Clark Hays's Blog - Posts Tagged "lovers"
Article: ‘Dam Nation’ blends history and fantasy in story of Bonnie and Clyde
Here’s a great article about the second book in our Bonnie and Clyde series that ran recently in the Arizona Daily Sun — much of the story, which takes place in 1935, is set at the Hoover Dam site, smack dab between Arizona and Nevada.
By MacKenzie Chase
Arizona Daily Sun
March 22, 2018
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rose to infamy during America’s Great Depression in the 1930s through robbery sprees and the bodies left behind by them and the Barrow gang. Luck seemed to be on their side as they escaped many tight situations during their two years of crime, but an ambush in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, eventually led to their demise when police fired more than 130 rounds at the deadly couple in a stolen Ford V-8.
But what if Bonnie and Clyde didn’t really die that day?
Husband and wife team Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall imagine a different story for the outlaws, one that gives them a chance to redeem themselves in their upcoming book Dam Nation, the second in a series.
“We wondered what it would be like for these criminals to truly atone for their crimes and sins,” Hays explains. “They came together in this weird way at this very interesting time in American history, and the only thing they had was this love for each other.”
“They kind of bucked the system at the time when the economy had failed for the average person and embodied the fantasy people had of wanting to escape the system,” McFall adds.
In Dam Nation, Bonnie and Clyde have narrowly escaped capture and are put to work by the government to figure out who is sabotaging construction of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam and why. They also have to avoid being found out by Texas Ranger Hank Black who suspects the two may somehow still be alive.
In a post-gunfire confrontation, Sal, the government operative who’s been giving orders to Bonnie and Clyde, tells him, “If they were still alive, I would tell you that everyone has a purpose in life, and perhaps they are fulfilling theirs. And if they were still alive, I would tell you that you don't use good dogs to guard the junkyard, you use the meanest goddamn dogs you can get a collar around.”
Under their given pseudonyms of Brenda and Clarence Prentiss, Bonnie and Clyde put on their collars and enter the workforce as a secretary and water truck driver respectively, making a living through real work for once, even if they do get the urge to run a heist one day on their way to Las Vegas.
Dam Nation covers two mysteries as it jumps back and forth between Bonnie and Clyde’s lives as hard-working patriots at the construction site in 1934 and then 50 years later as a journalist works to uncover who was actually shot in the car with help from a 74-year-old Bonnie.
“The Bonnie and Clyde part is the fun and exciting part, but the relationship between the journalist and the older Bonnie becomes a poignant layer in the story,” says McFall, a former journalist herself.
Throughout the 300-plus pages, the story takes readers along as Bonnie and Clyde maneuver quick getaways from anarchists, the mob and sheer cliffs. There’s a good sprinkling of dam puns—with such the perfect set-up it might have been disappointing if there weren’t any—and quick, witty banter between the two lovers to move the action along. The present-day scenes paint a picture of a thriving newsroom, when the industry was respected and papers had the resources to assign ongoing investigative projects to reporters. It’s also interesting to consider how an aging outlaw might settle down in society without losing their edge.
The book combines fantasy with history, exploring important topics during the Depression such as workers’ unions, poverty and the country’s growing infrastructure. It takes place shortly after President Franklin Roosevelt implements the New Deal to help people secure jobs and improve the failing economy.
In their research on the Hoover Dam, Hays and McFall found building inconsistencies in the construction which ended up taking a decade of rebuilding to fix. They decided to work that into their book with the premise that the actions behind the scenes weren’t as straightforward as a rushed job. This takes the shape of cut brakes, cable cars failing and missing bundles of dynamite in an unknown group’s plan to sabotage construction.
Dam Nation also explores the theme of fame and what it does to an individual.
“We were famous once too, and it didn’t amount to a hill of beans,” Clyde tells Bonnie at the beginning of the book when she gets excited about the possibility of seeing famous movie stars at the work site.
Some speculate it was the outlaws’ growing fame which helped bring them down in real life. As they committed more and more crimes and their photos were posted in newspapers across the country, more people were able to recognize them which made it difficult for the couple to stay in one spot for too long.
