THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER – NO NEED TO LEAVE A COMMENT! THE WINNER WAS POSTED HERE.
If you want to enter the drawing, you must read Stephen Bly’s article and leave a comment about something you read in the article along with your email address! I’ll need your email address so that I can contact you to let you know if you’ve won! If you don’t refer to something in the article, then you won’t be entered into the drawing!
I’m pleased to host multi-published author Stephen Bly on my blog again! I found his article about research extremely interesting, especially the part about Research Through Memories! Stephen speaks about memories from the fifties. I fondly recall a lot of historic things that younger people don’t recall, mainly things in the seventies. Stephen has many memories for the fifties. Myself? I have many memories from the seventies. The seventies were fond times for me, filled with memories that I’d love to place into a book! 🙂
Read this very interesting article that Stephen Bly wrote, Fiction As Research:
Do They Sweat In Duke City?/Fiction As Research
By Stephen Bly
Copyright©2010
New Mexico heat blanketed Albuquerque that July like too many
covers in a stuffy cabin. . .the kind of day that you sweat from the
inside out and feel sticky dirt in places that you don’t ponder much
except in the shower.
From Cowboy For a Rainy Afternoon
Released: June 2010
Every novel’s got a place and time. That often means plenty of research. My next release, Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon, is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1954. So, I needed to know some things about a specific city, a state, and what the world was like that year.
Research Thru Travel
It’s tough, dirty work. . .but I love any time I can go to New Mexico. The only other site I’ve been that boasts similar layers of culture stacked one upon another: Rome. Yet, New Mexico’s still a cowboy state. From the Pecos River in the east to the Plains of San Agustin in the west, from the Sangre de Christo range in the north, to the “bootheel” in the south, it’s full of great ranching country. A perfect setting for a cowboy story.
My wife, Janet, and I drove up and down Historic Route 66 that runs through Albuquerque. It was known as the “Main Street of America” or the “Mother Road.” It was the primary route for those leaving the dust bowl of Oklahoma and moving to California during the Great Depression. Albuquerque was selected as a stop on the first transcontinental air route in the 1920s and Route 66 brought the first transcontinental motorists through the city.
Research Thru Study
Duke City is a nickname for Albuquerque, because it was named after Viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, the Duke of Alburquerque. Later the spelling was changed because some influential person couldn’t pronounce the “R” in Alburquerque.
The cowboys in my story retire in Albuquerque, not Santa Fe, because even in 1954 the latter was becoming the artsy, celebrity spot it is today. These guys needed a cheap hotel and city amenities. So, Albuquerque suited them fine. Before there were retirement communities and senior citizen housing, some elderly lived in old downtown hotels. Well past their prime in attracting overnight guests, they catered to senior citizens who scraped by on something fairly new in the fifties: Social Security.
One of my favorite governors hails from New Mexico. Governor Lew Wallace authored the novel Ben-Hur (a movie made in 1959, starring Charleton Heston) and he also tried to negotiate with the notorious Billy the Kid. What an eclectic group of folks tramped the Old West.
A piece of historical tidbit. . .a hard thing for some readers to realize: in 1954 no one considered cigars or cigarettes or their second-hand smoke in any way harmful. That’s why you see so many actors and actresses lighting up in the movies of that period. Cowboys often carried peppermints, which were tasty, portable, and covered up the smell of such vices, at least so they thought.
Research Thru Learning the Language
The main challenge of fiction: the rhythm of the dialogue. I had to sit very still and listen to each character speak in order to get the timing right, along with the vocabulary.
Every era boasts its own unique language. Every region develops a dialect. For the writer, both can be learned through research and careful study. But tone, timing, and cadence can’t easily be taught. It’s better to be in your bones. A writer’s challenge is to develop instinct for tune as well as lyrics of speech. There has to be a natural flow.
To know the right lingo steps up a novel’s authenticity. In Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon I got to use a lot of the classic cowboy terms that got lost over the years. I tried to stick an interior explanation to explain a few that might confuse.
