Too a large degree--and I think this is particularly
true of writers--we're influenced by the places where we grow up or live for
extended periods.
As writers, whether we love or loathe these places,
they tend to show up in our work.
I know it's true for me. Most of my published novels
and short stories are set in places where I've lived. I grew up, and now live
again, in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region, right on the edge of what's
known as the Pennsylvania Dutch country.
So my environment is a mix of what some might term
bleak and harsh (the area ravaged by centuries of coal mining and now depressed
by lack of economic opportunity) and the more romantic Amish and non-Amish
tourist destinations. In fact, there is beauty and despair in both areas.
The beauty can be found in both scenery and people,
though it may be less obvious in the former.
Interested in geology? The Whaleback Anticline near
my home in Shamokin is considered one of the most impressive geological
formations in the eastern United States. Plant fossils are common in shale in
the surrounding area, which is considered a natural laboratory for the
geologists, students and others who annually visit the site. http://www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20032474.pdf
If you'd like to get an idea what it was like to
work in the mines, I recommend a visit to Pioneer Tunnel in Ashland. You can
descend 1,800 feet into the mine tunnel where a guide will explain how coal is
mined. Bring a sweater, because temperature in the mine drops to an average 52
chilly degrees. http://www.pioneertunnel.com/
History is abundant throughout the region. Thomas
Edison came to my hometown Shamokin in 1882 and the world's first three-wire
electric light plants were opened under his direction in July 1883 in Sunbury
and Shamokin. The first church to have electric lighting was St. Edward's (now
Mother Cabrini Catholic parish) in Shamokin.
I serve as librarian for our county historical
society in Sunbury and we're quartered in the home of the last commander of Fort
Augusta, a bastion formed for defense in the French and Indian War. Just across
the river in Northumberland is the home of Joseph Priestley, dissident minister
and scientist, the discoverer of oxygen. Lorenzo DaPonte, Mozart's librettist, also
lived in Sunbury for a time before being tempted to New York by Clement Moore.
DaPonte had a role in Schlussel's Woman,
my first novel.
Three writers who've had influence on me also have
roots in this area. Though he spent much of his career in New York City, John
O'Hara was a native of Pottsville (Gibbsville in many of his best stories),
just up the road from Shamokin. Then there's Conrad Richter, born just over the
hill in Tremont, who came back to live in Pine Grove after a sojourn in New
Mexico. His historical fiction is set in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Mexico,
places he knew well. Darryl Ponicsan, whose fiction and screenwriting cover a
wide spectrum, showed his roots in the 1973 novel Andoshen PA., a transposed spelling of his hometown, Shenandoah.
Though my most recent novel The Tithing Herd is a western, my home area continues to provide
the most inspiration for stories. I’m
giving away a copy of The Tithing Herd
to one lucky person. Leave a comment for
your change to win. Please include a form
of contact.
Bio:
A retired newspaper editor, J. R. Lindermuth is the author of
16 novels and a non-fiction regional history. Since retiring, he has served as
librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with
genealogy and research. He lives and writes in a house built by a man who rode
with Buffalo Bill Cody. His short stories have appeared in a variety of
magazines. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Short
Mystery Fiction Society, where he served a term as vice president. You are
invited to visit his website at: http://www.jrlindermuth.net
(Info Author Provided-Credits to http://www.pioneertunnel.com/)
John, my family was transferred to West Virginia just before my senior year in high school. I'd lived in Oklahoma all my life, as had my parents, so that area of the country was totally different for us. We made some trips into Pennsylvania--so beautiful there! Of course, there wasn't time to see everything we wanted to see--Dad was working a lot and didn't have much time off and we just had to make a short trip here and there as we could.
ReplyDeleteSo many parts of Pennsylvania are beautiful, John. It's easy to see why it inspires you. Good luck with your book!
ReplyDeleteWhat an informative and interesting post. The historical significance is fascinating. Your Western would be wonderful. Thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love history and find your books fascinating, John. I find it interesting that you live in a house built by someone who rode with Buffalo Bill. I'm in the process of looking for a home now, and I love the historical homes. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJ.R., my parents came from your neck of the woods. My maternal grandmother lived in Sunbury, and my maternal grandfather once worked in the coal mines in Shamokin. A little down the road, my dad, along with his parents and 2 brothers lived in Numidia in a little school house they converted into a home.
ReplyDeleteI can certainly understand how you are inspired by both the dark and the beauty of North Central, Pennsylvania. I visited all our relatives once or twice a year while my parents were alive and I remember it so well. My favorite part was coming over the mountain and seeing all the patchwork quilt of farms. That place was inspiring to me, too. I wrote about my Uncle John (my dad's brother who died at age 21 from drowning) and I gave him a life and described their house and Numidia as best as I could remember it.
You remind me, even though I have lived in the South most of my life, that Pennsylvania will always be dear to me and a place where I had so much happiness. What a coincidence we both publish with Prairie Rose Publication/ Sundown Press imprint.
I thoroughly enjoyed your article and wish you all the very best with THE TITHING HERD.
Thanks for helping publicize, Cheryl. West Virginia and Pennsylvania have much in common, both the good and the bad from mining.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support and comment, Jennifer. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Traveler.
ReplyDeleteHi John, Love your post. I lived in NJ near the Delaware, so I spent time in Lancaster and environs. Beautiful country. Also, my daughter went to Dickinson College in Carlyle(spelling?.) My foster daughter went to Albright up in Reading; talk about a depressed city.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the economy in the area. I hope life gets better for all the people there. Mining coal is a tough business and they deserve a good life.
Just in case, franoren2@yahoo.com
By the way: The cover of the book is amazing.
Fran
Very interesting, John. I have visited parts of Pennsylvania and loved what I saw, but you add a lot to my perception of the state. I have thought recently that, in addition to Annette Snyder's wonderful blog series, which takes us on visits to all 50 states during the year, many authors also enhance our arm chair travel experiences...Diane Mott Davidson, (Colorado), Wm. Kent Kruger, (Minnesota), Dana Stabenow, (Alaska), Ellen Hunter, (North Carolina), and so many more. I learned from Ellen Hunter that a real location blended into a fiction story can be a special treat, and my husband and I toured the Wilmington, NC area with one of her books in hand. (Even choosing restaurants from her stories.) Fun. That enhanced my own already blooming passion to depict the real Arkansas Ozarks in what was otherwise fiction! Thanks for taking us to your area. Radine Trees Nehring
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting place and, even more so to me because you returned to it. I could never go back to the place I grew up in the Southwest after discovering the South and trees, cool air, and rain rather than "dry" heat. What a place to motivate your writing.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to read about your State, John. I drove through Penn State, or part of it, enroute to Washington DC but have never stayed there, apart from changing planes at Philadelphia. Must now put the State on my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marja. Good luck with the house hunt. I think a house without history is just a building.
ReplyDeleteSarah, that's interesting. We were practically neighbors. Thanks for the support and comment.
ReplyDeleteHi, Fran. I lived in Lebanon for 20 years and, so, spent time in both Lancaster and Reading. John Updike comes from Shillington, just outside of Reading.
ReplyDeleteRadine, what's great about this blog series is how it introduces us to so many other wonderful areas of this country. Thanks for commenting. Best to you and John.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. Appreciate the comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret. You're welcome to visit anytime.
ReplyDelete