Last year, I participated in an epic historical fiction blog tour on behalf of a novel I was itching to delve into ever since it was first offered to me to review for the tour itself! The novel I’m referring to ended up being one of my Top Picks for 2014 (which is included on my End of the Year Survey for 2014; not yet released at time of this posting) due to the breadth of the story combined with the scope of a story-teller who left me ruminatively happy! “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” changed my perception of historical fiction as much as “Inscription” by H.H. Miller. Both writers wrote genre-bending narratives that etch themselves into your mind and heart, to a level that sets the bar quite high for others who follow suit.
I was captured by the journey Ms. Watkins was taking on the Trace, camping out in front of a computer with my Mum & Da, watching her videos like you might serial tv! Each video was honest and shot straight from the Trace itself! The only takeaway we wished we had of that experience is the little green calling card for “To Live Forever” which Ms. Watkins held up during each video! She captured our spirits by her unwavering honesty and her cheeky humour which gave us a lift of joy! Whilst she was on the Trace, I hosted her for a review and an interview (the latter of which she replied to at a stop!), but I knew then, what I know now… Ms. Watkins was one author I would support throughout her career. She has something quite special to share with the world and I knew I had discovered something quite extraordinary!
I was contacted by Ms. Watkins who put me in touch with her publicist in regards to reviewing her first non-fiction release, an autobiography of her journey on the Trace and the time she spent with her father. I was honoured she had reached out to me and I quite happily returned a reply to accept. I received a complimentary copy of “Not Without My Father” from Word Hermit Press in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On my connection to Ms. Watkins:
I felt connected to Ms. Watkins before and after I read her debut novel, “To Live Forever” whilst attempting to keep in touch with her via her blog. Life ebbed and flowed in the months between when I first met her through the blog tour and January 2015 when I am hosting her for the second time, but one moment in particular I remember we both experienced the same agony at the same time! In July 2014, we were both bitten by spiders and equally allergic to them! We had a lovely conversation about it on Twitter, and I couldn’t help smiling realising despite the miles, she understood what I was going through! She’s an incredible writer and motivating spirit — a person I am genuinely thankful my path has crossed with and of whom I am thankful to interact with during the year.
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through her blog as much as I enjoy our random conversations on Twitter. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.
Can an epic adventure succeed without a hero? Andra Watkins needed a wingman to help her become the first living person to walk the historic 444-mile Natchez Trace as the pioneers did. She planned to walk fifteen miles a day. For thirty-four days.
After striking out with everyone in her life, she was left with her disinterested eighty-year-old father. And his gas. The sleep apnea machine and self-scratching. Sharing a bathroom with a man whose gut obliterated his aim.
As Watkins trudged America's forgotten highway, she lost herself in despair and pain. Nothing happened according to plan, and her tenuous connection to her father started to unravel. Through arguments and laughter, tears and fried chicken, they fought to rebuild their relationship before it was too late. In Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, Watkins invites readers to join her dysfunctional family adventure in a humourous and heartbreaking memoir that asks is one can really turn I wish I had into I'm glad I did.
Andra lives in Charleston, South Carolina. A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University. She's still mad at her mother for refusing to let her major in musical theater, because her mom was convinced she'd end up starring in porn films.
In addiction to her writing talent, Andra is an accomplished public speaker. Her acclaimed first novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was published by Word Hermit Press in 2014.
I was taken by the inspiration she felt for her character Meriwether Lewis as much as I was struck by the breadth of the story which emerged out of her and found its way to the page! Her book transcends our reality and delves into the space between what we may or may not be willing to accept as plausible but is altogether possible!
I love the fact this novel is a genre-bender which is difficult to place on a bookshoppe’s shelf and is knitted together in such a way as to cause a rumbling of electric excitement for each reader who picks it up and feels the energy in which is was given to the world.
Let me step back for a moment and allow you to read the conversation which encompassed Ms. Wakins and I, on the verge of her final day on the Natchez Trace!
{: Author Biography :}
Hey. I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years. I’m the author of ‘To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis’, coming March 1, 2014. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.
I like:
hiking
eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
time with my friends
Sirius XM Chill
yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
writing in bed
candlelight
I don’t like:
getting up in the morning
cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
house cleaning
cooking
When I first heard of the premise of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours (of whom is hosting this blog tour!) I must confess, it was such a startling theory for a book to explore that I remember I immediately wanted to read the story! Whilst you were creating the novel, what was your initial impetus to write about Meriwether Lewis in such an extraordinary different vein of existence?
Wakins responds:When a ghost speaks to you, you listen, right? Seriously, I’ve always been fascinated with the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Because Lewis died too young in an unsolved incident, I wondered what would happen if he were given more time, more life. Thinking about what he might do with that time got me started on this story.