For instance, a McGee is cowboy slang for a 4-strand rope made of a maguey (century) plant.
A phrase often used on a cattle drive or roundup was “man at the pot.” That meant someone was at the coffee pot for a refill and that shout-out indicated the guy was to fill everyone’s cup.
To old cowboys, ‘nobby’ signified fine, expensive boots.
Pop/Grandpa would “do to ride the river with.” That’s the ultimate compliment for a cowboy. Crossing wild rivers with great herds of cattle exposed dangers for man and beast. Not a time to trust your safety to some rookie just learning the ropes.
“You never know the luck of a lousy calf”. . . one of my favorite cowboy sayings. Big, healthy, sturdy calves seem to fall of cliffs or get attacked by wolves. It’s the scrawny, worthless ones that live forever.
I’ve often wondered why we stopped using colorful words like ‘footpad.’ So called because of guys who pulled off their boots and snuck around in stocking feet, so no one would hear them.
Research Thru Memories
In 1954 an old man’s vision of feminine loveliness would be Bow, Grable, Monroe or Kelly. Grace Kelly in High Noon stole my own ten-year-old heart. However, I figured she wasn’t too smart because she couldn’t understand why Will Cane had to turn back. But I did. Shoot, that’s in a cowboy’s bones. But, my oh my, she surely was purdy.
My bedroom was stacked with White Owl cigar boxes, my granddad’s favorite cigar. He didn’t smoke them much; mainly he chewed them. And because I lived across the road from him, I got many of his boxes. Lots of childhood treasures can be stored in a cigar box.
I listened to Sergeant Preston on the radio. What memories. How I wanted to be a mountie and own a dog like King.
TV was a brand new technology in 1954. We hadn’t learned to sit comatose in front of one. . .yet.
One of the advantages of modern autos. . .they run so smooth there’s seldom a backfire. But those random air-shattering blasts from the old rigs added adventure to an otherwise ordinary, routine day. Me and my young pals surmised the sound as a gun blast from a bank robber making his get-away, even though my hometown had no bank. That fact didn’t darken my vivid 10-year-old imagination.
The summer of 1954, in Albuquerque, a 10-year-old boy becomes A Cowboy For a Rainy Afternoon.
Maybe I wasn’t born 100 years too late.
Stephen Bly
http://www.BlyBooks.com
http://www.twitter.com/BlyBooks.com
Available Now: Creede of Old Montana (hardback, Center Point)
Coming June 2010: Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon (hardback, Center Point)
Find these books at www.Amazon.com or www.BlyBooks.com
I’m a simile nut and loved this quote, “New Mexico heat blanketed Albuquerque that July like too many
covers in a stuffy cabin. . .the kind of day that you sweat from the
inside out and feel sticky dirt in places that you don’t ponder much
except in the shower.”
I haven’t read Bly in a couple of years and wouldn’t mind winning Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon.
Thanks,
Ann Lee Miller
Ann_Lee_Miller@msn.com
I did not know that Duke City was also a name for Albuquerque.
I love Stephen’s books.
wsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com
Very interesting interview and actually there was quite a few things that I learned that I had no clue about. The one that stuck out was a McGee is cowboy slang for a 4-strand rope made of a maguey (century) plant since our old Pastors were McGee.
Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com
Wonderful article….
I really like the part about
“Research Thru Memories”
(In 1954 an old man’s vision of feminine loveliness would be Bow, Grable, Monroe or Kelly. Grace Kelly in High Noon stole my own ten-year-old heart. )
WOW
To have those memories to work from would be great….I’m just a youngn,in his time. I remember the eighties. I do have memories of the late seventies but most of mine start in the eighties. I always loved talking to my grandmother’s asking them questions about the times they spent as a child and what it was like to ride in carriages w/ horses, to have to use gas lamps. i would love to go back for one weekend to experience these things. I also love writing about it.
