Take Me Back to Tulsa

     

When I was a kid, I learned that, when he was in his early 20’s, my dad had disappeared for seven years, and over time I realized that he’d spent most of that time in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So, when I decided to write a novel inspired by his life, I knew I’d have to make a trip to Tulsa. Before that, I spent time researching Tulsa on the internet and talking with various historians in the area in order to formulate an itinerary for my trip. 

            On one occasion, when I told a lady at the Tulsa Historical Society Museum that my dad had always talked about seeing Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in person, she said, “Oh yes, Cain’s Ballroom. That place is still going.” And so it was. It still looks much like it did in the 1930’s too!

When Bill and I went to Tulsa we met some friends and attended a show. We also bought a book at their office—Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk, by John Wooley & Brett Bingham (2020). Cain’s is often referred to as “the Carnegie Hall of Western Swing,” and our visit there helped me understand a lot about why my dad said (and did) the things he did when a Bob Wills song came on the radio. If you’re unfamiliar with Bob Wills, go to YouTube and hear a little of his music (https://youtu.be/uUPrVzNb8_g).

 CAIN'S BALLROOM

https://www.cainsballroom.com/

Tulsa in the 1930’s

    In my upcoming novel, Tulsa Times, Jonny, my central character, spends 1929-1936 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first Tulsa didn’t seem to be affected much at all by the Depression that was ripping through the rest of the country, but as time went on it was evidenced by the long soup lines in front of the hospital where Jonny worked.

     Jonny was concerned about the young children he saw. They looked “hollow-eyed” and sad to him. Because he had young brothers back home in Kentucky, he couldn’t help wanting to help them in some way. He often bought shoes for them in the winter and bought them ice cream during the summer months. This experience made a great impact on Jonny in future years. 

     In doing research for the novel, I learned a lot about what was called the “Dust Bowl” in the 1930’s. I had, of course, read about the dust storms during this time in books like The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, but I had not read much about how it affected Tulsa. What I’d read seemed to indicate that Oklahoma was mostly affected out in the Panhandle area, so I had not anticipated that it had been a problem in Tulsa. However, in doing my research, I learned that the storms were indeed a problem in Tulsa, especially in 1935. You can learn more about the Dust Bowl here: https://drought.unl.edu/dustbowl/ .

Reading Historical Fiction: Is This Story Really True?

 

    As I anticipate the release of Tulsa Times, I am reminded of the questions I often get regarding my other two historical novels (The Welsh Harp and Becoming Jestina), both of which were inspired by real events in an earlier time. People who know a little about the real events surrounding a novel called “historical fiction” often wonder which events and conversations are factual and which are not. I thought it might be helpful to my readers to know how I view my task as a writer.

 

    As an overall understanding, if it’s called a novel, it’s fiction. That means that much of what happens will be created by the author to further the storyline. You know that scenes and conversations are not limited to what was actually said and done. That being said, it takes a lot of research to write historical fiction. The following paragraphs give you some of the particular guidelines I follow in writing my historical novels.

 

    First, as a general rule, I try to create scenes that could have happened. For example, if my character goes shopping in town, I make sure that the store in which she or he shops was actually on that street at that time, or if I say that she was walking down a certain street and the sun was in her eyes, I make sure the sun shines in that direction at that time. It often takes lots of research to determine what could have happened. 

 

    Secondly, if a character based on a real person, I try to have him/her do and say things that stay true to the person’s character. In some cases that is a challenge because I may not know the character as well as others, but I know that if I get it wrong, some reader out there will say that “he would never have done that.”

 

     Third, and probably the most difficult, I try to think about the general attitudes of the time in which my story takes place. Attitudes that we accept as normal today may be very different than those in the early 1900s (The Welsh Harp) or in the 1940’s (Becoming Jestina). One of the things I struggled with in writing Tulsa Times was the prevailing attitudes towards divorce, which were very different from those in the twenty-first century.

 

    The fourth, and the most obvious guideline I follow is that any well-known historical event must be reflected in the right time period. For example, in writing Becoming Jestina, I had to know the dates of different battles in World War II (which took some work on my part!).  Whether it was what the characters heard on the radio, or exactly what they were doing when they heard that the war was over, I tried to make it an accurate reflection of the real events.

 

    This gives you a picture of how I view my task as a writer of historical fiction. I think each author approaches the subject differently, so not all writers may agree with me.

Inspiration for New Novel

Most educators and child psychologists tell us that early childhood experiences are a big factor in the well-being of children. Basically, what this means is that children are better equipped to face the world if they feel loved and safe during those years. 

Masten and Gewirtz concluded that “Resilience research indicates that during the early childhood years, it is important for children to have good quality of care and opportunities for learning, adequate nutrition and community support for families, to facilitate positive development of cognitive, social and self-regulation skills.” (“Resilience in Development: The Importance of Early Childhood”, Masten & Gewirtz, University of Minnesota, USA, pub. Online March 15, 2006). Other research supports this also 

(https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/early-childhood/why-early-childhood-matters).

