M.P. Barker's Blog, page 2

Mending Horses Book Giveaway

This is supposed to be the Wicked Cool History Stuff blog, right? And what could be cooler than winning a free book? Click on the Goodreads link below for your chance to win a copy of “Mending Horses.”

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Mending Horses
by M.P. Barker

Giveaway ends March 05, 2014.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

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Author Interview: The Snake Fence by Janet Kastner Olshewsky

This week’s wicked cool history stuff is Janet Kastner Olshewsky’s historical novel The Snake Fence. Set in eighteenth-century Pennsylvania, the story examines the uneasy relations between English settlers and Native Americans through the eyes of young Noble Butler. Noble’s Quaker religion abhors violence, but, living in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1755, Noble has heard frightening rumors about the conflicts between English soldiers and the French and their Native American allies. What, he wonders, would he do, if the war hit closer to home? He decides to join a wagon train supplying General Braddock, figuring that he can help the English cause without violating his principles. But an encounter with Broken Blade, a young Delaware, makes Noble question all that he’s heard about the supposedly barbaric Native peoples, and he discovers that there are no easy answers to the conflict.

Noble Butler and his family were not only real historical figures, but were the ancestors of author Janet Kastner Olshewsky, who spent nearly a decade researching their lives for this richly detailed middle-grade novel. Janet recently allowed me to interview her about her work.

What inspired you to write The Snake Fence?

My Butler ancestors were Quakers in colonial Pennsylvania, although my branch of the family has long since found other faith communities. When I began genealogical investigation, I found that the Butlers had been involved in some way in every war of American history! Either they were persecuted for not fighting, or they decided to fight, causing conflict within the family and within the Meeting. Conflict is the starting point of fiction, so I thought it would be exciting to write about them through historical fiction, spanning all of American history. Great idea, but an unrealistically ambitious plan, since I didn’t begin until I was retired.

You moved to Pennsylvania for nine years to research The Snake Fence. That’s a big commitment! What made you so passionate about this story?

Well, we didn’t know at the outset that we would stay nine years! I needed the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College for my initial resource, so we came to Pennsylvania for a semester, during which my husband taught as adjunct at Villanova University. We were at a point in our lives when it was right for a move, and we fell in love with the area. So we stayed.

I really have been passionate about the story. I found historical research totally engaging, and as a high school teacher, I wanted to be sure I had everything right, no anachronisms.  Some might say I got carried away with research. I discovered the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park had an education program for school children, so I volunteered for that for four years. The staff there taught me all about life on a colonial plantation, and I learned so much about the house itself that I decided to make it the Butler family home in The Snake Fence.

How did you come to choose the snake fence as a metaphor for Noble’s dilemma?

Noble was full of uncertainty and indecision, sitting on a fence, as it were. Wherever I needed a metaphor or simile, I consciously tried to find one that a colonial person would use. I learned about snake fences at the Plantation, so I chose that metaphor for my title. It has lots of value for me, not only because it’s authentic to the period.

A snake fence meanders, as Noble did. It can be disassembled and moved to a new location, as Noble was.  It can’t be easily knocked down, as a straight fence can. And it makes a catchy title, I think.

You use both real people and fictional characters in your story. Which do you think was more difficult and why?

Probably the real characters, because, again, I wanted to be as accurate historically as I possibly could. So I read personal journals, family papers, and newspaper accounts, and I tried not to put words into a character’s mouth that they surely wouldn’t have said. The fictional characters practically dictated their words to me, often at 3 A.M. Molly in particular would wake me insisting on more pages!

Although he appears only a few times, Broken Blade haunts Noble—and the reader—throughout the story. What led you to create this character?

I think I was as surprised as Noble was to find Broken Blade behind that fallen branch! He just popped into the story and then became a focal point for Noble. His picture appears on the back cover of the book, sort of fogged out like a memory, and he continues to fascinate me.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Are you an outliner or more of a seat-of-the-pants writer?

With The Snake Fence I was a seat-of-the-pants writer. I didn’t know how the story would come out, and it really irritated some of the people in my critique group. One person said she would refuse to read any more until she knew where this story was going! That forced me to outline the whole thing, and then I could see where it needed to go. That’s how helpful a critique group can be.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered in your research?

