Ask the Author: Judith Richards
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Judith Richards
"Thelonious Rising" rose from the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I have lived on the Gulf Coast for more than 40 years and personally experienced several severe storms, but it was the stories from Katrina refugees - residents of New Orleans and Mississippi - who appeared in our little town seeking shelter, not just prior to the storm, but for months after that gave me perspective. An acquaintance had found a family with three children living in their car because they had no money or means to go elsewhere after losing everything in the storm. He offered them free housing for six months in a rental he owned. His kind of unsolicited generosity was repeated by many many coastal citizens. The personal stories I overheard in cafes and from friends, and what I saw in front of me every day tugged at my heart and conscience.
I wanted in some way to restore the spirit of New Orleans and its people, and the only way I knew was through writing. That urge, a great deal of research, and journeys to New Orleans to see for myself were the beginnings of developing my story and main character, Thelonious Monk DeCay, a nine year old boy from a musical family of the Lower Ninth Ward. "Monk," as he is called, represents in my mind the innocent victims of a great tragedy, their struggle, and their triumph.
I wanted in some way to restore the spirit of New Orleans and its people, and the only way I knew was through writing. That urge, a great deal of research, and journeys to New Orleans to see for myself were the beginnings of developing my story and main character, Thelonious Monk DeCay, a nine year old boy from a musical family of the Lower Ninth Ward. "Monk," as he is called, represents in my mind the innocent victims of a great tragedy, their struggle, and their triumph.
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