Behind The Book: The Storekeeper’s Vigil
Writers usually write about those things they know, of things familiar, sometimes simply things in which they find comfort. I understand that impulse. I follow it myself often.
Growing up in rural West Tennessee, the first stories I heard were in the form of oral history passed down to me by my grandparents, great-grandparents and great-aunts and uncles. They passed on stories of moral compromise, hardship, pain and loss. They also passed down tales of courage, inner strength, hope and renewal.
One of the stories that always resonated with me on a deeper level was that of my great-grandfather, Newt Talbott. I grew into manhood hearing stories about the man and his influence on his community. He was quiet, contemplative, peaceful and decent, a man who loved his community and worried about others. I heard stories from relatives about how he fed the poor, extended credit to people at his little general store, people who could not get it otherwise, and found ways to help others despite his own lean circumstances.
The Family Story Behind The Storekeeper's Vigil
Perhaps the stories that struck me most poignantly were the ones about my great-grandfather during the excruciating years of World War II while he anxiously awaited the return of my grandfather from the front.
My grandfather, Luther Talbott, served from 1942 to 1945 and fought in both the European and Pacific Theaters of War. He eventually would be a veteran of serious battles including Operation Overlord (D-Day), Cherbourg, the invasion of Southern France and the entire campaigns of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Newt Talbott not only anxiously awaited his son’s return, but he also actively found ways to follow his son’s journey as best he possibly could.
He was resourceful and creative in his pursuit of knowledge about his son’s activities and whereabouts. This was especially challenging. By 1942, Newt was beginning to lose his sight and his heart was weakening. He was a sick man, but that didn’t keep him from being a devoted father or giving back to the community and the people he loved.
As I thought of his story over the years, I began to look for a way to memorialize it, to commemorate it. I finally discovered a way to honor both the man and his story. I would fictionalize the story and tell it through a different lens.
Behind the Pages: Characters’ Backstory
The characters and narratives of The Storekeeper’s Vigil and Other Tales emanate from my own family history. Newt became Nute Jackson and Luther became Luke Jackson.
I already knew the character of Nute Jackson long before I gave him a name. I could write authentically about his emotions, his worries and his hopes, because he was inspired by Newt Talbott, my great-grandfather.
Creating the character of Luke Jackson was especially rewarding for me, as he was based on my grandfather, Luther Edward “Junior” Talbott, a man of boundless curiosity and a quiet demeanor.
The town of Asaton, Tennessee, was born and a cast of characters, all of whom had inspiration in a past reality, became part of a story of endurance and wartime anxiety.
The story of Melvin and Sarah Linton was the story of many grieving parents who lost a son on foreign soil, a son they’d never see or speak to again, but never stop loving. In the lives of real Melvins and Sarahs, there were always neighbors and friends who found ways to comfort the grieving. Nute Jackson was that neighbor in The Storekeeper’s Vigil and he interacted with a cast of characters who find him an oddity and sometimes downright exasperating.
The characters around Nute Jackson grew out of reality and an imaginative spin of local history. They are varied and quirky, a trait we Southerners like to think original to our region, factual or not.
As you read this book, you’ll see this story, this legacy, come to life through the art of fiction. The primary story, framed in the form of a novella, is The Storekeeper’s Vigil and it is on these pages you’ll get to know Nute Jackson. I think you’ll like him, come to understand him and, hopefully, form a bond with his character.
The Storekeeper’s Vigil and Other Tales is, at its heart, a tribute to the families who anxiously awaited the return of their sons. Through fiction, the book honors both my family’s personal legacy and the shared experiences of countless families.
Good reading!
If you found this story interesting, you can learn more about the book or buy it here.
This post is part of a series of Behind The Book: The Storekeeper’s Vigil and Other Tales. The next two posts will dive deep into the complementary short stories, the “other tales”. Stick around for more behind the book content coming up.
