LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Dear colleagues,
I want to thank all of you who responded to my query on Lois Duncan as
to whether her daughter's murder had ever been solved and if she was still
writing. Obviously, there were many of you out there who were also
concerned, so I am posting some of the responses I received. I intend to
forward some of these messages on to Lois Duncan via her publisher, hoping
she will understand our concern for both her her personal and professional
life.
Perhaps some of you might be interested in making this an individual
or class project, so I am including the address of her publisher, as well
as the Albuquerque newspaper to which Lois Duncan said concerned people
might write requesting that the investigation be continued:
Delacorte Press Morning Albuquerque Journal
1540 Broadway P.O. Box JT
New York, NY 10036 Albuquerque, NM 87103
Thanks for all of your help. It certainly is nice to know you are all
out there!!
Regards,
JJ Towler
------------------------------------------------
From: vax1.mankato.msus.edu@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU (Barbara Fiehn)
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: Jeannine JJ Towler <jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 08:34:43 -0600 (CST)
I heard that she is writing non fiction. No resolution to the
murder.
----------------------------------------------------
From: "MARILYN MILLER" <MILLERM@dewey.uncg.edu>
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 11:54:03 EDT
I was in a meeting this summer where people were talking about
this
and the answer is No: the case has never been solved and no she
has
not written anything else.
-----------------------------------------
From: Rosie Peasley <rpeasle@eis.calstate.edu>
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: Jeannine JJ Towler <jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 12:18:28 -0700 (PDT)
Hi, Jeannine. I heard Lois Duncan speak about a year ago. As of
that
time, her daughter's killing was still unsolved and Duncan was
very
frustrated with the involvde law enforcement agencies. She went
on in
her talk to describe a number of frightening similarities between
her
daughter's killings and events and characters in books which she
written
years earlier. Intriguing, to say the least. Hope this is of
interest
to your students. Rosie Peasley (rpeasle@eis.calstate.edu)
--------------------------------------------
From: bbvschlib@shrsys.hslc.org
Subject: Lois Duncan
To: jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 18:57:39 EST
I heard Lois Duncan speak two years ago. I also read an article
about
her last year. Her daughters' murderers have not be found. She
will
not write another young adult book until that occurs. She is
presently
writing childrens books with another daughter. Very upsetting to
my
students they really read her books.
Janet Johnss
bbvschlib@hslc.org
-------------------------------------------------
From: misd77L@MSUS1.MSUS.EDU (VirjeanGriensewic)
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: Jeannine JJ Towler <jjtowler%PEN.K12.VA.US@KSUVM.KSU.EDU>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 20:26:40 -0600
I also have read that book and thought it was very good. As far
as I have
ever heard, no one has been officially charged in that murder. I
assume
she is still writing books.
Virjean Griensewic
Dakota Meadows Middle School
North Mankato, MN 56003
(507) 387-5077
misd77L@msus1.msus.edu (home)
vgrien1@dakota.isd77.k12.mn.us (work)
-----------------------------------------------------
From: Larry Parsons <booker@guest.nwnet.net>
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: Jeannine JJ Towler <jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 20:08:17 -0700 (PDT)
Greatings from the beach! Lois Duncan will be our featured
secondary
author at our state conference. As I understand, the case is
unsolved,
and because of the killing, Duncan has hung up her pen. At least
she said
whe was going to while writing the book. I'll let you know after
the
conference if she has written anything else.
--------------------------------------------------------
From: joel shoemaker <jshoe@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: Jeannine JJ Towler <jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us>
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 06:53:27 -0500 (CDT)
Look for the new paperback edition of the book--it has some
supplementary
material at the back that brings things a bit more up to date. I
seem to
recall theat she and her family have moved from NM to the east
coast
where they are essentially in hiding, as they were threatened and
felt
unsafe in NM.
As far as I know she has not yet written (or at least published)
any
fiction since her daughter's death. Her book about her father's
photography career came out last year (title? Can't think of it
just now!
Something about the circus!)
Hope this helps a little.
Joel Shoemaker jshoe@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
South East Junior High 319-339-6823 (voice)
2501 Bradford Drive 319-339-5735 (fax)
Iowa City, IA 52240
----------------------------------------------------
From: putnam@worf.infonet.net
Subject: Re: Lois Duncan
To: jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 19:53:25 -0500 (CDT)
I'm also a fan of Lois Duncan. I was fortunate to hear her speak
at an
IEMA conference in Sioux City, IA about four years ago. It was
shortly
after she had written _Who Killed My Daughter?_, but two months
before
the book appeared at the bookstores. From what I've heard since
then, her
daughter's murder still remains unsolved by authorities but
through her
own research (which is documented in her book), she has reached
some
startling conclusions as to why her daughter was killed. At the
conference
she discussed this book with the preface that she would probably
never
write
another YA fiction book again. She also introduced her speech by
saying
that
this would probably be the strangest speech any of us had ever
heard from
an author. It was. It was very sad. I've heard since then that
she has
left New Mexico as her family received death threats after the
book was
published. In her acceptance speech for receiving the Iowa Teen
Award,
three years ago for _Don't Look Behind You_, she said that she
and her
husband were moving around and living in different places on the
east
coast for safety reasons.
I still remember her speech well in Sioux City. If you have any
further
questions, you might try contacting her publisher.
Sincerely,
Terri Toppler
putnam@worf.infonet.net
----------------------------------------------------
From: CAROLAN@ids.net
Subject: RE: Lois Duncan
To: jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 22:11:02 -0400 (EDT)
JJ--I was so moved by Lois Duncan's courage in writing WHO KILLED
MY
DAUGHTER? that I wrote to her last year. She sent me a
lenghty
reply stating that the case was not solved. She asked that
persons who
care write a letter to the editor of the Albuqurque (sp?), NM
newspaper
urging a proper investigation into the connections she discusses
in the
book.
Carol Anderheggen
carolan@ids.net
LM_NET IS A JOY!
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--/ JJ Towler jjtowler@pen.k12.va.us
//\ ____/ /\( Library Media Specialist, J.T. Henley Middle School
)) ( )___)__ husband Bill, MVP (Most Valuable Partner)
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