The Trial of Dr. Kate (38 page)

3.   Many of the characters in the book have “secret lives”: Army and Bobby are ridge runners, Jake Watson has a relationship with his housekeeper, Buford Frampton initially attempts to keep the existence of his son Lester a secret from the town. Most critically, Dr. Kate is a secret alcoholic at the novel’s start. What do you think about these kinds of “open secrets” among the people of a Southern town? It seems as if everybody knows about them in a way, but nobody really minds.

Southern towns are notorious for secrets. A black man may be sleeping with a white widow or divorcée and everyone may know it, but no one will say anything if the couple are well liked. An alcoholic physician, if she seemed to do a good job taking care of people, would be given a certain amount of leeway. Most people in southern towns are excused for a number of sins as long as no one is hurt and as long as the individual is well liked.

4.   This book is peopled with strong female characters, from Shenandoah Coleman and Dr. Kate down to Hattie Mae, Lisbeth Crouch, Edwina Frampton, and Frances Washington. What interests you about writing these strong female characters?

I am a great admirer of strong women because I was raised by my maternal grandmother who was an incredibly strong woman. Let’s face it: women are taking over the world. They make up half of every medical school class and they are astronauts, bankers, Wall Street tycoons, Internet CEOs, etc. You name it. Women are busting through the glass ceiling every day. I say more power to them. I have five daughters, and I want them to have a level playing field.

5.   One of the major themes in this book is the question of doctor-assisted suicide. What made you interested in writing about this topic? Do you have strong feelings on the issue one way or the other?

As a physician and surgeon I have witnessed numerous patients die painful deaths when there was no hope of saving them. The majority of individuals in the state of Oregon evidently believe in doctor assisted suicide. Terminal patients are given careful evaluations to make sure they are not depressed, and then they are given medications that allow them to end their life peacefully. I do not have a problem with this attitude.

6.   Again, the issue of racism is a major one in the book, centered on the character of Austin Davis. In the interview done for Little Joe, you talked about how the racism and segregation in the time period made you “very angry” when you grew older and were able to understand it. By the 1952 time period of this second novel in the series, do you think there were any major changes in the way racism was expressed in small towns?

Not really. The South is still more racist than other parts of the country. Older southerners have been forced to accept civil rights whether they wanted to or not. The younger generations, by and large, are more liberal and understanding concerning this issue.

7.   The book is structured largely as a series of interviews, both Shenandoah asking people in the town about Dr. Kate’s character and official examinations on the witness stand. Why did you choose that structure for telling your story?

It just seemed like a good way to tell her story, to establish who she was and what she stood for. That way her peers could express their feelings in a natural way. All of those individuals who liked and respected her as well as those who did not like her or who were intimidated by her could tell their story without incrimination.

8.   Dr. Kate is a fascinating character: at once driven and self-destructive, doing as much good in the town as she seems to be doing evil toward herself. What do you, personally, think of Dr. Kate? Was there a real Dr. Kate you used as a model?

There was no real Dr. Kate. However, as a physician and surgeon who has known numerous family practice doctors in Tennessee and other states, I can tell you that these physicians are dedicated and caring individuals. Most will see in excess of one hundred patients a day and make house calls into the night. I have the utmost respect for them.

9.   Finally: in a short scene in the middle of the book, Mr. Sloan of Sloan’s Hardware sells Shenandoah a pocketknife, saying that a knife is “how you take the measure of a person.” Do you own a pocketknife, and if it isn’t too personal, can you tell your readers about it?

I do own a pocket knife and would be lost without it. I picked that trait up from my own grandfather who I lived with when I was a child in Tennessee. It does indeed take the measure of a person, for all the reasons stated in this novel.

As always, thanks to the excellent individuals who comprise Greenleaf Book Group. Specifically I would like to thank Kris Pauls and Jeanne Thornton, the editors who keep my manuscripts readable. In addition I want to single out Neil Gonzalez for his excellent dust covers.

Danelle McCafferty was the first professional to see the original manuscript many years ago, and her encouragement kept me moving forward. Susan and Alice Gleason strengthened the story line and plot. I’m grateful to them for the many hours that they labored over the manuscript. And since I never know where to place a comma, I must depend on my good friend Dimples Kellogg to line edit every manuscript that I produce. To my early readers (you know who you are): many thanks for your thoughtful comments.

When Little Joe Stout survives the car accident that took his parents’ lives, he is sent to live with his maternal grandparents in the small town of Round Rock, Tennessee. Orphaned and missing his Texas home, Little Joe is reluctant to adapt. But his grandparents, especially his grandmother, are up to the challenge of raising him despite their own struggles. Set against the drama of World War II and the first sparks of the civil rights movement, Little Joe’s new home is a microcosm of America in the 1940s as local events mirror the radio broadcasts that bring the news of the day into his grandmother’s kitchen.
Little Joe
begins the four-part Round Rock series.

ISBN 978-1-60832-566-5
Greenleaf Book Group Press

In the quiet town of Utopia, Texas, life is simple. Local game warden Monty Kilpatrick does his duty catching poachers, smokes too many cigarettes, and tries to keep his marriage afloat. But just across the border in Mexico, drug cartel kingpin Juan Diaz is running his empire with an iron fist. Utopia is along the cartel’s main trafficking routes, and when Monty arrests Diaz’s brother during what he thought was a routine traffic stop, the men’s paths cross. In a flash, the formerly peaceful Utopia becomes a war zone. In order to save his town, his wife, and his pride, Monty must be ready to lose everything he holds true.

ISBN 978-1-60832-416-3
Greenleaf Book Group Press