Gene : In 1972. My husband & I had moved from Phoenix to Cave Creek, Arizona so that I could be closer to the New Dick Van Dyke Show, where I worked as assistant to the script supervisor. When it moved back to California it was time to pull out the writing urge from the back of my mind & do something about the writing courses I had studied in college.
The first article I wrote was about a historic, rowdy old bar & the outrageous things that went on there. I submitted it to Arizona Magazine, the Sunday supplement to The Arizona Republic newspaper. It sold the first time out, which was very encouraging. I continued free-lancing, & I don't really remember any rejections from the magazine. I remember one time I wanted to write an article titled How to Cater an Endurance Horse Race, but I didn't believe that a query would get a go-ahead, so I made an appointment with the editor & took the two main characters with me. That did it. It became a very funny story.
The next year I got a job as feature articles writers for Carefree Enterprise Magazine. I noticed a store that had advertised with them was vacant, so I called the editor, Marg Rinehart, to tell her that she would be wasting her time & money to continue advertising it. As soon as I said, “This is Gene Garrison,” she said, as though she knew me, “Oh, Gene, I've been meaning to call you. Would you write for us?” She had been reading my articles in Arizona Magazine. My answer began a 20-year career with the Enterprise.
Rebecca : How did you meet Hube Yates, the storyteller of From Thunder to Breakfast?
Gene : Everybody in Cave Creek knew him. People kept telling me I should interview him. I knew he was a charmer before I ever met him. One day I simply walked up to him on the street & said, “I'll bet you're Hube Yates, aren't you?” “Yes, I am,” He answered.
We started out with one story to see if it was sellable. It was. Again, it sold the first time out. Hube was so full of stories, & such a joy to listen to, that I suggested I write a book of his adventures. He agreed. At the time he ran a riding stable, so the stories had to be told when he didn't have horseback riders to take out.
He had a hunting ranch about 200 miles away at Heber, Arizona. Every summer he took his horses & a group of riders there over treacherous, mountainous trails in a wilderness area called The Mazatzals. Don't try to pronounce it. It's not like it looks. The opportunity for campfire tales was immense. Riders expected it all ten nights that they camped out, & it kept them laughing far into the nights. & at the cabin at the end of the journey the Yates family almost always had company, so that was another time for stories. I saw it as an advantage for me to work on the book, even though I couldn't go on the trip, so I packed a kit consisting of blank audio tapes, & stamped envelopes addressed to me, & told Hube my bright idea: “You'll be telling stories, so when you do, why don't you get out your tape recorder, slip in a tape, and send it off to me? I can work on them over the summer.” Well, no tapes arrived at my mailbox, so when he returned in October I mentioned it. He said, “I don't like to talk to a machine.” I smiled. He really enjoyed the interaction of an audience. So we got on his schedule again.
Rebecca : Why did you write a book about widowhood?
Gene : Widowhood Happens is quite different. I had a friend, Margaret, whose husband died. She insisted I write a book about the problems of widowhood because “you can't imagine what widows go through.” She said there were no books that tell it like it is. I resisted: “No, I don't want to do it.” Margaret persisted, “Why not?” It simply wasn't an appealing idea to me. She kept at me until I gave in, “I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make a list of pros & cons about it, & then I'll let you know.”
I had a long list of cons, some of them being that it would be difficult to find a publisher for such a book, & difficult to sell because people don't even want to think about it, much less prepare for the occasion; that it would take a lot of research--original research in the form of dozens of interviews, & I didn't have any leads--except for Margaret.
I had one item in the pro column: I wanted to do it. I had made a complete about-face. I finally saw that it would be an important book.
The widows I interviewed referred me to someone else who had an interesting story, & I found out what help they received. I interviewed professionals who helped women. The manuscript just grew like Topsy.
It was an afterthought that caused me to add two chapters about men. That made it 12 women & 2 men--the ratio that happens in real life. Men, after all, have emotions too, & it can be just as devastating for them to lose a spouse.
I trust that the book shows by example that we should give the bereaved space to feel their own feelings, & we are not to judge them. Everyone does not go through the same experiences, & does not react in the same way. There's no set time for grieving, & if someone is not worth grieving about because he made your life a nightmare, don't feel guilty about your reaction. You're entitled to it.
Contrary to the subject matter, this book is not difficult to read. It is full of insight & surprises, not lists & statistics. People tell me they feel better having read it.
Rebecca : You have also published a children's book. Do tell us about it & where it can be bought.
Gene : My children's book is Javelina! Have-uh-WHAT? (Have-uh-LEE-nah). These beasts are wild relatives of the pig. Their scientific name is Collared Peccary Peccary angulatus. It's for children 7 to 11, but younger kids enjoy having it read to them, & adults can learn something about these little-known creatures. The cover tells a lot--the name, spelling, pronunciation, & it shows a fierce-looking photograph. All but two of the full-color illustrations are mine.
I designed our house on the Sonoran Desert in Cave Creek, Arizona, with wildlife photography in mind. I love the Cottontails & Jackrabbits, Harris Ground-Squirrels & Rock Squirrels, Coyotes, Bobcats, Mule-Deer, Gamble's Quail, Doves, Hawks, Owls, Cactus Wrens, Roadrunners, Lizards & Snakes, but most of all, I was excited about Javelinas. They don't see well, but their hearing is excellent, they have good family values, & they have enemies. They also have annoying habits. Does this sound like anyone you know?
Rebecca : What has been the hardest thing in your writing career?
Gene : The writing has gone fairly smoothly, but the most difficult thing is getting my books distributed. Readers can order my books through amazon.com, xlibris.com/bookstore, borders.com, barnesandnoble.com, &, of course, through Rebeccasreads.com. That is, all except Javelina! It's easiest to order it directly from Xlibris by calling toll-free 888-795-4274, Ext. 276, although booksellers can back-order it.
Rebecca : & the funniest?
Gene : That had to be when I wrote magazine articles. I have a theory that editors are frustrated writers. They compensate by changing other people's titles. I wrote a story about a woman whose name wasn't Myrtle. She made lovely jewelry from antique beads & collectibles. That's what my title reflected, but when the magazine came out this was the title: Fertile Myrtle Wore a Fetish in her Girdle. The subject wasn't happy about it. It became funny only in retrospect.
Rebecca : What is the most satisfying thing about being a writer & do you have any advice for those just starting out in the writing life?
Gene : The most satisfying thing about being a writer is that I achieve what I set out to do.
I don't believe that someone should just decide, “I'm going to write a book”, & simply boot up the computer & do it. I'm sure it's possible, but not probable, that it would be a success. A more practical method is to absorb everything possible about writing. Take classes, subscribe to writer's magazines, attend workshops, write for a local newspaper, write what you like, & take it from there. Develop your own voice, write what you think is important. Find an agent or an editor who appreciates your work. That's really satisfying.
Rebecca : Thank you, Gene, for a great interview & for your insights & stories.
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