Each Shining Hour (34 page)

Q. Another aspect of this book I noticed, and enjoyed, is that even dead people are not really dead to those who loved them. Connie's mother, Maylene; John's wife, Molly; Christine's father, Albert were all strong influences in their lives, and continue to inspire their choices and attitudes. This strikes me as so true to life. Care to comment?

A. This is unquestionably true. People in our past who loved us, and whom we truly loved, continue to speak to us, guiding our choices and our expectations of ourselves. The richness of our experiences with them lends richness, meaning, and order to our daily lives. This is also true of those we have lost and didn't get an opportunity to love enough. We are haunted in both positive and sometimes sorrowful ways by those who are no longer with us.

Q. The theme of redemption also runs through the novel. Was that intentional?

A. Very much so. I guess this is a rich part of my world and life view. Some might consider it naive, but I tend to think that in the fullness of time, things tend to work out in ways that are positive and redemptive. They don't always happen on our time schedule, or even in our lifetimes. But regardless of one's personal beliefs, the human condition seems to be such that we eventually find resolution for injustice. All too often we simply don't have the patience or the imagination to look for it and see it.

Q. I love the Watervalley characters, but you also provide vivid descriptions of the landscape and town: the winter-barren farm fields; a late-night bonfire at Moon Lake; the creepy overgrown cemetery where Luke and Christine find Oscar Fox's grave marker; and the town square jumping with people and lively with music during the Runs with Scissors race. Such scenes have stayed with me long after I finished the book. Are such places as real for you as they are for us readers?

A. Yes, and it may be either a blessing or a curse of my writing style, but I have a tremendous sense of place when I write. It is critically important to me that the reader be transported by the texture, the smells, the color, the light, the excitement, and even the awkwardness of what the characters are experiencing. But these sensations have to be conveyed with an economy of words or the story begins to drag. Admittedly, sometimes I get carried away with these narrative descriptions. Maybe at heart I'm just a frustrated (or not very good) poet looking for that perfect collection of words to capture a scene.

Q. Your novels poke gentle fun at human foibles, including Luke's. I particularly love when Mattie Chambers threatens Luke, and when Lester Caruthers is described as needing “special pills” for LOA (lack of ambition). Do such ideas come from a lifetime's
observations? Do you carry a notebook around and take notes about what you see and hear?

A. Not exactly . . . but there is some truth to your suggestion. I hear funny things every day, and it has become a habit to write them down. I have pages and pages of notes, and often in the course of writing, I will refer back to them to see if something fits a certain character or scene. I never use most of them, but somehow writing them down helps me; the act empowers me to translate a certain mood or conversation onto the page.

Q. Life in Watervalley feels timeless. I can imagine much of the action taking place in any decade of the later twentieth century. Is that a deliberate choice, or has it come naturally?

A. It is very much intentional, even though the stories are set in modern day. Admittedly there is a certain “halo effect” to the people and the life of Watervalley. As I have mentioned before, I tend to be a “glass half full” kind of guy. Thus, I enjoy the challenge of writing stories that ultimately are funny, thought provoking, and life affirming. There's plenty of depravity and loss, even in a small town and even in my own life, that I could write about. And someday, maybe I will write one of those stories. But for now I only want to write novels that seek to illuminate those things that are good and bright and positive about small-town Southern life.

Q. The book's title comes from the Isaac Watts poem “How Doth the Little Busy Bee,” a poem that might seem quaint to some readers. Can you explain your choice?

A. The poem is about living in the moment and making the most of each day. In the novel, this simple but challenging idea plays heavily in Luke Bradford's life. As noted above, he is a daydreamer . . . always thinking about what could or might
be. But as his experiences unfold, he grows to understand the importance, the necessity, and the beauty of embracing each day . . . to make the most of each shining hour. By way of confession, the only thing wrong with the title is that I did not come up with it. My crafty editor, Ellen Edwards, suggested it after reading the story concept. It only took a second for me to realize it was a perfect fit. Darn it.

Curiously, Isaac Watts is best known as a hymn writer and wrote the popular Christmas carol “Joy to the World.”

Q. What's next for Watervalley?

A. The next novel,
They Also Serve
(a tentative title, my editor reminds me), continues the romance of Luke and Christine Chambers but with some unexpected turns. When Christine comes across the journal she kept as a teenager, she can't help comparing Luke to the idealized future love she dreamed about in those early years. As well, Luke becomes embroiled in issues surrounding the small Mennonite community nearby and the town's military veterans, through which he sees some new sides of Watervalley. He also finds himself caught up in the trials and troubles of a new veterinarian as she struggles to win acceptance from the local farmers. John, Connie, and Estelle are still in the thick of everything happening in Luke's life . . . whether he wants them there or not.

Ultimately, Luke finds himself at the center of decades-old conflicts and resentments that threaten to permanently scar the Watervalley life he has come to love. At the same time, his relationship with Christine comes to an unexpected crisis point. Collectively, these adversities force Luke to make some tough decisions . . . about love, ambition, and the role he should play in the lives of those around him. He must define the terms by which he will live the rest of his life.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What did you enjoy most about
Each Shining Hour
? What do you think you'll remember best about it?

2. Talk about what in the book made you laugh. Did anything make you cry?

3. Who is your favorite character, and why?

4. Several characters find redemption in this book or are on the way to finding it. Who are they, and how do they discover it?

5. How does life in Watervalley differ from where you live? How is it similar?

6. Discuss Luke's courtship of Christine Chambers. What do you like about it? In what ways is theirs a modern relationship and in what ways is it old-fashioned?

7. Discuss Connie Thompson's relationship with Luke; her sister, Estelle; John Harris; and Randall Simmons. What do we learn
about her in this book that fills in some of her background? Is her trepidation at the bank inconsistent with the strength she shows at other times?

8. Luke is bequeathed a vintage Austin-Healey. Have you ever received something valuable through an inheritance or bequest? What was it? What effect did it have on your life?

9. Oscar Fox's reputation was unfairly maligned for decades because of ignorance and misunderstanding. Discuss how that affected his descendants and other people in town, and how their lives might change once the truth is revealed. Discuss those who worked to bring the truth to light and what forces opposed their efforts.

10. What appeals to you about life in Watervalley? Can those qualities be replicated in your own community? Why or why not?

11. What do you think will happen in the next book? What do you want to happen?