Story Telling From Childhood Memories by Sarah J. McNeal May #BlogABookScene

My last three Wilding stories take place in 1958. The world including the United States was a very different place from what it is now. Of course, I was a kid then and life seemed simple and good. We didn’t have a TV then except for the occasional find my mother dug up, so my sister and I didn’t watch the news and probably wouldn’t have watched the news even if we had a TV. We were kids; what did we care about the affairs of the world? Mostly I spent a lot of time in the school playground which was next to our house hanging upside-down from the monkey bars asking God to send me a sign that he saw me.

Pink Cadillac 1958

I do recall the automobiles all had these huge fins protruding from the back. In fact, the automobiles were all huge and had eight cylinder engines. They looked like lumbering dinosaurs even on the Interstate highways that were just being built. Remember the Edsel? The Edsel’s design was so unappealing it was discontinued the following year.

The middle class had arrived and the average yearly income was a whapping $3, 851. Keep in mind also that most moms did not work outside the home in those days, so that was the entire household income. I can’t even imagine it.

The primary world leaders were:

United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower

(Construction on the Interstate, or “emergency interstate” began in 1958)

United Kingdom: Prime Minister - Harold Macmillan 

France:  Charles de Gaulle 

Krushchev and his famous shoe pounding as he hollered, "We will bury you!"

Russia/ Soviet Union: First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Nikita Khrushchev (I remember Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the table of a United Nations meeting. How funny was that?)   

Canada: Prime Minister John Diefenbaker

China: Chairman of the People's Republic of China - Mao Zedong  (China entered their great famine in 1958 which lasted until 1961. An astounding 30 million people died through a combination of natural disasters and poor planning.)

Technology by the United States:

The Microchip co-invented by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductors later developed and marketed in US by Intel

US Nuclear Submarine " Nautilus " passes under Ice Cap at North Pole

The US Military says it will be possible with satellites orbiting the earth to make detailed maps from space—and we can’t forget the “race for space” between the United States and Russia which began October 4, 1957 when Russia launched the first satellite to orbit Earth, Sputnik. On April 12, 1961, Russia also put a Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit around the Earth. For a while America dragged behind the Russians, but quickly superseded them and began the first space exploration when Apollo missions were sent to the moon and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon.

Inventions Invented by Inventors in the United States ( or attributed to First Use ) 
Computer Modem USA 
Remote Control USA, Zennith Corporation 

Eisenhower initiated the construction of the “emergency highways” now known as the Interstate Highways to ensure movement of military and supplies across the great expanse of America due to the threat of the “Cold War” between the United States and Russia. 

Popular Films

The Bridge on the River Kwai

South Pacific

Gigi

King Creole

Vertigo

Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Popular Singers

Elvis Presley

Billie Holiday

Ricky Nelson

Frank Sinatra

The Everly Brothers

Ella Fitzgerald

Jerry Lee Lewis

Popular Songs:

“Peggy Sue” by Buddy Holly and The Crickets

“Volare” by Domenico Modugno

“Don’t”, “Hard Headed Woman”, and “King Creole” by Elvis Pressly

“It’s Only Make Believe” by Conway Twitty

“Witch Doctor” by David Seville

“All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers

“Oh Lonesome Me” by Don Gibson

“To Know Him Is To Love Him” by The Teddy Bears

Popular TV Programs

Candid Camera

The Ed Sullivan Show

Come Dancing

The Jack Benny Show

Most of us remember the toys from 1958:

Hula Hoops

Play-Doh

Match Book Cars

Gumby

The last three Wilding stories take place in 1956, 1957, and 1958 with Banjo’s twin sons, Kit and Hank Wilding and their cousin, Kyle Red Sky.  Hank Wilding was the frowning rancher who had sworn off of love in HOME FOR THE HEART. Hank’s twin, Kit Wilding, has war fatigue (PTSD in modern lingo) after World War II, has married the woman he’s always loved and has won the mayoral election for Hazard, Wyoming before everything goes wrong in IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE. In the final story, I DREAM OF YOU, (submitted to Fire Star Press, imprint of Prairie Rose Publications), The Wildings’ cousin, Kyle Red Sky, the Lakota spiritual advisor with special psychic abilities and gas station owner and operator has met the woman he loves in a dream. But when she arrives in Hazard, she brings with her a secret and a deadly past.

The most difficult element to include in the 1950’s era wasn’t what to include, but rather what NOT to include—most significantly, cell phones. We’ve become so used to having the ability to connect with the world no matter where we are, I had to keep in mind the limitations having only land lines to depend upon in emergencies. There were no Interstate Highways with high speed limits to allow for rapid, unimpeded mobility, and no computers to rapidly find answers to questions or receive up to the minute news.

I tried to avoid too much interjection of period information, but still maintain a true 1950’s reality. There was an occasional mention of a popular song, a famous personality, and all phone calls required someone to go to the phone to make that call or answer the phone. Kyle’s gas station was run with a bay and standard equipment of the day. HE pumped the gas--none of this pump your own gas stuff, nd a free oil check and windshield wash was always offered with that gas. When he gave someone a soda, it was in a glass bottle and maintained in a horizontal cooler filled with circulating ice water.

