Kathleen On New Books and Old Stories

Yesterday was my granddaughter's birthday. Today it's Sam Beaudry's. In celebration I'm blogging on two sites today. Over at Wildflower Junction, AKA Petticoats and Pistols I'm giving a little background on how the new book came to be and I hope we'll be talking about favorite themes in romance. If you read the excerpt from IN CARE OF SAM BEAUDRY either on my website or at Amazon, you'll probably be able to guess one of my personal favorites. By the way, check out our Reading In the Fast Lane in the sidebar for more summaries of our current books. We'd love it if you used the links to Amazon from the little shop in our trunk. (No junk. No kidding.)

Sam Beaudry is a contemporary romance set in Montana, which makes it a Western, and Sam is Metis, which is a mixed-blood of Cree/Chippewa/French/Scots descent, or some combination thereof. This story has little to do with Ameican Indian issues, but many of my books do. American history fascinates me, but for obvious reasons I'm particularly interested in Native American history and cultures. I just watched the third in PBS's five-part American Experience series called "We Shall Remain" . It's about the Trail of Tears, but unlike so many documentaries on the subject, it's dramatized with a fine cast (including Wes Studi) and it focuses on the Cherokee fight for self-determination prior to their forced removal from the Southeast. While most documentaries depict the tragedy of that forced march and show the Cherokee as pitiful victims, this show gives the Cherokee their due as an independent people holding out against great odds and negotiating in a government-to-government relationship. When the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision that the U.S. government could not legally remove the Cherokee and take their land, President Jackson simply defied the decision. In the end, those who stayed behind had to renounce their Cherokee citizenship if they wanted to remain on their land.

The program "reads" more like a movie than a documentary, and one of the drawbacks of the format is that it's hard to tell how much of the dialogue comes from a screenwriter. But there are voice-overs reading from the writings of some of the principles. One anecdote was about the machinations going on in Congress over the proposed removal of the people. New England representatives were generally opposed. One congressman actually killed another in a duel. Cherokee leader John Ross wrote at the time: "As soon as they bury their illustrious brother, Congress can get back to dealing with us savages." Typical Indian humor.

I think I've been influenced as much by historical fiction as I have non-fiction. A good novel will send me looking for more facts. More details. More perspectives. I've generally had very positive response to the kind of story I like to tell--cross-cultural love stories in which the past often touches the present--but every once in a while I'm accused of having an "agenda." When that happens I'll step back and have myself a serious think. What do I really know, and what right does a non-Indian really have to write this story?

What I really know--because I've been a first-hand witness for almost 40 years--is that Indian self-determination is as much of an issue now as it was in the 1830's. I know that my readers are mostly non-Indian women who are much like me, and I know that my stories have served as a conduit for them in some small way. We've done a very poor job of teaching this aspect of American history in our schools, but every once in a while you get a book or a documentary or a movie that actually sheds some light on the whole of our history. It's important because we're still tromping through other people's homelands and turning everything upside down and inside out without appreciating the natives' right to self-determination, without knowing much about their culture. In other words, without respect. Hence, we tend to repeat the worst of our history. And we have to know that the people have yet to recover from the havoc we made in Indian Country. A few big casinos on a few tiny, well-placed reservations doesn't cut it. This is something we must own as Americans who continue to benefit from the policies and procedures of our forebears.

The last two parts of "We Shall Remain" are about Geronimo and Wounded Knee. I'll be watching. I know that the repercussions of Wounded Knee are still felt in the Dakotas today. I've written about various aspects of the incident in a couple of my novels. To this day American Indians suffer the highest infant mortality rate and the highest rate of teen suicide in the country. These are not just statistics. They are the lives of someone's child, brother, nephew, friend. I know because the Eagle family suffered one of each of those losses last week. I mention this only because I believe in the Lakota prayer, "all my relatives." It's been the major lesson of my life, and I hope that comes through in some my stories.

What's your general take on history? What aspects of the past particularly touch your personal present? Can you recommend some great historical fiction? Movies? Documentaries?

I'll send one random commenter a book from my backlist. Check the excerpts on my website.

Be sure to drop in on Pam Crooks tomorrow, right here in the convertible!

Kathleen: Cry For Happy

The images we've been seeing this week have been so powerful, I can hardly express myself. I promise not to talk politics, but I need to speak about what I've experienced and invite others to do the same. I'll start us off with a personal moment that fairly blew me away.

