Q and A on The Wayfaring Stranger by Curt Iles
Q. What is The Wayfaring Stranger (TWFS) about?
The Wayfaring Stranger is a historical fiction novel detailing the intertwining of the lives of two teenagers, Joseph Moore and Eliza Clark. Set in the mid-nineteenth century, the story begins with sixteen-year-old Joseph escaping from Ireland as a stowaway on a ship. At this same time, a pioneer teenager named Eliza Clark lives in the piney woods of western Louisiana in an area called “No Man’s Land.”
Q. What is the significance of the green eyes on the sheet?
A distinguishing fact of both Joseph (blazing green Irish eyes) and Eliza (deep brown Indian eyes) were their eyes. Everyone noticed this on meeting either him or her, and it continues as a theme of the entire novel.
Q. What is historical fiction?
Historical Fiction is the blending of fictional characters within the historical context of a time and place.
Some characters in the book were real people: Father James Mullon had a rich and memorable life as priest of New Orleans’ St. Patrick’s Church. Reverend Joseph Willis, likewise, left a great legacy in the piney woods of Louisiana by starting many churches that still meet today. Hundreds of his descendants continue to live in our area.
Finally, Joseph and Eliza are based on the lives of my great-great-great grandparents, Joseph Moore and Eliza Cavanaugh. Joseph did immigrate to America in the mid-nineteenth century where he met his future wife Eliza in the La. piney woods. Their descendants, literally in the thousands, live throughout this part of my home state of Louisiana.
All other characters are fictional and are composites of people.
Q. What were your goals with this book?
As I started the novel, I set the following goals:
1. The Message: To weave a captivating and entertaining story that reveals God’s guidance and love.
2. The Story: To share the inspiring love story between Joseph Moore and Eliza Clark.
3. The Background: Share the wonders of the woods and nature, and their bond with the inhabitants of No Man’s Land.
4. The Journey: Transport readers on a journey of faith, freedom, growth, and overcoming,
5. The Details: Well-written, well-researched, and historically correct.
Q. Where did the idea for TWFS come from?
As a boy, I heard the story of Joseph Moore’s journey from Ireland from his grandson (my great-grandfather). Additionally, I’ve always been fascinated with the Redbone culture and the stories of so many of my wonderful friends among these great people.
Q. What was Louisiana’s “No Man’s Land”?
It is the historical name given to our part of western Louisiana. During Spanish and French ownership of the adjoining territories, the land between the Sabine and Calcasieu Rivers was designated as a “No Man’s Land” or “Neutral Strip” where no settlers, governments, or armies would occupy. Later the U.S. and Spain continued this treaty. Of course, pioneers of all backgrounds and cultures still filtered in and settled.
Q. Is there really a place called “Ten Mile”?
The Ten Mile community is west of the Calcasieu River between Glenmora and Pitkin, Louisiana. “Ten Mile” is bisected by two main streams, Ten Mile Creek and Cherry Winche Creek.
Q. What is unique about the No Man’s Land culture?
Even though western Louisiana was a true “No Man’s Land” for only a short period during the early 19th century, there is still an attitude prevalent best shown by: self-reliance, distrust of authority, love of the woods, stubborn independence, personal faith, and rural hospitality.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Chapter 6
Chapter 6 "Discovered!"
The beginning of Chapter 6
If the two sailors dragging him had stopped, Joseph would gladly have walked wherever they were pulling him, but they had no intention of allowing him any latitude on this. They finally stopped, roughly releasing Joseph, who fell hard to the deck.
Rolling over, he saw five sailors gathered above him. A rough looking man, with scarred face and a half-closed eye, came forward from the knot of onlookers. He grabbed Joseph by the throat and sneered, speaking in a unknown language. He then dragged Joseph to the edge of the deck.
Standing on the edge of this rocking ship, being throttled from behind by a sailor, only inches from being pushed into the Atlantic, Joseph felt a burning anger, and didn’t really care if they did toss him overboard, he just wanted to get loose, but that was impossible. The burly sailor was much stronger and had him in a grip that was impossible to break.
The beginning of Chapter 6
If the two sailors dragging him had stopped, Joseph would gladly have walked wherever they were pulling him, but they had no intention of allowing him any latitude on this. They finally stopped, roughly releasing Joseph, who fell hard to the deck.
