Author's Preface to Lake Mariposa

Author's Preface to Lake Mariposa

I started writing Lake Mariposa after I wrote a few episodes of The Cover Up. I have always wanted to write a coming of age story about the nineteen-sixties. Lake Mariposa's episodes are now running concurrently with The Cover Up. I decided to write both novels at the same time as I found that I would need to take an emotional break from The Cover Up. The Cover Up is a hard hitting work of fiction that is emotionally draining to write. There is a lot of pain and darkness in The Cover Up and it mirrors only too well the present state of our mental health delivery system.

Lake Mariposa too, has it's dark moments but is mostly a love story and a story about relationships. After a month of writing episodes for Mariposa I came to the realization that it is also historical fiction. This, of course, means that I am old enough for the time my youth to fall into this genre. This is indeed a sobering thought. Lake Mariposa has been fun to write perhaps as it beckons to a time of youth and of growing up in a time of hope. However, I have made sure not to romanticize this period in history as it certainly had its turbulent issues.

I must emphasize that above all, both The Cover Up and Lake Mariposa are works of fiction. I have attempted in writing both novels, not to be preachy. This can be hard to do. The characters and situations in both these works are

total works of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons either alive or dead is strictly coincidental. This does not mean, however, that some of the scenes in these stories will not be disturbing or offensive to some readers. I believe that if one is to create art one must be prepared to offend somebody. It comes with the territory. With this being said, I hope that you will enjoy reading both The Cover Up and Lake Mariposa.

Keep on rocking,

Ken David Stewart