Zion (27 page)
Twenty Questions for Group Discussion & Reflection
- Is
Zion
a mystery, a thriller, or a literary novel? - Does “Zion,” the novel and the place, live up to the meaning of the term?
- Which characters do you like or identify with the most? Why?
- Is Tom a good man?
- Are Tom’s standards of perfection responsible for the problems in the family?
- In which way is Tom partly responsible for Sara’s secrets?
- Is Tom simply nostalgic about the past or is he delusional about the past?
- Did Sara ever love Tom?
- How does Sara defy the stereotypes of a housewife and later a librarian?
- Does the loss of Sara’s father influence her life?
- Why does Wesley feel justified in rebelling against his father? Is he right?
- Is James Luke evil or just an economic pragmatist?
- How is Charity a victim? Is she a bad person or simply misguided?
- Were the farmers and hunters justified in rebelling against the timber companies?
- Was Marshal Brownlow corrupt in the 1960s? Did he change?
- Flannery O’Connor said the South was “Christ-haunted” but not “Christ-centered.” Is that the case in Baxter Parish?
- Why was the Methodist church used as a backdrop for the book?
- Is the story told in
Zion
more Old Testament or New Testament? - What is the most tragic aspect of
Zion
? - How could the disasters in the story have been avoided?
QUESTION:
Why did you write
Zion
?
DAYNE SHERMAN:
One day my fourth cousin once removed—we keep track of things like this in Southeast Louisiana—told me about an old dispute over the killing of hardwoods. In an area well known for arson, the locals had a slogan, “For Every Oak a Pine!” The timber companies were killing hardwoods to plant pines. But folks in the parish didn’t want to lose the good hunting lands where hardwoods dominated. So they burned perhaps a thousand pines for every oak killed. Within a few days of hearing about the pine tree war, I’d finished a third of the novel. It took several years to complete the rest, but I was on a clear path.
I wrote the novel to unburden myself from the image my cousin gave me. I married the burning timber to some local folk tales and the end of open range. The open range ended in my native Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, in the 1960s. In nearby Livingston Parish, however, the open range wasn’t banned until the early 1990s, and I experienced life in the woods to a limited degree. I’m thankful I saw firsthand the last of the Old West in Louisiana.
Q:
It’s surprising that you decided to self-publish
Zion
and republish
Welcome to the Fallen Paradise
on your own.
DS:
Well, I never intended to start a publishing company. For years I tried to get my rights back from MacAdam/Cage, the now defunct publisher that released my first novel. It was both a battle and a disappointment. Finally, MacAdam/Cage went bankrupt, and I was able to secure all of my rights. I decided it was best to go it alone and never fight over my book rights again. The publishing world has changed, and I wanted to take advantage of new opportunities.
Q:
Why did you start Accendo Books, L.L.C.?
DS:
I wanted to do something radical, a real challenge. I wanted to start a “micro press” or “nano press.” My plan is to publish my own work but also to edit anthologies. My goal for 2015 is to publish a great collection of Louisiana short fiction, works by living authors. Then do one collection per year state-by-state. I may never get to all 50 states, but I hope to finish the South. I also want to publish interviews with artists and writers, and I plan to collect these through Accendo Books. All of my books will be released in print, ebook, and downloadable audio formats.
Q:
Where does the name “Accendo Books” come from?
DS:
Accendo
is Latin for ignite, spark, or kindle. It has connotations of creating an idea that starts a fire. I like what the word means, and it explains what I’m trying to publish: “Fine Books. Inspiring Ideas.”
Q:
What books most influenced the writing of
Zion
?
DS:
There’s no question that I am a product of my reading habits. After I wrote
Welcome to the Fallen Paradise
, I was upended as a writer by Marilynne Robinson’s
Gilead
, which was such a big influence. It’s hard to say how much her work changed what I believed about writing fiction. I read the book in late 2004 or very early 2005. The next book that gave me whiplash was
No Country for Old Men
. Unlike Robinson, I had been reading Cormac McCarthy for years. I read
No Country
soon after it was published. Those two books can be seen in every page of
Zion
.
Q:
What are you working on now?
DS:
I have a large backlog of completed works and works in progress. I have a “finished” novel titled
Louisiana Public Integrity
that I would like to see published near the 2015 Louisiana governor’s race. Plus I have published about twenty short stories in little magazines that need to be collected into a book. I have a comic novel mostly done, and a memoir titled
Confessions of a Redneck Genius
that I want to finish. Now that I have control of my artistic work post-MacAdam/Cage and with a future of indie publishing ahead, my goal is to release two new books a year as long as I want to write. Deciding to go indie was an incredibly exhilarating feeling. I’m no longer waiting on or trying to please some unknown force in New York. I can go directly to readers. That’s the ticket.
Q:
Do you have any advice for writers struggling to get their works published?
DS:
First, focus on the craft. That’s the big pay-off, spending adequate time with the writing process. It may take the proverbial 10,000 hours of practice to master the art. Second, get the work on paper or at least digitally on the computer. You have nothing as long as the writing is in your head. It has to be on the page. Third, join a writing group of some kind. You can do this through a college class or the local public library or even online. Last, decide whether or not you want to go with legacy-traditional publishing, the old agent-editor publishing route. Since 2009, it has made little sense for authors earning less than six figures per book to give away their rights for a pittance. I understand why Stephen King publishes through the Big Five publishers but not mid-list authors. Not any longer. “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” as Bob Dylan sang. Two final words of advice: Go indie.
First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife Kristy for reading this manuscript at least ten times. Thanks for the love and care. I wish to thank our son for enduring this book since shortly after his birth. It’s done: let’s go fishing.
