Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1971-1990 (Creation)
Extent
8.72 linear feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Ralph and Melania Hinkemeyer on October 18, 1940, Michael Thomas Hinkemeyer grew up on a farm near South Haven, Minnesota, just south of St. Cloud.
Upon graduation from St. Cloud’s Cathedral high school in 1958, Hinkemeyer attended, and later graduated from St. John’s University in nearby Collegeville, Minnesota with a bachelor of arts in History in 1962.
After graduation from St. John’s University in 1962, Hinkemeyer was commissioned as a lieutenant in the ROTC and was stationed mostly in Europe for the next two years. When Hinkemeyer was discharged, he worked as a supervisor at the Montgomery Ward Mail Order Company and saved money to attend graduate school at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Hinkemeyer graduated from Northwestern University in 1966 with a master of arts degree and landed a job teaching high school in Long Island, New York. Hinkemeyer soon returned to Northwestern, this time to earn his Ph.D. He completed his degree in late 1970. While at Northwestern, Hinkemeyer taught at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Soon after graduating with his Ph.D., Hinkemeyer took a position at Queens College in New York and taught Intellectual History, Social Science Research, and Principles of Education. While teaching, Hinkemeyer first book was published – it was entitled The Dark Below.
In 1976, Hinkemeyer was laid off from Queens College and then began his career as a full-time author.
In August 1967, Hinkemeyer married Arlene Dingilian in Cincinnati, Ohio. They had two children, Ellen Lara (born in 1970) and Jonathan Edward (born in 1973).
Hinkemeyer’s books, including those written as Vanessa Royall and Jan Lara:
The Dark Below (1974)
Summer Solstice (1976)
The Fields of Eden (1977)
The Creator (1978)
Flames of Desire (1978) [as Vanessa Royall]
Come Faith, Come Fire (1979) [as Vanessa Royall]
Sea Cliff (1979) [Re-issue of The Dark Below]
Firebrand’s Woman (1980) [as Vanessa Royall]
The Harbinger (1980) [also known as Dark Angel Pass By]
Lilac Night: A Novel of Revenge (1981)
Wild Wind Westward (1982) [as Vanessa Royall]
Seize the Dawn (1983) [as Vanessa Royall]
A Time to Reap: An Emil Whippletree Mystery (1984)
The Passionate and the Proud (1984) [as Vanessa Royall]
Fourth Down, Death (1985)
Fires of Delight (1986) [as Vanessa Royall]
Limbo (1988) [as Jan Lara]
The Order of the Arrow (1990)
Soulcatchers (1990)
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The papers of Michael Thomas Hinkemeyer contain various drafts of many published books, as well as papers of unpublished novels and other ideas. The collection also includes books that he wrote using pseudonyms Vanessa Royall and Jan Lara. Published books with papers contained in this collection include The Dark Below (1974), Summer Solstice (1976), The Creator (1978), Flames of Desire (1978), Come Faith, Come Fire (1979), The Harbinger (1980), Firebrand’s Woman (1980), Lilac Night (1981), Wild Wind Westward (1982), Seize the Dawn (1983), A Time to Reap (1984), The Passionate and the Proud (1983), Fourth Down, Death (1985), Fires of Delight (1986), Limbo (1986), Soulcatchers (1990), and The Order of the Arrow (1990).
The papers show the evolution of the writing of the books, demonstrating how Hinkemeyer created, crafted, and revised the stories over time.
Series 1: Miscellaneous
This series contains a small amount of material related to Hinkemeyer’s life as well as records related to the donation and events surrounding his gift of papers to St. Cloud State University including audio and video.
Series 2: Published and Unpublished Works
The series contains drafts of many of Hinkemeyer’s published books, as well as other books that have not been published. The unpublished books include Monahan: An American Tragedy, A Web of Time, Slow Death, and The Coming. A few books have more than one draft. These include original typescripts, handwritten revisions and other corrections.
Also in this series are uncut galley proofs for The Creator (1979) and The Harbinger (1980).
System of arrangement
The materials are organized in two series. The first series contains a small amount of material related to Hinkemeyer’s life as well as records related to the donation and events surrounding his gift of papers to St. Cloud State University.
Series two is organized chronologically by publication date of Hinkemeyer’s books.
Records are located at 56B.2d-6a.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no access restrictions.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Permission to publish must be secured from the copyright holder. All literary rights are transferred to St. Cloud State University 25 years after the donor's death.
The LRS dean or designee may authorize short quotations from any unrestricted materials. Long quotations (over five lines) may be made only with the donor's express permission. After the donor's death, all quotations may be authorized by St. Cloud State University.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Donation
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
March 17, 1979: The Harbinger galley proofs; The Harbinger edited first draft
October 4, 1979: The Creator galley proofs; Monahan: An American Tragedy; A Terror Below: A Story of the Occult [The Dark Below]; Summer Solstice
March 24, 1980: The Harbinger edited second draft
December 1980: Firebrand’s Woman
August 1, 1981: Lilac Night original typescript
September 10, 1982: The Creator; Come Faith, Come Fire; Lilac Night. Partial first draft, second draft; Wild Wind Westward; Seize the Dawn
September 5, 1984: Flames of Desire; Lilac Night copy edited version and author galleys; A Time to Reap first draft
September 13, 1984: A Time to Reap revised first draft
May 1987: The Passionate and the Proud; Fourth Down, Death; Fires of Delight; Limbo
October 1990: The Coming; Soulcatchers; The Order of the Arrow; Limbo copy edited manuscript; Slow Death; A Web of Time
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The published books that were part of this collection were removed. Those that were autographed were added to Rare Books. Those not autographed were moved to the circulating collection in the St. Cloud State library, if they were not already part of the collection.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Tom Steman minimally rearranged the existing order of material in May 2014.