Upper Peninsula: Region One
Toombs, Jane
Dec. 27, 1926—
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA
Place of Principal Residence: Ontonagon, MI and Lakeland, Florida
Biography:
Jane Toombs was born to James and Francis Jamison in Los Angeles, CA on Dec. 27, 1926. Her family soon moved to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan where she spent most of her childhood. Her father played a key role in encouraging her as a writer, who was, himself, a history writer. Toombs attended Michigan State University, College of the Sequoias and Northern Michigan University. She has been a registered nurse as well as a Cadet nurse. Toombs has published over 80 books, including eBooks, as well as some articles. She has used a few pseudonyms in the past: Ellen Jamison, Diana Stuart, Olivia Sumner and Jane Anderson. Her writing covers various romance genres such as gothic, suspense, contemporary, historical, paranormal, mystery, fantasy and horror. Toombs is now a widow with five children; James, Ellen, Bobbie, and Robert as well as two step-children, Michael and Leslie. She spends her summers in Michigan and escapes to Lakeland, Florida during the winter.
Selected Works:
- Dangerous Medicine (2003)
- Detective Daddy (2004)
- Hugger Doll (2005)
- Ladies Of The Lakes (2007)
Awards:
- Two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America Golden Medallion Contest
- The Prism Award for Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter of RWA
- Bookrak Award for Best-Selling Series Romance
- Sapphire Award finalist for paranormal short story
- Two Eppie winners (EPIC)
Critical Reception:
There have been a number of different reviews to many of her books throughout the years. For the most part her books serve their purpose of being entertaining and diverting, but not every one of her works has been a jewel.
For Harte’s Gold:
“Jane Toombs brings her considerable award-winning skills to bear and enhances the main romance with the insightful secondary love story of the young-hearted grandmother.”
- Romantic Times Book Reviews
“Harte’s Gold is a sweet and simple story but it’s not sweet, simple and completely silly, which is what the publisher’s summary – incorrectly – suggests.”
- The Romantic Reader
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Quite a few of her works refer to and are drawn from the Upper Peninsula area. Her most significant book in this area is Ladies of the Lakes, which takes place in the Great Lakes region.
Voelker, John D.
June 19, 1903—March 19, 1991
Place of Birth: Ishpeming, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Voelker lived in Ishpeming for much of his life, moving to Chicago for a time and then back to Ishpeming.
Biography
John Voelker grew up and spent most of his life in Ishpeming, Michigan. Voelker was the youngest of six sons. His father, George, owned a saloon in the small town that had more saloons than churches. His mother, a school teacher, pushed for a formal education for Voelker, while his father didn’t think education was necessary. In the end, his mother won. Voelker graduated from Northern Michigan University and went on to the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1928. After graduation he married Grace Taylor, with whom he had three daughters. Voelker practiced law in Chicago, unhappy to be separated from his beloved Upper Peninsula. He later returned to Ishpeming to enter private practice. He was elected to the office of Marquette County prosecutor. Voelker hated campaigning and preferred telling Finnish dialect stories in backwoods towns. He began to write stories from his experiences in law. Voelker was appointed the 74th justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in 1957. He retired in 1959 to write full time.
Selected Works
- Danny and the Boys
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Hornstein’s Boys
- Laughing Whitefish
- People Versus Kirk
Critical Reception
Under the pen name of Robert Traver, Voelker published a number of novels and short stories with legal themes. He also published three books on fishing which are regarded as classics in the genre.
Relevance of the Upper Peninsula to Work
All of John Voelker’s novels and short stories are set in the Upper Peninsula, since it was a place he was most familiar with. While living in the Upper Peninsula, Voelker did most of his writing in the winter, when he was unable to fish.
Weber, Brenda M.
May 24, 1955—
Place of Birth: Manistique, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Manistique, MI
Biography
As described in her autobiography, I Promise Not to Tell, Brenda Weber experienced the death of her mother in their home when she was nine years old. This event triggered the repression of most of her childhood memories, which she began to recover again as a teenager. Her autobiography grapples with the effects of the child abuse these memories revealed. Weber graduated from Manistique High School in 1973, majoring in English. Over the years she has worked many jobs, including bartender, waitress, restaurant assistant manager, church treasurer, cashier, miniature parts & engine assembler, and bar manager. Weber currently works as a pharmacy technician and part-time bartender. She is a single mother of four sons and one daughter and grandmother of six.
