Who doesn't have--and love--family stories? R. D. Vincent began collecting those passed down in his family, resulting in a book that's both magical and mystical--and a January Pulpwood Queens Bookclub Selection! I am honored to host Ray here. Thank you, Ray!
I always want to know what sparks a book--what was haunting
you at the time so you knew you had to write these?
Well, about 15 years ago I started writing these stories
down from my Grandmother who is on my father's side of the family. Each year I would start writing one and then
something would happen during those 15 years.
On one occasion, which lasted nearly 6 years, I became an elected
official for my home town in Middletown, New York. On a second occasion, I fell in love and got
married and as a result another 4 years went by. One day, while out speaking with a friend, he
asked me, "What are these books you are always talking about? Are you ever
going to publish one?" I paused for
a moment and realized I had been putting it off for far too long. I told him "I think I just put it aside
as my life was starting to become complete when I arrived in Texas." He then said to me, "Well if you are
ever going to finish those books of yours, you are going to need a
reason." It was at that moment that I thought to myself about my
Grandmother and how old she was getting and how much I wanted her stories to be
real and for the world to read them and for her to see them while she was
alive. With that I resurrected my book
writing and finished the first story in a month. The second one in two months
and the third one, well that will be
released January 6, 2016. It’s funny
when I think back, my Grandmother asked me this same question, and I told her
"I wanted to do this for you Grandma" and frankly when I told her
this, I was choked up about it.
What I love so much about this collection is that they are
stories that were handed down through 5 generations and are nearly 150 years
old! I wanted to ask, do the stories
ever change--with the times or with the storyteller?
Over the years there have been 5 different story tellers of
these tales starting with my Great Great Great Grandmother and then finally to
me. When I heard these tales, some of
them were scattered and torn apart. So I
took each tale, built a town around them, and like a patchwork quilt brought
them all together in this place I so named Donbridge. Many of these stories happened in my family,
but some things I have added to develop the stories further. Its very interesting that the Witch of
Tamarack Hill was a real person who actually predicted the future in my
ancestors home town. Many people were so
bothered by her they actually hunted her down, the real witch that is, and hung
her in the cemetery in an old tree. The
tree is still there to this day.
Both these stories rely on folklore and myth. Why do you
think these are even more important in our society today?
The simple action of storytelling amongst family members has
become lost to a world of Video Games, Horrific News Stories, Reality TV,
Scattered Families and this endless quest to tear each other down. These stories give Hope, Family, Loyalty and
Belief that I feel is much needed in our world today. The Roman Arena Is coming back and developing
a world in which our future generations think and believe is the way they
should act and as such creating a new normal.
They have no idea what happened in our world to get us to where we are
today. The measure of past generations
sacrifices; sacrifices that real people made to build our future, are
lost. Many people have forgotten or just
do not know about the past and many, even though it may be on the Internet,
would not even really know what to begin searching for. So are these stories
important to our society, absolutely.
What kind of writer are you? Do you outline or just wait for
the pesky muse?
I have been asked this question and I tend to smile because,
aside from a white board and an outline, I really just sit at the computer and
begin typing. But I will tell you the
outline changes daily. Being a thinker
that never stops thinking, I am always at the computer typing in my mind and
reworking stories and thinking up new ideas.
For me it’s exciting and when I have an idea and no computer, I writing
ideas on restaurant receipts, napkins, scraps of papers, envelops and taping
them to something. Best thing I can
suggest to anyone, "Don't rely on your memory and believe that you will
remember your idea hours later the same way you thought of it, it's not gonna
happen!" Bottom line, for me
anyway, I think I need a notebook.
What’s obsessing you now and why?
Lately, I have been working out the details about my next
book series which is very different from the Donbridge Series. It’s a three book series called Smith
Corporation and it follows a young boy by the name of Schalion T. Sacula who
finds out there is no Santa Claus and what he does about it. I also have a book
of collected fables that I have created and that too will be out next year.
What question didn’t I ask that I should?
No question really, Just thank you to you and to everyone
who have read my books and enjoyed them.
I am excited about being a featured author at the Pulpwood Queen
Girlfriend Weekend January 2016 and I am looking forward to meeting many of the
folks that read my stories.
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