Ask the Author: Patty Duffy
Answered Questions (1)
Patty Duffy
The mystery is what happened to my foster uncle, Charlie Brewster. His photograph was always on my grandmother's piano. She was so fond of him, but I had never had the chance to meet him since he died in WWII. But what did he mean to my father's family?
I'm exploring these questions and others in my new book, The Woods Behind the House, to be published in 2026. Through family conversations, I know Charlie came from Oklahoma as an orphan. He lived and worked on my grandparent's farm during the Depression. When Pearl Harbor happened, he signed up for the Navy right after high school. From there, he moved to Anchorage, where he was a small businessman. He loved to fly planes and ride horses! He retired with his wife to Hawaii.
Now I get to explore research archives to fill in the blanks with fiction. What happened in the bar that was his hangout? What was bow hunting like with his Native friend? What was it like, nearly crashing his plane in a snowstorm trying to deliver goods to the rig workers up north? And how did he feel when a dear acquaintance from his war years reappeared in Hawaii? I love seeing where the plot of my newest book takes me!
I'm exploring these questions and others in my new book, The Woods Behind the House, to be published in 2026. Through family conversations, I know Charlie came from Oklahoma as an orphan. He lived and worked on my grandparent's farm during the Depression. When Pearl Harbor happened, he signed up for the Navy right after high school. From there, he moved to Anchorage, where he was a small businessman. He loved to fly planes and ride horses! He retired with his wife to Hawaii.
Now I get to explore research archives to fill in the blanks with fiction. What happened in the bar that was his hangout? What was bow hunting like with his Native friend? What was it like, nearly crashing his plane in a snowstorm trying to deliver goods to the rig workers up north? And how did he feel when a dear acquaintance from his war years reappeared in Hawaii? I love seeing where the plot of my newest book takes me!
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