Velda Brotherton is a contributor to Wicked Wordsmith. Today, I’ll be chatting with her about her latest book and how she works as a writer.
Tell us about your new novel.
Fly with the Mourning Dove is the story of a family who homestead on 640 acres of
arid desert land in Taos County, New Mexico after World War One. It’s told through the diaries
and journals of Cassie and her daughter Edna, who is six when they move to the homestead.
Edna’s father’s bout with Tuberculosis hangs over the family like the shadow of death, and
several times separates her from her parents. She is sent to live first in a boarding house situated
along the road from Taos Junction to Santa Fe, then to a convent where she feels caged, and
finally to her grandparents in North Dakota. At the age of nine she returns home to stay, and so
begins her love of the high desert that will endure for a lifetime. She still owns a ranch there as
well as one in Colorado. As a creative non fiction, the story moves like fiction.
The protagonist, Edna Smith, lives today in San Luis County in Colorado near one of the family
ranches. As often as she can she visits her beloved Tusas ranch in New Mexico where she grew
up.
What was your inspiration for this book?
Stories my father told when I was growing up about my mother’s relatives and how they "proved up" the homestead on the New Mexico high desert. The stories were so gripping and exciting, that as an adult, when I visited Edna Smith Hiller she began to relate more of her growing-up stories. Her experiences begged for a book and she wanted me to write it.
How long did it take you to write this book?
It took about a year to write it, but we discussed it for a couple of years before the actual writing began. Once the decision was made, Edna would write down her stories and send them to me. I put them in sequence, wrote the scenes and when it was finished, I sent the manuscript to her for approval. Of course, during the writing we visited her in New Mexico several times and that helped to ground the stories in reality.
When did you first have the idea for it?
I’m not sure exactly when, because so many of the stories were in my mind for several years. I expect it was when she began to read my historical romances and said that when I wrote her book she hoped it wouldn’t be a romance. That was probably about eight or nine years ago.
Who is your favorite character?
Oh, Edna herself, of course. She is an amazing woman and I do so admire her. At 85 she took her last horseback ride and finally quit driving her car at 90 of her own volition. She hiked the desert on weekends into her 80s. Her husband lost his legs in World War Two, and life was hard after that, but she never lost her faith. At one point in the story, she says, "My God holds my hand and I sometimes wonder why he doesn’t let me go."
What was the biggest challenge for you in this story?
Keeping the dialogue and internalization true to the characters, most of whom I had never met. I had to use her descriptions and stories about each of them, and I guess I did okay, because she stuck a post it to the final manuscript with only two words on it. "I’m satisfied."
Did you have times when you struggled and, if so, how did you handle them?
The decisions I had to make as to what to include in the book were probably the most difficult. Obviously we would’ve had much too long a book if I covered her entire life as I wanted to cover her early life. We often talked about where to stop the book and that was really difficult. To her each moment was important. I handled this with a prologue and epilogue to cover what we left out. I never
have trouble actually completing a book, though some are more difficult to write than others.
What role did critique groups play in your writing this novel?
I have been co-chair of a critique group for 20 years. We began it before any of us knew much about the craft. Determined to learn, we did it together, sharing what each of us learned at conferences. I have never used any other critique group but this one. I give its members, especially my co-chairman Dusty Richards, full credit for where I am as a writer today.
What have you learned on your journey as a novelist?
This is my tenth book to be published – plus all those I’ve written that haven’t made
it to publication. And one thing that never is a problem is writer’s block. Writing is something I
love to do, and I don’t say that lightly, and that makes it easier for me to stick to a book until it’s
done. I will say, though, that the most difficult books to write are nonfiction. All of my books so
far have been based around true events, with fictional characters, so I’m used to a lot of research.
I guess what I’ve learned is to understand what motivates people to do what they do, and that’s
made me more forgiving of some of their actions.
What is the best piece of advice you can give a struggling writer?
Learn your craft, keep writing and network in as broad a scope as you can. The road to success is littered with quitters, so don’t give up. But keep in mind this is a difficult profession, and if you don’t truly enjoy writing, then do something else. And do not do it for the money; you’d do better to try and win the lottery.
Velda’s book is available at Publish America. Visit her blog at www.veldabrotherton.blogspot.com or her webpage at www.authorsden.com/veldabrotherton.
If you would like to be considered for our Wicked Wordsmith Chat sessions, email me at authorangelawilson <at> gmail <dot> com.
Angela Wilson – Wicked Wordsmith – www.angelawilson.blogspot.com
