I am finding myself gravitating towards seeking out more biographical (historical) fiction stories whereupon the writers have found a beautiful impetus to write compelling dramas and novels spun out of the fabric of their ancestral past! Stories where the living persons who lived are part of the writer’s family, and within this nexus of choices, they are uncovering honest impressions of life from centuries not too far into the historical past which compel us to re-examine our own thoughts on not only these life-affirming subjects and topics but to pull back the veil on time a bit more to discover how far we’ve progressed forward whilst noting how much work is still left to do to resolve any leftover grievances.
I love curling inside historical fiction as a genre, because where else can you find the warmth of living inside an era you were not bourne into but with the safety of walking onto the holodeck? I like being able to time travel to any century of my choosing whilst finding stories seeking to endeavour my heart to find a new reason for a repeat visit. Writers have a way of inspiring their readers to find new niches of time and history to explore, and when it came to reading about Redfield Farm my own heart fluttered a bit because I had members of the Underground Railroad in my own ancestral past!
Unlike Ms Coopey’s connection to the Railroad being presumed rather than confirmed, I have found historical evidence where other members of my extended family unearthed confirmations where my great-grandfather not only had a stop on the Underground Railroad but he put his land and family at risk to save the lives of those who passed through.
No matter what your familial connection is to this tumultuous time in history, it was defined by the brave souls who not only ventured out of the South into the North, to start their lives over in a place where they were no longer judged through their differences but it is a testament to the moral will of man to stand against oppression and right the wrongs where history tries to forget where mankind erred on judging in lieu of accepting a tolerance for our own uniqueness which gives our world a melting pot of culture, tradition, and history.
I was thankful I had the opportunity to ask a few questions about the story itself as well as how uncovering hidden history and ancestral data can be exciting for a researcher! I hope you will enjoy reading the conversation as it unfolded!
Book Synopsis of Redfield Farm:
Ann Redfield is destined to follow her brother Jesse through life – two years behind him – all the way. Jesse is a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Ann follows him there as well.
Quakers filled with a conviction as hard as Pennsylvania limestone that slavery is an abomination to be resisted with any means available, the Redfield brother and sister lie, sneak, masquerade and defy their way past would-be enforcers of the hated Fugitive Slave Law.
Their activities inevitably lead to complicated relationships when Jesse returns from a run with a deadly fever, accompanied by a fugitive, Josiah, who is also sick and close to death. Ann nurses both back to health. But precious time is lost, and Josiah, too weak for winter travel, stays on at Redfield Farm. Ann becomes his teacher, friend and confidant. When grave disappointment disrupts her life, Ann turns to Josiah for comfort, and comfort leads to intimacy. The result, both poignant and inspiring, leads to a life long devotion to one another and their cause.
Redfield Farm was inspired due to a real-life (potential) connection to the Underground Railroad, which perked my own interest to ask how did the story take it’s genesis from a plausibility undocumented to a novel in hand?
Coopey responds: The idea that my ancestors might have been involved in the Underground Railroad intrigued me and piqued my interest in the Underground Railroad itself. So I started to read about it, first to try to find some documentation of my ancestors’ involvement, but also because I found the whole operation fascinating. People willing to put their business and social ties on the line, willing to risk ostracism, jail, fines or even their lives. Wow! That’s dedication beyond anything I’ve ever been asked to do. So I wanted to know more, and the more I learned, the more the story emerged from my research.
Is this the first time ancestral data from your own family’s heritage has sparked an interest to seek out a story rooted in historical fact and imagined through fiction? If not, what do you enjoy the most about the process of research which yields these results?
Coopey responds: Yes, it was the first time family history sparked my interest, but since then small bits of family history manage to creep into my writing. Not that my family history is any more interesting than anybody else’s. It’s fascinating to study your roots and find little stories that have a grounding in truth.
I love doing research. In fact, I have to stop myself and get down to writing at some point. I’ve always loved history – any history – anybody’s history. We all have stories to tell, and I find that my stories grow out of my research.
What do you feel is harder to do, take a known story about a person who lived and turnt their life into fiction or to re-imagine a story that might have happened but there is no proof of? What do you feel gives the most flexibility to the writer?
Coopey responds: Definitely the latter. I wouldn’t try to tackle a known story about a person who actually lived it because there is so much chance of getting it wrong, or giving an interpretation that somebody else would disagree with. My historical fiction is true to time and place and gives the reader a sense of how it was, but I love the freedom of creating my own characters and giving them a good story to work their way through.
As you like to write compelling historical fiction from the perspective of stories which are character centered and driven, what do you like to noodle out of their personalities to give them credence and grounding for today’s reader?
Coopey responds: It’s hard to describe how characters develop. You start out knowing very little about them, but by the time you’ve taken them through their adventures, they’ve become very real to you. Once that happens, you follow through by relating how they would respond to their situations because you know who they are and how they would behave. It’s the writer’s responsibility to keep within the character they’ve created. That’s what makes them real.
What is the main difference between a Historian and a Genealogist as I noted you are both? Which hat do you think fits you the best and gives you the most joy?
