Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with BC Walker
Book Title: The Meadowlark
Released: 11/18/22
Genre: Historical Fiction
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “The Meadowlark”?
BC Walker: I grew up in Idaho and always felt like I had an “Idaho book” in me. Having written professionally for decades and after winning several awards for personal narrative essays, the urge to write grew. It wasn’t until I took my aging mother to cemeteries for Memorial Day in 2017 and 2018 that the thought turned to action. Two things caught my eye: First, we visited many graves in four cemeteries in that area with death dates no earlier than 1890, and I began wondering about my ancestors—who were there? Where did they come from? Why the consistent dates all post-1885? And how did I come to pass given four sets of great-grandparents in four cemeteries all within 20 miles of each other? Second, as we drove the area, I noticed networks of canals and ditches—all of which had terrified me as a young boy based on stories I had heard of drownings and people being swept away. Curious as to where this water came from, I followed the network on Google maps and discovered a single outlet from the Snake River. A bit of research produced the name “Great Feeder,” and I was smitten by what felt like a story—my story—that had never been told. Many workshop-style discussions with wife and a few other trusted advisors, and the framework for a story with a plot, subplots, and characters emerged. Voila! I had my Idaho book (at least in my head).
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
BC Walker: Nearly all of the names came from researching my family line on familysearch.org. Not all came from direct ancestors. That’s what all call the “old line” in the book. The modern line characters got names that were familiar to me and sort of fell out of my brain once I knew more about each character. Topher is a Christopher but got a more unique handle due to a few Tophers that I know. Emma felt familiar and apropos for a driven-yet-surprised personality.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
BC Walker: The Meadowlark went through at least five major drafts. The first draft fell out onto pages in about three months. From there, holes were identified as well as character inconsistencies. In the “old line,” I was greatly aided by a spreadsheet that tracked birthdates, ages based on time of year, and death dates. The calculus associated with history is punishing if not tracked carefully. I separated both lines in one draft to make sure each line flowed well without too many jumps or anachronisms. In another draft, I tracked character development against plotline development, to ensure a sort of parallelism that would help drive the overall story. For instance, the small twists in the story needed to happen in ways where older and modern characters were having experiences that were aided by the twists rather than separated by too many intervening pages. Several deep edits later, reading it myself at least a dozen times, and then working with a narrator on the audio version all improved the manuscript immensely.
If "The Meadowlark" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
BC Walker: While I’ve already seen The Meadowlark the Movie in my mind multiple times—and even shed tears as I told others about characters as I wrote about their struggles, births, deaths, and more—I would have a hard time casting for the movie. It’s easy to go with well-known A-listers, but I’d probably go with no-names or new actors. Cassie would be tough to cast, since the book starts with her at seven years old and has nearly all phases of her life (teenager, young adult, new bride, young mother, mature adult, senior adult) as is true with a few other characters. My modern protagonist, Emma, on the other hand, is experienced in a few short months for the bulk of the book and then skips forward a few years by the end. Still, I know I’m not answering your question and will probably just dodge this question. :)
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
BC Walker: I don’t typically struggle with putting pen to paper and can often write 2,500 words or more in one sitting. More difficult for me is not leaping too much, where the images and story in my mind seem adequately developed OR harder still is adding something I find clever that ultimately weighs the story down with extraneous matter. In these cases, I regularly turn to my wife, who somewhat willingly wades through these details, largely pretending to know where I’m headed with things but literally knowing me well enough to get me to slow down or speed up, as matters would have it.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
BC Walker: It took me decades to formulate one story. Once I had a solid draft, I hurried on to the next story before running into a wall—not writer’s block exactly but more like “why this story” with no real answer. The Meadowlark was my Idaho book, a book that largely fermented within my soul for 30+ years until a larger framework presented itself with an accompanying “aha” moment. My best advice would be to be patient with the process of story development—or work crazy hard to develop a complete story before launching into the writing process.
What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?
BC Walker: I love the classics—from Les Miserables to more modern books like Old Man and the Sea. And I love Hemingway. There’s something about the cadence of his writing, the driving force of dialog, and the strategic absence of character detail that allows the reader to imagine a character on the fly. I’m positive Hemingway would disagree with how I would describe his characters or who someone would cast in a leading role. He’s simply clear enough and vague enough to let each reader enjoy their own journey.
What are you working on next?
BC Walker: I’m developing a story that may involve some of the characters in The Meadowlark—but may not. I’m intrigued by the region where Willow Creek is set and know it well. I’m semi-autobiographical in my writing, so my sense of place compels some of my story development. As such, there are places that stretch from my fictional Willow Creek to the edges of Yellowstone National Park and east to Grand Teton National Park, with massive farm and mountain country in between. Characters from cowboys to miners and the women who held it all together take me to rodeos, river trips, auto accidents, and more that I have experienced in what many would consider God’s country.
Learn More About the Author and The Meadowlark:
@bcwalkeroriginal and online at bcwalker.com
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
review