Last Friday afternoon after the blog posted, I was reading through the comments when one of them jumped out at me and stopped me in my tracks. It was from a lady saying wait just a minute. Wasn’t that teacher of yours at BHS named Anne instead of Eva? The commenter may have gotten Mrs. Medigovich’s last name wrong, but as soon as I saw her message, I knew my SEBR (Sharp-Eyed Blog Reader) was right. In other words, in the midst of my Eva-Yvonne-Ida-Eva tangle in Smoke and Mirrors, my middle-of-the-night brainstorm had gotten her first name dead wrong.
As a writer it’s often difficult to tell the difference between what I think I know and what I don’t. If I’d gone into the office and checked my high school yearbook, the Cuprite, the answer would have been right there in black and white. But that morning, if someone had hooked me up to a polygraph machine and asked me if I had lied about her name being Eva rather than Anne, I would have told them no and passed the test with flying colors!
As soon as I learned I was wrong, however, I knew that in this week’s blog I’d need to set the record straight. So as I was getting my steps that day (Yes. FYI I’m still getting my steps—currently at 44,922,059 steps which add up to 21,340 miles!) I was turning the problem over and over in my head. If the Eva who inspired the character’s name wasn’t Mrs. Medigovich, who the hell was she? The only Eva I could come up with was the woman who was the manager in the Equitable’s agency office in Phoenix during the three years I worked there. I knew her name was Eva. We weren’t especially close, so all these years later, that was all I could remember about her—her first name. I couldn’t for the life of me come up with a last one, and I couldn’t think of anyone from back in those early-eighties who could provide me with any answers.
On that note, having finished my steps for the day as well the copy-editing job on Smoke and Mirrors, I turned my attention to page proofs for The Taken Ones. You’ll be happy to know that this one went a whole lot easier. I was making great progress when, what do you know, there was another Eva. This time she’s a minor character—a bad guy’s mother, and no I didn’t change it. But I did end up wondering, Who the hell is this Eva person who’s walking around in my head?
That was still the case right up until I opened my email on Sunday morning. There I discovered I had yet another SEBR! This one hailed from Louisana, and she told me the blog had sent her down an Internet rabbit hole. In the process she, too, had discovered the Anne/Eva discrepancy in my English teacher’s name. She also learned Eva Medigovich in Bisbee really was married. Her husband, Lee, was born in Yugoslavia in 1897 and fought in World War I. He wasn’t a gambler—he was a dealer, although his obituary didn’t mention what kind. He must have been a good twenty years older than his wife, and when I encountered her as a teacher in the early sixties, it’s likely she was already a widow. Amazingly enough, Equitable Eva, who also last name also happened to be Medigovich, was born in Buckeye, Arizona, and grew up there on a family farm.
So now that the record is straight, we all know that, although I have a good memory, it isn’t infallible. If more instances of this happens in the future, please accept my apologies in advance.
As for The Taken Ones? The page proofs are now in the mail, as it were. Did I learn anything while doing the editing process. For one thing, my penchant for watching True Crime paid off big-time. There are several different kinds of canines working is law enforcement K-9s these days. I had mislabeled one of them—those that search out electronic devices. I had the initials right— ESD, but the wrong words. They’re actually called Electronic Service Dogs. In terms of the plot for The Taken One, having and ESD available came in very handy.
With all that out of the way, it’s time to go back to working on a still-unnamed Joanna Brady #22, but I promise you this—NO MORE EVAS! I think I finally have that one out of my system.
Laughing out loud
Your “Eva – Anne” issue is put to bed. I wish I had your memory. Heck I have trouble keeping track of all the characters in one of your books. I think it is a memory/brain exercise for me to keep track of them.
Thank you so much for entertaining my brain.
Hooray for the SEBR’s! They definitely sent you on a side mission which turned up some memories.
As always, very enjoyable Friday blog. I hope when I’m 80, I’ll be as sharp as you, I’ve got 10 years to go. Thanks for th3 effect of putting this out each week, I do look forward to it!
I had to laugh too! Doesn’t it drive you crazy when you can’t recall a name or place? It doesn’t matter your age it happens to all of us!
I got to bed on Thursday night excited that “tomorrow” is blog day, and they never fail to entertain me.
No Eva’s in my life, but I do have a Evy [Evie/Evelyn]. I have been kicking myself all week for not mentioning her in last weeks blog reply, but now, thankfully I have redeemed myself. Evy is one of my 3 great-granddaughters.
Blessing to you and Bill.
So I’m confused. Did both the Evas have the same last name? If so, that’s odd.
They had the same name—Medigovich. One was Eva and one was Anne. I guess that sixty-and fifty-some years later, iys not too surprising that I got my wires crossed.
Thank you!
Got it!
Still odd to me that they had the same last name which is to me not a common one.
I don’t care what you name people. Just please keep your wonderful books coming.
I don’t know if it is me this morning or what but this blog was most confusing. All I know is that I enjoy and look forward to a new book coming out and I probably won’t notice any writer’s errors.
As always, your looked-forward-to blog never disappoints! The special Eva in my life was 4th grade teacher Eva Orchard. She was a tall, slender lovely woman who made a point of teaching us how to write and appreciate poetry. In our late 1950’s-’60’s Richland WA grade schools we were also taught algebra and Mrs Orchard taught us how to enjoy its intricacies.
Anne, the teacher, had the same last name as Equitable Eva—Medigovich. Sixty and fifty years later, I got my mental wires crossed. Not too surprising.
Glad the Eva conundrum is resolved!
One thing caught my eye in your blog – your steps. Glad you are keeping them up, but I have had a problem with steps since I read Cheaper By the Dozen. If you read it, you’ll know that Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth were efficiency experts, always trying to find the quickest way to get things done. Since I read it, I’ve tried to be economical in my efforts but when I read that walking/steps was good for your health I was confused. Should I be efficient or should I be healthy? To this day, I cannot find a suitable answer. Some tasks I do quickly while others I take the longer route and walk a few extra steps…I guess I’ll use both methods for whatever task I’m trying to do.
When I’m cooking or clearing up after a meal, I’m always conserving steps, too. As the King of Siam would say, “Is a puzzlement!”
You are too funny! Glad we got Mrs. Medigovich’s name correct!!
Kathy
I’m “only” 77 years old and I’m happy to walk 7,000 steps a day. You may have already figured this out but at the rate you are going, in just 749 days from when you wrote this post (2 years 1 1/2 months) you will have walked the circumference of the earth at the equator. Way to go!!!, we’re in awe.
Bravissimo, JA!
Best to you and Bill. <3
I am a long time reader, and just want to say thank you for hours of good reads.