At first, Parker, Barrow and their gang were seen by many as sort of Robin Hood vigilantes who stole from the rich. However, their image turned sour following the murder of a newly-engaged rookie officer in Texas, and the public began collectively calling for their capture, dead or alive.
While Parker had dreams of being a Hollywood actress and Barrow a musician, they knew there was no going back following their notoriety as criminals. Parker wrote poetry during her brief stint in prison and on the road with Barrow to reflect on various societal issues as well as their own lives, which assumed no illusions of grandeur.
In one poem, sometimes called “The Trail’s End” or “The End of the Line,” she likens themselves to Jessie James and reflects on the circumstances which led to their life of crime before predicting their inevitable end in the final stanza:
Some day they'll go down together
And they'll bury them side by side.
To few it'll be grief,
To the law a relief,
But it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.
This sentiment is reflected in the book following a sabotage of a transport bus’s brakes which leads to a crash that puts several union workers in the hospital. As Bonnie and Clyde head over to assess the situation, Bonnie worries they might run into the Texas ranger, who recently appeared at the work site, but Clyde, gesturing to his gun, says he can solve the problem permanently if need be.
The passage reads: “[Bonnie] wondered if there were really no second chances in life, that they were simply put on this earth to kill or be killed, and that fate could never be outrun.”
That could very well serve as another big theme of the book. The Bonnie in 1984 seems just as set in her cautious ways as she hides in plain sight, attending a weekly poetry club at a church while carrying a small handgun in her purse, ready to be on the run again at the drop of a hat. She’s lived an exciting life and is content now to see justice and closure for the family of the unfortunate couple who was killed in her and Clyde’s place.
Dam Nation, book two in the Bonnie and Clyde series, will be available Saturday, March 24, through Pumpjack Press at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and select indie bookstores. Visit www.pumpjackpress.comfor more information.
Here’s a link to the original article.
Learn more about all our books:
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road
Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation
The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
The Cowboy and the Vampire: The Last Sunset
And check out our website at https://www.pumpjackpress.com
By MacKenzie Chase
Arizona Daily Sun
March 22, 2018
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rose to infamy during America’s Great Depression in the 1930s through robbery sprees and the bodies left behind by them and the Barrow gang. Luck seemed to be on their side as they escaped many tight situations during their two years of crime, but an ambush in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, eventually led to their demise when police fired more than 130 rounds at the deadly couple in a stolen Ford V-8.
But what if Bonnie and Clyde didn’t really die that day?
Husband and wife team Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall imagine a different story for the outlaws, one that gives them a chance to redeem themselves in their upcoming book Dam Nation, the second in a series.
“We wondered what it would be like for these criminals to truly atone for their crimes and sins,” Hays explains. “They came together in this weird way at this very interesting time in American history, and the only thing they had was this love for each other.”
“They kind of bucked the system at the time when the economy had failed for the average person and embodied the fantasy people had of wanting to escape the system,” McFall adds.
In Dam Nation, Bonnie and Clyde have narrowly escaped capture and are put to work by the government to figure out who is sabotaging construction of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam and why. They also have to avoid being found out by Texas Ranger Hank Black who suspects the two may somehow still be alive.
In a post-gunfire confrontation, Sal, the government operative who’s been giving orders to Bonnie and Clyde, tells him, “If they were still alive, I would tell you that everyone has a purpose in life, and perhaps they are fulfilling theirs. And if they were still alive, I would tell you that you don't use good dogs to guard the junkyard, you use the meanest goddamn dogs you can get a collar around.”
Under their given pseudonyms of Brenda and Clarence Prentiss, Bonnie and Clyde put on their collars and enter the workforce as a secretary and water truck driver respectively, making a living through real work for once, even if they do get the urge to run a heist one day on their way to Las Vegas.
Dam Nation covers two mysteries as it jumps back and forth between Bonnie and Clyde’s lives as hard-working patriots at the construction site in 1934 and then 50 years later as a journalist works to uncover who was actually shot in the car with help from a 74-year-old Bonnie.
