David Neisen returns to his cabin on Christmas Eve to find his daughter dead and a masked man lurking in the shadows. What follows next is one hairpin turn after another in James Magnuson's latest novel "The Hounds of Winter."
Set amongst the bluffs and wildlife of Wisconsin's North Woods, Magnuson spins a tale about a wrongfully accused man seeking his daughter's killer, as well closure to an incident of the past. Though Magnuson himself cannot relate to the extreme situation, he knows the setting all too well.
Born in Madison, and having spent his childhood in Reedsburg and Middleton, this native son returns to Milwaukee this weekend to discuss his book. According to Magnuson, Wisconsin was a perfect setting for the unraveling intrigue.
"Particularly Wisconsin, not just the landscape but the culture that I grew up with, because there is an essential goodness of people but there is also a certain reserve, a certain carefulness, people keep things to themselves a bit."
Magnuson adds, "Of course, if you are from Wisconsin you feel a lot more 'in there' because there are more details, the little histories, reverence to this Frank Lloyd Wright character."
Though it has its fair share of cliffhangers and suspense, "The Hounds of Winter" also investigates the more emotional side of human experiences with complex and vivid characters and realistic and detailed scenes.
"It was so much fun to write about all these narrow escapes, and there was even more of it, but I had to take out some of the chases and 'rastling about' for it to make sense," explains Magnuson.
"The danger of it is two parts of the novel could end up at war. The more thoughtful part of the book about character and the part that's saying, 'How in the world is he going to get out of this jam?'"
In "The Hounds of Winter," Magnuson makes it look so easy, seamlessly blending action with introspection.
"I try to make sure that the details are vivid and believable, to make the physical world real for the reader and I try to make his predicament real," says Magnuson. "I don't want people to say, 'Oh, this is so preposterous' and throw it out the window. It's a balancing act."
Magnuson also balances his various writer roles, splitting his time between novelist and his position as director of the Michener Center for Writers, in Austin, Texas. The program helps aspiring writers of various genres find their path in the literary world.
"The key is to tramp down their anxiety. You have got to have faith in yourself, but you can't let anxiety destroy you. That's the biggest problem, I think."
Adds Magnuson, "There is anxiety all the way through, but you learn how to deal with it. Don't let it destroy you."
James Magnuson will read at Barnes & Noble at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m.