Coopey responds: An historian’s role is broader than a genealogist’s, but beyond that, their tasks and responsibilities are much the same. Each has to delve deeply into her subject, keep accurate records of sources, quote accurately and interpret responsibly. I love both, but the historian role is the one I use most in my writing. Any genealogical reference in my writing is incidental. I can’t choose between the two, but I will say that sometimes when I should be writing, I get off on genealogy and spend a lot of time. It’s my guilty pleasure and my retreat.
Have you ever uncovered something about your own heritage and past that surprised you or gave you a measure of pause to fully process what was uncovered?
Coopey responds: I haven’t been that lucky! One of my ancestors was killed by the Indians in the French and Indian War. Another was wounded by a cannon ball in the arm and granted 25% disability which earned him a discharge and a tiny pension in the War of 1812. They were common folk, living their lives against the tapestry of history, like everybody else.
How did you choose to anchour your Underground Railroad story between compassion, faith, and living by a heart whose spirit has accepted a truth not yet recognised?
Coopey responds: Sometimes I think the story is out there, revealed in research and I am just the conduit through which it gets to the page. I don’t make conscious decisions about my characters’ moral positions. They are who they are, and I just tell their story. I leave it up to the reader to determine their relationship to the world.
In order to give such an authentic voice and spotlight on the Underground Railroad, where did your research take you? Did you concentrate solely on what was written by local historians or did you get to interview people who knew of that era and time through their own research? Were there stories left behind to serve as a guide?
Coopey responds: Many of the fugitive slaves wrote their memoirs, as did a few of the “conductors.” One of the most famous accounts is that of Levi Coffin, written in the 1870s as a memoir. Coffin was a white Quaker living in southern Indiana and Ohio, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky, a slave state. Another fine memoir was that of William Still, a black man who lived in Philadelphia and was active in helping fugitives escape. The sources on the Underground Railroad are rich with first hand accounts from the slaves themselves, so it is easy to gain a sense of what it was like. I choose to use primary sources as often as possible, but there are some well-researched modern books on the subject that were indispensible in my research.
What do you think might be the most transformative blessing a novel like Redfield Farm might inspire from the readers who discover it’s message?
Coopey responds: Compassion. The realization that any one of us could have been born into slavery or found ourselves compelled by conscience to do whatever we could to help. Knowing that people cared enough to modify their homes, risk their lives and keep doing it until the job was done has always been an inspiration to me, and, I hope, to my readers.
Do you have a novel in the works which will highlight another thread of your ancestral past or are you going to take your readers to an era which whets a palette of interest of your own?
Coopey responds: I’m on the second volume of a trilogy, a family saga set against the 19th century iron industry in Pennsylvania. Now, before your eyes glaze over, I can assure you that this family’s story is as full of struggle, happiness, disappointment and love as anybody else’s. I just get to tell that story. Volume One of The Juniata Iron Trilogy, The Furnace, came out last October. Volume Two, Brothers, will be out in November.
Thank you for your interest in my work.
And, it was my pleasure to be able to host this interview in order to seek out a bit of the back-story information on behalf of ‘Redfield Farm’ as I was truly curious about where fact and fiction merged together to produce the novel! Thank you in return for being candid and open to my enquiries!
This blog tour is courtesy of: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
The Virtual Road Map for “Redfield Farm” can be found here:
Tonight my review on behalf of Redfield Farm will be revealed! Be sure to visit the rest of the blog tour as other book bloggers are reading and reviewing the three other featured books by Ms Coopey! You might even find another author guest feature to read whilst you await my ruminations!
Find all the wicked happy stories coming soon to Jorie Loves A Story:
Reader Interactive Question:
What do you find to be the best part of discovering a historical novel based on real-life settings, circumstances, and people who lived whilst their stories are set within a fictional world? Have you read other stories of the Underground Railroad you would recommend to me? I loved reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin (review) and I am looking forward to reading Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli in May as a readalong with Cassie @casseroleblog! (we met-up at #HistoricalFix | @HistoricalFix Inaugural Chat hosted by Erin Lindsay McCabe (@ErinLindsMcCabe) of I Shall Be Near to You (review). Although I do believe we were both in attendance of the #IShall chat too!
For those who love chattering about #histfic on Twitter, stay tuned! The next #HistoricalFix chat is upcoming this Summer : July 2015! Be sure to follow the chat’s feeds for more info!
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Redfield Farm”, author photograph for Judith Redline Coopey, author biography, book synopsis, and blog tour banner were all provided by HFVBT (Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours) and used with permission. Conversations with the Bookish Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva. Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.
Tweets shared on behalf of this Interview:
{ share if inspired }
.@HFVBT UPCOMING next on #JLASblog: the #JudithRedlineCoopeyBlogTour! :) Interview w/author this afternoon, review of Redfield Farm in eve!
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) April 6, 2015
.@HFVBT | @JudithCoopey #JudithRedlineCoopeyBlogTour #Author Interview NOW LIVE: http://t.co/WuUEfYJkWN #histfic of Underground Railroad
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) April 6, 2015
.@casseroleblog | @HistoricalFix s/o of #bookjoy to fellow #bookblogger & the NEW #histfic chat I <3 http://t.co/WuUEfYJkWN 19thC #history
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) April 6, 2015
Leave a Reply