“The Bonnie and Clyde part is the fun and exciting part, but the relationship between the journalist and the older Bonnie becomes a poignant layer in the story,” says McFall, a former journalist herself.
Throughout the 300-plus pages, the story takes readers along as Bonnie and Clyde maneuver quick getaways from anarchists, the mob and sheer cliffs. There’s a good sprinkling of dam puns—with such the perfect set-up it might have been disappointing if there weren’t any—and quick, witty banter between the two lovers to move the action along. The present-day scenes paint a picture of a thriving newsroom, when the industry was respected and papers had the resources to assign ongoing investigative projects to reporters. It’s also interesting to consider how an aging outlaw might settle down in society without losing their edge.
The book combines fantasy with history, exploring important topics during the Depression such as workers’ unions, poverty and the country’s growing infrastructure. It takes place shortly after President Franklin Roosevelt implements the New Deal to help people secure jobs and improve the failing economy.
In their research on the Hoover Dam, Hays and McFall found building inconsistencies in the construction which ended up taking a decade of rebuilding to fix. They decided to work that into their book with the premise that the actions behind the scenes weren’t as straightforward as a rushed job. This takes the shape of cut brakes, cable cars failing and missing bundles of dynamite in an unknown group’s plan to sabotage construction.
Dam Nation also explores the theme of fame and what it does to an individual.
“We were famous once too, and it didn’t amount to a hill of beans,” Clyde tells Bonnie at the beginning of the book when she gets excited about the possibility of seeing famous movie stars at the work site.
Some speculate it was the outlaws’ growing fame which helped bring them down in real life. As they committed more and more crimes and their photos were posted in newspapers across the country, more people were able to recognize them which made it difficult for the couple to stay in one spot for too long.
At first, Parker, Barrow and their gang were seen by many as sort of Robin Hood vigilantes who stole from the rich. However, their image turned sour following the murder of a newly-engaged rookie officer in Texas, and the public began collectively calling for their capture, dead or alive.
While Parker had dreams of being a Hollywood actress and Barrow a musician, they knew there was no going back following their notoriety as criminals. Parker wrote poetry during her brief stint in prison and on the road with Barrow to reflect on various societal issues as well as their own lives, which assumed no illusions of grandeur.
In one poem, sometimes called “The Trail’s End” or “The End of the Line,” she likens themselves to Jessie James and reflects on the circumstances which led to their life of crime before predicting their inevitable end in the final stanza:
Some day they'll go down together
And they'll bury them side by side.
To few it'll be grief,
To the law a relief,
But it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.
This sentiment is reflected in the book following a sabotage of a transport bus’s brakes which leads to a crash that puts several union workers in the hospital. As Bonnie and Clyde head over to assess the situation, Bonnie worries they might run into the Texas ranger, who recently appeared at the work site, but Clyde, gesturing to his gun, says he can solve the problem permanently if need be.
The passage reads: “[Bonnie] wondered if there were really no second chances in life, that they were simply put on this earth to kill or be killed, and that fate could never be outrun.”
That could very well serve as another big theme of the book. The Bonnie in 1984 seems just as set in her cautious ways as she hides in plain sight, attending a weekly poetry club at a church while carrying a small handgun in her purse, ready to be on the run again at the drop of a hat. She’s lived an exciting life and is content now to see justice and closure for the family of the unfortunate couple who was killed in her and Clyde’s place.
Dam Nation, book two in the Bonnie and Clyde series, will be available Saturday, March 24, through Pumpjack Press at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and select indie bookstores. Visit www.pumpjackpress.comfor more information.
Here’s a link to the original article.
Learn more about all our books:
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road
Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation
The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
The Cowboy and the Vampire: The Last Sunset
And check out our website at https://www.pumpjackpress.com
When Bad People Do Good Things
by Clark Hays & Kathleen McFall
Note: this is an article we wrote for our friends over on the Girl Who Reads blog.
As we get set to publish the second book in a “what-if” series recasting the lives of Bonnie and Clyde, we reflect on the factors that draw readers to tales of atonement.