I think what impressed me the most about the images was the children, and thinking about the changes I've wanted foe them. You know, world peace, equal opportunity, tolerance, respect and dignity for all, what used to be pie-in-the-sky bleeding heart cliche. This week the sea of happy faces of all races--2 million strong on the Capitol mall--validated the dream. Not that there isn't a ton of work to do still, but we're still willing to to carry the torch. Keep the faith. Do the right thing. Teach the children well.

One anecdote from the Eagle household, and then over to you. On Monday, my first grade granddaughter's homework assignment was to write about something Martin Luther King, Jr. had given Americans and to draw a picture to illustrate. The class had seen a video, and they'd been reading and drawing all week, and this was the moment of truth. So we talked a little bit, but she knew exactly what she wanted to say. "How do you spell peace?" We sounded it out. "How do you spell harmony?" We sounded it out. "Martin Luther King, Jr. gave America peace and harmony."

Okay, Nana wants a little more. How did he do this. What did he say? Remember the marching, the-- "That's all I want to write, Nana. I'll show you in the picture."

So here's the picture. I thought she was drawing a door at first. She wrote "Whites Only." I was surprised. Puzzled. This is a 6-year-old, mind you. She drew the rest of the water fountain and an X over the two ugly words. Then she drew another water fountain and some people. She took a picture she had made earlier in the week of MLK and drew his head again. (We were watching news coverage of Monday's events, and she took the suit from the news guys. Pretty good, huh?)

Once she had shown me, she proceeded to tell me that in the old days, not everybody could drink from the water fountain. Now we can. I told her that I remembered the old days, and that when I was 6 years old, I saw those signs. Even then I knew it was wrong. Two generations later, with millions of people making their mark, adding bits and pieces--a word here, a deed there--and the picture is changing. America is a work in progress, and this little girl will be part of the evolution. In a good way, as the Lakota people say. On Tuesday night, my 4-year-old granddaughter saw what I was watching (for the Nth time and still smiling) and said, "Oh, we saw this on TV today. Barack Obama is our president now." They watched the inauguration in preschool!

I'm fascinated with history. I love to think about the journey, and how each generation takes a few steps. I'm blown away by the steps we took this week and the fact that we really did this together. So--this is a story you'll tell your grandchildren-- Where were you when America celebrated the inauguration of our 44th president?

For my part, I was reminded of a movie from my childhood (Glen Ford was a big favorite of mine) called "Cry For Happy." I do it all the time these days.

Kathleen Goes To the Movies

Oh, no! It's my day! And I'm late, late, late!

Fortunately, I've been thinking and chatting with a friend about my next blog, so when I opened up today to RWTTD ready to sink my teeth into something delicious from another Rider and saw Helen's announcement, and I knew, I KNEW I should have checked the schedule, well, all was not lost. My brain was not totally blank. See, I had a book released just this week, and that event has a way of mushing up the gray matter. The book is MYSTIC HORSEMAN, and everything you might want to know about it can be found on my web site. And we've got our own little bookshop right here in the convertible, in case you feel like ordering.

But I've been to the movies lately, and I have two flicks to throw out for discussion. You know how much I love the big, sweeping costume saga. I've been devouring the Tudor period recently, so daughter Elizabeth and I took in "The Other Boleyn Girl." Nice costumes, pretty landscapes, lavish and moody interiors. But I do like a bit of history with my sagas. I know this was based on a piece of historical fiction, and they call it fiction for a reason, but come on. There was a lot more to Henry than skirt chasing and a lot more to Anne than sibling rivalry. There was big stuff going on, and most of it had to do with lining up a male heir. You can't get away with reducing the Boleyn story to soapsuds. Sorry. Jonathan Rys Myers ("The Tudors") makes a better Henry than Eric Bana(?) (shown here) but neither compares to Richard Burton. (Don't laugh, kids. Burton was young once, too.) I'm fascinated by this period of history, and I insist that any story we create about it now should speak at least a tiny bit about what was behind all the intrigue--the concern for transition of power after generations of civil war, the beginnings of separation of Church and State, little stuff like that. It doesn't have to be a big history lesson, but don't play dumb. The Tudor saga can't be set in Dallas--Anne ain't Sue Ellen, and Henry's no JR. (Don't laugh, kids. I know the reference is so 20th century, but I'm in a hurry. Update for me. Give me another show.)