I think when you get the impetus to create a story like this one, you cannot back away from the character whose voice is as strong as Meriwether Lewis! Because although, his personality comes across as a bit more sedate than ‘strong’, its his overall presence which for me felt strong rather than introvert. He has a quiet manner about him unless there is something happening which is placing someone he cares for in harm’s way. He is a quiet soul whose strength shines in the moments where his brute grit to overcome endears you to him in a way that is hard to explain. I found him quite unexpectedly lovely!
Did you initially want to pull back the veils of convention and write a historically enriched genre-bender!?
Wakins responds: Yes. Characters from history are rich with new stories, I think. I’ve always been a history geek, but I wanted to take people from history, put them in new situations, and see what might happen.
I oft-wondered if history and the historical past were re-envisioned in the manner in which you undertook Meriwether Lewis, then perhaps the younger generations who feel distant and disengaged from history might endeavour to think that perhaps it’s not as intangible as it feels? History can become daunting to soak into unless the voice behind the historical facts is giving history a light not yet seen as it reflects a different point of view than what is expected. A lot of history is hidden in the shadows, because I think a lot of the truths of how people lived and how they died gets cast away into an unknown file. When you dig and root around in the past, I think we might all be happily surprised by what we uncover! And, your quite right, his untimely and unknown exit in this world is fuel for fodder!
I consider the book to be pioneering the idea writers do not have to hedge themselves into pre-conditioned genres which may or may not speak to their muse. Afterall, inspiration arrives in different ways for different authors. Do you think writers like you are being bold enough to change the mind-set of both publishers and readers? What do you think it will take for writers to realise they have the freedom to tell their stories?
Wakins responds: I think ‘where do I slot this book?’ hampers creativity, and I assert that it is dumbing down both writing and reading. I think the only thing that will change the mind of bigger publishers is money and success, but I think readers crave the new-and-different. I’m a reader, and I know I do.
As to writers having the freedom to tell their stories, they just have to believe in themselves and their stories, invest in their passions, and make their books happen. Don’t expect anyone else to believe in your story more than you do. Your passion will inspire others to believe, too.
I never truly understand why everyone has to fit into a pre-determined ‘box’ either! And, this goes well past books on a bookshelf, straight back to when in childhood there was this perception that everyone had to ‘fit’ somewhere and be placed in one category or another. I think we’ve become a compartmentalised society and have forsaken the free-spirit nature of our past! Writers never used to have to be hampered and pinned to a specific genre, they merely wrote where their inspiration led them to go and the books were accepted on the merit of what was inside by the audience eager to read them! I completely agree writers need to own and defend their stories. Come what may, a writer whose confidence doesn’t falter is the author who will curate an audience in the long run! Readers have a way of being attracted to the writers who remain bold and daring!
Congratulations are in order for you to be the first person (male or female) to walk the Natchez Trace! What inspired you to walk the Trace, aside from the natural curiosity of by-passers to want to read your book? It’s clever PR, but I felt there might be a second reason?
Wakins responds: I’m the first living person to walk the Trace as the pioneers did. Many people walked it before me, but that ceased with the rise of steam power in the 1820s. I wanted to walk the Trace to have a final adventure with my dad. He’s almost 80. While he was still able, I wanted to do something memorable with him, something amazing, that would wring the most out of the life he has left.
I find it commendable that you wanted to give such a beautiful memory to your Dad! The fact that you had your family with you whilst walking the Trace (as seen in your videos) is something that made me smile! I loved seeing the antidotes enter into your videos, and how your expedition became a family affair!
What is the one aspiration you had to learn about yourself as you walked? And, what is the one revelation you had not expected to receive whilst walking?
Wakins responds: Much like writing a book, I had to learn to think about the day I had to walk rather than the DAYS I had to walk. I didn’t know whether I could finish. I’m not an athlete. I’m writing this response on April 2, just nine miles from the finish line. I’m stunned that I’ve done it.
I was equally stunned that I would receive your reply to my Interview, as I was delayed in giving it to you, and somehow I had missed the fact you were walking the Natchez Trace! I wish I had realised it far sooner than I had, as I would have rallied with you on your blog and sent in a Reader Question or two to encourage you on your way! I think I was caught up in my own life and hadn’t thought to look and see what events you were doing ahead of my presence on the blog tour! I agree with you on focusing on one singular day rather than the long stretch of days — I can personally relate to this and I agree that it is the best way to live through any moment in our lives which becomes adverse and difficult to process if we envelope the whole experience in one swallow!