Bonnie and Clyde, the anti-heroes of our speculative historical fiction series, embody a long creative and cultural tradition of elevating criminals and outlaws to folk hero status. As we set out to write this series, we talked at length about this tradition, trying to grasp — to the extent possible — why so many of us love bad guys who break good?
We batted this back and forth and scoured bad-guy (and gal) literature, movies and graphic novels. Our goal was to create a fictional world that mirrors the impetus underlying this fascination with reformed (and unreformed) criminals. We also wanted to be careful that the series would not, even indirectly, celebrate criminality.
We learned, or more accurately, were quickly reminded that getting your arms around the complexities of human nature is no easy task. But still, we finally settled on three issues to explore in our series — three reasons that helped us understand why scofflaws and delinquents consistently captivate and resonate.
Outlaws give voice to the frustrations of the common man and woman.
What do Robin Hood, Jesse James, Ned Kelly (the armor-wearing Australian bushranger) and the like have in common? They were shaped by poverty, economic disenfranchisement or oppressive social systems and — right or wrong (mostly wrong) — they lashed out against a system they felt contributed to their fringe status. In so doing, outlaws (until they go too far) are rowdily cheered on by regular folks, especially during tough times like the Great Depression. There’s something timeless and appealing about those who have the courage to give voice to their rage and dissatisfaction, even though it’s often aimed in horrible directions.
Criminals have tangible and unique skills that can serve the greater good.
Criminals and villains have certain skills — including freedom from pesky ethical calculations — that, if focused in the right way, can provide expedient solutions to complex problems. For example, the world increasingly relies on reformed hackers to help safeguard our networked computer systems. Convicted burglars are tasked with building better alarm systems. And during WWII, the U.S. Navy negotiated with famed mobster Meyer Lansky to commute the sentence of even more famous “Lucky Luciano,” considered the father of organized crime in the U.S., in exchange for information about potential Nazi activities in eastern seaports. Polite society doesn’t always like to admit it, but complex problems often require novel — and sometimes morally dubious or illegal — solutions. This truth can be mined for colorful characters and plots.
The road to redemption is more scenic for those who have fallen the farthest.
One of the most powerful reasons the world seems to love bad guys is because their stories are ready-made for redemption. For the moral and upright, life can be an endless and boring series of good choices. For the fallen and depraved, the journey toward atonement is a constant struggle, and that makes it interesting. That’s why the entertainment landscape is often populated with flawed characters and villains who are given a chance to redeem themselves. Suicide Squad is one recent example. At its core, this type of storytelling encourages individuals to reflect on their own journey toward atonement, if not at a criminal scale. If a hardened criminal can make it to the other side, maybe we all have a shot at redemption, right?
Back in their day, Bonnie and Clyde captured the public imagination, a fascination that continues today, for the first of the three reasons outlined above. They were both products of the poverty crippling the nation in the 1930s and they lashed out against it. They went too far, of course, and innocent people died, but one of the reasons their myth and mystique live on is precisely because they acted on their rage. People then, and now, saw in them an expression of their own pent-up anger at economic injustice.
As a sidebar, there was another element — sex — that helped make Bonnie and Clyde famous. It was clear they were not only brass-knuckling the economic and legal systems failing so many during the Great Depression, they were also challenging traditional sexual roles of the day. Unmarried, they were in love and clearly having sex on a regular basis. It was both titillating and revolutionary.
From the standpoint of the second factor — useful criminal skills — the notorious duo had buckets of that, and this was the starting point for our story. Indeed, it is their criminal skills that make them valuable to the government — bank robberies and violence and daring escapes. In our books, their handler, “Suicide Sal” (her codename is based on one of Bonnie’s poems), who in the 1930s is fighting well-funded corporate interests intent on derailing the New Deal policies aimed at helping the working class, explains it like this: “You don’t use good dogs to guard the junkyard, you use the meanest goddamn dogs you can get a collar around.”
