One of the key characters in Search Beyond Lies is a schnauzer mutt name Brady. Is Brady a real dog? Is his story fact or fiction?
brady the dog
Brady is a real dog. He is our incredibly smart, well-trained family dog.
He rings a bell when he has to go out.
With Rob and J.C. he does all kinds of tricks, walks off leash at their heels, will not bark at their command or even chase rabbits.
Notice how the above did not include me. He is smart enough to know I’m a pushover and he can get away with … .
Although he is not a trained service dog or search and rescue working dog, he could easily be trained for both.
Brady knew his mask and neck ring protected him from the ash during the worst of the Colorado fires.
The Story behind how brady was “found”
Search Beyond Lies tells a story of how Brady was
found and slept in a suitcase as a result. Is this story fact or fiction?
The story of how Brady was found is a true story with a major fictional twist. In the book, the animal that was found by Brett was Brady. The real story is that a kitten was found in the exact same manner by J.C. So, the story itself was true but fictionalized with different characters.
Brady belonged to my daughter, Victoria, and her husband Rob who is responsible for training him. After graduating from medical school, Rob had to move Victoria from Washington, D.C. to San Antonio, TX for her neurosurgery residence program (one year later he was able to transfer to the University of Texas for his doctoral program).
Brady looking back in Rocky Mountain National Park
We were to only watch Brady for 2 weeks for the move, however, since both of their programs were extremely time intensive where Brady would be alone most of the day, we offered to keep him for the duration of their programs. Needless to say, we got attached to him and they gifted Brady to us (one of the best gifts we have ever received).
the suitcase
Brady does in fact sleep in a suitcase but for a different reason. When Brady first came to live with us my husband, Joe, did a lot of travel for his work. Brady wasn’t happy when he left and clearly thought Joe would take him along if he slept in his carry-on suitcase. My husband’s carry-on became Brady’s bed, and we bought another one for Joe.
Brady–The Name
The story behind Brady’s name is true. Brady was very tiny when Victoria and Rob first got him. My daughter wanted a small dog and Rob wanted a big dog, but they were living in an apartment and small it was. Their compromise was a small dog with a big name — Rob named him after his favorite quarterback, Tom Brady.
I’ve been asked if Brady will appear in future books. I’m working on Book 2, Pattern of Deception, which takes place in Alaska. He just may… .
The setting for Search Beyond Lies moves into Idaho as the adventure continues. Although Idaho National Lab is not the setting for the story, it has a key role in the backstory. Idaho National Lab is a real place, formally known as Idaho National Laboratory (“INL”).
A Little History
The Idaho National Laboratory was previously known as the National Reactor Testing Station.
It was intentionally located in a remote area of the Idaho desert which would limit public exposure to any radiation in the event of an incident with the nuclear power reactor. The historic incident was SL-1 in Idaho in 1961, one of 4 historic incidents.
According to INL, Just the Facts SL-1 , “The Stationary Low-Power Plant Number 1 (SL-1) was a 3-megawatt experimental reactor designed for the U.S. Army to use in remote locations.”
The SL-1 accident resulted in 3 deaths and is “considered the only fatal nuclear reactor accident in the United States…caused by the process of making nuclear energy.” This does not take into consideration “industrial fatalities at other generating stations.”
Today
The U.S. Department of Energy complex has 17 national labs, one of which is INL. There are more that 5,700 employees including researchers and various support staff. Innovation is their focus in nuclear research, security solutions, and renewable energy systems. They are always looking to attract scientists and others in an effort to “redefine what’s possible.”
The Grand Tetons Across the Sagebrush Flats
Search Beyond Lies
What is revealed in Search Beyond Lies regarding INL and some of their recruitment efforts are fact. However, the story is fiction.
