K. Lang-Slattery's Blog, page 8

The Real Clara Lang

When I speak with book groups, they almost always ask me questions about the real people behind the novel’s characters. Women readers especially want to know more about Herman’s mother, Clara. “Did she ever see Albert again?” is one of their most frequently asked questions. 

A Writers’ Workshop -"Turning a True Story into Fiction."

Last summer, as I planned a trip to the Dayton area, I contacted several organizations in southwestern Ohio which I thought might be interested in hearing one of my presentations. Usually the most popular one is "Discovering the Ritchie Boys of WWII," an overview of Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys, their contributions to the WWII effort, and profiles of a few of the men I have interviewed or researched.

Camp Ritchie, Maryland - Development of the Intelligence Training Center

[image error]The 400 acres that was to become the Camp Ritchie Intelligence Training Center, began life in 1889 as the property of the Buena Vista Ice Company. They created two manmade lakes where winter allowed natural ice to form which could be shipped via the nearby railroad spur to Washington, DC.  The lakes also served as a recreation destination in the summer tourist season. 

Recently, I was contacted by the former Post Historian for Fort Ritchie and she agreed to write the following guest blog about the development of Camp Ritchie after it was sold to the Maryland National Guard. 

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World War II Posters and the War Advertising Council

When I visited the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, last October, I paused in the meeting room after my talk to enjoy their display of World War II posters.  They reminded me vividly of the passion and self-sacrifice the American people were expected to display at that time in our history.  They also started me thinking about the art and effort that went into producing these posters, as well as the radio, newspaper, and magazine ads that infused US citizens with patriotism during World War II.

World War II slogan, Loose Lips Sink Ships

The novel Immigrant Soldier is interspersed with letters Herman writes to his mother.  These letters are based on actual correspondence treasured by our family. 

The True Story of General Patton’s New Boots

 
My last blog explained the process of expanding and fictionalizing the true stories Herman told me. This imagining and expanding of Herman’s memories was great creative fun.  Far more difficult, but equally important, was culling redundant or irrelevant sections so the novel maintained a momentum to keep the reader engaged. 

A Book Group Question about Immigrant Soldier

When I am speaking with book clubs who have read Immigrant Soldier, one of the questions I am most often asked is: “What parts are true and what bits are totally from the author’s imagination?”  Naturally in the limited time we usually have, and in the limited space of a blog post, I cannot go through the pages of the novel from beginning to end.  However, to give a sense of when and why I infused fiction into what is essentially a true story, I offer an explanation similar to the one that follows.

Camp Young, Desert Training Center, World War II

On Sunday, June 19th, I celebrated Father’s Day as part of a panel of authors of military literature, an event sponsored by the Friends of the San Juan Capistrano Library. The other panel member was Frank McAdams, who wrote the Pulitzer nominated book, Vietnam Roughrider: A Convoy Commander’s Memoir.

Before the panel started, the moderator, Pat Forster, also a Vietnam veteran and a contributor to a Vietnam military history book by Keith Nolan, asked me a simple question – “Where was Camp Young?”

Camp Young, Desert Training Center during World War II

On Sunday, June 19th, I celebrated Father’s Day as part of a panel of authors of military literature, an event sponsored by the Friends of the San Juan Capistrano Library. The other panel member was Frank McAdams, who wrote the Pulitzer nominated book, Vietnam Roughrider: A Convoy Commander’s Memoir.

Before the panel started, the moderator, Pat Forster, also a Vietnam veteran and a contributor to a Vietnam military history book by Keith Nolan, asked me a simple question – “Where was Camp Young?”

The Ritchie Boys and D-Day

I have just returned from a trip to France which included almost a month in a Brittany village and a tour with Road Scholar.  Because of my interest in World War II, the highlight of the tour was the two days dedicated to learning about the Normandy Landings on D-Day.  We visited Omaha Beach, the Normandy American Cemetery, the Caen-Normandy Memorial museum, and several other places significant to D-Day.