I think it was The Walking Purchase. I knew Indians had been badly treated and shoved off their land, but I didn’t realize how blatant and widespread it was in Pennsylvania until I came across accounts of The Walking Purchase.

Can you tell readers a little about The Walking Purchase?

In 1737, the Proprietors (sons of William Penn) said they had found a copy of an old treaty dating back to 1686 that said the Delaware Indians had sold land to William Penn. The treaty called for a walk to determine the boundaries of the land sale:

Starting at a tree by the River Delaware here in Bucks County, from there westward up Neshaminy Creek, then along a trail northward “as far as a man can walk in a day and a half.”

None of the Indians had ever heard of it, but they honored this ”found” treaty. The Proprietors then advertised for the three fastest walkers in the area and promised five British pounds and 500 acres to the man who could go the farthest. Then they took the three walkers over the area in advance and even cleared a trail for them.

The day of the “walk,” some of the Indian leaders came to observe. When the walkers began to go faster and faster, the Indians protested, to no avail. The Indians left in disgust. At the end of a day and a half, the walkers had gone three times as far as the Indians intended. But then instead of drawing a line straight back to the Delaware River, as the “treaty” specified, they went far to the northeast, encompassing much more land than the Indians had agreed to sell.The Indians protested to the governor of Pennsylvania, but he did nothing. This was only one of many instances of Indians being cheated out of their land, but it’s probably the most blatant.

What are you working on now? Will you be writing more about Noble Butler?

As Broken Blade haunted Noble, he continues to haunt me. My next book, tentatively entitled The Third Crow, will be about how the Lenapé survived in Pennsylvania, and Broken Blade is one of the central characters. Although I’ve moved to Florida, I have a culture coach in Pennsylvania who advises me. Noble will appear in this book, and this time I’m beginning with an outline. There may be another book about Noble later, set during the Revolutionary War.

Thank you, Janet! I’m looking forward to your next book.

To find out more about Janet and The Snake Fence, go to her website.

Mending Horses: Reviews

Click on the cover to order your copy today

“Fluid writing and a true sense of history—including fascinating insights into early circuses—raise this well above the usual. Barker’s characters are nuanced, difficult, and real, and so is her sense of horses. An absorbing look into a patch of past not often examined.”

–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Mending Horses: Book Group Discussion Guide

Click on the cover to order your copy today

1                 Why is the book called “Mending Horses”? Who or what is mended in the course of the story?

2                 The story is told from several points of view. How does the author use word choices and language to create a distinctive voice for each point of view character?

3                 How the characters are perceived by others and who they really are is often very different. For example, Daniel is perceived as a thief and a liar because of his Irish accent. Discuss how the characters struggle against the limitations imposed on them by others’ perceptions of who they are or should be and what they should do.

4                 Discuss the role of rumors and misunderstandings in creating difficulties and dangerous situations for the characters in the story.

5                 Why doesn’t Jonathan tell Sophie the truth about Billy? Who would be a more suitable parent for Billy—Jonathan or Sophie? Why?

6                 Why does Daniel object to Billy’s disguise? What makes him reconsider his opinion?

7                 Many of the characters hide their true identities for various reasons. For example, Fred Chamberlain pretends to be an Indian prince when he performs in the show. Choose a character and discuss how and why that character hides who he or she is.

8                 By the end of the story, each character has learned something important about him or herself. Choose a character and discuss the lessons she or he has learned and how the character has changed by the end of the story.

9                 Daniel and Billy both make important choices at the end of the story. Do you think they’ve made the right decisions? Why or why not? Discuss what the consequences of their decisions might be. How might their futures be different if they’d chosen differently?

10              What do you think might happen to the characters after the end of the story? What problems might they encounter in the future?

To find out more about New England in the 1830s, go to the Old Sturbridge Village Web site – www.osv.org . You can find research articles and historic documents here: http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_list.php .

For a HUGE collection of resources on 19th-century America, go to: http://www.teacheroz.com/19thcent.htm#various

If your book club wants to prepare some 19th-century dishes for your meeting, you can find some recipes on the Old Sturbridge Village website here:

http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/recipes.html .

