KEN CONKLIN Interview Published on: 07, Dec 2021

I was born in Glendale, California, and spent my youth in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Arleta. I attended Canterbury Elementary School, Pacoima Jr. High School, and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School. I spent my summers in Hermosa Beach.

Surfing at the beaches of Southern California.

We moved here in 2005, assuming that it would be for just a few years. Sixteen years later we are still here in the same home we moved into. Our area, Botetourt County, is at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a unique blend of Appalachian and Southern culture. One learns early on that if you make it known you are in a hurry that in the end it will take longer. That’s because it is expected that you will stop and chat with whomever you are transacting. In other words, you must “chat people up,” ask about their family, how they are feeling, etc.

I’ve always been interested in speaking patterns and expressions. There are several unique expressions here that I would certainly not expect to hear in Southern California. For example, when someone wants you to call on the phone they say, “Give me a holler” or “I’ll holler up at you.” And since politeness, southern style, is the rigor, but you find that you have something uncomplimentary to say about someone you introduce your comment by saying, “Well, bless their heart, , , ,” and then proceed with your critique.

Clearly, we enjoy being here since we’ve stayed all this time and have become a part of the community. And let’s face it, living here led me to a story of a lifetime that I felt compelled to write a book about.

There wasn’t a formal introduction per se. I’ve always been a reader, thanks to my parents, and found myself attracted to books that were set in a historic time and place. The first categorically historical fiction book I read was probably War and Peace. I enjoy learning about history and find historical fiction allows an author to be more imaginative with assumed but not verifiable facts. I’m especially a fan of E. L. Doctorow, particularly his books Ragtime and The March.

NORVEL: An American Hero was ready-made to be told as historical fictionas there were important parts of Norvel Lee’s life that his descendants told me they had heard stories about but difficult to get the specifics on. So, I applied my imagination by making plausible assumptions about certain events involving Norvel Lee and his family. And, of course, the dialogue came from my imagination although, it too, was based on interviews with the family. But note that the court testimony included in the Prologue was taken directly from the transcripts of that long-forgotten case, and the eulogy was verbatim from the document it was read from.

The story told itself. I wrote the Prologue and Epilogue first. The glitter in the story, of course, was the Olympic gold medal he earned at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. But what he gave back to the world as an educator, youth mentor, husband, father, and grandfather far exceeded that moment of glory. Norvel Lee’s early life, education, cultural obstacles served as the foundation for the arc culminating with his Olympic accomplishments. Within the arc I injected the intertwined themes of his family, social, and educational commitments that are expanded on in the denouement part of the arc. The Epilogue puts a metaphorical explanation mark on Norvel Lee’s life story.

I enjoy both novels and poetry.

I believe it is just as popular but not always called poetry. Many of today’s singer songwriters are, at their core, poets. One was recognized by being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Bob Dylan. Elton John’s lyricist, Bernie Taupin, was my early inspiration for writing poems. Also, Jackson Browne. Today’s poets should include singer songwriters such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Brandi Carlisle.

The first lines that come to mind are from “Darling of Darkness” where three-quarters through it I write:

Been up to the top
To see what was there
Saw nothing I wanted
But stood there to stare

I didn’t give it any thought. I just wanted the story to be known.

Just let it flow free
Like a bumble bee darting
From petal to hive

When encountering a person who annoys you ask yourself, “What is it about this person that I don’t like about myself?”

I estimate it’s about 90%.

I learn from reading other writers, especially paying attention to how the words flow throughout a sentence or paragraph. An author I recently discovered is Barry Lopez (Arctic Dreams, Horizon). I can only dream of writing sentences that sing as his do, but I can always try.

The area of Southwest Virginia I live in is filled with untold stories. I’m working on another one that comes out of the Jim Crow era.

Before utilizing any outside service, I look at the Alliance of Independent Author’s (ALLi) list of The Best Publishing Services (And the Worst). I will only use services recommended as “Excellent” or “Recommended buy ALLi. AllAuthor is listed as “Excellent” and when I looked further into them, felt they would be an efficient aid in promoting my book and platform, which they have been.