anarchist, I would definitely let authorities think they had the upper-hand in the intelligence department and move deep underground.

Since winning the bid for the RNC, the Twin Cities have had difficulty recruiting enough law enforcement personnel (currently at less than 3,000), while complaining about the overtime pay such security will cost. No doubt the anarchists and others planning to cause havoc during the convention are well aware of this dilemma, as the shortage in security has been publicly discussed for months.

Do I want see the RNC disrupted by anarchists bent on destruction and chaos? No, if only for the selfish reason that I don’t wish to see my hometown humiliated on the world stage. But even growing up in Minneapolis/St. Paul I heard repeatedly that the Twin Cities simply didn’t offer enough hotel rooms, police, and other venues for an event of this magnitude. As in the novel, my family works in real estate in the Twin Cities and over the years they’ve explained the National Association of Realtors refuses to host their annual convention here for exactly those reasons.

If you’re a political junkie, there are sure to be some fireworks, and not only with the protesters at the GOP Convention. Besides the RNC in progress, during the exact same time span, the Minnesota State Fair will also be taking place in St. Paul and several universities start up the new school year. If I were an anarchist, those are the exactly the kinds of details I would be noting.

Don’t believe your vote matters in November 2008? Jesse “The Body” Ventura didn’t become Governor of Minnesota in 1998 because no one went to the polls. Just the opposite.  For some, the realization of how important each and every vote is came when Ventura won the three party race.

Some other great examples of a few votes making a big difference:
In 2002, Dan Sparks was elected to the Minnesota State Senate by five votes, and Mike McGinn won election by 35 votes.
In 1999, Leslie Byrne was elected to the Virginia Senate by 37 votes.
John F. Kennedy won the presidency in 1960 over Richard Nixon by a margin of less than one vote per precinct.
One vote per precinct passed women’s right to vote in California in 1911.

Don’t think you know enough about the candidates and issues to make a well-informed decision? Besides the voter-related organizations listed on this site, here are some additional organizations providing non-partisan information on the majority of political races this fall.

Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-year-old in America to register and vote in the presidential primaries and 2008 presidential election.

Vote-USA provides voters with non-partisan information on where candidates stand while offering voters the opportunity to compare candidate’s positions on hot issues such as the economy and ongoing Iraqi war.  

Project Vote Smart is similar to Voter USA in providing information on candidates of all parties in a multitude of races.

Voting is a privilege, not a right, the very reason for its inclusion as a sub-plot in Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace. One of the positive aspects of the 2008 U.S. election is the immense interest among voters, particular from younger generations. Americans have long been apathetic in regards to voting, and this election year is the perfect time to change that.

Rising gas prices, difficult economic times, and severe weather particularly in the Midwest are all affecting the 2008 tourist season. The state of tourism is also having a direct impact on the 2008 Presidential election.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, some 12 million people reside in what are known as Service Worker Centers, about 280 counties across the U.S. having a high concentration of service jobs but lower than average incomes. The Christian Science Monitor notes Barack Obama and John McCain are likely to place a strong emphasis on these counties in the fall, which have been battleground states in recent elections and ones both candidates will be fighting for in November.

Minnesota is one of those states, and because so many Service Worker Centers rely on tourism, it’s in voter’s interests to pay attention to these key areas during the campaign. Add to that the recent flooding in places like southern Minnesota and large swaths of Iowa, and the combination of issues becomes even more important.

The sub-plot of being politically aware and active in Shades of Darkness comes at a particularly important time in America’s history. During Campaign 2008 the Monitor is featuring Patchwork Nation, an endeavor going beyond the red state/blue state divide to write about “what issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect residents’ votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a particular audience.”

Follow the example of the Pierson family and go beyond the red and blue and get informed about just where your issues and concerns fit in, and how they may impact the election process.

Minnesotans love their summers, especially since they tend to be rather short. This year after a seemingly endless and cold winter, followed by a rainy spring that caused major flooding in parts of the Midwest, Summer 2008 officially kicks off on June 20. And Minnesota, like a lot of states, is more than ready.

National Geographic offers these Fun Solstice Facts:
The word “solstice” is derived from Latin roots which mean “sun stands still” an appropriate description of how the astronomical event appears from planet Earth.

The solstice has not occurred before June 21 since 1896. The early arrival is due to a complex quirk in the leap year calendar.

The summer solstice should actually be referred to as the June solstice since it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Northern Hemisphere soaks up more sun during the solstice than on any other day of the year. However, since the atmosphere is still heating up from winter, the truly warm weather won’t appear until July and August.

The sun’s movements are especially pronounced in the polar regions.

North of the Arctic Circle the solstice heralds the beginning of 24-hour sunlight.

The solstice occurs at the exact same moment all across the planet. Due to the Earth’s two dozen time zones, people experience the solstice at different times of the day.  

A number of scenes in Shades of Darkness take place during the summer months, a great way to highlight the beauty of Minnesota’s abundant natural resources and wild life. Winter is a beautiful season too, but the lazy hazy days of summer usually mean no school and vacations. Get out there and enjoy it while it lasts!

On Tuesday night, Minnesota again became a part of political history. The evening of June 3, 2008, thousands of people filled the Xcel Energy Center and thousands more stood outside in downtown St. Paul to hear Barack Obama declare that he is the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.

 That’s one of the reasons political sub-plots show up three times in the novel - because Minnesota holds a unique place in the history of U.S. politics. Minnesota will add to that history in September when the Twin Cities hosts the Republican National Convention. In a touch of irony, Senator Obama made his pronouncement in the same venue where the convention of the opposing party will be held.

Another reason for the political sub-plots is the activism and commitment to voting that Minnesotans take very seriously. When I was growing up, on Election Day Minnesotans wore “I Voted” buttons with pride. They still do, which is one of the reasons Minnesota has close to the highest voter turn-out in the country.

The American political process is a long one and I would love to see us adopt a campaign season more along the British lines - a 10-week campaign season, everyone votes, and the new President takes office. In Australia, everyone eligible to vote is required by law to do exactly that, so there is no voter apathy.

My sister Susan returned from Australia in January and was amazed at how many Australians were following the U.S. election. The New Hampshire debates (clear back in January!) were carried live by Sky TV, one of the major Australian networks. I’ve included two links for the BBC and Australian news outlets. Check those out for a new perspective of how America and our election process are perceived by other countries.