The Beginning
My first “real” book The Bootlegger’s Legacy was a story of
desperation. The two main characters
were both desperate, one financially and the other emotionally. Mike Allen and Joe Meadows had been friends
since grade school and now in middle age they both were just surviving, waiting
on something to happen; their futures did not look bright. Mike had inherited a business from his mysterious
father and was experiencing failure; Joe was his CPA and had no idea how to
help his friend survive his current financial cesspool.
Some characters in my books are based on people I have known
or maybe a combination of people, sort of mashed together. In many ways Joe Meadows could have been
based on me; we shared a list of faults and an occupation. But he is not me. In order to make the character fit the story
Joe had to have a real messed up life; that was not my life, but I saw a lot of
people who fit Joe’s pattern. Joe had no
real ambitions left; he had reached a level of success and stopped. Now, he just wanted to get by, in many ways
he had already given up on life; at a very early age. Joe was at an emotional crossroads when he
decided to help his friend with his money woes.
Mike Allen had been dominated by his bootlegger father, a
much larger than life character who had dramatic influence on many people; good
and bad influence. His bootlegger dad
had retired and purchased a hardware store to ease into old age with something
to do. After a few years most people
just thought of him as the old man who ran the ancient hardware store, not the
gangster fighting, mistress loving bootlegger of old. After his father’s death Mike began running
the store. He hated his very existence but
had no real ambition to do anything else.
With a new Home Depot opening down the street he was now facing
financial doom.
This is the core of the Bootlegger’s Legacy story. Brainstorming with Joe how Mike might raise enough
money to keep his business alive; Mike recalls his dad's strange letter
talking about hidden millions, at the time he thought it was old age madness. But now with nothing to lose the two friends
begin a journey to find the lost treasure and in the process they both found a new beginning.
An element of the Bootlegger’s Legacy that pleased me the
most was the backstory about Mike’s dad, the bootlegger, Pat Allen. This part of the book takes place in the
1950s in dry Oklahoma. Prohibition had
ended for most of the country but not completely in Oklahoma; bootleggers were
still doing business in the Bible belt during the Eisenhower administration. Everything in The Bootlegger’s Legacy begins
with the story of Pat Allen and his mistress, Sally; it lays the groundwork for
what happens later.
The Bootlegger’s Legacy was published in 2015, since then I
have written eight other books, two to be published soon; but I still believe
this is my favorite. The story about
Sally is a powerful tale about forgotten people who struggle to just make it in
life; but who leave a great impact on so many.
While only a small part of the book, the story of Sally had great impact on me as I wrote
it. As stated in a 2015 Kirkus review--
"After
several misadventures, the duo begin to piece together Mike’s father’s wild
history, which includes a heart-rending story involving his lover, Sally
Thompson. Although the mystery elements in this novel are certainly engaging
enough to keep readers turning pages, it’s Clifton’s superb character
development that makes this story a transformative journey of self-discovery.
The cast of characters is so fully realized that even secondary players, such
as Samantha, Mike’s manipulative wife, and Ray Pacheco, a Las Cruces sheriff,
are memorable. In fact, Sally’s tragic tale steals the show."
⧫⧫⧫
Free download of my short story "A Christmas Tradition" is still available on the web site www.tedclifton.com.
⧫⧫⧫
The Bootlegger's Legacy was the beginning of the Pacheco and Chino series. Ray Pacheco was the sheriff of Dona Ana County and had encounters with Joe Meadows and Mike Allen. In Dog Gone Lies Ray has retired to a lake cabin near Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico where he finds a stray show dog which leads to a new beginning for him after he thought he was done.
Comments
Post a Comment