With respect to targeted radioactive waste from the Rocky Mountain Flats, from 1954 to 1970 it was packaged in boxes and storage drums and then sent to the high-desert, sagebrush prairie land of eastern Idaho where it was buried in trenches and unlined pits. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, they completed the removal of this waste from the 97-acre landfill at its 890-square-mile site that includes INL. For more on these more fairly recent developments, there’s a good article in the Denver Post.
One of the important characters is a schnauzer mutt name Brady. Is Brady a real dog? Is he fact or fiction?
Mount Beacon is the primary setting for the first part of Search Beyond Lies. Is it a real place? Although I have been known to use the real name of a real place in my writing, it’s not my norm.
Mount Beacon – The Name
My first book was a nonfiction book titled, A Beacon for Life. The name “beacon” was chosen for sentimental reasons. A Beacon for Life
is an inspirational written to help people through difficult times. For
me, it was cathartic since it helped me work through my difficult
journey while pregnant with my second child, Mary Kathryn, who was
trisomy 13.
The Place—Is It Real?
The place is real. It is Mount Meeker, one of the most dangerous mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. The information presented in the book regarding the mountain is based on my research of Mount Meeker and discussions with a number of the volunteers.
Mount Meeker
The selfie taken on the summit of Mount Meeker is fact. When Brian Perri summited Mount Meeker on June 30, 2018, he took a selfie and sent it to a friend.
Nick Sangetta hiked Mount Meeker as a dedication to Brian, J.C., and the other volunteers. You can find his dedication on YouTube and get a first-hand feel for the danger presented on this treacherous mountain.
Mount Meeker Left / Longs Peak Right
My brother has hiked mountains all over the world and I asked him to view Nick’s video so he could provide me with insight into Charlie’s search for Brett and check my story for accuracy. I want my research and story to be correct always. He told me that Mount Meeker is very dangerous to hike, especially alone.
The descriptions presented, including the lone columbine in an area that seemed hopeless to support life are real. This photo was taken by Kimo during their search.
I had provided an advanced reader copy to a few of the volunteers who felt they were reliving their journey.
Search Beyond Lies, Book One in the Search & Recovery Series
Search Beyond Lies is a work of fiction, but it was inspired by true events. What follows is the tribute I wrote at the time to Brian Joseph Perri, J.C. Fischer, and Kimo McEwen.
An Inspiring Rare Friendship
An inspiring rare friendship is contagious. If you have two people you can call “friend” during your lifetime, you have a rare gift. Most of us have what amounts to as acquaintances. Yes, we may have a good time and periodically help each other professionally or personally, but what if your friend went missing? To what extent would you put your world on hold and jeopardize your safety, well-being, and your own life to find that friend? What I witnessed were two such friends when they discovered their friend went missing…
The Defense
My son, J.C., defended his master’s
thesis on Thursday, July 5, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. Brian, a friend of his from the
program, promised to attend, but he was absent. When it became clear that no
one had seen him since the Friday before, a Missing Person’s Report was filed.
It was the Fourth of July week and not unusual for someone to be gone … until
he was expected.
Mount Meeker
Brian Joseph Perri, a former special operations-trained paratrooper, usually went hiking alone. A graduate of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training program, he was trained, tortured, and dropped without any provision into unknown territory and passed with flying colors. He was an avid hiker and fell in love with the Colorado Rockies, successfully summiting several fourteeners. Mount Meeker, one of the most dangerous mountains in the Rocky Mountain National Park, beaconed him. At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 30, 2018, he reached the summit and sent a selfie to someone who asked to be picked up from the airport. M
Missing
Brian’s car was found at the trailhead of Mount Meeker that night, and on Friday, the search began. Kimo, Brian’s former army roommate from special operations flew in from Maine to help J.C. find their friend. Although neither were mountain hikers (this was Kimo’s first visit to the Colorado Rockies), they were bound and determined to find their friend and bring him down from the mountain. P
Park Rangers
The park rangers did their part and
sent up the Alpine Team to repel down the cliff side of Mount Meeker along with
others who searched the terrain. Twenty-two square miles of rough terrain is no
easy task. Helicopters and canine units were used. At this time, there were
fires in Colorado, and on Sunday, the helicopters had to be diverted from their
search. Not to be deterred, the rangers got permission to use a drone—the first
ever used in the Rocky Mountain National Park.V
volunteers
J.C. and Kimo never gave up, searching
every day possible for their friend. Priscilla Jane Kurtz Williams, unable to
hike because of ankle surgery, set up a social media presence and a GoFundMe
account to help with the search. Jordie, Kimo’s wife, gave him the blessing to
go to Colorado to aid the search while she held down the fort with their 3
children. She also helped with research, social media, and outreach. Brian was
very close to his sister, Becky, who handled what she could from New York and
was the family contact.