Perhaps all books are written in collaboration. I hate to leave out significant people, but I will do my best to acknowledge my co-conspirators below:
My cousin Dr. Ronald Traylor (“For Every Oak a Pine!”) and my late Uncle Harry Sherman (“The End of Open Range”) provided inspiration that sent me down the winding road to write this novel. I spent a year working as a carpenter’s helper at Southeastern Louisiana University from 1988 to ’89, and some of the story was informed by day-to-day work doing maintenance.
David Campbell and Davy Brooks have been great readers and friends. Thanks for the heavy lifting.
I’d like to thank many of my friends and relatives for helping in so many ways: Mama, Nikki Barranger, Wilford Wade Cowart, Judy and Haywood Loyde, Elizabeth Lafarge, Dr. Bill Thompson, Pat and Tina St. Clair, Dr. Tim Wise, Carl and Carolyn Higginbotham, Karen Taylor, Dr. William Hamilton, Jason and Staci Parrie, Lamar Wascom, Jesse and Ashley Brown, Monique Soudelier, Dr. Kathy Kolb, Charlotte Hill, Stephen Winham, Burleigh and Pat Soape, Dr. Randy and Barbara Davis, Dorcas Perrin, Dr. Lee Rozelle, David Campbell, Paul and Betty White, Fr. Steve Petrica, Charley Vance, Vivian Solar, Rev. Roger Dunlap, Jamie Fitch, Don Barker, Mike Tournillon, and Duncan Kemp IV.
Six writers were instrumental in helping me decide to go Indie: Officer O’Neil De Noux, Katie Wainwright, Brenna Barzenick, J.A. Konrath, Barry Eisler, and Hugh Howey. Inspiration met perspiration. I hope they like the book. Two thinkers helped me better understand how to sell a book, Seth Godin and Tim Grahl. I appreciate the tools.
The writers with the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project, were always encouraging to me. Dr. Kim Stafford was the greatest, and I hope I can marathon with all of the writers again soon. Through Kim I discovered the late Dr. William Stafford, my favorite poet and a constant literary guide.
Stephanie Kaye Smith, Pattie Steib, Joel Friedlander, Jose Canales, Staci Parrie, Sigrid and Paul Kelsey, Karen Taylor, Dr. Karen Williams, Laura Brooks, Barry Dunlap, Dr. Tim Gautreaux, Dr. Richard Louth, Dr. Jack Bedell, David Campbell, Dr. Mackie Blanton, Alan Marsh, Will Johnson, Lori Smith, and Ben Bell saved me from bad art at various times. Thanks.
Dr. James Kirylo, Tim Parrish, Bev Marshall, David Armand, Jonathan Chandler all gave early endorsements of
Zion
. More will come later, but y’all were great. Drs. Norman German, Martie Fellom, and Richard Louth helped make me a full professor of library science. It’s all your fault! But thank you.
Two authors and two novels influenced the writing of
Zion
:
No Country for Old Men
by Cormac McCarthy and
Gilead
by Marilynne Robinson. Both authors deserve the Nobel Prize.
My supervisors at the library have been supportive over the past seven years that it took to write this novel: Eric Johnson, Dr. Lynette Ralph, and Beth Stahr. Most writers need a day job for bread and sanity. Thanks for both. For the postal workers in Ponchatoula, Hammond, and on campus: I appreciate the patience. Kenny Ribbeck and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries were helpful in determining hunting regulations for 1964.
I have been treated well by libraries and bookstores. Anthony Loum at Brooklyn Public Library, Livingston Parish Library, Tangipahoa Parish Library, the State Library of Louisiana, John Evans at Lemuria Books, Square Books, That Bookstore in Blytheville, Burke’s Book Store, Reed’s Gum Tree Bookstore, Pass Christian Books, Maple Street Books, Faulkner House Books, and Bayou Booksellers, all champions of my work. Thank you.
Several editors have been helpful getting the word out about my writing: Lil Mirando of
The Daily Star
and James Fox-Smith of
Country Roads
, as well as Chad Rogers of
TheDeadPelican.com
.
Action News 17
,
The Courier
and
The Comet
, and
The Shreveport Times
have been very supportive, too.
Several political writers keep me informed about the underbelly of Louisiana: Tom Aswell, Robert Mann, C.B. Forgotston, and Elliot Stonecipher. Thanks for the material.
Thanks, Coffee Culture in Ponchatoula, for good chicory. PJ’s Coffee on Thomas and University in Hammond: You should dedicate a chair to
Zion
. I paid for several chairs while writing this book.
Perhaps no teacher in school did more to make a reader out of me than Norma Webb. Every word I write can be traced back to English II at Albany High School in 1987. God bless you.
Dayne Sherman is a high school dropout. He has worked a variety of jobs as a grocery store clerk, carpenter's helper, door-to-door rat poison distributor, watermelon salesman, itinerant Baptist preacher, English as a second language teacher in Russia, paid fitness instructor, and most recently as a reference librarian. At 18 years old, he took the GED and went to the university in his hometown. A member of Phi Kappa Phi, Sherman earned master’s degrees from LSU and Southeastern Louisiana University.
Sherman's first novel,
Welcome to the Fallen Paradise
, was published by MacAdam/Cage in 2004. It was named a Best Debut of the Year by
The Times-Picayune
and a Notable Book by Book Sense. Recently,
Welcome to the Fallen Paradise
was the sole "Louisiana" pick for
Booklist's
"Hard-Boiled Gazetteer to Country Noir."
His writing has appeared in many literary magazines, and one of his short stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Sherman lives in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, with his wife and son. His website is daynesherman.com.
Zion
is his second novel.