Chatting with author Bob O'Connor about 'The Return of Catesby'

 

Today we have a guest post from author Bob O'Connor on the subject of writing historical fiction. Bob's book The Return of Catesby is currently on tour with Walker Author Tours. I loved the book (click here if you missed my review) and hope you will, too.

I was particularly intrigued by the way that a self-educated man like Catesby became a teacher at Storer College in Harpers Ferry, VA. Bob kindly shared his insights into what he feels were important aspects of that accomplishment.

You’ll find his thoughts informative. Enjoy, and pick up your copy of the book at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-8206-1.

"The challenges of a teacher at Storer College were many. In a class with a wide age range of students, a teacher like Catesby had to teach the ABCs, simple math, and other academic subjects to students who had never been to school. On top of that, he had to impart his wisdom, encouragement, and values upon a group who had been told their whole lives that they couldn't do this or that because they were colored.

My job as a historical fiction writer is to report on Catesby's efforts and show that they have made a difference in the lives of his students. I had to weave in the school's policies, the teacher's lessons, the opposition from the community and the introduction of speakers, who each had a special significant message to impart.

The story unfolds in such a way as for the reader to feel like they are sitting in Catesby's classes, listening to the lessons, and getting the feel of how that experience might have played out."

A former slave who made his mark - 'The Return of Catesby' by Bob O'Connor

What happened to former slaves after the American Civil War? One of them, a man known only as Catesby, achieved great things. First introduced in "Catesby: Eyewitness to the Civil War," his story continues in "The Return of Catesby" by historian and author Bob O'Connor.

The young survivor of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and imprisonment in the infamous Andersonville Prison overcame crippling injury and adverse circumstances to serve a President and become a trusted ally of white officers. His blacksmith skills led to alliances with influential men on both sides of the conflict, including Confederate leader Robert E. Lee. Later, he survived the explosion of the Sultana, a steamboat returning freed Andersonville prisoners to their homes in the north.

Catesby was not an educated man by most standards, but he absorbed every experience that came his way and learned everything he could. He began his education at his mother's knee, learning to read. Although she was a slave as well, she instilled in her son a love of learning. He used that learning to step ever upward in life and he eventually became a teacher at Storer College, a school begun to provide education to freed slaves.

Author stop for Walker Author Tours

With only one name, no known birthday, and an unknown father, this man who was began his life as a slave became far freer than many of the white men of his time. In "The Return of Catesby," readers will have an opportunity to understand his philosophy of life and learning as he shares it through his journals.

O'Connor lets his affection for history shine through in the narrative. The reader walks through Catesby's world, privy to his thoughts and motivations. This book should become a classic in multiple genres. Not only is the history captivating; the motivational aspects of the book will inspire as well.

 

Author Bob O'Connor

Make no mistake: Catesby was a motivator as well as a teacher. Those students who sat in his classroom learned about living a better life along with the traditional school subjects. To the roster of such gifted life leaders as Og Mandino, Zig Ziglar and Dale Carnegie, we can add the name of Catesby. He was the Anthony Robbins of his day.

Read "The Return of Catesby" as a fascinating biography, a Civil War story or a self-improvement book. But be sure to read it. Catesby will charm you with his wisdom and his heart, even as he challenges you to be the best “You” that you can be.

“The Return of Catesby” by Bob O’Connor

Published by Infinity Publishing

ISBN-10: 0741482061

ISBN-13: 978-0741482068

Disclaimer: This review is based on a review copy provided by the author with no restrictions as to content. All opinions are my own.

An Interview with Author Bob O'Connor

Bob O’Connor lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. He writes non-fiction and award-winning historical fiction set in the area, based on real historical figures. His first novel reached publication in 2006, and he is at work on his fifth one now.

Take a look at these titles: “The Perfect Steel Trap: Harpers Ferry 1859” dealing with John Brown; “The Virginian Who Might Have Saved Lincoln” about Ward Hill Lamon, a close friend of Lincoln’s; “Catesby: Eyewitness to the Civil War” introduced blacksmith Catesby, a slave to George Washington’s great grand nephew Lewis Washington; and most recently, “A House Divided Against Itself,” the story of the Culp brothers of Gettysburg. (Read my review here.) O’Connor brings a strong appreciation of history and a gift for storytelling to his fiction.

His non-fiction titles include “The U.S. Colored Troops at Andersonville Prison,” “Ranson, A Centennial History” and “The Life of Abraham Lincoln as President.” O’Connor finds little-known or under-distributed documentation and shares the find with readers.

While his website contains a lot of information about him, I had a few questions of my own for O’Connor. Join me on this brief interview.

Q. What was it about the Culp brothers' story that caused you to choose them for your book over other sets of brothers fighting on opposite sides?

A. They are a very rare case. Even though the expression "brothers fought against brother" is a common theme, and brothers did fight on opposite sides, but these two brothers fought against each other in two battles -- that is extremely rare.

