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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why Did I Write a Terrible Ballad to Share My Book’s Backstory?

by Chautona Havig ·

When you want to give readers a bit of backstory, why just tell it? Why not get creative and write a terrible ballad to showcase... nothing! via @chautonahavig

“Her parents’ deaths?”

The moment I thought of it, the answer was no.  Did not want to start my book with something like that.  Too far back and too depressing.

There were so many possibilities.  The book would be partially epistolary–just one letter at the beginning of each chapter–so I could start with that first letter to the Westward Home and Hearts matchmaking agency. Actually, come to think of it, I think I did that and then ended up cutting it.

But of all the ideas I had, I think starting the book at the Laurel Mound, Kansas train depot with Reuben Maddox waiting on the platform for a “mail-order bride” who never came was the hardest to let go of.

See, I wanted a long separation of time between when that young woman didn’t come and Penny’s arrival, or that loyal-to-a-fault guy would never see that maybe God had other ideas for him.

The backstory we get through letters and conversations, but still. I wanted to write it.

I just didn’t have time to add five thousand words of story that I couldn’t use.  Instead, I spent almost as much time doing something just as crazy.

terrible ballad

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did I Write a Terrible Ballad to Share My Book’s Backstory?

I’ve mentioned it a dozen or more times, like here, but my childhood was filled with old ballads.  Frankly, most of them were pretty heartrending and morbid. Fall in love?  She’s gonna die.  Dog’s your best friend?  Better shoot it now that it’s old. Win a wife in a card game?  You’ll both die (lessons in the evils of gambling, perchance?).  Getting a new mama today? Die, blind girl, die! (Okay, so it was sweeter than that, I promise!) Life’s tough?  Don’t worry, you’ll die. Then won’t you be glad?

No really, that’s a line in one of the old songs he sang.  “Wearing a satin robe whiter than sno-ooh-ow… Don’t you know I’ll be glad when I’m dead?”

Penelope's PursuitSo, you might think I set out to do this–write a terrible ballad.  #becausereasons.

But I actually didn’t. I was going to do something like:

So, in Penelope’s Pursuit, Penelope meets a young man who expected a mail-order bride nine months ago! For nine months he’s been going to the depot, writing, asking around in nearby Abilene, Kansas, and generally making a nuisance of himself trying to find out what happened.

He just doesn’t believe she would say she’s coming if she’s not. And that search is what leads him to believe something’s rotten in Abilene.

Let’s face it. That’s a pretty boring blog post.

So, instead of writing out the story or just skipping it altogether, I did the only thing I could think of.  It’s a tragic tale of a man waiting for his bride-to-be who never comes!  What else could I do? I wrote a ballad.

Not gonna lie.  It’s a terrible ballad. I’m no good at this ballad writing stuff.  (Anyone who has read the epic ballad at the end of Argosy Junction can tell you that!) The last chorus is particularly awful, if you want the truth. However, I wrote it just the same.

Remember the “I’ll be glad when I’m dead” song?  Yeah, to make it easier (hahahaha!), I used the tune for that. So if you happen to know the old song, “Tramp’s Heaven” (which will be told as a book someday!), then you can sing it!  If I sounded better, I’d record me singing it, but as you all saw with THIS post… you really don’t want me to do that.

So, without further ado, here’s the Paul Harvey version of Penelope’s Pursuit (a.k.a. “the rest of the story)… sorta.

Waiting at the Laurel Mound Depot

The train rumbled into the depot.
Steam filled the air all around.
Alone and apart from the others,
’Neath the old sign for Laurel Mound,
A man stood waiting and watching
For a woman who’d come many a mile.
She’d promised to be his sweetheart,
To walk with him down the church aisle.

They’re planning a life on the prairie.
Their hearts’ll grow closer each day.
Like petals on flow’rs, their moments and hours
Will turn mem’ries into a bouquet.
When the evening of life has descended,
Following years of blessings and trials
They’ll remember that day at the depot—
Their hearts both o’erflowing with smiles.