Or go to “Feeding America: the Historic American Cookbook Project” for a variety of 19th-century cookbooks: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/index.html

For more information on 19th-century circuses, go to the Circus Historical Society’s Virtual Library.

Pricing

School visits:

30-minute Skype visit: FREE!

One hour session: $200 plus travel expenses (discounts available for multi-session days or for schools that purchase books or allow book sales)

Book groups:

Author visits are free if your group purchases books (Travel expenses required for travel more than 50 miles from Springfield, MA)

Clubs, organizations, and special events:

Skype visits (up to one hour Q&A session): FREE!

One hour session: $200 plus travel expenses (discounts available for organizations that purchase books or allow book sales)

Click here for sample presentation topics.

For pricing on panel discussions or other author events or to arrange a visit, contact the author using the form below:

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Sample Presentation Topics

NOTE: Presentations can be created and customized to fit a teacher’s curriculum or an organization’s needs. Multi-author programs can also be arranged.

Illustrated presentations:

Book discussion and Q&A: Learn the inside story on M.P. Barker’s books.

Life in 19th Century New England: What was it like to be a kid in 19th-century New England? What sorts of chores did they have and what did they do for fun? How were their lives different from kids’ lives today?

Fact into Fiction: How do historical novelists find all that information? And how do they turn it into interesting stories?

The Author’s Life: What is it like to be a writer? How do you get a book published?

Life as an Indentured Servant: How did children get indentured? How long would you have to serve? What were living conditions like for indentured servants in the 1830s?

Running Away to Join the Circus: Learn the backstage story of what circuses were like in the 1830s and how they grew into their present form.

Writing workshops:

The Rocky Road to Publication: Learn how to get published, from researching editors and agents to writing a good query letter and dealing with rejection.

Researching Primary Sources for Historical Fiction: How can you use primary sources to bring realism to your historical fiction? Get tips on finding and evaluating the resources that make your historical novel come alive.

Character Building Exercises: Having trouble creating believable characters? This workshop shows you how to craft well-rounded story people.

Self-Editing and Revision: In this how-to workshop,  take your manuscript from rough draft to polished prose.  Get valuable tips for mapping your story with charts and timelines, identifying and highlighting themes, and tightening up your manuscript.

Click here for information about pricing.

You can use the form below to contact the author about creating a special presentation for your group:

[contact-form]

17th Century London in 3D

In preparation for the release of my new novel, Mending Horses, my publisher recently sent me an author questionnaire. In addition to the usual background questions—name, rank, serial number, etc.—there was this one: “If you could have a superpower, what would it be?” As a writer of historical fiction, I’d love to be able to go back into the past and see what things were really like in ye not so goode olden dayes. But as someone who really, REALLY appreciates indoor plumbing, central heating, modern medicine, and the other niceties of 21st century living, I would probably last all of fifteen minutes in the deep dark past. Yes, I did spend eight hours a day in the 1830s when I worked at Old Sturbridge Village, but that was enough to make me realize I wouldn’t want to live there, particularly as a female.

So what I’d really like for my superpower is the ability to SEE the past without the discomfort of actually having to BE there. If someone could invent a camera that could look back in time (preferably in 3D), that would be perfect.

Well, a group of students from DeMontfort University, Leicester, England, has done the next best thing. Using maps from the British Library, period images, and photography of surviving buildings from 17th-century England, they put together a video recreation of London as it might have looked before the Great Fire. Imagine Google Earth in 1666. The result is amazing. And it’s as fascinating to read about their research and creative process as it is to watch the video.

You can find their wicked cool work at their Pudding Lane Productions blog.

Caleb’s Crossing

Quick, when did Harvard graduate its first Native American scholar? The 1960s? The 1860s? How about 1665? Yes, that’s right—1665.

Founded in 1636, Harvard very quickly found itself in financial difficulties. In order to stay afloat, the college obtained funding from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, which was formed for the purpose of converting Natives to Christianity. Harvard’s 1650 charter called for “the Education of the English and Indian Youth of the Country,” and the college agreed to build an “Indian College” where Native Americans could study free of charge. The Indian College building also included a printing press operated by James Printer, a Nipmuc convert, who translated and typeset at least fifteen books in the Algonquian language

Only a handful of Native American students are known to have attended the college. Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, a Wampanoag from Martha’s Vineyard, was the first Native to graduate from the short-lived Indian College in 1665.

