About

About A Little North Of Here And Its Author

Write about what you know. Ever hear that advice? Well, it took me nearly 60 years to settle on something I know about; Northern Michigan and family.

I'm Don Beesley, the author. My little family and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We've spent a lot of time north of here in the Cadillac and Traverse City areas. Many of the places mentioned in the story are actual, excepting the town of Cataract, which coincidentally is located exactly where the real town of Cadillac is. Changing the name allows me to fiddle with the setting.

Many of the characters are named after members of our family.

Most of the situations and activities are exaggerations or outright fiction...but several have been inspired by real (usually benign) events that we experienced at our cottages.

Michele, my real wife, is a wonderful editor. She has taken my prose and made it readable. Alex, our real son, has done all the technical magic that allowed me to post the chapters on our website. The crude art is my fault. My kindergarten art talent is further reduced because I make the drawings in Paint Shop with my mouse.

Your entertainment is the point of this story. The vehicle is a series of 'slices of life' about situations that hopefully reveal the vigor, creativity, values and relationships of Michiganders.