Interview with Civil War Historian, Larry Stephens – Part 1
Larry Stephens stars as John Taylor in For Home and Country
Larry D. Stephens is an author, screen writer, film maker, and actor. Currently, he’s a graduate student at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia seeking to further his education so that he can teach history at the collegiate level. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, he grew up within a stone’s throw of Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield National Park and became interested in the American Civil War as a boy. He holds a BA in History and a MEd in Social Studies Education. He taught high school history before returning to college to earn an MS in Library and Information Studies. Stephens is a frequent speaker and has written several other books on the Civil War.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
I generally like to write in the privacy of a special room that I call “the Study.”
What do you love most about writing?
The thing I love most about writing is that you are “creating something new” that you hope will be good enough to share with others. It’s like painting a picture, or composing a song, or making a film… You are doing something creative, original, new, and exciting. It doesn’t get any better than that.
What is the hardest and easiest part of the writing process for you?
Since I write non-fiction “with a popular twist,” in terms of my prose style, the hardest part for me is doing all of the research. It’s very time-consuming and can be exhausting at the same time. But once the research is done, I’m ready to write and that process usually goes pretty quickly. Sometimes I may get bogged down in the writing because I am struggling with which word to use in a passage, but that’s usually a temporary obstacle that can be easily overcome after a few attempts.
What five words best sum up your personality?
The five words that best sum up my personality can actually be condensed into three… “introverted, passionate, and free-thinking.”
Other than writing, what else do you love to do?
Make films.
Describe your perfect day.
A perfect day for me would be getting up early to write, being really productive for about 2-3 hours, and then taking a nice long break in the form of a mid-day siesta or walk in the forest. Then I might try to do a bit more writing in the late afternoon, or I might decide to do something completely different like listening to good music with a glass of wine or watching an old classic movie.
Do you have a writing schedule?
Mornings are the best time for me to write, and preferably early. I feel that I’ve really accomplished a lot if I can get 2-3 hours of good writing in.
What are your past, current, and/or next projects and a link to them?
Actually, I’m returning to grad school in about a week to do something that I should have done 30 years ago… getting an M.A. in History so I can teach as a part-time adjunct instructor on the collegiate level. So until that degree is completed, I doubt that I will have any time to write or do anything else creative for quite some time. But once it’s done, I know I’ll be back in the saddle again with a new project.
John P. Gatewood: Confederate Bushwhacker was published in 2012 by Pelican Publishing. From Amazon.com:
John Pemberton Gatewood of Fentress County, Tennessee, evolved into one of the
John P. Gatewood: Confederate Bushwhacker
deadliest guerrilla leaders of the Confederacy. Exploits attributed to Gatewood have painted him as both a vicious, unprincipled killer and a soldier fiercely loyal to his family and to those who shared his commitment to the Confederacy. His descent into what many considered barbaric behavior began after family tragedy drove him to join Champ Ferguson as a bushwhacker. Personally murdering more than sixty people, he and his men cut a swath of destruction through east Tennessee, northwest Georgia, and northeast Alabama. Gatewood even garnered the attention of Gen. William T. Sherman, who put a bounty on his head. Now, for the first time, Gatewood’s riveting, full-length biography has been told by Civil War author Larry D. Stephens.
Where can we reach you?
larrystephens25@gmail.com
Amazon: John P. Gatewood: Confederate Bushwhacker
Thank you, Larry, for this interesting glimpse into your writing and research strategy.
Watch for Part 2 in tomorrow’s post as Larry discusses his new film For Home and Country.
Filed under: Authors, Books, Movies, Photos, Writing Tagged: bushwhackers, Civil War, For Home and Country, historical fiction, history, John P. Gatewood: Confederate Bushwhacker, Larry Stephens, non-fiction, Pelican Publishing
