What Charlie inherits is an unwieldy manuscript about the mob-driven expulsion of more than 1,000 blacks from Forsyth County, Georgia in 1912. During the course of his work, Charlie uncovers a terrible secret involving a Forsyth County land grab. Due to its proximity to Atlanta, the stolen farm is now worth $20 million—and a sale is pending.
When he finds the land’s rightful owner, Charlie becomes convinced he’s been chosen by a Higher Power to wreak justice and vengeance on those who profit from evil.
And then things go horribly wrong.
Jonathan, thank you so much for visiting Bibliophilia, Please. Could you tell us, in your own words, a little about Brambleman.
It’s the story of a
homeless writer, Charlie Sherman, who is convinced by a mysterious stranger to
finish a dead man’s book about a horrific crime that’s gone unpunished for
decades. Charlie begins work on an epic manuscript about the mob-driven
expulsion of more than 1,000 blacks from Forsyth County, Georgia in 1912.
However, during the course of his work, Charlie uncovers a terrible secret
involving the theft of a Forsyth County farm that is now worth $20 million.
When he finds the land’s rightful owner, Charlie becomes convinced he’s been
chosen by a Higher Power to wreak justice and vengeance upon the wicked who
stand to profit from evil. That’s when things go horribly wrong.
It’s set in Forsyth
County, famous as the birthplace of Hee-Haw’s Junior Samples, has for most of
the past century, existed as an intentionally all-white community bordering the
black Mecca of Atlanta since 1912, following one of the 20th century’s most
violent racist outrages—including lynching, nightriding, and arson.
In 1987, the sleepy
community gained notoriety when a small march led by civil rights firebrand
Hosea Williams was broken up by rock- and bottle-throwing Klansmen, neo-Nazis,
and their sympathizers. Bloody but unbowed, Williams returned the next week
with 25,000 followers in one of largest civil rights marches in history.
There was
talk of reparations. Oprah came to Forsyth and taped her show. (She ranks it as
one of the most significant ones she ever produced.) Protests and
counter-protests yielded a landmark Supreme Court case on free speech. But most
importantly, white people flocked to Forsyth. It became the fastest- growing
county in the nation, the richest one in Georgia, and one of the twenty
wealthiest in the U.S.
What inspired you to write this book?
The fact that I finished a dead man’s book had something to do with it.
Also, there hasn’t been much written about Forsyth County’s violent past. In
fact, the book I edited had only a paragraph about 1912 events in Forsyth
County, although there were a several pages on the massive civil rights marches
there in 1987. But I think it’s fascinating.
How did this sleepy rural enclave on the cusp of Atlanta become all white? And
why did it boom once people found out its secret. Fascinating stuff. I also
wanted to find a way to connect the past to the present. Of course, it’s not
hard. As William Faulkner noted, “The past isn’t dead and buried. It’s not even
past.” I wanted to show the consequences
of horrible crimes play out unto the third and fourth generations.
Which character was your
favorite to write?
Trouble, because he’s not from around here and knows no boundaries.
What kind of research did you
do while preparing your story?
I spent more than
3,000 hours editing a monumental history book: The Way It Was in the South: The
Black Experience in Georgia, so I had a solid background on Southern
and Georgia history. When I was working on Brambleman, I wanted to recreate
what happened back in 1912 as accurately as possible, so I read through local
histories, newspaper accounts, microfilm of The New York Times and The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I also read through a dissertation on the
Progressive Era in Georgia and visited the Georgia arhives. The results of all
this you’ll see in Chapter Five, which is a straightforward account of one of
the most extreme cases of racial violence and ethnic cleansing in American
history. (It should also be noted that this part of Georgia was once home to
the Cherokees, so it was no stranger to forced removal of unwanted
peoples.) What I think you end up with
is the best, most cohesive account that there is. I changed names and added a
few details, but if you read Chapter Five of Brambleman, you’ll have a good
idea of what happened back in the day.
It is always interesting to
hear why independent authors have chosen that particular route. What made you
decide to go “indie”?