How would you summerise the impact of walking the Natchez Trace after you had spent time researching and writing about Meriwether Lewis? What do you think his observations might have been thus far forward from the time he was there himself!?
Wakins responds: I appreciate the Trace even more than I did. It is an ancient, precious thing we Americans have, and I hope people will take better care of it going forward. I think Lewis would be curious about the cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles that travel the Trace today. A few people ride horses on or near it, but nobody walks.
I find that most curious! Every transportation option we have, we’ve forgotten that most of us were bourne walkers at a time in our historical past where fossil fuels were not a part of our lives! I would have suspected you would have seen more horse-back riders, but the plethora of motorised transportation was a bit surprising! Two January’s ago, I started to walk in nature with my Mum, and I must confess when we first attempted to walk a mile and a half it felt as though our legs were not going to carry-on the will of our hearts! Then, the surprising bit is that with each day we attempted to ‘go a bit further’ we were building up our stamina! And, yes, we are far more sedentary now than we used to be, so for us to even broach past a few blocks in a regular neighbourhood is quite the decisive action to take! Whilst we walk, we notice that others would rather do anything but walk themselves! And, those that we do encounter are too blind to their surroundings as they are in nature for an agenda only they understand! Yet, not to stop and see where they are?! To forego the animals and birds and flowers?! Not to notice the changing colours of the trees and fauna!? I find that even more startling than humans have forgotten how to walk!
I thought it was quite a brilliant idea of vlogging your Reader Questions whilst walking the Natchez Trace! Was there a question you were hoping someone would have asked you and didn’t?!
I hoped more people would ask questions about the book, but people were really curious about my 444-mile walk….especially all the details of going to the bathroom in thin woods next to a road.
I was a bit taken back by how fastidious the questions were in-bounding on this one particular mundane area of our lives! I am sorry they didn’t ask more interesting questions about the characters and subtext!
I love your quirky sense of humour as evidenced in your videos. Especially conceiving the idea to hold up either the book itself or your calling card for it. Quite brilliant, indeed! You and your husband have a lot of light and joy as it comes across in the videos. What do you consider your secret for focusing on the light and joy in life?
Wakins responds: Thank you! We can let life live us, or we can live life. I prefer to live life, to proactively seek experiences that enhance the time I’ve been given, to focus on things that matter. I have my moments of doubt and disappointment like everyone else, but I don’t stay in those moments long.
You’re quite welcome! And, your response mirrors my own family’s mantra for living! You are as blessed as I am!
I am a champion for writers owning their stories and having the daring belief in themselves that their story has merit to be a book. Why do you think writers sometimes struggle against their own intuition whilst on their route to publication verse the few who boldly seek an alternative path for a publisher who understands their vision?
Wakins responds: The publishing industry is a brutal beauty pageant of words. Think about that. Beauty pageants are some of the most grueling, mortifying things imaginable. It was hard to accept that I was never going to be crowned Queen, but once I did, I found a better, kinder path for myself, my characters and my story.
A kinder and more graceful entrance into publication which gave you literary freedom!
Do you think publishers short-change the industry by not believing in the reader’s choice to read a book such as “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”? On the level, that they might not realise the full scope of where our true interest might lie and are only basing their choices on bottom-line statistics? Which in an economical state at present might not be a true perception of the reality of reader’s choices. (especially if a lot of us are borrowing books through our local libraries)
Wakins responds: Publishers want to make money. Period. Many of them don’t care about good writing or a decent story, as long as they can sell the same old thing repackaged and re-purposed a hundred or a thousand times. That’s not every publisher, thankfully, but it’s a lot of them. I knew in my heart that readers would champion my book, and that’s proving true.
Yes, and I think more publishers need to realise that there is this entire well of stories being undiscovered because they are approaching it a bit backwards. The bottom line is one thing, but to use that as a wand to measure against the possibility a book has to enhance a reader’s life is simply wrong. Or at least it is to me. Statistics are never a good measure of what is possible or what can be accomplished.
I recently found you on Twitter, and noticed that you adore sending postal mail! I was interested in writing letters by Post from a young age, as my grandfather collected stamps. I started letter-writing at the age of 11 and have continued to write to friends world-wide to this day. What is your most beloved memory of writing letters and/or exchanging correspondences in the Post? What excites you when you go to send a letter?
Wakins responds: One of my aunts made me love travel by sending me postcards from all over when I was growing up. I do that now. I send postcards to children all over on every trip I take. It excites me to think a postcard might make them curious about the world, that I might be making the same difference my aunt wielded in my life.