J.C. & Kimo searching for Brian Perri — Mount Meeker
All of their efforts brought in many
volunteers; some of the rangers even continued their search on their day off
after searching for 5 straight days. One week turned into two. Still, there was
hope—Brian was a survivor.
Fox 31 News followed J.C. and Kimo up (and the camera man took a vacation day to return the next day without his camera to help search). They quoted J.C. in the title of their story: “I will not let this mountain be my friend’s grave.” Friends continue search for the missing hiker.
found
Four weeks to the day that Brian
summited Mount Meeker, the park rangers responded to a visitor’s GPS tracking device,
which denoted a sign of distress. J.C. and Kimo saw them going up the mountain as
they were coming down one last time—after hiking more than 200 miles within 3
weeks, their bodies were too broken to continue. Despite the approaching storm,
the park rangers hiked up, and in their search for the injured hiker, they
found Brian. Park officials believe he fell 25 to 40 feet and died instantly.
It was the cliff side with very dangerous rocks and crevices.
“Why did so many who never knew Brian come?” my son asked a number of these volunteers, because he was so overwhelmed with the support of strangers. Over and over he was told that they were inspired by this rare friendship. It was J.C. and Kimo’s care, concern, persistence, loyalty, and dedication to finding their friend that exemplified true friendship—and that is a contagious type of friendship. So few people experience such a friendship; Brian was blessed with two such friends. Brian impacted the lives of many people both directly and indirectly, and his legacy and gifts will live on through these people—paying it forward throughout each life. Rest in peace, Brian—you were loved.
With the release of the second in The Hunted Series, we welcome back Dena Netherton to Thyme for Writers as she shares how she gets her ideas for her stories, her characters, and her settings!
When I tell people I’m a writer, many of them ask me, “How do you get your ideas for your stories?”
The first couple of times I was asked this, I had to think about it for a minute or two. Because ideas come from everywhere: shopping excursions, movies, books, the news, people-watching, travel.
The Hunted Series by Dena Netherton
For example, one of my most awful bad guys, Dade Colton, in the Hunting Haven three-part series, came to my mind as a conglomerate of several villains from real life, and some from horror movies I’ve watched and found particularly scary. Dade’s creepy, toothy grin whenever he is threatening Haven is something I saw a horror movie villain do to his victims. Now, wouldn’t you expect a villain to snarl and frown whenever he’s doing something bad? The smile makes me shudder, because it shows Dade’s lack of conscience, and even enjoyment while terrorizing Haven.
How about book settings? What makes you decide where to place your story?
Fear, A Foe To Be Conquered by Dena Netherton, author of Haven’s Flight
The ideas for the settings of my books come mostly from my travels. Some place sparks my imagination, either because of the town itself, its shops and museums and institutions. Sometimes, when I travel, I’ll see or overhear a fascinating person in a Starbucks or restaurant, or see him or her walking down the sidewalk, and it makes my brain begin to generate ideas. Or sometimes the scenery and the weather moves me and makes my brain begin to pop out scenarios.
But how did you come up with the idea for the Misty Mountain Retreat Center where Haven hides from Dade?
