Los Alamos County Planning Manager and novelist Bryce Ternet seizes the opportunity during his lunch break recently to make edits to his latest book. Courtesy photo

Book cover of The Basque Dilemma. Courtesy image

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

People may know Bryce Ternet as Los Alamos County Planning Manager, but there is another side to Ternet – a literary side.

Ternet has self-published nine novels as M. Bryce Ternet. Their subjects range from international crisis to escapades involving treasure hunts right here in New Mexico. Although sales of the books are good, he said he never expects them to become huge moneymakers. He considers his books more passion projects and hobbies.

Still, his work is gaining attention. Ternet recently found out that one of his books, The Basque Dilemma, earned a spot on the Smithsonian Journey’s recommended reading list for the French and Spain Basque region. To view the list, visit https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/france-and-spains-basque-region/reading-list/print/. Ternet said he feels having his work mentioned on this list is a huge honor, particularly because his work is listed right below noted author Mark Kurlansky, whose book The Basque History of the World is arguably the best-known work on Basque people and culture.

“To be on the list with that guy is pretty amazing,” Ternet said. “To make a list like this inspires me to find the time between kids and work to keep writing.”

Vice President of Marketing for Smithsonian Journeys Angela Ferragamo explained how books makes the reading lists.

“The Reading Lists for our tours are created to include different types of books to match the varied and wide interests of our travelers,” she said. “We like to include guide books, language phrase books if applicable, books that cover the history of the region/country, and novels or memoirs written about the locations visited on the tour or by authors local to the destination. We do, on occasion, include documentaries or streaming lectures on the lists. We also sometimes ask the Smithsonian Journeys Expert to review the Reading Lists when created and then periodically over the years. We may add or subtract materials if something new is published that is more relevant. Please note that inclusion of materials on our Reading Lists do not imply endorsement of the materials by the Smithsonian Institution.”

The Basque Dilemma was published in 2017.

The story begins with a deadly bombing at the Montparnasse Tower in Paris, quickly blamed on Islamic extremists. But a group from the past, the Basque separatist group, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), claims responsibility.

While Ternet said he’s delighted that his novel’s plot never came true and a lasting peace has ensued in the Basque Country, he believes the possibility of a return to violence was very real.

The Basque Country is something that has fascinated Ternet ever since he was a high school senior. He explained he lived in the French Basque Country as an exchange student.

Ternet said he became “enamored with the culture; its history and traditions …”
He was further emersed in Basque history and culture when he and his wife previously moved from California to Idaho.

Ternet explained that Idaho has the highest percentage of Basques outside of Europe. In fact, downtown Boise has an area known as the Basque Block.

“It’s really cool,” he said. “Historically, a lot of sheep herders in the American west in the late 1800s up until even the 1970s were Basque, and there were a lot of sheep up in Idaho.”

The Basque sheep herders would leave their mark in the areas where they were herding. Ternet said they would carve pictures or messages into the trunks of Aspen trees, called arborglyphs.

“When we were living in Idaho, one of my hobbies was to go out and search for these trees,” he said, adding that carvings he found dated back to the 1950s but there were certainly older ones around at some point. As the trees age, the integrity of the carvings are lost, a tree dies and falls, or a tree succumbs to forest fire, so it is important to document these aborglyphs before they are all lost.

“It was fun. I loved it. I found some great ones,” Ternet said. “It was rewarding to be a part of that … there is a limited time to record the ones we can.”

While in Idaho, Ternet also met Boise State University Acting Director of University Foundations John Bieter, who specializes in Basque history. Being introduced to Bieter was another highlight for Ternet’s literary career.

“I think one of the greatest things before finding out I made this list … was meeting Professor Bieter – being a Basque expert … he really appreciated and recognized how I focused on the French side of the Basque County; he told me he learned things from my book,” Ternet said. “For me, it’s funny because I mostly read nonfiction, but I write fiction … you can still incorporate a lot of history and people can learn things from your books, which is what I always try to do.”

Ternet said he spent two years writing The Basque Dilemma.

He said writing the book required “a lot of research; I did a lot of reading. I am fascinated by history; I read a lot of books about Basque affairs. For this novel I did a lot of research especially on what happened in the French Basque Country during the 1970s and 80s, when the Basque separatist movement was comparable to what was happening in Northern Ireland at the same time.

“Even for those who may know something about the Basque movement, typically they only know some of the story on the Spanish side of the Basque County and not the French. However, a lot was going on over on the French side as well. I put a lot of that story not known or often told into this novel by having a portion of the story set in that time period. ”

Trying to make a living as a published author is tough. Ternet said he remembers submitting a book to a publishing house only to be told the chances of getting a book deal are similar to winning a $20 million lottery. So Ternet decided to take his own chances as an independent author.

He said what motivates him is the opportunity to pursue something he loves. And writing books allows the opportunity to use his personal experience to expose readers to places they may know nothing about. In The Basque Dilemma, a portion of the story is set in Vilnius, Lithuania, which Ternet said he was inspired to include as his wife is Lithuanian and he has traveled there with her.

“Vilnius is an amazing city most Americans have never even heard of,” Ternet said.

Ternet is working on a new novel set in Nevada’s remote Jarbidge Mountains.

“I seem to either write books which are in the realm of international intrigue or paranormal/psychological creepy. This one is definitely on the creepy side; it scares me a little writing it,” he said, adding that he also found a way to include a Basque element.

“There were a lot of Basque herders in Nevada as well,” Ternet said.

Ternet expects to have his new book out early next year. His books can be purchased at Amazon.com.