photo © 2008 Thomas more info (via: Wylio)Day One with Sandra Moore
History has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Particularly little known facts that can be expanded on to form a story. When I went on a fishing expedition for such facts for my area of the country, it didn't take long to stumble upon a story that occurred during the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg.
It seems a wagon full of slaves, captured in Chambersburg, PA, was brought into Greencastle, guarded by a Confederate chaplain and four soldiers. Citizens of Greencastle surprised the guards and disarmed them, freeing the slaves. The result? Brig. Gen. Albert Gallatin Jenkins demanded recompense for his "property" in the form of $50,000. Town leaders refused to pay Jenkins, who then threatened to return to Greencastle and burn down the town. Some of the slaves gathered with the town leaders and offered to give themselves up to spare the town, but town leaders refused to allow them to do such a thing. And so they waited. . .and waited. . .
Jenkins never showed up.
I love living near a town with such a value for human life and liberties. But rather than use this information as the focal point for Promise of Yesterday, I asked myself some "what if" questions and came up with the premise for Marylu Biloxi's heroic deed and the heartbreak she endured as a result.
From that one snippet of history, a story was born and characters developed. When people ask me where I get my ideas, I can share the historical facts that helped mold the manuscript, and in the process I am also sharing little-known facts that might one day become fodder for another story-teller or ignite a person's passion for history.
One of the really exciting things for me as an author is when I hear from readers who respond to the history of my stories. Promise of Tomorrow took place in Johnstown, PA, during the devastating flood of 1889. I received letters from those who remembered stories from their grandparents, uncles, aunts. I received pictures and articles along with letters. What a treasure and encouragement!
If you have little-known tidbits of history handed down from family member to family member that you'd like to share with me, I'm all ears! You can email me at sdionnemoore at mac dot com.
Feel free to share you interesting tidbits here, too! We are all interested!
Don't you just love the fruits of "What if?" =) Your story journey sounds as amazing as the novel itself. How amazing that you received letters and stories from so many people...what a blessing to see that you've touched others!
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Thanks for dropping by, Racquel. It is exciting. Strangely, a couple have also expressed the fact that they know their grandparents survived the flood but that they refused to speak of it. I think that was the way of that generation, though I can't help but wonder at the stories we missed out on because of that silence.
ReplyDeleteI love stumbling across interesting (to me) tidbits that sort of tumble and roll like a snowball down hill, gathering material until a story is formed.
ReplyDeleteThis book has really caught my interest. :)
Love you and someday, I'd like to meet your dad.
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