THE CAPTIVE BOY by JULIA ROBB Lonestar Book Blog Tour - GIVEAWAY
THE CAPTIVE BOY
by
JULIA ROBB
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date of Publication: December 20, 2015
Number of Pages: 170
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Colonel Mac McKenna's Fourth Cavalry recaptures white captive August Shiltz from the Comanche, only to find August is determined to return to the Indians. McKenna attempts to civilize August to nineteenth century American standards and becomes the boy's foster father. But when August kills another boy in a fight, McKenna rejects him, and August escapes from Fort Richards (Texas). When war with the Comanche breaks out, McKenna discovers August is a war leader – and his greatest enemy.
PRAISE FOR THE CAPTIVE BOY:
"THE CAPTIVE BOY by Julia Robb is a story told in a unique way – through journal entries by several different characters, and a novel within the novel. Robb is masterful in her depiction of each character, bringing to life an intriguing tale of the Old West."
-- Writer's Digest competition judge
"It will capture you and keep you engaged from the beginning all the way through the end and also give you insights into the difficulties faced by those who fought on both sides of the Indian Wars in Texas after the Civil War. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed."
-- Steve Mathisen
"Ms. Robb's research is evident on every page. Without becoming bogged down in detail, she employs just enough of it to paint an accurate picture of a dangerous and unforgiving time."
-- Samuel L. Robinson
CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JULIA ROBB
How has being a Texan influenced your writing?
Being Texan has given me everything I need in writing; a special place and its history, a culture, themes, a deep understanding. Saint of the Burning Heart is about (among other things) the Anglo/Hispanic racial struggle in 1960s Texas, but it’s also about Nicki’s burning, sexual love for Frank, her adopted uncle. Scalp Mountain is about the Indian wars.
Why did you choose to write in your sub-genre?
I wrote Saint of the Burning Heart first and thought about publishing later, which was not the best idea. Saint is general fiction, but agents insisted I needed to write a genre. They said selling general fiction to publishers was much more difficult. I love Texas history, so I wrote Scalp Mountain, set in 1876. I loved doing that so much that I kept writing historical fiction.
Where did your love of reading and writing come from?
My parents are/were readers (my father is dead). So, I’m guessing my love for reading and writing are genetic. I remember hiding novels behind my school book, and my fifth-grade teacher caught me. She was carrying a long ruler and she hit me on the legs with it: WHACK. Writing wasn’t something I chose to do, it’s just who I am. I believe this to be true of almost all writers. We start as readers.
What cultural value do you see in storytelling?
Humans are story. Everything we do is story. We cannot live without story, whether it’s novels, fairy tales, television in all its variations, or movies, or plays. Our culture is the accumulation of story. History is story. George Washington cut down the cherry tree is story. Sometimes I wonder if we’re God’s story, something he sat down and wrote.
What do you think most characterizes your writing?
I can’t write out-and-out bad guys. Everyone has a story, a reason. Actually, there are a lot of out-and-out bad guys in this world, but they repulse me. I need to write understandable characters, and I don’t find evil understandable.
What was the hardest part of writing The Captive Boy?
There was no hard part. The Captive Boy was a joy from the first. I understood Col. Mac McKenna and August Shiltz (the captive boy) had a deep empathy for them both.
What is your favorite quote?
“American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” James A. Baldwin
Julia grew up on the lower Great Plains of Texas, eventually became a reporter, and lived in every corner of the Lone Star State, from the Rio Grande to the East Texas swamps. She couldn’t shake images and experiences and began writing them down.
A priest once disappeared on the Mexican border and that inspired parts of Saint of the Burning Heart. She discovered a hypnotic seducer, who she turned into Ray Cortez, the bad guy in Del Norte. Reading about child Comanche captives and their fates made her want to write about a cavalry colonel who attempts to heal a rescued boy, and that turned into The Captive Boy. Finally, what happens to a man who is in love with another man, in a time and place where the only answer is death? That became Scalp Mountain.
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