Emma - Book Tour and Giveaway

Emma
Heritage Series Volume 1
by Susan Diane Black Blackmon
Genre: Historical Fiction

Emma lay very still, her eyes tightly closed. Sometimes - if she concentrated - she could make out her Momma’s face.
She was the youngest child of eighteen. She had barely been two when her beloved Momma died. Papa had managed to keep body and soul together for a little more than a year, not an easy task with four little ones underfoot. The older children had been a help to him, especially Betsy and Maggie. The bigger boys had helped with the farm’s never-ending chores, but it was never enough.
Papa was different. Losing Momma had hurt him deeply. His gentle eyes were sad. Even when he had given her horsey rides, his smile had never quite reached his eyes.
Emma supposed they shouldn’t have been surprised when Papa had come home one day and brought them a new ‘mother.’ Honestly, her memories of that day were fuzzy. She knew much of what she recalled was from what the older children had said in hushed voices behind ‘Mother’s’ back.
No one had wanted Papa to be sad, but why did she have to be their new mother?

Based on her maternal great-grandmother and some of the events in her life, much of the story is fiction. However, there are threads of reality woven throughout Emma’s story.
The real-life Emma was, in fact, the youngest in a family of eighteen children, which included three sets of twins and a set of quadruplets. Yes, the article in The Austin Weekly Statesman suggested the fair association should invite the family to attend as “honored guests” when the quadruplet girls were born.

As to the rest, it is up to the reader to decide, fact or fiction.


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Daniel Brown Boultinghouse & Mary Jane Russell:
A Collection of Civil War Letters and Family Documents with Genealogical & Historical Commentary
Compiled by Susan Diane Black Blackmon
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction

Daniel Brown “D. B.” Boultinghouse and Mary Jane (Russell), his wife, migrated from Scott County, Arkansas to Texas sometime between March 1849 and June 1850. We know that in 1850, their neighbors in Lampasas County, Texas were Mary Jane’s older brother, D. W. Russell and her father, John.
For thirteen years, the only remarkable events that were documented in their lives are the births and deaths of six small children. As if that were not enough to crush the souls of this young couple, in 1861 their lives were changed forever by the American Civil War.
Hidden away for 158 years, the letters that chronicled their daily lives quietly passed from generation to generation, until finally making their way into the hands of the author. The unrealized dream of D. B. and Mary Jane’s great-grandson, Joe Lee Mankins, was to share these family treasures with his family and the world.
Blended with family documents and stories as well as historical commentary, the reader will be caught up in the story and transported to a simpler yet more difficult era. Ninety-one pages of letters, many with images of the originals, are transcribed for ease of reading.


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Who knew that a Junior High School History assignment would turn into a passion for genealogy which has become a love of historical fiction stories?

In 1976, the assignment was to write an autobiography and fill out a Pedigree Chart - thus began “The Tale of the Beautiful Princess or Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me, But Were Afraid to Ask,” and 45-plus years of researching my family.

Countless hours of my ‘MamMaw’ and Great-aunt Ruth sharing the stories of my ancestors have resulted in the publication of two sets of genealogy books on my Boultinghouse and Driver lines. A third set on the John Gray Parks family is in the works.

In 2022, I was privileged to bring to life the dream of my late cousin, Joe Lee Mankins. The Daniel Brown Boultinghouse & Mary Jane Russell Civil War Letters book is a story of love and heartbreak in the written words of the main characters. The book contains images of many original letters, some more than 171 years old. Not to worry, each page has a transcript for easier reading.

After so many years of research, I have many stories and anecdotes in my mind. With a ‘nudge’ from my older sister, some of those stories wandered onto the page and became Emma.

Based on my maternal great-grandmother and some of the events in her life, much of the story is fiction. However, there are threads of reality woven throughout Emma’s story.

The real-life Emma was, in fact, the youngest in a family of eighteen children, which included three sets of twins and a set of quadruplets. Yes, the article in The Austin Weekly Statesman suggested the fair association should invite the family to attend as “honored guests” when the quadruplet girls were born.
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As to the rest, it is up to the reader to decide, fact or fiction.