Rolling over, he saw five sailors gathered above him. A rough looking man, with scarred face and a half-closed eye, came forward from the knot of onlookers. He grabbed Joseph by the throat and sneered, speaking in a unknown language. He then dragged Joseph to the edge of the deck.
Standing on the edge of this rocking ship, being throttled from behind by a sailor, only inches from being pushed into the Atlantic, Joseph felt a burning anger, and didn’t really care if they did toss him overboard, he just wanted to get loose, but that was impossible. The burly sailor was much stronger and had him in a grip that was impossible to break.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Chapter 7 Below Deck
Chapter 7 Below Deck
An excerpt from Chapter 7 on the story of John Newton. (Gill, an English sailor, tells the Irish stowaway Joseph Moore, about his encounter with Newton years earlier.)
He stopped in mid-sentence. A look into Gill’s eyes revealed that this older man had been through his own struggles and personal hell.
Seizing the silence, Gill said, “Well, I been saving this man’s story for you. Let me tell you about him. I met him—oh, about fifty years ago in London. He was in his eighties and I was still a young man of twenty-five years old or so.
“Like me, this old man named Newton, had been a sailor for much of his earlier life. I’d heard about his story and made up my mind to meet him if I had a chance.
“That opportunity did arise in March of 1802. I saw in the papers where Newton was going to talk about the fifty-fourth anniversary of a seagoing experience that had changed his life.
“Newton was the son of an English sea captain. From his earliest years, he’d been aboard ships. From what I’d read, he’d been a pretty vile character in his younger days—most of it spent as a British Navy sailor and crew member aboard slave ships.
“So on this particular anniversary day, I traveled to London’s St. Mary’s Church to meet this old English sailor, John Newton.
“The church wasn’t huge, but on this particular Sunday, it was packed. Others had evidently come to hear his story just as I had.
“Newton, who was the pastor of this church, was very old and moved slowly as he ascended to the pulpit.
“I don’t remember everything he said that day, but I believe I recall every word of his story of going from a rough sailor to standing in the pulpit of this church. Do you mind if I tell you his story, best as I remember it?”
“Sure, I’d love to hear more. Go on.”
“Newton told how his dad was always gone on voyages for months, even years. When his mother, who was evidently a good and godly woman, died, young Newton, now age six, began accompanying his father on the ocean, mostly on slave-trading ships. He took to the seafaring life and learned all of the skills and knowledge required of sailors and captains. He also took to the evil living that often accompanies our profession. He described himself as a ‘terrible blasphemer and drunkard.
“According to Newton, when he was age twenty on a voyage, the crew threw him off near the western coast of Africa. That’s how bad he was—they just put him off on a seemingly deserted island to fend for himself and sailed away.
“He was taken in by a slave trader and treated as one of the slaves. He commented on how ironic that it was how that he had traded in slaves and now was like one of them himself.
“Newton spent about two years in terrible conditions on this coastal island. One day as he sat beside a fire on the beach, a passing ship sent a dinghy ashore to investigate the source of the smoke. The ship was an English one, and amazingly, the captain was a friend of John Newton’s father. So he was rescued from the island.
“About a year later on that same trip, the ship was swept up in a great Atlantic storm. Newton told how he awoke in his cabin to find water all around him. He quickly manned a pump, saying, ‘If this will not do it, the Lord have mercy upon us.’ He then spent the next nine hours frantically pumping water out of the hold.
“Then the Captain put him behind the wheel and for the next half day, Newton was alone in the storm fighting with all of his might to keep the ship afloat.
“He said that during those long hours at the wheel was when God touched his life. At the ship’s wheel, he had time to examine the bitter and hate-filled life he’d lived—plenty of time to realize that this storm was probably going end that same life.
“He realized that his earlier statement when manning the pumps was really the beginning of his turning to God. Finally, he cried out to God for mercy and grace and after more hours of peril, the storm ended. But what had happened in his life didn’t end… he was a changed man. He recorded the date in his logbook: March 21, 1748.”
Gill, who had Joseph’s complete attention, continued, “Son, the day I heard him preach and tell his story at the London church was March 21, 1802, fifty-four years to the day since his conversion in the storm.
“Joseph, do you know what John Newton is most famous for?”