And, I find this to be heart-warming and fantastic! I am hopeful when I have children I can get them to be lit with the joy of postal mail, too! I am thinking that they will enjoy having “Aunties” surprise them with postal loveliness as I am able to do myself. There are some aspects of our lives which have to be kept alive by passing forward the tradition of why they are in our lives. A lot people want to believe postal mail is dying — I hate to tell them the opposite is true! Too many letter writers are uniting online and are willing to prove that in reality a heap of mail is being sent each year! I am thankful to be a part of the movement, even though truly, I joined it because I wanted to reach out and get to know someone who lived in a different country other than mine! The world is brought closer to us with each connection we make and if we can make those connections by using the Post? Priceless.
How did you convey Meriwether Lewis in such a startling familiar way as to reach through the portal of time itself and present him in a way where readers could recognise him as though he were real?
Wakins responds: I wasn’t joking when I said he talked to me. I heard his voice very clearly, but that may have come from reading everything he ever wrote. I tried to imagine what his voice would sound like if he lived for 200 years, and I distilled that into something that I hoped would appeal to the modern reader while still honoring his voice.
His voice is very apparent and honest in To Live Forever! You cannot mistake his voice for another nor his personality! You wrote him as true as though he were here to verify his presence! Your research merged into your words in a very eloquent way!
Did you find difficulty in writing the character of the Judge as he is such an evil spirit and nemesis for Lewis?
Wakins responds: Absolutely not! He’s one of history’s juiciest bad guys. I wanted to honor that history with my story.
I hadn’t realised that!? Truly!? Oy vie. Wells, I tip my hat, Ms. Wakins! You have succeeded in honouring him! He was of course, my least favourite character!
What staid with you the most on behalf of Lewis over Clark? How did you choose or elect to focus on Meriwether?
Wakins responds: I thought Lewis was harder to know, and that made him more interesting to me. That and his short life. He was 35 when he died.
When I read the hour of his death occurring in his thirty-fifth year that hit home for me, as I am to have turnt thirty-five myself this Summer.
Since I have staid in Bed & Breakfasts whilst travelling myself, what is your favourite reason for staying in a B&B verse staying in a hotel or roadside lodge? Personally, I find staying with the individual innkeepers is delightful due to the fact they are quite engaging about the surrounding area & townespeople. A more personal approach to travelling with the added benefit of home-cooked meals.
Wakins responds: On the Trace, the bed & breakfast model was most similar to the stands that populated the Trace in the early 1800s. Since my walk mimicked the route of the boatmen, I wanted to honor the stands in the places I chose to stay.
I am not sure what the differences are between the stands on the Trace and the B&Bs that I am familiar with!? Hmm,… I’ll have to do a bit of research!
I feel your pain in regards to the conditions of your feet whilst you walk. I had a similar misfortune whilst hiking in the deep woods of the Appalachian Trail. Where to begin? I wasn’t prepared for the aftermath of hiking, did you go in knowing you could end up with blood blisters and deep callouses or were you as surprised as I was? For me personally, it was a revelation and caution about how to be better prepared next time I make a monumental decision to walk a great distance!
Wakins responds: I never knew how much my feet could hurt until I did this. If I had trained enough to cause blisters and extreme pain, I might not have done the walk in the first place. (Much like your experience with the Appalachian Trail.)
Yes, that is quite true. Except for one exception for me, I learnt later that I had attempted to break in new hiking shoes whilst walking the Appalachian Trail and that is ultimately what led to my blood blisters & foot surgery! In that regard, I would have befitted a bit of knowledge in foot care & the proper way to hike, which is why I felt for you when I saw your videos on the conditions of your feet! The hours I spent dealing with those toes of my own, can back to mind as I saw you facing the same conditions I had! I do hope yours do not lead to surgery,… that is a bird of quite a different feather!
You revealed in a vlog you found a Lewis & Clark nickel around the area of where Lewis made his fatal entrance onto the Trace. I find this especially interesting on two fronts: my grandfather (the one who inspired me to write letters) collected coins, and secondly, it felt as though Lewis was sending you a signal that he appreciates your work. Do you ever feel that you make discoveries and arrive in places where your meant to traverse?
Wakins responds: I always view things like that nickel as a sign. I hope it was Lewis telling me he’s happy with the book. I know I was meant to write this book, and I’m grateful for everywhere it’s taken me.
I completely agree with you!
When you were asked about what you were eating on the Natchez Trace, you thankfully confirmed your diet differs from Lewis & Clark, but I was curious what did you eat exactly? I would imagine it would be energy givers like trail mix, coconut water (natural electrolytes), granola bars, and peanut butter?
Wakins responds: Lots of peanut butter sandwiches, fruit and energy bars, plus big country breakfasts. On hot days, I downed two or three bottles of Gatorade in addition to water.