Weber’s love for writing began at age fifteen, when she started writing poetry with a first poem about the Vietnam War. She later wrote several short stories, none of which have been published. In 2000, Brenda Weber’s poem “Shadow’s Dancing” was published by the International Library of Poetry in an anthology entitled Echoes of Yesteryear. Her autobiography appeared in 2003 and a work of historical fiction, John Horn – Legend of a Lumberjack, came out in 2005. Also in 2005, a Christmas poem she composed for artist Mark Wirtz appeared on his 2005 Christmas album. Weber is currently working on a sequel to I Promise Not to Tell and plans to compile a book of poetry. She is a member of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association.
Selected Works
- I Promise Not to Tell (Publish America 2003)
- John Horn -Legend of a Lumberjack (Publish America 2005)
Awards
- First Runner-up in the nonfiction category of the 2005 Book of the Year Awards by JADA Press for I Promise Not to Tell
- The Literary World’s Author of the Month, November 2004
- World of Poetry’s Outstanding Achievement in Poetry/Golden Poet Award 1989 for the poem “Freedom”
Critical Reception
Weber’s work has been praised for its quality of writing. Her autobiography I Promise Not to Tell, labeled as powerful and hard to put down, has appeared on many book club reading lists. Invited on the Oprah Show, but unable to attend, Weber’s reviewers have called her both honest and brave for telling her story. John Horn received acclamation for its historical quality and the author’s integrity in source use. Weber’s poetry is also highly acknowledged; she has been named a featured poet by various organizations.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Brenda M. Weber is a lifelong resident of the Upper Peninsula, which she writes about in her autobiography. Her latest book, John Horn, is also set in her hometown of Manistique. One of Weber’s goals is to become distinguished as a writer from the Upper Pensinsula.
Whelan, Gloria
1923—
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Detroit, MI
Biography:
Gloria Whelan was born in 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. At age nine, she had rheumatic heart disease and was forced to spend a whole year on bed rest, which was considered to be the only cure at the time. Her escape from the monotony came in the form of reading, and, since it was during the Great Depression and books were scarce, she often read the same books multiple times. Whelan began making up stories before she could write and dictated them to her baby sitter. She began writing poetry in elementary school, and was the editor of her high school’s paper. Whelan graduated from the University of Michigan and didn’t become a full-time writer until she and her husband moved to the woods of northern Michigan, where they spent thirty years. Whelan enjoys writing about her home state, as well as places overseas, and particularly thrives on the research involved with her writing. She and her husband now live in Detroit, MI and have two children, Joseph and Jennifer.
Selected Works:
- Angel on the Square
- The Impossible Journey
- Chu Ju’s House
- Mackinac Bridge: The Five Mile Poem
- Listening for Lion
Awards:
- 1998 Michigan Author Award
- 2000 National Book Award
- ALA Notable Children’s Book
- LA Best Books for Young Adults
- Great Lakes Booksellers Award
- Society of Midland Authors Juvenile Fiction Award
- Friends of American Writers Award
- Best Books of the Year Bank Street College
- Distinguished Achievement Award from the Educational Press Association of America
- Mark Twain Award
- Young Hoosier Master List
- National Outdoor Book Award
Critical Reception:
Gloria Whelan is the best-selling author of countless novels, short stories, and poetry. Her work encompasses the genres of children’s literature, young adult literature, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and short stories and poems for adults. Children and adults alike praise her works.
For Summer of the War:
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“Beautifully measured writing captures the smell of lake breezes, the feel of sand between the toes and emotional ache of growing up when change is not a choice. An exception portrayal of how war becomes personal.”
-Kirkus Reviews
For Listening for Lions:
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“Gentle, nostalgic, and fueled with old-fashioned girl power, this involving orphan story will please fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden (1912) and Eva Ibbotson’s The Star of Kazan.”
- Booklist
For St. Petersburg novels:
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“The book’s uncomplicated language and sensitive treatment of political issues make it an excellent, vibrant introduction to the cause and effects of Tsar Nikolai’s fall.”
- Publisher’s Weekly
Relevance of Place to Work:
Many of Gloria Whelan’s adult novels include wilderness setting and images and metaphors of nature. She is drawn by the mystery of nature and the characters it affects. Several of her books take place in Whelan’s favorite Michigan locations such as Mackinac Island.