“I guess, maybe, that story?”
“Well, that’s part of it. He’s famous because of the song he wrote after that story. It’s one of the best-loved hymns of our English churches and I’ll bet you’re familiar with it too. It’s called ‘Amazing Grace.’ Do you know it?”
Joseph said, “Amazing grace—how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me?”
“That’s it. Don’t it sound like a song written by a guy that had been to the bottom?”
To learn more about the amazing story of John Newton, click here.
An excerpt from Chapter 7 on the story of John Newton. (Gill, an English sailor, tells the Irish stowaway Joseph Moore, about his encounter with Newton years earlier.)
He stopped in mid-sentence. A look into Gill’s eyes revealed that this older man had been through his own struggles and personal hell.
Seizing the silence, Gill said, “Well, I been saving this man’s story for you. Let me tell you about him. I met him—oh, about fifty years ago in London. He was in his eighties and I was still a young man of twenty-five years old or so.
“Like me, this old man named Newton, had been a sailor for much of his earlier life. I’d heard about his story and made up my mind to meet him if I had a chance.
“That opportunity did arise in March of 1802. I saw in the papers where Newton was going to talk about the fifty-fourth anniversary of a seagoing experience that had changed his life.
“Newton was the son of an English sea captain. From his earliest years, he’d been aboard ships. From what I’d read, he’d been a pretty vile character in his younger days—most of it spent as a British Navy sailor and crew member aboard slave ships.
“So on this particular anniversary day, I traveled to London’s St. Mary’s Church to meet this old English sailor, John Newton.
“The church wasn’t huge, but on this particular Sunday, it was packed. Others had evidently come to hear his story just as I had.
“Newton, who was the pastor of this church, was very old and moved slowly as he ascended to the pulpit.
“I don’t remember everything he said that day, but I believe I recall every word of his story of going from a rough sailor to standing in the pulpit of this church. Do you mind if I tell you his story, best as I remember it?”
“Sure, I’d love to hear more. Go on.”
“Newton told how his dad was always gone on voyages for months, even years. When his mother, who was evidently a good and godly woman, died, young Newton, now age six, began accompanying his father on the ocean, mostly on slave-trading ships. He took to the seafaring life and learned all of the skills and knowledge required of sailors and captains. He also took to the evil living that often accompanies our profession. He described himself as a ‘terrible blasphemer and drunkard.
“According to Newton, when he was age twenty on a voyage, the crew threw him off near the western coast of Africa. That’s how bad he was—they just put him off on a seemingly deserted island to fend for himself and sailed away.
“He was taken in by a slave trader and treated as one of the slaves. He commented on how ironic that it was how that he had traded in slaves and now was like one of them himself.
“Newton spent about two years in terrible conditions on this coastal island. One day as he sat beside a fire on the beach, a passing ship sent a dinghy ashore to investigate the source of the smoke. The ship was an English one, and amazingly, the captain was a friend of John Newton’s father. So he was rescued from the island.
“About a year later on that same trip, the ship was swept up in a great Atlantic storm. Newton told how he awoke in his cabin to find water all around him. He quickly manned a pump, saying, ‘If this will not do it, the Lord have mercy upon us.’ He then spent the next nine hours frantically pumping water out of the hold.
“Then the Captain put him behind the wheel and for the next half day, Newton was alone in the storm fighting with all of his might to keep the ship afloat.
“He said that during those long hours at the wheel was when God touched his life. At the ship’s wheel, he had time to examine the bitter and hate-filled life he’d lived—plenty of time to realize that this storm was probably going end that same life.
“He realized that his earlier statement when manning the pumps was really the beginning of his turning to God. Finally, he cried out to God for mercy and grace and after more hours of peril, the storm ended. But what had happened in his life didn’t end… he was a changed man. He recorded the date in his logbook: March 21, 1748.”
Gill, who had Joseph’s complete attention, continued, “Son, the day I heard him preach and tell his story at the London church was March 21, 1802, fifty-four years to the day since his conversion in the storm.
“Joseph, do you know what John Newton is most famous for?”
“I guess, maybe, that story?”
“Well, that’s part of it. He’s famous because of the song he wrote after that story. It’s one of the best-loved hymns of our English churches and I’ll bet you’re familiar with it too. It’s called ‘Amazing Grace.’ Do you know it?”
