the town in my mind: Appendix, MI

My story takes place in a small town, because that is what I know since that is where I grew up. I take a little time in the beginning of the book developing the town and how it was named. The town and its name will have a role later on..

Appendix

Appendix, Michigan sits at the end of a chain of lakes in the southern part of the state, in the county of St. Christopher. The residents of Appendix give little or no thought to the name of their town, which is probably mostly true of people everywhere. There are simply too many more important things on this planet to occupy oneself with besides the name of your town. It is really not until the best and brightest students from Appendix high school leave for college in Ann Arbor or Lansing that they encounter for the first time in their lives the fact that their town has a name different from the ordinary names for a town. At college the name of their hometown develops into a bit of a standing joke with their friends. When they return home to Appendix for Thanksgiving or homecoming, they will generally in passing conversation ask their parents the story behind the name of the town. Most of the parents will not know, but a few will. Then the best and brightest will return with a little story to tell, when their place of origin comes up. 

Unlike many of his classmates Quin knew the story behind Appendix’s name, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he knew the two stories. He had learned them as a child from his grandfather, and also from his dad, so that when he was asked at Stanford about his origins, he had a couple of stories that always proved to be a hit. They were especially fun to tell at parties when everybody had had a little to drink and the audience was in a listening mood. They were stories that people liked to hear, and at college Quin still loved to tell people things they liked to hear.

When Quin returned home to Appendix for Thanksgiving break during his freshman year, he was so pleased with how the stories were being received at school that he thought it would be good to ask his dad about them. He wanted to hear them told again and brush up on his own telling. His dad, Buzz Holsten, who also loved to tell stories, was more than happy to oblige.