The conductor stepped onto the platform,
And a dusty skirt appeared in his sight.
His heart squeezed; his breath caught within him.
All his hopes soared as he watched her alight.
But another stepped forward to claim her,
And once more he was forced to wait.
The minutes ticked by at a snail’s pace,
And his jitt’ring nerves refused to abate.

They’re planning a life on the prairie.
Their hearts’ll grow closer each day.
Like petals on flow’rs, their moments and hours
Will turn mem’ries into a bouquet.
When the evening of life has descended,
Following years of blessings and trials
They’ll remember that day at the depot—
Their hearts both o’erflowing with smiles.

In minutes, the chug of the engine
Filled the hot, muggy, afternoon air. (hint… poetic license. It was October!)
No bride alighted to greet him,
No young lady awaited him there.
Each day he returned to the depot
And left disappointed once more.
The train never carried his sweetheart,
It ne’er delivered the bride he’d sent for.

He was planning a life on the prairie.
His heart breaks more every day.
Like petals on flow’rs, missing moments and hours
Can’t turn mem’ries into a bouquet.
When the evening of life has descended,
Following years of questions and trials
He’ll remember that day at the depot—
When his bride never came ‘cross the miles.

Well… there you have it. One terrible ballad!

But in my opinion, the story is not. Just under two weeks until Penelope’s Pursuit releases.  Another book in the series released last week… Harriet’s Heartache.  If you enjoy Margaret Tanner’s books, you don’t want to miss that.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
byChautona Havig

I had a chat with actor and author Henry O. Arnold a while back, and boy did we have a lot of fun. His Song of Prophets and Kings series features the advent of Israel’s kings from Samuel’s birth through David hiding from Saul (so far) and onward. Listen in as we chat about his most recent release, The Singer of Israel.

 

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

What Made David Such a Man after God’s Heart?

I think this series will show us. I love that Henry O. Arnold started back at Samuel’s story to prepare us for the story of arguably the most influential king of Israel. Yes, Solomon was the wisest and richest, but David offered something that Solomon didn’t have. He was an average guy—a shepherd, no less—chosen by God to lead his country.

In a sense, it’s kind of the ancient Jewish version of a poor, everyday guy growing up to become President of the United States. If you know what I mean.

This five-book series is available as an eBook, in print, and as an audiobook, too! Henry read a snippet of it to us, and boy you get a feel for his love of Scripture and God’s people as he reads.

And if that wasn’t enough, he even gave us a hint of his upcoming Christian suspense/thriller “series. He says he has two books planned for sure, so… at least a duology, but maybe we can talk him into a trilogy at least? Get those odd numbers and everything?

The Singer of Israel by Henry O. Arnold

A singer’s voice inspires a troubled nation…A shepherd’s courage vanquishes a giant

The last official act of the prophet of Yahweh was to secretly anoint a replacement for the king of Israel who has been brought low by an unbalanced mind. The great prophet of Israel lives in fear of the wrath of the king. Then out of the hills of Bethlehem emerges the last-born son of a family of shepherds to become the unforeseen hero of Israel.

When David sings of the glory of Yahweh, this shepherd wins the hearts of the royal family and restores King Saul’s troubled mind. But when the singer/shepherd defeats the champion of the Philistines in single combat, David becomes forever known as “the giant slayer.” Saul quickly sees that David is now a threat to his kingdom and secretly plots to have him killed.

David may be the champion of the people of Israel, but he must live under the constant threat of Saul’s wrath until he is finally forced to flee for his life.

The Singer of Israel is a tale of triumph and tribulation, deepest love, and burning rivalries; the new epoch is given a voice…and it is The Song of Prophets and Kings.

You can learn more about Henry on this WEBSITE.

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Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
March 24, 2023
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Episode 214: A Chat about After the Shadows with Amanda Cabot
March 21, 2023
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Episode 213: A Chat about Daughter of Eden with Jill Eileen Smith
March 17, 2023
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Episode 212: A Chat about Code Name Edelweiss with Stephanie Landsem
February 28, 2023
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Episode 211: A Chat with Lynn H. Blackburn about Under Fire
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Episode 210: A Chat with Jennifer Deibel about The Maid of Ballymacool
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Episode 209: A Chat with Tracie Peterson about Remember Me
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Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
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