Thank you so much for the great post..Please enter me in your contest…I would love to read this book…
heidijohnjeffATverizonDOTnet
Blessings,
Heidi
Hi Cecilia,
Just wanted to say hello.
Hello Ms. Dowdy,
I enjoyed reading Stephen Bly’s article. And I thank you for featuring him on your blog. What I took away the most from the article is Mr. Bly’s thorough preparation for his writing. As an aspiring writer I have certainly learned from his attention to detail, including perfecting the dialogue and timing of his characters. In addition, I learned that one of the most important tools for writing is within us through our memories.
a wonderful posting…thanks for the chance to read mr bly’s novel 🙂
karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
We must be from the time period. I remember watching Sergeant Preston on TV and had cigar boxes from one of my uncles. I didn’t know the retired people lived in the town’s hotels. Think it would be slipping on a pair of medium gloves (perfect fit) for me to read this story.
CarolNWong@aol.com
What a great interview. I never knew that Albuquerque had the nickname of Duke City. I also did not know that New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace authored the novel Ben-Hur. I did not know footpad came about because of guys who pulled off their boots and snuck around in stocking feet, so no one would hear them. All so fasinating.
So much information about cowboys. You can tell he really loves them.
I have not read any of Bly’s books but will be adding him as new author to my list and his book to my wish list.
Thanks for hosting this great book giveaway and introducing Bly to me.
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
The quote Ann Lee Miller used grabbed my attention, too. I could visualize what was happening, too. My great-grandfather was a cowboy in OK & TX…..and I was born in 1955, so it brings the era of my birth into clarity. Please enter me into the drawing!!!
cindynavarro713@gmail.com
Cecelia: Thanks for posting this article. Appreciate reading all the comments! Look forward to sending a copy of Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon to one of your post-ers. Just received the first copies yesterday!
On the trail in ID,
Steve
http://www.BlyBooks.blogspot.com
Hi, Stephen! You just got your copies today? Must be exciting to open that box and see all those new books! Enjoy that wonderful feeling!
Interesting that cowboys that smoked carried peppermints to conceal there cigarette breath. Guess that’s what brought on TicTacs huh? 🙂
Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com
I have lots of memories from the 50s but don’t remember most of them as I was born in 1950 so would only be 10 at 1960.
I read one of your books last year to judge it for Inspirational Judging. I loved it very very much. It was the first book of yours I had read.
Please enter me to win and I’ll even write you reviews.
jrs362 (at)hotmail (dot)com
sounds like it takes lots of research to get a book like this printed.
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
Squires, I’m glad that you enjoyed reading my novel!
I love it that he does such specific research before he writes his books. LIke when he talks about him and his wife following Highway 66 while doing research. I love it when you read a book and are familiar with the place, and the author has their facts straight. Great interview and article.
~Steph
soklad@hotmail.com
When I read the part about having his treasures stored in a White Owl cigar box, it brought back a rush of memories. When I was little, I too stored my “treasures” in cigar boxes too! We used to put everything in them! We even used them as pencil boxes at school! (Can you imagine using one now?!) Thanks for the cool memory.
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
I had always heard this saying in the movies and thought it a bit disrespectful but now I understand it is a great compliment.
“Pop/Grandpa would “do to ride the river with.” That’s the ultimate compliment for a cowboy. Crossing wild rivers with great herds of cattle exposed dangers for man and beast. Not a time to trust your safety to some rookie just learning the ropes.
All my childhood I wanted to be a cowboy not a cowgirl I wanted to be out riding the range.
Hope I am chosen the winner I would love some new Christian reading.
Sincerely,
Susan Miller
Ferbie1963@yahoo.com
I only recently began reading Christian Fiction and love it. I can’t get enough of it. My list of favorite authors continues to grow.I have yet to read a Stephen Bly novel,but after reading the interview, I have to add him to my list. Being born in the forties, I am familiar with the time element of his writing.Looking forward to reading “Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon” This is my first experience with a blog as well. Never too old to learn.