Train of Clues (A Mystery Destination Story)
"Train of Clues" introduces us to the Junior Geography Detective Squad - Matt Patterson, Guy Lombard, Jolene Ariette, and Mary Beth Patterson - on Matt's birthday on a party train. The destination is a mystery and the groups of kids must find items that will hopefully lead them to the mystery destination. Each team is competing for an unknown first prize yet all will have fun trying to figure out the clues and the destination.
"Train of Clues" is the predecessor to the JGDS State series and is 2nd place winning story in the Armchair Interviews Fan Mystery contest. Come and enjoy the fun and learn how the series came about.
The Story Behind This Book
Challenged to enter a writing contest - a fan mystery contest for the debut of Silence of the Loons - where we had to write a mystery using four of eight totally unrelated words (a soiled ballet slipper, a wig, a headless Barbie, a tattoo, footprints in the snow, the scent of Obsession, the sound of a train whistle, and a page from the dictionary). The story was written and submitted and placed second in the contest. That led to contacting an editor with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to give direction to make each of the fifty states the mystery instead of a mystery destination. She sent me a packet of information on directions to go to make the states their own series. This is the predecessor to the Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS), 50-state, mystery, trivia series.