And then we wove in the third element — a chance for atonement — for which the real-life story of Bonnie and Clyde provided a tragic jumping off point. Their story is ripe for an atonement tale because of their violent end. In 1934, the outlaw lovers were gunned down without a trial, without a chance to separate fact from fantasy regarding their crimes, and without a chance to explain or atone. In our books, the two live beyond the ambush and are not only forced to help the federal government defend the working class, they must also confront their past and begin to make amends for the death and destruction they left in their wake. Atonement, and their unyielding love, are at the heart of the books.
There’s a fourth reason some outlaws find themselves transformed into folk heroes: timing. Said criminals’ stories resonate because they continue to shine a light on contemporary challenges. The timing now is compelling for the return of Bonnie and Clyde because — with the wealth and income inequality gap greater today than it was just prior to the Great Depression — there is a growing frustration from the lower and middle classes at a system that allows so many to struggle paycheck-to-paycheck so a few at the top can prosper. And who better than a pair of unrepentant criminal lovers to take on that issue as they careen down a road to redemption?
Learn more about the Bonnie and Clyde books by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall, published by Pumpjack Press (Portland, OR): http://www.pumpjackpress.com
Check out the books here:
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road (May 2017)
Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation (March 2018)
Check out their other books:
The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
The Cowboy and the Vampire: The Last Sunset
Connect with the authors:
Twitter @cowboyvamp
Instagram @cowboyvampire
Facebook www.facebook.com/cowboyandvampire
Praise for the Series
“As the rich get richer and the middle class becomes more desperate in present-day America, Resurrection Road is a timely reminder that sometimes the solution to a problem comes from the least likely source. Sex, danger and intrigue, coupled with just the right dose of cheeky humor.” East Oregonian Newspaper
“Hays and McFall make their Depression-era tale timely with reflections on wealthy fat cats and a rigged economic system that still ring true. More than that, the story is an exciting ride, with tight corners, narrow escapes, and real romantic heat between Bonnie and Clyde. Outlaws become patriots in this imaginative, suspenseful what-if story.” Kirkus Reviews
Note: this is an article we wrote for our friends over on the Girl Who Reads blog.
As we get set to publish the second book in a “what-if” series recasting the lives of Bonnie and Clyde, we reflect on the factors that draw readers to tales of atonement.
Bonnie and Clyde, the anti-heroes of our speculative historical fiction series, embody a long creative and cultural tradition of elevating criminals and outlaws to folk hero status. As we set out to write this series, we talked at length about this tradition, trying to grasp — to the extent possible — why so many of us love bad guys who break good?
We batted this back and forth and scoured bad-guy (and gal) literature, movies and graphic novels. Our goal was to create a fictional world that mirrors the impetus underlying this fascination with reformed (and unreformed) criminals. We also wanted to be careful that the series would not, even indirectly, celebrate criminality.
We learned, or more accurately, were quickly reminded that getting your arms around the complexities of human nature is no easy task. But still, we finally settled on three issues to explore in our series — three reasons that helped us understand why scofflaws and delinquents consistently captivate and resonate.
Outlaws give voice to the frustrations of the common man and woman.
What do Robin Hood, Jesse James, Ned Kelly (the armor-wearing Australian bushranger) and the like have in common? They were shaped by poverty, economic disenfranchisement or oppressive social systems and — right or wrong (mostly wrong) — they lashed out against a system they felt contributed to their fringe status. In so doing, outlaws (until they go too far) are rowdily cheered on by regular folks, especially during tough times like the Great Depression. There’s something timeless and appealing about those who have the courage to give voice to their rage and dissatisfaction, even though it’s often aimed in horrible directions.
Criminals have tangible and unique skills that can serve the greater good.
Criminals and villains have certain skills — including freedom from pesky ethical calculations — that, if focused in the right way, can provide expedient solutions to complex problems. For example, the world increasingly relies on reformed hackers to help safeguard our networked computer systems. Convicted burglars are tasked with building better alarm systems. And during WWII, the U.S. Navy negotiated with famed mobster Meyer Lansky to commute the sentence of even more famous “Lucky Luciano,” considered the father of organized crime in the U.S., in exchange for information about potential Nazi activities in eastern seaports. Polite society doesn’t always like to admit it, but complex problems often require novel — and sometimes morally dubious or illegal — solutions. This truth can be mined for colorful characters and plots.