On to "Goya's Ghosts," new on DVD. Yes, Natalie Portman again. And, yes, that's the fabulous and now famous Javier Bardem. He's terrific in this one, too. Oddly, Goya is played by a Swedish actor and Randy Quaid plays the king of Spain. But it works. Trust me. The film got mixed reviews--mostly on the down side--but I found it interesting. Interesting period--last gasp of the Inquisition, a bit of slop-over from the French Revolution, topped with a visit from Napoleon and his brother. The whole thing plays out through Goya's viewpoint. He's just trying to make a living here. Portman is an innocent merchant's daughter who models for Goya. Bardem is a monk who gets himself appointed Grand Inquisitor and has Portman's character arrested. Goya is pivotal because he knows all the principles. He's the best portrait artist in Spain--has connections in court. But he's sensitive to the issues of the day and the plight of the common people, as his charcoal sketches--sold in shops all over Europe--clearly show. I suspect there were historical liberties taken in this one, too, but the commentary on torture is surely timely. (No, you don't have to suffer too much pain. Just enough to get the idea.)

Whatever liberties might have been taken in the name of art on this one, this climactic scene from the film (left) certainly mirrors the mood in Goya's sketch (right).

Are you a historical movie fan? Have you seen any good (or bad) ones lately? What do you expect from them? Are there some actors who really shine in historical roles and some who just don't work? (No, kidding, Randy Quaid will surprise you.)

Betina ponders: Family Stories and Writing

Okay, I've been a history buff almost as long as I've been a story buff. I had history teachers who told great stories unlike anything we read in our official textbooks. Travel only cemented my love of history. At age 14, I had one of those mystical museum moments while standing in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. I felt like I was there, at the Continental Congress, listening, absorbing, breathing the same air. I was never quite the same afterward.

I guess it was only natural that I grew to love history; my folks loved it and had lots of stories of our ancestors. There were romantic tales of King Charles I's cavaliers being run out of England and sailing for the new world. There are some records that verify that family members arrived in 1640 or thereabouts. And there's the story about how some of the family were royalists during the American Revolution and were burned out by rebel neighbors and fled across the Appalachian mountains to eastern Kentucky. Like I said, great stories.

Interestingly, as I'm researching my newest book, I've run into some people with my birth name, Maynard, who also have interesting stories to tell. One of them, Frances Evelyn Maynard, who was generally called "Daisy," married Francis Greville, Lord Brooke, the eldest son and heir of George Greville, the 4th earl of Warwick. Apparently Daisy was something of a doozy. This is a picture of her.

She not only inspired the Gay 90's hit song "Daisy Daisy," she also went on to have a grand affair with the future King Edward VII of England. (Queen Victoria's son and heir). She would have been famous enough for that, but she apparently got a hankering for yet another fella and two-timed the future king with a buddy of his, Charles, Baron Beresford. This caused a major split between the future king and his friend and spawned a couple of embarrassing legal tangles that required the Prime Minister to intervene to keep it all from landing in the courts!

Cool! Royal betrayals and intrigues involving sex and power. All started by a little Maynard girl.

Dang, I gotta write a book about this!

As for the Krahns. . . not a lot of flash and dash in their background. When my boys did their 5th grade "family history" project, we didn't have much information on their dad's side. The Krahns were relative newcomers to America-- the 1880's. They settled into the heartland and into lives of productivity and boring respectability. Seeing my boys' disappointment, I mentioned that far back in history, the Krahn ancestors had probably been a part of the Hun hordes. Huns? Yeah, you know. . . barbarian invaders.

Barbarians! All right! The guys were thrilled. Real bad-ass barbarians in the family! I didn't have the heart to disillusion them. But it did get a little annoying when they started calling their dad the "Head Hun." They're old enough to know better now, but there's still a wistful pride in their eyes when they talk about the old Krahns. I can tell they're picturing great, shaggy, battle-hardened warriors who eat with their bare hands.

Anyway, we've now searched out the Krahns as far back as we can go in this country. It turns out that just getting here from Germany was an ordeal. The trip makes for fascinating and heartbreaking reading. The Krahns lost a two year old and a two month old on the trip over-- due to a measles outbreak on the ship. Something like 23 children died in steerage on that trip from Bremen, Germany to Baltimore. Just imagine what that must have been like. . . stuck in that cold, cavernous hold with sick and dying children and mothers going crazy with grief. Aghh. Those folks had to be tough as shoe leather just to survive.

See? Stories. And it all becomes grist for the mill. As a writer I view the world and all its history as source material for great love stories. Even my own history and connections-- loose as they are-- provide a million possible stories.

I could be at this until I'm 90!!!

What about you? Have you found connections to your family stories in your writing research? Ever written about them? Have any stories from your family history that you'd like to share? Got any ancestor skeletons you'd rather keep in the closet? Horse thieves? Bank robbers? Bigamists? Snake oil salesmen? Shady ladies? Come on, you can tell us. . .