That idea came from real life. After I graduated from high school, I worked for a summer as a camp counselor at a Christian camp and retreat center in the California coastal redwood forests outside Santa Cruz. As a young woman, working with other young men and women, there was, inevitably, romantic drama. Those months in the mountains gave me fodder for stories later on.
A couple of years ago—and after I’d already written Haven’s Hope—I spent the week at a lovely Christian retreat in the Pacific Northwest, and found, to my surprise that the real-life place was incredibly similar to my fictional Misty Mountain Retreat.
What about the tall, handsome, and brilliant Dr. Petter Eriksen?
Haven’s romantic hero, Dr. Petter Eriksen, is a blend of several wonderful and godly men I have known in school and in my professional world. Making Petter Norwegian was purely a selfish decision. I’m proud of my Scandinavian heritage and wanted to pay tribute to my ancestors and their plucky resolve to immigrate in the early 20th century to America to build a better life for themselves and their children. Thank you, Oluv and Sigrid, my sweet, heart-working grandparents. I miss you!
Now that you know a bit about my process of writing, I hope you’ll read on to find out more about Haven’s Hope, which released on Feb. 6th, 2018.
Haven’s Hope: Feel the fear—Savor the romance
Haven’s Hope by Dena Netherton
HAVEN’S HOPE gives one woman’s answer to the question…
Does God still love me even when bad things happen?
Is good really more powerful than evil?
How can I be freed from guilt?
Beautiful and talented Haven Ellingsen is about to discover that evil doesn’t take a holiday. Haven has escaped the man who relentlessly hunted her in the Cascade Mountains. But when an old friend form her dangerous past shows up unexpectedly to warn her that Dade Colton is determined to re-capture her, Haven makes the only safe decision: to go into hiding once more. But where? Who can she trust? If only she could tell someone about her tragic secret. But Dade’s threat to kill any one who helps her might put that person’s life in jeopardy, too.
Dr. Petter Eriksen saves lives every day at Mercy Hospital Emergency Department. Driven by guilt after the accidental death of his little sister, he can’t believe in a good God. But when a beautiful and mysterious young woman moves into the cabin on his uncle’s Christian Retreat, Petter wonders if her love and simple faith have the power to shatter the barrier he has erected around his heart. And can he save her from a madman?
Sometimes you hide; sometimes you stand and fight.
Fear, A Foe To Be Conquered by Dena Netherton
About the author: Dena Netherton has always loved the thrill of suspense-filled movies and books. One day it dawned on her, she could actually put down on paper her own action-packed stories and life-threatened characters that had been knocking around inside her head for decades.
When she’s not writing, Dena loves to play piano and guitar, read good books, spend time with people, and hike the Cascade Mountains. Dena is active in her church as a worship leader, leader in Women’s Ministries, and director of a women’s prayer ministry. She also volunteers at a Crisis Pregnancy Clinic. Dena and her husband live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
(C) 2018 Dena Netherton
Find out more about Dena’s books through her website and newsletter: denanetherton.me.
Donna Wichelman is our guest today on Thyme for Writers. Donna holds a master’s degree in Mass Communication/Journalism and worked in community and employee relations for ten years. She has authored short stories, essays and articles in various inspirational publications. She now writes novels and screenplays. She and her husband live in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Beyond the Fuzzy Orbs
By Donna Wichelman
Beyond the Fuzzy Orgs by Donna Wichelman
Before LASIK surgery at age forty, severe nearsightedness distorted my vision without corrective lenses. At Christmas, I saw an advantage to this condition when the tree went up with its strings of colorful bulbs. Without vision aids at night, the lights on the tree appeared as hazy orbs, blending together in a dazzling display of color. I could sit for long stretches of time mesmerized by the beauty.