The road to redemption is more scenic for those who have fallen the farthest.
One of the most powerful reasons the world seems to love bad guys is because their stories are ready-made for redemption. For the moral and upright, life can be an endless and boring series of good choices. For the fallen and depraved, the journey toward atonement is a constant struggle, and that makes it interesting. That’s why the entertainment landscape is often populated with flawed characters and villains who are given a chance to redeem themselves. Suicide Squad is one recent example. At its core, this type of storytelling encourages individuals to reflect on their own journey toward atonement, if not at a criminal scale. If a hardened criminal can make it to the other side, maybe we all have a shot at redemption, right?
Back in their day, Bonnie and Clyde captured the public imagination, a fascination that continues today, for the first of the three reasons outlined above. They were both products of the poverty crippling the nation in the 1930s and they lashed out against it. They went too far, of course, and innocent people died, but one of the reasons their myth and mystique live on is precisely because they acted on their rage. People then, and now, saw in them an expression of their own pent-up anger at economic injustice.
As a sidebar, there was another element — sex — that helped make Bonnie and Clyde famous. It was clear they were not only brass-knuckling the economic and legal systems failing so many during the Great Depression, they were also challenging traditional sexual roles of the day. Unmarried, they were in love and clearly having sex on a regular basis. It was both titillating and revolutionary.
From the standpoint of the second factor — useful criminal skills — the notorious duo had buckets of that, and this was the starting point for our story. Indeed, it is their criminal skills that make them valuable to the government — bank robberies and violence and daring escapes. In our books, their handler, “Suicide Sal” (her codename is based on one of Bonnie’s poems), who in the 1930s is fighting well-funded corporate interests intent on derailing the New Deal policies aimed at helping the working class, explains it like this: “You don’t use good dogs to guard the junkyard, you use the meanest goddamn dogs you can get a collar around.”
And then we wove in the third element — a chance for atonement — for which the real-life story of Bonnie and Clyde provided a tragic jumping off point. Their story is ripe for an atonement tale because of their violent end. In 1934, the outlaw lovers were gunned down without a trial, without a chance to separate fact from fantasy regarding their crimes, and without a chance to explain or atone. In our books, the two live beyond the ambush and are not only forced to help the federal government defend the working class, they must also confront their past and begin to make amends for the death and destruction they left in their wake. Atonement, and their unyielding love, are at the heart of the books.
There’s a fourth reason some outlaws find themselves transformed into folk heroes: timing. Said criminals’ stories resonate because they continue to shine a light on contemporary challenges. The timing now is compelling for the return of Bonnie and Clyde because — with the wealth and income inequality gap greater today than it was just prior to the Great Depression — there is a growing frustration from the lower and middle classes at a system that allows so many to struggle paycheck-to-paycheck so a few at the top can prosper. And who better than a pair of unrepentant criminal lovers to take on that issue as they careen down a road to redemption?
Learn more about the Bonnie and Clyde books by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall, published by Pumpjack Press (Portland, OR): http://www.pumpjackpress.com
Check out the books here:
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road (May 2017)
Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation (March 2018)
Check out their other books:
The Cowboy and the Vampire: A Very Unusual Romance
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Blood and Whiskey
The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves
The Cowboy and the Vampire: The Last Sunset
Connect with the authors:
Twitter @cowboyvamp
Instagram @cowboyvampire
Facebook www.facebook.com/cowboyandvampire
Praise for the Series
“As the rich get richer and the middle class becomes more desperate in present-day America, Resurrection Road is a timely reminder that sometimes the solution to a problem comes from the least likely source. Sex, danger and intrigue, coupled with just the right dose of cheeky humor.” East Oregonian Newspaper
“Hays and McFall make their Depression-era tale timely with reflections on wealthy fat cats and a rigged economic system that still ring true. More than that, the story is an exciting ride, with tight corners, narrow escapes, and real romantic heat between Bonnie and Clyde. Outlaws become patriots in this imaginative, suspenseful what-if story.” Kirkus Reviews