Q. You told the story from a first person point-of-view most of the time. What advantage (or disadvantage) do you feel this gave you?

A. It let the characters each tell their own story. Since I had many of their letters (over 90 in total) I was able to get a good feel for what was bothering them and how they were handling the war situations.

Q. What contributed to your decision to use colloquial language in the book?

A. One of the characters was almost illiterate. He could not spell the same word the same way twice in the same sentence. I tried to show that throughout his sections.

Q.  Did you write the story in total for one character at a time or for each character along the timeline before progressing to the next scene?

A. I wrote the story within the context of the timeline of their actions.

Q.  As a researcher, do you have a favorite resource or does it vary for each book?

A. I go wherever the story takes me. For this book I used the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Carlisle War College Research Center, the Adams County Historical Society to name a few.

Q.  Have you selected your next project yet? What should readers be looking forward to in your next project?

A. My next project is a sequel to “Catesby: Eyewitness to the Civil War.” Many of my readers say this is their favorite book and are really excited about a sequel.

A Guest Posting from Bob O'Connor, Author of 'A House Divided Against Itself'

As a historical fiction writer, my basic style is taking real characters, researching their lives, following an actual time line and then writing a story around that.

In my book “A House Divided Against Itself” the story centers around four characters, all real people who grew up in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is based on a true story. The historical fiction part is the dialogue I fabricate.

In this story, every character even if only mentioned once, is a real person and in a real situation.

My hours and hours and hours of research have led me to the discovery of over 90 letters from the participants. I also have detailed regimental histories. I peruse the military files of the individual soldiers.

 The combination of all the materials allows me to track daily where the troops were and what they were doing, in the military sense. The letters let me know what they were thinking or feeling, and how they were handling the war as individuals.

Persons familiar with Gettysburg and the Jennie Wade story will already know the ending of my book. What many Civil War enthusiasts will not know is the beginning of the story, which has never been told.

The beginning of the story contains the details on how two brothers, Wesley and William Culp, end up facing each other on the battlefields.

While most everyone has heard the expression “brother fought against brother”, it is quite rare to find two brothers who literally fought against each other. And for these particular brothers it happened not once, but twice.

The war definitely split their house in two, both during the war and long after the war.

Readers of A House Divided Against Itself will receive the satisfaction that radio announcer Paul Harvey described when he said “and now you know the rest of the story.”

A House Divided Against Itself is available on line at www.boboconnorbooks.com or at amazon.com. It is also available on all e-book formats. The author may be reached at author@boboconnorbooks.com.

"A House Divided Against Itself" by Bob O'Connor

Gettysburg. The word conjures images of the bloody fighting of 1863, of death and carnage. With Bob O’Connor’s publication of “A House Divided Against Itself,” the tragedy takes on human faces. 

O’Connor leaves the more commonly told stories of generals and big strategies; he examines the events from the perspective of four real individuals: brothers John Wesley (known as Wesley) Culp and William Esias Culp, Wesley’s friend Johnston “Jack” Skelly, Jr., and Jack’s sweetheart Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade, all from Gettysburg.

The Culp brothers found themselves on opposite sides in the fighting and faced each other in battle on at least two occasions. Wesley fought for the South, William and Jack fought for the Union. Through their stories, the reader experiences both the day-to-day routine and the heart-pounding terrors of battle.

O’Connor uses painstaking research to share the accounts. Drawing on historical military documents, existing personal records and an empathic interpretation of them, he puts the events into fictional monologues from each character’s perspective. These are real people and events, illuminated by the author’s interpretation.

If you enjoy history, you’ll revel in “House.” Filled with the kind of detail that brings events to life, the book allows readers to walk the roads with the soldiers and see things from the enlisted man’s point of view. Actual photographs and maps are scattered throughout the volume. Although labeled fiction, the book’s careful scholarship lifts it to a new level.

If the reader is unprepared, he may find one slightly disquieting aspect to the book. Because each character recounts the events of a time period from a personal perspective, some things are referenced more than once. Simply pay attention to each chapter’s title and you’ll have no problems. The approach adds an ironic touch to the story, such as each character viewing the passing of a comet as an indication of God’s blessings on his cause.

The monologues are written in common conversational language and read more like a chat with the speaker than a novel. There is a highly personal element to the book that draws the reader into the events on a less overwhelming level than many accounts of the war. Yet that same personal aspect makes the situation all the more tragic. The numbing effect of reading about thousands of casualties is negated by the personal accounts in “House.” These are people, not statistics.

“A House Divided Against Itself” takes the reader on a well-written journey into a nation’s nightmare through the eyes of real participants. I place this book on the “must read” list for any Civil War buff as well as those with an interest in American history in general. It delivers historical fact, adventure and romance and does it well.

“A House Divided Against Itself” by Bob O’Connor

Published by Infinity Publishing

ISBN-10: 0741469375

ISBN-13: 978-0741469373

Disclaimer: This review is based on a copy of the book provided by the author. No constraints were placed on the review. The opinions are my own.