Author Geraldine Brooks uses Caleb’s story as the starting point for her beautifully told historical novel Caleb’s Crossing. Brooks combines fact and fiction to follow the journey of Caleb, a Wampanoag chief’s son who hopes to save his people from destruction by learning the language and ways of the English settlers. His story is told through the eyes of Bethia Mayfield, the (fictional) daughter of a minister striving to convert the Wampanoags on Martha’s Vineyard to Christianity. While Caleb struggles with the two cultures, Bethia struggles with her role as a young woman hungry for learning at a time when higher education (and, often, any education at all) was reserved for males.

Bethia and Caleb strike up a secret and forbidden friendship, each learning the other’s language and ways. They share a hunger for knowledge and a yearning for freedom from the stereotypes that limit their opportunities. They see education as a way to be free in spirit, if not in fact.

Eloquently narrated and thoroughly researched, Brooks’s novel ably captures the voice and spirit of the seventeenth century, a time when gender and ethnic roles were rigidly enforced, and crossing boundaries could prove fatal.

For information on an archaeological dig on the site of the Indian College, see this article: https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/561

For more about Caleb and the Harvard Indian College, go to: – http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~amciv/HistoryofIndianCollege.htm

http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=132

Transatlantic by Colum McCann

This week’s wicked cool history item is Colum McCann’s wonderful historical novel, Transatlantic.

This National Book Award winning novel weaves history and fiction together in a beautifully told multi-generational tale. The author takes four historical figures–Frederick Douglass, transatlantic aviators Jack Alcock and Arthur Brown, and U. S. Senator George Mitchell—who travel to Ireland, where their paths intersect with four generations of independent women. In the 1840s, domestic servant Lily Duggan is inspired by Frederick Douglass to set out on her own, and leaves famine-stricken Ireland for the United States. Lily’s daughter Emily struggles to prove herself as a journalist, and ends up reporting on Alcock and Brown’s historic non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919. Many years later, Emily and Lottie meet Brown in Ireland, where Lottie eventually settles. Lottie and her daughter Hannah face tragedy during Northern Ireland’s troubled history, and show up to support George Mitchell’s efforts to bring peace to the conflict-torn nation.

Deftly told, with beautiful, poetic writing, the novel gracefully interweaves the lives of its characters. Along the way, readers learn about Irish history, the 1990s peace process, medical care during the Civil War, and even ice-cutting in the 19th century.

For more information, go to Colum McCann’s website

The 1704 Raid on Deerfield

People who say there are two sides to every issue have stopped counting way too soon, especially when it comes to historical events. When delving into history, finding three, four, or more viewpoints on an event is not unusual.

In 1704, a group of French and Native American raiders attacked an English settlement in Deerfield, Massachusetts. For nearly three centuries, the primary story told was that of the English. When the three hundredth anniversary of the raid rolled around in 2004, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield decided it was time to see the event from the point of view of all the participants, a virtual pentagon of “sides”: the English, the French, and three Native American groups—the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk), Wendat (Huron), and Wobanaki (Abenaki, Pennacook, Sokoki, Pocumtuck and others).

The result was an amazing (and award-winning) website: Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704, funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Dozens of historians, technical experts, Native American advisors, writers, and artists from the U.S. and Canada teamed up to create a comprehensive and visually rich account of the event. Using that one day in 1704 as a starting point, the site provides in-depth information on the five cultural groups and the complex factors that fostered conflicts among them.

The site is visually gorgeous, with ten beautiful illustrated scenes telling the story. But wait, there’s more. Dragging your mouse over one of the scenes will highlight people and objects in the scene. Click on the highlighted item, and up pops the story of that person or thing, often with links to additional information, should you want to learn more. The site is multi-layered, allowing visitors to delve as deeply into the story as they wish. Artifacts, maps, timelines, and even music bring the story to life. I’m not exaggerating when I say that you could spend days exploring this site.

For teachers, there’s a guide to the site that includes eleven lesson plans for students from elementary to high school.

So check out this wicked cool site. But don’t blame me if you get sucked in for hours and hours.