Threads by Charlotte Whitney
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GENRE: Historical Fiction, Women's Lit, Book Club Lit
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BLURB: It's a boring, hardscrabble life for three sisters growing up on a Michigan farm during the throes of the Great Depression. But when young Nellie, digging for pirate treasure, discovers the tiny hand of a dead baby, rumors begin to fly. Narrated by Nellie and her two older sisters, the story follows the girls as they encounter a patchwork of threatening circumstances and decide to solve the mystery. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT: When I woke up this morning the first thing I thought of was that baby. What a dark, scary place for a baby to be buried. So alone, away from everyone. Where were its parents? Babies need to be held and cuddled and kept warm. Even dead babies need to be buried in the churchyard with purty flowers, not off in the cold, dark backwoods. I keep thinking ’bout the Preston’s baby girl, such a sweet baby. I held her once when Mrs. Preston was sitting beside me on the davenport. The baby kept sleeping, then blew a little bubble and later I could feel her little fart that warn’t stinky at all. All the time she jist kept sleeping. When she finally woke up and fussed, Mrs. Preston picked her up and jiggled her and talked baby talk to her so she quit fussing. That’s how babies are posta be treated. But thinking ’bout the Prestons made me sad, too. They lost their farm and had to move away to Mrs. Preston’s parents’ place in Indiana. Ma said we might never see them again. Ma and Mrs. Preston both cried when we said goodbye. Pa and Mr. Preston shook hands and Pa bit his lip. I’d only seen him do that once before, at my grandpa’s funeral.
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From The Author:
Writing historical fiction is a magical process. So much heavy-duty research into the time and place is required up front, but once you start writing, you remove yourself from the present and create a new setting, and, while fictitious, it’s real to you. It’s all about striving for authenticity, creating an interesting story, fascinating characters, and pacing that’s just right.
Setting my story on a rural Michigan farm in 1934 was an easy start for me. I’d grown up on a family farm in southern Michigan and was familiar with the kind of farmhouses, barns and outbuildings, fields, woods, and animals that were so much a part of THREADS. But I had to go back to a time without electricity, indoor plumbing, washing machines and refrigerators to create this world of our grandparents and great-grandparents. I talked to a number of older relatives who lived through the Depression, and spent countless hours online reading accounts of the “Hard Times.” Once I had the setting firmly fixed in my mind, I could begin to plot out the story.
Until I started writing, however, I didn’t realize the prevalence of different languages in everyday life. Many characters were immigrants or first generation Americans, often brought up with the native tongue. German, French, and Ukrainian were used by neighbors. Mr. Goldberg, a favored peddler, showed up with his horse and cart with a thick Yiddish accent. A group of Gypsies camped near town spoke their Roman tongue. Then of course, little Nellie gets all confused about some religious zealots at a nearby camp meeting “speak in tongues.” It’s not surprising that she ends up conversing with the five dairy cows, as well as numerous animals including a pair of bears that have migrated from the northern part of the state.
Many people think is that rural Midwest was terribly isolated at that time. Not so. The country school, the town hall, and the church were all centers of social activity, from potlucks, to card parties, to penny suppers. Neighbors helped each other. In THREADS, Mr. Lutz, the farmer across the road who uses salty language directed at his cows, comes to the rescue during a horrible fire in the barn. So do Unc Elmer and Aunt Hazel. During the hard times social support was found in the neighbors, creating a kind of community that is sometimes difficult to find in the twenty-first century.
Now that I’m working on another book, I’m sad to leave this wonderful neighborhood. I hope you enjoy the book.
AUTHOR Bio and Links: Charlotte Whitney grew up in Michigan and spent much of her career at the University of Michigan directing internship and living-learning programs. She started out writing non-fiction while at the University and switched to romance with I DREAM IN WHITE. A passion for history inspired her to write THREADS A Depression Era Tale chronicling the stories of three sisters on a farm during the throes of the Great Depression. She lives in Arizona, where she loves hiking, bicycling, swimming, and practicing yoga.
BUY LINK: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/THREADS-Depression-Tale-Charlotte-Whitney-ebook/dp/B07ZBN35JF/ref
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Author’s Website: http://www.charlottewhitney.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=charlotte%20whitney%20author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottewhitney65/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-whitney-8235463a/
Twitter https://twitter.com/CWhitneyAuthor
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Charlotte Whitney will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