Joseph said, “Amazing grace—how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me?”
“That’s it. Don’t it sound like a song written by a guy that had been to the bottom?”
To learn more about the amazing story of John Newton, click here.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Chapters 8 and 9 The Murder and the Ant Colony
Chapter 8 Unk and Eliza
From chapter 8 on Unk Dial
From chapter 8 on Unk Dial
Even though he was her uncle, he called Eliza, “Sister” which also described how he felt about her. Eliza loved the constant smile on Unk’s face. It was a grin that seemed to say much more than words could express. Her poppa called it “The smile of the cat that just ate the canary.” Brother Willis, the local pastor at Occupy Church, once
Greg Johnson (Center) is whom Unk Dial is built on. Greg, of the Union Hill/Ten Mile area, is one of my favorite people in the world. Like Unk, he is wise beyond words and loves God deeply. Shown with him are bodyguards Todd Burnaman (L) and Jake Givens at Dry Creek Camp.
said from the pulpit, “Unk, I believe you know some secret that you ain’t never let the rest of us in on. That’s why you got that grin!” That only made him grin more.
However, Eliza saw no semblance of a smile as he stood before her this morning. He stopped by the barn and looked behind him as if he feared he was being followed. His greeting was whispered, “Sister, come here. I need to talk to you real bad.”
“Unk, what’s wrong?”
She’d never seen her uncle this upset. Normally, he was a jovial laid-back man, not easily upset by the things that bothered normal people. Eliza had always thought that Unk’s “being touched in the head” had made him a much better and calmer person than most folks she knew.
She sat the milk pail down and walked over to him. He looked around before speaking, “Sister, somethin’ bad’s happened! Unk needs you to come wit’ me.”
“Now wait a minute, Unk. I ain’t goin off with you until you tell me more. Now settle down some and get a grip on yerself.”
Chap 9 The Ant Colony
However, Eliza saw no semblance of a smile as he stood before her this morning. He stopped by the barn and looked behind him as if he feared he was being followed. His greeting was whispered, “Sister, come here. I need to talk to you real bad.”
“Unk, what’s wrong?”
She’d never seen her uncle this upset. Normally, he was a jovial laid-back man, not easily upset by the things that bothered normal people. Eliza had always thought that Unk’s “being touched in the head” had made him a much better and calmer person than most folks she knew.
She sat the milk pail down and walked over to him. He looked around before speaking, “Sister, somethin’ bad’s happened! Unk needs you to come wit’ me.”
“Now wait a minute, Unk. I ain’t goin off with you until you tell me more. Now settle down some and get a grip on yerself.”
Chap 9 The Ant Colony
an excerpt from Eliza and Unk's visit to the leaf ant colony
Eliza came over to see what he’d found. Remembering the gold coin she’d found yesterday at the murder site, she already had a good idea. She leaned in and saw a small metal can. Unk opened the can and poured out a pile of gold coins. Looking at the shiny pieces, among the red dirt and the scurrying ants, Eliza knew she’d never seen this much money in her entire life. Looking around carefully, Unk scooped up a handful of the coins and said, “Lookee there, Sister!”
Eliza didn’t quite know what to say. Her thoughts were scattered and came quickly: How had Unk gotten hold of this money? Why had he buried it here? Did he have any part in the stranger’s murder? She definitely had a bunch of questions and wanted answers from her uncle. So, she looked her uncle square in the eye and said, “Now you tell me right now the story on all of this money!”
Unk acted as if he hadn’t even heard her. “Sister, I’ve got them buried in three other piles over the—” Eliza interrupted, “Unk, you’re gonna get in bad trouble being mixed up in this!
click here to learn more about leaf-cutting ants http://www.blueboard.com/leafcutters/Eliza didn’t quite know what to say. Her thoughts were scattered and came quickly: How had Unk gotten hold of this money? Why had he buried it here? Did he have any part in the stranger’s murder? She definitely had a bunch of questions and wanted answers from her uncle. So, she looked her uncle square in the eye and said, “Now you tell me right now the story on all of this money!”
Unk acted as if he hadn’t even heard her. “Sister, I’ve got them buried in three other piles over the—” Eliza interrupted, “Unk, you’re gonna get in bad trouble being mixed up in this!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