I’ve published nonfiction traditionally and I’ve had agents for most of
my novels, but they’ve never been able to place them. Traditional publishers
wear their own sets of blinders, and I write outside their comfort zones. And
of course, over the past few years, traditional publishers have been hit hard
by bad economics and new technology, so the market has closed off even more.
Editors told my
agent they’d publish Brambleman if I cut it in half.
That’s an arbitrary length, and it tells you a lot about the way they think--or
don’t. For the record, Brambleman is a big book (464 pages)
but not humongous. And it says what it needs to say. No fluffery.
I don’t think it’s ever been more difficult for a new writer to get
published traditionally, and it hasn’t ever been more feasible to be published
independently. (Notice I didn’t say “easier.”) Whether we succeed or not is
another issue. That’s the second—and third—part of the game. Having capital
helps, by the way.
Is there anything that you
would do differently now?
No. I’m a great believer in stumbling around in the dark. Although I do
wish I hadn’t gone to that transmission shop on Buford highway to get my van
fixed.
Which books, if any, have most
affected/inspired your writing and life in general?
The writers who
inspired me may not have greatly influenced my style (OK, maybe a little), but
Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Ken Kesey, and Hunter S. Thomson seemed to be
talking directly to me and convinced me that I should be a writer. The novel that stands out in my mind is All
the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. My first novel (will it ever be
published?) is a homage to this great work. However, the book that has
influenced me the most is The Way It Was in the South, which I
finished writing and editing after my father’s death. This was history up close
in all its harsh detail, and once you have been burdened by a knowledge of
history, it changes everything.
How would you describe your
writing style?
My books often have Southern settings (although the location for Chain
Gang Elementary—my tale of war between a PTA president and grade school
principal—is never specified, and I believe it could be found anywhere.) However, I don’t think of myself as a
Southern writer---although Brambleman is definitely a Southern
story. Although I’ve lived in Georgia 40 years, and may even have a bit of a
drawl accent (I think that comes from talking to all those sheriffs when I was
a reporter), I’m originally from Missouri. I’m more of a border-state Yankee
writer.
I’ve been compared to John Irving, Richard Russo, and Tom Perrota. Humor is a key component to my work (I can’t
help it: when I was young, people laughed, and it only encouraged me.)
What are you reading right now?
I just finished The
Ox-Bow Incident, a classic Western novel about a lynching; I just
started reading Swamplandia! I’m curious about this book that lost the Pulitzer
prize and fascinated that it’s received such lukewarm ratings from readers.
After reading the first few chapters, I’d say it’s my kind of book.
Are you currently working on
any other projects?
I just sent my a
manuscript to my editor. Party to a Crime is a novel about a
crack-fueled carjacking trial, told by the jury foreman, who has problems of his
own that boil over and merge with the case. And last weekend, I went to the
Vidalia Onion Festival to get background material for a novel I’ve just started
working on about the world’s worst literary agent. (It’s going to be a wacky story.)
Finally, what advice would you
give to aspiring writers?
Traditional publishing venues will continue
to shrink, so familiarize yourself with the business and technical sides of the
industry. Publish a blog that connects you to the world you’re writing about.
This should come before the book. (Facebook and Twitter will not save
you---they are but the wind.) Also, have
your work edited and proofed. The great
pitcher Satchel Paige once said, “Bases on balls is the curse of this nation.”
Well, so are typos and formatting errors. Make sure your manuscript is clean
before it gets published. Indie authors have a lot to overcome to
succeed---don’t let overcoming a bad reputation due to mistakes YOU’VE made be
one of them. (And never mind that traditional publishers have the same problem.
Indies have to be better. That just goes along with second-class citizenship.)
Jonathan, it was a pleasure interviewing you. You certainly gave me plenty to think about.
If you are interesting in reading more, check out the Excerpt of Brambleman or you can also purchase your copy on Amazon!
Be sure to add Brambleman to your TBR list on Goodreads!
About the Author
Brambleman author Jonathan Grant is an award-winning writer and editor (The Way It Was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia). He publishes Georgia Colleges, a news website covering educational issues. He also runs a Darwin-awardish blog at www.chaingangelementary.com.
Great interview! Though I disagree about facebook...Twitter might be fleeting, but online social networking is here to stay. Keep up the good work!
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