Mysteries of Michigan

Published 12:59 pm Monday, June 22, 2009

By By JESSICA SIEFF / Dowagiac Daily News
The overall majesty of Mackinac Island, its rich history and picturesque scenery and the mystery of all that it holds in its story has inspired one Niles author to create her own story.
Her new book, the first in an upcoming series, is Mystery of the Copper Turtle.
In the late 1980s, "back when my kids were 10 and 13 and we were up at the island," Doris Holik Kelly said. That visit left indelible images in the future author's head.
"Nothing ever felt like it really caught what the island was really like," she said.
That is when the seed was planted in Kelly's mind to put what the island was really like down on paper for herself.
She put the idea off for a while.
And then began what would be years of work on a project near and dear to her heart.
"It went from long hand written, from a class that I took … then I finally got a computer," she said.
The seed, the idea, the project is the adventure main characters Jared and Sadie find themselves in in The Mystery of the Copper Turtle.
"Jared, Sadie and their new Mackinac Island friends Eric and Becky find themselves turning into detectives as strange events occur all over the island," states the book's official description. "Native American art and artifacts are vanishing from gift shops and art galleries. At the Governors' Conference, Dr. Royalton is demanding that Great Lakes water be diverted for use by states in the southwest-and then he disappears! As the four teenagers explore the island and its historical sites looking for clues, they find themselves facing an evil Gi-bi who locks them in a dungeon.
"Will they get out in time to save Dr. Royalton? Will they discover who stole the copper turtle and other art from the island stores? Eric and Becky's cousin Luke keeps interfering in their investigation. Is he involved or just the jerk Jared thinks he is?
"How is all this connected-or is there more than one mystery to solve?"
The book is the first in what is being called the Big Mitten Mysteries, "a series of books for the young reader set in locations around Michigan."
Kelly said in addition to depicting a the wonders of the island, she also hopes to convey to her young readers the environmental issues that are facing the state.
"It's all aimed toward the problems that Michigan has and the things that are going on," she said. Those problems include water conservation and preservation of its historical artifacts and attributes.
"Each one will have a Michigan theme," she said.
Kelly's second book, "The Mystery of the Voyageur's Rendezvous," is expected to hit shelves around Christmastime.
It's been quite a voyage for Kelly herself. Though the thought and the idea for the the book had been in her mind since that trip up to the island with her, then young, children, the author said she "got really serious about it in the last eight or nine years." After years of bringing the story together, she sent her drafts out 13 times.
When she got word that her story would become a reality, Kelly said, "I think people upstairs heard me from down in the basement."
It wasn't so simple as an acceptance letter, Kelly said. "I was afraid it wasn't going to go through. Publishing is tough."
Tough, but Kelly made it through and her signing at Majerek's is just a kick-off to a tour that will take her to Traverse City, Cadillac and Petoskey among other stops.
The journey is something that Kelly said she's always wanted to do and she is thrilled to see her book poised for eager readers. But she also hopes, they get the message.
"I kind of hope it will peak interest in Michigan…and the issues" relative to the state. In the future, she said, she'd even like to see workbooks in classrooms. "So what I'm trying to do is get kids interested in history and science and ecology and things like that."
And the author also has plans for settings even closer to home, saying she'd love to work on a project set around Fort St. Joseph.
"I have a lot of ideas," Kelly said. "But we'll see what happens."