Beyond the Fuzzy Orbs by Donna Wichelman
Yet my distorted vision kept me from viewing more extraordinary things on and around the tree. With my glasses, I could see the ornaments friends and family had given us, reminding me of dear ones who’d touched my life. Some ornaments had been collected from travels my husband and I had done over the years, invoking sweet memories. The Christ child in the manager under the tree centered my focus on the truth of Christmas and the purpose for which we gathered around the tree. Letting go of my distorted vision and putting on my lenses showed me the beauty, wonder, and joy beyond the fuzzy orbs.
The first time an editor solicited a manuscript I had pitched, my heart soared. When the manuscript went to committee, I knew it would be accepted and become a best seller. Months later, I received a rejection letter in the mail with constructive notes and the acquisitions editor’s good wishes. I felt crushed. My mother fell ill with cancer soon after, and I never implemented the changes.
Light Out of Darkness by Donna Wichelman
The first rejection letter was not my last. Over twenty years of writing, I’ve sold several personal essays, a couple of short stories and a handful of devotionals. Two years ago, I self-published my Christian romantic suspense, Light Out of Darkness, and I will have the sequel out next spring. In spite of modest success, I’ve also experienced much rejection and have even thought about giving up this seemingly hopeless cause.
Yet a writer’s journey is a little like finding the wonder and joy beyond the distorted vision of my hazy orbs. It took a while, but eventually I was grateful for that first rejection. I realized the onus was on me to keep honing my craft, never to be complacent about my work, to accept constructive criticism and throw out the chaff.
I also learned that rejection doesn’t mean I’m unworthy. My value as a person isn’t dependent upon whether my work gets accepted. I am much more than my writing. As a person of faith, my worth comes from my position as a child of God.
Ultimately, I’ve grown to understand that my purpose for writing isn’t about the glory, notoriety or money. I write, because God has laid it on my heart to bring people along with me on this journey of joy, wonder and discovery. If I’ve touched one heart, if one morsel of truth gets passed along, if one person was encouraged, then I’ve done my job. My hope is that you, also, will find the beauty beyond the fuzzy orbs.
You may contact Donna or purchase her books with the links that follow:
Thyme for Writers is a new blog series for writers and book lovers. As many of you know, my website focuses on adding spice to your life, whether it be with nutrition and health tips, delicious recipes, or through Hidden Bloodlines, my romantic suspense novel and associated adventures in creating it and its sequel.
Thyme for Writers Adding Spice to Your
Most of us are writers in one form or another (whether by choice or necessity). The purpose of this series is to help you along the way with
tips,
direction,
encouragement,
inspiration,
the research and adventure behind some of your favorite works, or
just something interesting and fun to bring a smile to your face.
While I may be authoring some, my goal is to invite fascinating guests with different life experiences and areas of expertise.
The Author Toolbox
The Author Toolbox
My first guest will be Candee Fick, author of The Author Toolbox. She is the reason I am able to create and maintain my own website. As a genuine techno-idiot, I volunteered to be Candee’s beta test project. Our goal was to determine if it’s possible for someone like me to gain the skills necessary to build a website and how long it would take. Needless to say, Candee is a miracle worker. In fairly short order, I learned the skills necessary and have continued merrily on my way.
Candee is an incredible writer and teacher and painstakingly created a blog series meant to help writers in all stages get their work created and a website begun. She compiled and added to this series in The Author Toolbox. Keep in mind, the tools provided and skills taught aren’t just for writers of books. Many pursue different artistic careers and businesses, but in today’s business environment, websites and social media dominate the marketplace if you want to succeed. The days of the telephone book are over. The reality is that websites and social media require writing.
Where to Start
Candee Fick author of The Author Toolbox
There are thousands of writing guides and resources out there, but where should one begin? I have personally found that The Author Toolbox is the best first stop. Candee not only provides “how to…” information, but makes recommendations on easy to use resources to make life easier. On September 7 I am excited to have Candee Fick as my first guest on Thyme for Writers. Stay tuned… .
If you have something to share and you’d like to be a guest, please email me at karen@KarenVanDenHeuvel.com.
