Jan Raymond

"Turmoil, n. tumult" is my first publication of a work of fiction. Living in rural areas as a teenager trips to the bookmobile were a big deal. I developed a vague ambition to be a writer as an adult. After a degree in Journalism and two years working in the field, although I enjoyed the creative writing process I perceived I would have to change who I was to become successful in journalism. So I went on to Law School and forgot about being a writer.

After law school I practiced law for a few years then went into business assisting attorneys develop an understanding of the history of legislative law. That has been my primary occupation for the last 30+ years. In my professional life I wrote occasional articles for newspaper opinion pages or professional journals, and have blogged about legislation and public policy but did not seriously think about publishing fiction.

"Turmoil" grew out of what I wrote for myself over the last 40 years.

My comfort zone is in California landscape and culture. I lived in many parts of California from the high desert to the mountains to the beach, and in urban areas from Los Angeles to San Diego to Sacramento and the Bay Area. When I fly up and down the state I scramble to get a window seat well away from the wing so I can watch the landscape below slide by. “Turmoil” is shaped by the Northern California landscape in which it takes place.

The plot and characters in Turmoil are drawn from jobs and events in my life and folks I encountered. My work life shaped “Turmoil” from my early days working in avocado orchards, delivering TV’s, in a Harley Davidson chop shop, driving a forklift in a paper box factory, and lots of maintenance and janitorial jobs. More recently my experience practicing law inspired some of my favorite parts of “Turmoil”.

The themes of “Turmoil” grow out of my life experience. Although born in Los Angeles we left the city when I was 11 eventually landing in Fallbrook, a small town in avocado country where I attended High School. Semi-rural Southern California life was good. I did my best to not let school intrude on my life, eventually dropping out of college after 5 weeks hang out with like minded folk enjoying life. My Idyllic life was shattered when I was 19 and my 17 year old brother died scuba diving off Dana Point on April 9, 196. I got drafted four months later.

In the army, after the grieving subsided, I developed a determination to understand life. I had always been a reader so first I turned to literature, then, not satisfied, decided to go to college. After attending community colleges in Oceanside, Los Angeles and San Diego I arrived San Diego State University where a neuropsychology class about the brain helped me put aside my quest to understand life to some degree and start thinking about living it (and paying my way without cleaning toilets all the time).

The text of "Turmoil" began in a creative writing class at MiraCosta college in 1970 with "Albert and Id". I enjoyed the writing process so much the other Eno's Flid stories were written to amuse myself over the next couple years. Turmoil began to take shape as a character in my mind in the late 1970's as I dabbled with plot lines. The Mordeci Rake stories were written in the early 1980's after practicing law for a couple years. Over the next few years I developed Simon Stonefellers story and Reginald Farley's story. In the early 1990's Juneau Rigging became the vehicle to wrap up a cohesive whole.

Emotionally writing “Turmoil” was sometimes exhilarating, sometimes clarifying and sometimes sobering. I never doubted it was time well spent. I hope if you chose to read it you will feel the same.