"When asked what motivates me to write, I can say without a doubt, my family. When asked about the books I have been writing, I am taken back by the question. It is still hard to fathom that I am writing books. After all, I didn’t begin to read books until my mid thirties. I just wasn’t interested and couldn’t sit still long enough to read for very long.
After moving to Kentucky thirty-three years ago, I became extremely homesick for the farm and community where I grew up. As the seasons rolled by I would reflect on what our family had done during those times and I always hated the fact that my children never had the opportunity to know or experience any of the things I had held dear to me.
As my thirtieth anniversary at the mill approached I was sobered by the fact that my children had become adults, and they were starting families of there own. All the bedtime stories I had told them about growing up on Oak Hill Farm were about to fade into their memories as they told their own children about their own childhood memories.
I, also, remembered something my Grandmother Algood once told me; “As each generation passes away, it is like a library burning down. All those family stories will be lost forever.” I didn’t want that to happen, so I began to write my stories down. Those stories became my first book, Beyond the Cotton Fields.
It was a memoir of my life, the people who touched it, and the special place where I grew up – the heart of Mississippi. It was a difficult book to write because I literally poured my soul out on paper. Some of the stories were a history lesson; some were funny; some were painfully sad.
By the time I had finished putting it all together I had a book, and my daughters knew everything there was to know about me. Fortunately, they loved it and encouraged me to keep writing.
Then came another challenge. I wanted to see if I could write a book my wife would like. She is my best critic. I wanted to share with her a story I had been intrigued with since I was a little boy. It was a story about a young lady who was murdered in Winston County, but it was a story without closure. To the best of my knowledge there is no one living who knows who killed the young lady and, two others; the accused man’s brother, and a special detective the governor appointed to investigate the case.
The man who was accused of killing the girl was my grandfather’s friend, so I heard bits and pieces of the story during my childhood. Most of those stories were shared on Sunday afternoons as neighbors and relatives visited on our front porch. I sat on the steps eavesdropping and took it all in.
All those old stories, plus the 100th anniversary of the young lady’s death motivated me to write Where Angels Weep. It is my first work of fiction and I was afraid someone would confuse my story with the actual case, so I changed the name of the town from Louisville toLewisville, and the name of the county from Winston to Winstead.
Of course, folks who read the book will recognize a few street names and prominent landmarks that were familiar to me growing up. I wanted the reader to have a connection to the story, and the place I will always call home.
Again, when I write I try to put myself into the story. Bits and pieces of my family, friends and places I was enamored with as a child will surface in the chapters from time to time. All of my children’s names are worked into the book, as are my grandchildren who were born before it was finished. I, also, resurrected several of my long deceased ancestors and made them characters as well. At the request of a few friends, I worked parts of their names into the book, too.
The story begins when a fellow in Kentucky recovering from hip surgery receives a package via his long deceased uncle’s attorney. The material he finds inside shocks him. His uncle had discovered who had murdered a young girl back in the early part of the twentieth century, and he did not want the secret to go to the grave with him.
Thus, begins a story that takes the reader back 100 years to the day the girl was murdered while returning home after running an errand. Parts of the book will make the reader remember the actual case that happened west of Louisville in 1910. That is intended. I believe we should never forget her and her unsolved case. I know I haven’t. The book is written to carry the reader through a wide range of emotions.
By the time the reader gets to the end of the book, he should realize it is a book of hope, inspiration and mystery. My wife, my best critic, loved it. So, in that regard, I count it a success. That was my goal. She liked it so much she said I needed to share it with others.
Where Angels Weep is just the first book in a series. I hope to release a few more of my books in the future. Each book will take the reader on a journey with this special Mississippi family. Like any family they have moments they wish no one knew about. I share the good and the bad, but in the end the reader will realize that love prevails. We are who we are and we are all special in God’s eyes.
Those wanting a copy of "Where Angels Weep" can mail a check for $18.95 to Algood Publishing, Inc / PO Box 322 / West Paducah, KY 42086-0322. That price includes shipping via media mail.
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