 

I grew up in a rural area of Kentucky. In looking back, I guess we were rather poor. My parents had little education, and my dad always worked at minimum-wage jobs. But I thought my life was great. I never missed a meal, and I knew both my parents loved me. My sister (one year older) and I were best friends and grew up somewhat like twins. Although my dad often worked out of town during the week, he was usually home on weekends, when we’d go to church together.

As I have grown older, I have realized that my dad was a great inspiration to me as a young child and adolescent. I think that one of the reasons he was the kind of person he was involved the fact that as a young man he disappeared for seven years and was declared dead. He wasn’t of course, and when he returned to Kentucky in 1936, he was lucky enough to meet my mom and become a family man. My novel, Tulsa Times , scheduled for release later this year, attempts to show how those seven years he was missing shaped his young life and made him into the father he became to me. In the coming weeks, blog posts will center around some of the facts I’ve learned about those years.

Book Signing at Dogwood Books in Rome

If you're in the Rome area, I hope you'll join me on Saturday, April 2, from 12:00 to 2:00 for a special book signing.

During the pandemic William S. Davies, or "Bill" to those who know him well, finally published a collection of stories called Blessed Along the Way. Although they may be a little "embellished" at times, they are mostly true stories of people Bill has encountered during his approximately 40 years of ministry. A few of the stories are also about his dad's family, which immigrated to the United States from Wales in the early 1900's. If you know Billl, you know that some of the stories have humor in them, but many of them reflect on how the little known people he's met have made a lasting impact on his life. For over half a century, Bill has spent much of his time with those who may be considered nameless or called "people under the bridges." His perspective on these people is often reflected in his stories. 

Perspective is important. In Caesar's funeral oration, Mark Antony says that "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones" (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene ii). In my writing I have always tried to reverse that. I have tried to make sure that the good that men (and women) do lives after them. In my recent novel, The Best Version of Alice, there are a number of people that did some good things that I hope will live after them. Although the book is fiction, I have dedicated it to the memory of Fernando Guzman, a young man whose life was cut short by cancer. However, Fernando did a lot to make the world a better place while he was on this earth. I won't go into all the things he did, because you can read about it in the book, but I will tell you this--he seemed to bring out the best in all those who met him.

In my interviews with those who knew him, I learned that there were countless students, parents, and school staff members who surrounded Fernando with love and admiration for his courage, and they found ways to support him as he battled osteosarcoma for the last six or seven years of his life. It is my hope that The Best Version of Alice will make sure that the good that all these people have done will live after them and not be "interred with their bones."

If you are in Rome on Saturday, come on out to Dogwood books and join us, but if you are not in Rome, you can find both  Blessed Along the Way and  The Best Version of Alice  on Amazon.com.

 It's always exciting when it finally gets close to publication! The Best Version of Alice is no exception. What is different about this book is that it incorporates several different ideas I've been working on for a few years. 

One of them is the desire to write about all those years I taught school. I loved my years of teaching, and unlike many of my co-workers, I didn't get too caught up in the demands of administration or the "requirements" of all the paperwork that was expected. I don't mean that I didn't do it. I did. But my main job involved making sure that my students got what they needed to be successful in my area, which was language arts. So I completed the paperwork, but I didn't let it distract too much from my real work.

I had also wanted to write about my experiences in coaching students in literary events outside the classroom, particularly in debate. 

In 2018 I learned about a student who had been especially inspirational in another school. At the same time I learned that the school environment he was in demonstrated how a school can be a supportive community to all the students, regardless  of their situations.

All these situations gave me some ideas for The Best Version of Alice. 

Judge Jackson Was a High School Debater

 Recently I read an article in the New York Times about the impact high school debating had on Judge Ketanja Brown Jackson, who has been nominated by President Biden for the Supreme Court. In the article Judge Jackson was quoted as referring to her debate experience at Palmetto Senior High School in Miami, Florida, as being "the one activity that best prepared me for future success in law and in life." The article indicates that the experience of debating offers a glimpse into how Jackson eventually became a Supreme Court nominee. In The Best Version of Alice, my novel that will be released soon, the central characters are on the debate team in their high school. In previous posts I've talked about debate and what students can learn through debate, and this article confirms my belief about the impact it can have on their success.

In my new novel, it is clear that debate is having an impact on the skills students are learning that will follow them into their adult lives. In Alice's case she is learning to become more confident and able to speak out when she needs to, but the students are all also learning to work together as a team and support one another. When I read about Judge Jackson, I realized that she is a great example of how high school experiences can have a lasting impact on the student's life. If you'd like to read the article about Judge Jackson, here is a link to it:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/us/ketanji-brown-jackson-high-school-debate.html?smid=em-share