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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
In 1976, I fell in love with genealogy. I have my eighth-grade History teacher to thank for that. She assigned an autobiographical project requiring us to complete a pedigree chart. “The Tale of the Beautiful Princess – Or Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me, But Were Afraid to Ask” resulted in two A+ grades.
Over the next forty-six years, I amassed a collection of thousands of photographs and documents related to my family heritage. Most importantly, I spent countless hours listening to my MamMaw (grandmother), and my great-aunt tell stories about my ancestors.
During that time, I compiled several books on genealogy and “published” them at the local print shop. In 2015 I published my first set of books through Amazon, and the second set in 2017.
I once had a cousin tell me that it was nice to meet someone so consumed with genealogy; they were correct. Genealogy is an everyday part of my life. I love researching my ancestors. They each had a hand in who I am today, and it’s important to remember and honor them. My mother was my biggest supporter and cheerleader regarding my research. She often told me she believed that my ancestors “whispered” to me where to find them because I cared so much about them.
In September of 2022, I completed a book that had been the dream of a cousin. He had always wanted to write a book based on the Civil War letters he inherited from his great-grandmother by way of an aunt.   The letters and other memorabilia “lived” in a pillow case inside a chair cushion for many years. My cousin passed away before he could realize his dream, and I had the honor of presenting these 158-year-old treasures in a format allowing the entire family to enjoy them. Hot on the heels of publishing this work came my sixtieth birthday.
Turning sixty may have been the reason I allowed my older sister to shove me out of my wheelhouse of genealogy and into writing the book Emma. Older sisters can be pretty bossy, and this one has a sharp stick that she likes to poke me with, metaphorically. She kept encouraging me to try my hand at writing a book. I intended to write a short story based on our great-grandmother and a few events in her life. I had planned on a handful of pages, and it would be back to my next genealogy project. Two weeks later, I presented her with a 264-page rough draft of Emma. She read it, insisted I let other family members and friends read it, and the next thing you know, here we are.

Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!
In the early 2000s, I had a website design business. One of my clients was the owner of The Lonesome Dove Inn, located in Archer City, Texas, home of Larry McMurtry. It was one of the most interesting jobs I got to do since each of the guest rooms reflected the story from one of Mr. McMurtry’s books. The lady who owned the BNB was the inspiration for Cybill Shepherd’s character, Jacy Farrow, in The Last Picture Show.

What are some of your pet peeves?
People who don’t take responsibility for their choices.

Where were you born/grew up at?
I’m a fifth-generation Texan, born and raised in Graham, Texas.

Who is your hero, and why?
My mother. Momma’s goal was to raise her children to be self-sufficient in case something happened to her. She poured into us the belief that we could do anything. We were taught that hard work and being responsible for your choices were how you succeeded. She was my biggest cheerleader and my most honest critic. She believed in constructive criticism, “How can you do a better job? How can you be a better person?” Losing her was devastating; it took several years to get back into my passion for genealogy. She was my travel partner, research partner, and the first person I told when I made a discovery. It’s been almost 22 years, and I still miss being able to share my new adventures with her.

What kind of world ruler would you be?
Not a very good one; I don’t have a lot of patience.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
Watch Supernatural or Big Bang. Work in my yard—Binge-watch Harry Potter movies with my great-nephew. Genealogy, always genealogy.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That idea hasn’t settled in yet. I think of myself as a mom, grandma, aunt, sister, genealogist, a tax preparer. I’m still wrapping my head around actually writing a book.

Do you have a favorite movie?
Tough to choose just one. I’ve seen The Notebook more times than I can count. White Christmas is an all-time favorite because I would watch it with my Momma every Christmas Eve.

What inspired you to write this book?
My older sister was bugging me constantly. I did it to appease her, and as it turns out, I love it. Thanks, Becky!

What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m working on Volume II of this series - Celey is the story of Emma’s grandmother – Ma Marcus. This character is based on my great-great-great-grandmother. The real Celey’s husband was murdered in Arkansas in 1851. I’m having a lot of fun with the “villain” in this one.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?
Census records. I would browse records in my genealogy and pick the first name here and the last name there.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Remembering family stories. Often when we’ve heard a story many times, we tend to forget it. While working on Emma, I would find myself running through the stories my MamMaw told me that I hadn’t thought of in years.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Matilda is a selfish, miserable person. Nothing is her fault, and everyone owes her.
Ben is so overcome with loss and grief that he’s drowning. He’s let life happen around him with no effort to engage.
Emma doesn’t see herself the way others do. In her mind, she is responsible for the happiness and safety of her family.

How did you come up with the title of the book?
When I started writing, Emma was what came out.

Who designed your book covers?
Me. I’m a bit of a control freak. I know what I like and want, and I make it happen.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I did change a lot. As soon as I dropped off the printed version with my sister, I started editing with a vengeance.

If you could spend time with a character from your book who would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would love to spend the day with the real Ma Marcus. I have a million questions for her about her first husband, who was murdered in Arkansas, and her mother.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
All of the main characters are based on real people in my family. There are “filler” characters that are entirely fictional.

Do you read yourself, and if so, what is your favorite genre?
Avidly. My favorite is fiction. Anything from Little House on the Prairie to Harry Potter. Agatha Christie to Nora Roberts.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
What is this silence of which you speak? With five cats, grandkids, and life in general, I’m not sure what silence is.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I’m writing Celey, but ideas about which stories to use for a third book, Willa, are rolling around in my brain.

Pen or type writer or computer?
COMPUTER!!! My hands always cramp when I use a pen. I hated having to write essays in school.

What makes a good story?
Something the author is passionate about.

What are you currently reading?
Income tax updates for the coming tax season - gotta finish my continuing education.

What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
It just spills out of my head. The closest I get to an outline is a list of characters and which stories I want to use.

How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?
Emma took two weeks. Celey is a bit more stubborn, but I haven’t had as much free time.


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