In lieu of coconut water, Gatorade works wonders! I had a feeling you’d have one of them or the other! Your hat I know came in handy on the hot days, but oh! I bet you were hungry too! I was happy to see you packed wisely! Even though I know in one of your videos you mentioned you would run out!
Aside from videoing your Reader Questions, did you take photographs along the way? Or, did you opt instead to write in a journal the reflections of your days?
Wakins responds: I kept a photo blog at tumblr.com/blog/andrawatkins. I liked the way Tumblr displayed my photos, and that’s why I chose that platform.
Photography is the best way I have discovered for capturing the essence of the moment as I see it myself. I love seeing what I can capture through the lens, and it never fails to amaze me or melt my heart even by how close I can walk up to birds of prey or marsh rabbits. The hawks have a surprising level of depth befitting an old soul, which I previously attributed to an owl! I attempted to view your photography but I do not have a tumblr account.
What was your most perfect day on the trail and what if any birds or wildlife did you appreciate seeing?
Wakins responds: My most perfect day was my hardest one. I started it with diarrhea, and I ran out of toilet paper. I had to walk 13 miles stinking. I was on my period, and I was trying to get a migraine. It was the second week. I was ready to quit, because it didn’t seem like I would ever be finished. At my lowest point, I rounded a bend and saw a field of daffodils winking in the sun. I hauled myself out there and spread out amongst them. I listened to the birds and the applause of the leaves. When I got up, I knew I could finish. It was perfect.
My most unique wildlife sighting was of a bobcat. I appreciated that it didn’t come after me.
My heart went out to you on this note about your most perfect day! What a tremendously horrid set of circumstances to deal with before being in a sea of daffodils which etch away the pain and the heartache of the moment! I am thankful you were given the field to dispel the stress of what happened! And, I agree with you about the bobcat! Although I cherish big cats as much as the domestic variety, I would have been as concerned as you!
shared a story about a certain bird which I smiled at hearing about!
To Live Forever Reader Question 19 by Andra Wakins
I want to express my gratitude to Ms. Wakins who has inspired all of us by her courage to walk the Natchez Trace, but moreso, to find her path inside publishing that allowed us to become endeared to her vision of “To Live Forever”! She took the route most might flinch aside, and I applaud her for having the gumpshun in this age to do what was right for ‘her story!’ rather than what worked for the publishers. She gave us a hearty breadth of a story to absorb, and I am thankful that as this Interview posts she will be exiting the Trace as 3rd April, 2014 is her scheduled day to complete her 444 mile walk in memory of Meriwether Lewis and in reflection of her choice to listen to his voice whilst writing down the bones of his story!
May each of us remember Andra Wakins the day we arrive at the cross-roads of following our hearts and listening to what other people attempt to convince us of otherwise. We each have to dig deep and always follow our heart’s lead and do what is singularly right for ourselves. Nothing else matters if we’ve compromised our souls on the route to our dreams. Do what is right for you and own your story. Your audience will find you. Trust in that.
{NOTE: Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.}
{SOURCES: Cover art of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”, author photograph of Andra Wakins, author biography, and the tour host badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers provided by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}
Acquired By: As soon as I saw this particular tour come through my Inbox from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I elected to request to be a tour stop on the “To Live Forever” virtual book tour. The premise of the book was awe-inspiring and I could not pass up this opportunity to read a book which shattered conventional genre orientations! I was given two spots on the tour, a book review & an Author Interview of which I was grateful! I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Andra Wakins in exchange for an honest review.I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
Whilst reading the virtual tour information for “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” my initial reaction was thus: I love everything about this particular story, from the historical impact to the paranormal implications! There is suspense but there is also the human desire for legacy! A wicked chance to read a book that I cannot quite put my finger on which genre it belongs in! I love finding genre-benders and this one for sure has all the lovely ingredients of a historical novel interspersed with time slip, paranormal tendencies and psychological suspense! As a reader, who dances through genres and whose blood is stirred by the evoking narratives of inventive writers who dare to give a reader a new dimension of a reading experience — I will always champion the rebels with a cause, such as Ms. Wakins! Who boldly refuses to give up on their stories and forge their own path towards publication!
Book Synopsis:
Is remembrance immortality?
Nobody wants to be forgotten, least of all the famous.
Meriwether Lewis lived a memorable life. He and William Clark were the first white men to reach the Pacific in their failed attempt to discover a Northwest Passage. Much celebrated upon their return, Lewis was appointed governor of the vast Upper Louisiana Territory and began preparing his eagerly-anticipated journals for publication. But his re-entry into society proved as challenging as his journey. Battling financial and psychological demons and faced with mounting pressure from Washington, Lewis set out on a pivotal trip to the nation’s capital in September 1809. His mission: to publish his journals and salvage his political career. He never made it. He died in a roadside inn on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee from one gunshot to the head and another to the abdomen.
