AMERICAN HISTORICAL NOVELS discussion
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Days of Hope, Miles of Misery
DAYS OF HOPE, Fred Dickey
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW - TUESDAY (DAY 2)
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the easy question is people traveling west. This book sounds good. love history.
BRAVO Rhonda! That was quick!
Fred wrote: "BRAVO Rhonda! That was quick!"What was the worst trip you ever took?
From Wikipedia, regarding Hasting's Cuttoff:Hastings wrote The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California to induce Americans to move to California, hoping they could effect a bloodless revolution by sheer numbers. He described California in glowing terms and gave practical advice to overland travelers. In his book he wrote: "The most direct path would be leave the Oregon route, about two hundred miles east of Fort Hall; thence bearing west-south west, to the Salt Lake; and thence continuing down to the bay of San Francisco." (Hastings, pp. 137–138). Hastings wrote this statement before he had traveled the route himself, and he was unaware of the difficulties in crossing the Wasatch Range and the salt flats of western Utah. His first attempt was only from Salt Lake City to Fort Bridger, which he did in mild weather, without time constraints, and without ever attempting to cross the desert portion. Afterward, he eagerly spread the word that his overland route was faster and better than any other.[1] According to historian Thomas F. Andrews, "It was Hastings’s renown as an author and trail leader, coupled with his presence on the trail…that helped persuade the [Donner] emigrants to undertake the cutoff that now bears his name."[2]
worse trip....not sure I ever had one.
The Donner Party and their horrible fate happens after my novel (1840-45). They travelled in 1846. So..stay tuned for the sequel in the "Days of Hope" series!
Rhonda wrote: "worse trip....not sure I ever had one."Me too..but I got horribly sick in Berlin on my first visit there, mid-winter. Probably Strep throat..awful. Second trip, 2 years ago, was much better.
I also thought I would die in a tent one October in the Sierras long ago, backpacking. So cold the water froze in my canteen.
Fred wrote: "Rhonda wrote: "worse trip....not sure I ever had one."Me too..but I got horribly sick in Berlin on my first visit there, mid-winter. Probably Strep throat..awful. Second trip, 2 years ago, was mu..."
But, these are NOTHING compared to 5 months of a rugged crossing in a wagon train!
Anyone here from the Platt River area? Or anywhere else near the Oregon Trail?
Do you think people today have the same grit and determination as those emigrants on the Oregon Trail in 1845?Just imagine gathering "buffalo chips" to start the fire for your meals. They burned hot and fast... Thanksgiving, anyone?
I don't think the people of today most of them anyway could make a trip across the country in a wagon. There might be a few die-hard people that could do it but I don't think a lot of people would do that today.
Rhonda wrote: "I don't think the people of today most of them anyway could make a trip across the country in a wagon. There might be a few die-hard people that could do it but I don't think a lot of people would ..."Absolutely agree, Rhonda. We are so spoiled these days, in our warm abodes and looking forward to Thanksgiving. I can smell the pies baking right now..
Who among us hasn't died of dysentery while on the Oregon Trail? The game comes to mind first, which may or may not be a good thing. I always enjoy challenging my students to see if they think they could survive such a trip.
Sorry, not familiar with the game. Bless you for teaching, however.
Fred it was on the computer first but is also a card game (and an app now). Taught a lot of kids the basics in the early 2000s.
Rebecca: What type of research did you do for writing DAYS OF HOPE, MILES OF MISERY?
Fred: A lifetime of pleasure reading about my subject, then, as I found instructive books, purposeful research reading. There is a mountain of books on the 19th century. One year I drove the whole trail, stopping at all the landmarks and ruts in the prairie.
However, whatever your subject, you have to dig in and go deep. It’s infinitely easier if you love the subject. In historical fiction, two challenges are in play: make the scenes authentic, and make the characters fit comfortably in them. For example, I had my female doctor perform two surgeries, an appendectomy and an amputation. Every move of the scalpel was the result of detailed consultation with a surgeon.
Rebecca: Did you find anything in your research that was particularly fascinating or that helped shaped the novel?
Fred: I was impressed anew with the toughness of the pioneers. The trail was a thoroughly miserable, dangerous five months. The women generally hated it, because they had to give up their settled middle-class lives to sell almost everything and leave family and friends behind—forever. I say “middle class,” because it was not cheap to pay for the trip. I’m sure that after the husband concocted that crazy idea, there were numerous spirited conversations late at night around the kitchen table.
Rebecca: What was your favorite scene to write?
Fred: A simple conversation about coyotes that showed the gentle side of Nimrod and foreshadowed the soon-to-be romance with Hannah. Here it is.
”Where do you hail from?” Hannah asked.
“Kentucky, nigh on the Tennessee line. Not far from the Wilderness Road where Shawnees did in Dan’l Boone’s boy, James.”
“Do you ever go back?”
“Not since I left. There was some difficulties.”
“I won’t even ask. I’ve had enough of those for a while.”
Two coyotes across the river started howling. Hannah leaned toward Nimrod. He could feel the softness of her shoulder against his.
“That sound chills me,” Hannah said.
Nimrod hoped she wouldn’t move. He laughed. “Mr. and Mrs. Coyote would be fairly amused to hear you say that. The missus is saying, ‘Them red foxes in the next canyon stopped by today. That prideful vixen was carrying-on about her bushy tail, like she was the only one with a tail. I told her it was almost as pretty as a skunk’s. She growled at that. I reckoned they’d never leave.’ And then he’s saying, ‘You got a hankering for jackrabbit tonight?’ And she’s saying, ‘Jackrabbit? Again? Can’t you catch a partridge?’”
Hannah was laughing, which is what he hoped for as he continued. “Now, Mr. Coyote, he ain’t happy. He says, ‘Partridges can fly. I can’t. You try to catch one sometime. You’re never satisfied. That’s why I don’t come home some nights.’
“‘I think you just go out and howl with your worthless friends.’”
Nimrod could sense her mood softening as she teased, “Do you speak coyote?”
“Some. But not the big words.”
“You love it out here, don’t you?”
“Got no place else to go. It’s the onliest place that’ll have me.”
Hannah moved closer. “Comfort me, Nimrod.”
Answer to yesterday’s question:
The single greatest risk for the pioneers on the Oregon-California Trail in 1845 was infectious diseases; diseases like cholera, malaria, dysentery, and others.
Here's a hard question for all of you about the Oregon Trail. Check back tomorrow for my answer.
Q – Who was responsible for publicizing a book about a new cuttoff trail that led to the horrible fate of the Donner Party?
And this easy question is still open:
Q - What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words “Oregon Trail?”
There is a Goodreads Giveaway going on right now for 50 Kindle (ebook) copies of this book. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Also, those who comment or ask questions on this forum will qualify for a chance for a signed print book.
Tomorrow I will answer more questions from Rebecca, reveal another excerpt from the book, and have another question for you. Hope to hear from you in the comments below.