Was it suicide or murder? His mysterious death tainted his legacy and his fame quickly faded. Merry’s own memory of his death is fuzzy at best. All he knows is he’s fallen into Nowhere, where his only shot at redemption lies in the fate of rescuing another. An ill-suited “guardian angel,” Merry comes to in the same New Orleans bar after twelve straight failures. Now, with one drink and a two-dollar bill he is sent on his last assignment, his final shot at escape from the purgatory in which he’s been dwelling for almost 200 years. Merry still believes he can reverse his forgotten fortunes.
Nine-year-old Emmaline Cagney is the daughter of French Quarter madam and a Dixieland bass player. When her mother wins custody in a bitter divorce, Emmaline carves out her childhood among the ladies of Bourbon Street. Bounced between innocence and immorality, she struggles to find her safe haven, even while her mother makes her open her dress and serve tea to grown men.
It isn’t until Emmaline finds the strange cards hidden in her mother’s desk that she realizes why these men are visiting: her mother has offered to sell her to the highest bidder. To escape a life of prostitution, she slips away during a police raid on her mother’s bordello, desperate to find her father in Nashville.
Merry’s fateful two-dollar bill leads him to Emmaline as she is being chased by the winner of her mother’s sick card game: The Judge. A dangerous Nowhere Man convinced that Emmaline is the reincarnation of his long dead wife, Judge Wilkinson is determined to possess her, to tease out his wife’s spirit and marry her when she is ready. That Emmaline is now guarded by Meriwether Lewis, his bitter rival in life, further stokes his obsessive rage.
To elude the Judge, Em and Merry navigate the Mississippi River to Natchez. They set off on an adventure along the storied Natchez Trace, where they meet Cajun bird watchers, Elvis-crooning Siamese twins, War of 1812 re-enactors, Spanish wild boar hunters and ancient mound dwellers. Are these people their allies? Or pawns of the perverted, powerful Judge?
After a bloody confrontation with the Judge at Lewis’s grave, Merry and Em limp into Nashville and discover her father at the Parthenon. Just as Merry wrestles with the specter of success in his mission to deliver Em, The Judge intercedes with renewed determination to win Emmaline, waging a final battle for her soul. Merry vanquishes the Judge and earns his redemption. As his spirit fuses with the body of Em’s living father, Merry discovers that immortality lives within the salvation of another, not the remembrance of the multitude.
{: Author Biography :}
Hey. I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years. I’m the author of ‘To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis’, coming March 1, 2014. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.
I like:
hiking
eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
time with my friends
Sirius XM Chill
yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
writing in bed
candlelight
I don’t like:
getting up in the morning
cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
house cleaning
cooking
Meriwether Lewis | Enters stage right just past the grave:
Watkins has a gift for eluding to the story as its foreshadowed to unfold by giving her readers a nib and a tasting of where her characters are going to lead both the writer and the unsuspecting reader who bemuseful of curiosity picks up the book to engage in the mystery. She cleverly allows the three main protagonists to make a causal, unfiltered entrance whilst giving the reader a nibbling of suspense about the purported dimensional expanse in which they live. One of the reasons I was attracted to reading this particular story is the level of interest in the unknown. For as many near-death experiences there are of those who return back to earth as they stepped out of the light to come back to their earthly lives; there are a multitude of examples of what ‘lies beyond the veil’.
The Meriwether who steps into the forefront of this particular story is a nearly-jaded (here I refer to ‘nearly’ as a piece of his spirit half-hinges himself to a hope he no longer feels possible) downtrodden Meriwether who has lost the will to see the point in his existence. After attempting task after task to sort out where he is and how to exit the in-between world he’s tethered too, you gain the sense he is walking the path between madness and fugue.
Unbeknownst to Meriwether, I do believe is his fatherly nature and tendencies towards children. I think he was plumb aghast at how well he fared whilst in the company of Miss Emmaline. A natural bourne role model for young people, giving them something to chew on by appreciating their worth at their age of youth. He treats her with respect and talks to her straight, allowing her to process what she needs to hear. He listens and he’s attentive and that is one of the best bits to seeing Meriwether in this way. Emmaline humbles his weathered and jaded heart.
My Review of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis:
The opening bits of To Live Forever surely by George tug quite a heap at your heart-strings! Emmaline is a young girl, all of nine years when her mother strategically out favoured her father in the judge’s eyes for sole custody. The very words sole custody etch out a shuddering straight to the core of a little girl’s soul! Dragged away from the one parent who loved her beyond selfish desires and needs, Emmaline is forced to grasp a hold of the whisperments of her father’s memory until the day could arrive where she could change her stars and reunite with him permanently.
Caught up in the darkest of night behaviours, Emmaline is fated of having a mother whose only intentions towards her daughter are to earn her keep out of her. I cringed reading the passages of where only Aunt Bertie could save Emmaline’s life from being snuffed out from love completely! A measure of a man’s humanity is oft laid bare by his actions towards his children. If Emmaline’s mother had to stand trial on grounds of character choices and humanity she would no sooner see the daylight again than a bat caught in the nettles of a sewer tunnel! Young Emmaline is gifted by a singular grace of affecting herself to the light within the days she has never quite been free to live within. Her inner spirit hugs her close to the truths of life and its her raw courage which solidifies her ability to reach out to Meriwether in a darkened alley.
Words ooze out of Wakin’s narrative as sweet as a honeycomb to a tending worker bee. She has a way of conveying imagery, both hauntingly dangerous and tragically poignant with the flick of her pen and a dribble of her ink. All of which fuses into a new tangible version of Southern Gothic intermixed with historical fiction purveying the notion that our past is entwined to our present as much as our future. Time is temporal and To Live Forever is a living thesis towards that end. The novel breathes and extends its own narrator around the interjections of the characters on its flattened stage.
Emmaline and Meriwether’s sojourn trek into the wilds of the Natchez Trace held me reflective of their plight. Not merely to reach Nashville, in order to seek out Emmaline’s father but of the greater disadvantages against them. Of Meriwether never truly seeing himself for the man he was but rather the disillusioned sigh of a lost legacy. Emmaline was still young enough to grow and find in maturity a strong path towards individual freedom. Each of them were tied to a future bent against them by situations out of their control. Striving to forge a better path to walk, they found reassurance in each other knowing that any journey worth taking is sometimes lessened in adversity when shared.
The natural world is the backdrop of To Live Forever, fraught with an indecisive urge to complicate their expedition by presenting new challenges neither of them had yet experienced. For Meriwether he’s being given the chance at redemption, and towards living a half-life of what his life could have been had he lived past his time of death. In Emmaline, I see an urchin of an innocent girl stalwart and strong in her internal hope to carry her through the aching tides of her adolescence. Her courage runs deeper than her confidence due to a few kind souls who crossed her path for the good.
The story is interwoven as a refractive mirror of the Natchez Trace itself. The harder you believe any blight of adversity is in your life to conquer and overcome, the more your spirit will start to believe your too fragile to try anything. The Trace is a test of wills as much as it’s a test of inner fortitude to re-strengthen our shield against unwanted storms and periods of stress which arise out of nowhere. Life can ebb and flow, bobbing us along until we’re ready to see what our eyes blinded us towards revealing. All of our passageways lead us further towards where our feet are meant to land, but what if we hold ourselves back from the greatest revelations of all? Simply because we’re not willing to alight where we’re lead to go? The Trace is unique in that it withholds its past like a tightly woven tapestry. Each piece of its innate soul is stitched inside the weathered path where feet and souls mingled into the mist. There lessons linger and their spirits shudder to grieve.
There is an ever-knowing pool of truth and hope awaiting us around each bend and turn. The people we feel we are ‘randomly’ encountering are the kind of teachers and advisers we might never expect would be important to our growth. Listen with compassion. Be kind to strangers who might one day become a cherished friend. Grow through friendship and rise each day realising the beauty of the hour. Our lives are leading us through the light and back inside it.
On Illustrations | Reflective fragments of text:
A delight for someone who appreciates illustration, art, and design as much as I do will appreciate the cover-art splashing out an array of the internal illustrations peppered throughout the novel itself! They arrive rather unexpectedly as you travel through the chapters. A bit of a sketch here, and an elusive sketch over here, attempting to give you another fragmented piece of the whole. I like the old-school approach to the sketches themselves and if I had thought to ask ahead of time, I would have asked Ms. Wakins about their origins whilst I was still composing my Interview which posts on Thursday! The vivid detail in carbon textured visuals is a treat for me, as I always felt one place most novels lose a bit of creative edge is from withholding illustrators from illuminating their novels with art.
There is a geometric shift in book production where stock imagery has morphed away the originality of most cover designs to where its hard to distinguish at times who was the forerunner and who took up the lead from the one who followed next. I miss the uniqueness of book cover art as only a few Indie publishers still strive towards giving us a peek of a view of the internal world inside the stories whilst gracing their covers with conversational stirring projections! I am blessed to host blog tours with the few I am referencing in this paragraph!
Not all book covers yield to this opinion, but you have to admit, how oft do you wander around a bookshoppe and feel as though you’re staring into the sameness of what was already released!? As though if you were to stack a heap of books end to end with each other, they would look like twins rather than fraternal cousins four times removed!? The differences in design and the elements in which covers resonate with us boil down to typography, colour, elemental ornamentation, and a cheeky clever way of cluing the audience in on a ‘slice’ of what they will find revealed by the ending chapters fall close. And, this dear hearts is where Ms. Wakins outshines the lot!
I loved the clever surprise in who “Mister Jack’ was in reality! This nature-loving girl felt all giddy inside when she connected the dots, which nearly occurred half a step ahead of Emmaline!
A note of gratitude on behalf of the author, Ms. Wakins:
I classified this novel several different ways to Sunday under “topics, genres, and subjects” because it fits quite easily into quite a few distinctive areas of literature! For me, its occupying the ethereal space between psychological suspense intermingled with Southern Gothic, with a pinch of Horror-lite (I blame the Judge!)! Horror-lite for me implies that there are bits and bobbles of ‘horror’ thrown in for good measure but not overtly so as to be disturbing or distracting. Once your reading a novel by Ms. Wakins your lulling in the water of the Mississippi, fully aware of where you are but caught up in her stream of lucid dream-state story-telling where you barely notice the darker points around the fringes of the story because your caught up in the adventure of the central plot surrounding Meriwether Lewis!
I earmarked ‘vulgarity in literature’ as a way to reference the lovely gift Wakins wrote into her début novel; with one singular foul-mouthed character she championed every inch of what I have been lamenting about myself for quite a while now on Jorie Loves A Story! That there are far better ways to express yourself and that sometimes, even though you walk a line in life yourself, you cannot always help but encounter a few people who might push your buttons towards one extreme or the other. It’s how you find the balance and how you learn to embrace the ruts in the road which will define your characters in the long run.
Virtual Road Map for “To Live Forever Tour”
Be sure to scope out upcoming tours I will be hosting with:
Natchez Trace Map of the walking route Andra Walkins undertook to promote her début novel “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”. Map supplied by the author for the virtual blog tour.
The Natchez Trace is a 10,000-year-old road that runs from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Thousands of years ago, animals used its natural ridge line as a migratory route from points in the Ohio River Valley to the salt licks in Mississippi. It was logical for the first Native Americans to settle along the Trace to follow part of their migrating food supply. When the Kaintucks settled west of the Appalachians, they had to sell their goods at ports in New Orleans or Natchez, but before steam power, they had to walk home. The Trace became one of the busiest roads in North America.
An extra special surprise for readers:
Whilst Ms. Wakins undertook the grueling 444 miles walk along the Natchez Trail, she brought a free-spirited funny-bone tickling sense of humour with her as a constant companion on the road! As evidenced through her cheekily humourous responses to “reader submitted author questions” whilst she walked! Filmed wherever she happened to be on the Trace, I implore you to sit back, pull up a comfy chair and a cuppa of your favourite brew! I’d personally go with hot cocoa or fresh brewed hot chai,…
[ To Live Forever | Natchez Trace 444 Mile Walk Start ] by Andra Wakins
Start with her video diary Question 1 & watch straight-through!
After you listen to several, come back & add your reflections in the comment threads!
To Live Forever is a humbling tale of adventure and the juxtaposition of immortality, death, and life as it evolves throughout our days on earth and what fore-falls us in the next. Atmospherically enriched by characters happily brought forward to meet as you journey with Emmaline and Meriwether. Do you feel you can relate to some of the life lessons and cardinal truths I hinted about in my review!? Have you noticed similar intuitive resonations in your own life which have led to either a renewal of hope or a resolution of an obstacle once on your path?! How did you react when you learnt the author walked the 444 mile Natchez Trace route!? Did you feel as I did that she not only undertook a trail to promote her book, but she re-traced a part of Meriwether Lewis’s life to where the past had a deep impact on the future? A cross-roads of one life intersecting with another? What do you like the best about reading stories like To Live Forever where the writer focuses you to think about ethereal dimensions just outside of our view!?
{SOURCES: Cover art of “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis”, book synopsis, author photograph of Andra Wakins, author biography, the Natchez Trace map & Natchez Trace Walk Infomation and the tour host badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. The video by Andra Watkins had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it.}
Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace
Andra lives in Charleston, South Carolina. A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University. She's still mad at her mother for refusing to let her major in musical theater, because her mom was convinced she'd end up starring in porn films.