Since 1950’s stories are not all that popular at present, I didn’t want to bring in constant reminders of the era, just the subtle elements. I called the stories “contemporary” rather than shine that big neon sign that said, “Looky, it’s my 1950’s stories!”  I am going to be interested in how readers respond to Kyle’s story when it publishes because I have had such a growing affection for Kyle through most of the  Wilding stories and now he was in leading up to his own story. He has become so near and dear to me. Also, since it is the last story in the Wilding series, I wanted it to be a memorable story. I hope I accomplished that goal.

Do any of you write stories from the 1950’s? If so, how did you handle the promotion for them? Did you call them 1950 era stories or contemporary stories? Why do you think this era is not as popular as earlier historical fiction?

HOME FOR THE HEART

Blurb:

Lucy Thoroughgood has gone and done it now—fallen in love with Hank Wilding, a man she’s known all her life. He’s content with friendship, but Lucy’s heart has flown the coop and she knows she’s in love with the determined bachelor. When she visits him with a proposition—to let the orphans she cares for learn to ride his horses during the summer—he surprises her with one of his own. She must accompany him to the dancing lessons he’s signed up for.

Secretly pleased, she hopes that perhaps this arrangement might lead to more than friendship. But Hank’s loved hard and lost, with his engagement to one of the popular town girls going south two years earlier. He’s sworn to never lose his heart to another—including Miss Lucy Thoroughgood.

A teenage orphan, Chayton, could be the key to thawing Hank’s heart—but danger follows the embittered boy. Will Hank be able to give Chayton the home he yearns for—or will the boy’s past bring only sorrow to those he cares for? When a Lakota premonition becomes reality, Lucy’s life hangs in the balance. Will Hank have the chance to let Lucy know how wrong he was? 

Excerpt:

The crowd grew silent. Tension filled the air with nervous energy. Hank stepped forward with his hands raised. “Now listen to some sense, mister. I don’t care what you took from the house. You’re welcome to whatever you stole as long as you let go of the boy. He hasn’t done anything to hurt you. You let me have the old man and the boy, and I won’t try to stop you from leaving.”

A hollow laugh bellowed from the man. “Like you could stop me anyway. I’m the one with the gun. This boy belongs to me. He’s my son and he’s going with me just in case anybody gets any ideas of comin’ after me…sorta like an insurance policy you might say.” He squeezed Chayton’s neck with his arm so tight Hank thought the boy might pass out from lack of air. “He better learn to mind me though.”

So this is Stephen Grier. Hank glanced at Chayton. The kid is scared out of his mind. He forced himself to remain calm and to speak with quiet authority. “Turn him loose, Grier, or I swear to God I will hunt you down and end your miserable life.”

“You best back off Mister High and Mighty. Now I’m taking this boy, and these here goods what I found, and I might even take this broken down old man with me if you don’t shut your trap.” He pointed the gun at Hank just as Merrilee pulled up in Hank’s blue pick-up truck. The crowd gasped in unison.

There was no time to lose. Hank knew he had to do something or Grier was going to get Chayton. No matter what happened, Hank couldn’t allow him to do that. When Grier’s attention slipped from him to the truck, Hank knew it might be the only moment he had to act. He rushed forward toward Grier. A scream rang out from somewhere behind him. Grier turned Chayton lose and set the sights of the gun on Hank. Just as he pulled the trigger and a shot rang out, a blur of yellow flew across Hank’s vision between him and Grier. Oh God, Lucy!

IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE

Blurb:

Beautiful June Wingate’s perfect marriage is in shambles—and she hasn’t even left the wedding reception! When she overhears two gossips discussing the real reason Kit Wilding married her, June believes there must be some truth to it—after all, things have happened just the way they said. Is her marriage only make believe? Trust is hard for June to accept, and now, her faith in her husband has been broken—along with her fragile heart.

Kit Wilding has loved June since the moment he laid eyes on her—a vision in pink that he couldn’t get out of his mind. Now that he’s married her, he can’t understand the changes that have suddenly turned her secretive and distant. How can he make things right between them when he doesn’t know what he’s up against?

But the tables are turned when June’s father, a pillar of the community, is accused of a crime that brings shame on the Wingate family—along with prison time. Kit Wilding’s not the kind of man to give up easily, but with his budding political career at stake, will he be able to hold his marriage together? Or will he be forced to admit IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE…

Excerpt:

Kit stood, relaxed his stance and reached for her, but she stepped back. He lowered his voice as if he were calming a rambunctious horse. “Listen, I know how some things were tough for you at home. You told me your parents weren’t the warmest or most loving people on the planet. You don’t have much reason to believe what people say, but—”

“Don’t.” June shrunk deeper into her dressing gown avoiding Kit’s attempt to touch her. “Please, don’t bring up all that. I know my trust level isn’t much, but what they said made sense. You wanted to be mayor and my family’s standing in the community and their campaign contribution certainly made a difference. All you had to do was marry me to win the election.”

Kit shook his head. “Not everything that could be true is really true. Surely you have more faith in me than that. It hurts me to think you believe their gossip. Surely you can’t think I’m the kind of man to lie or take advantage of a woman’s love in such a way or you wouldn’t have agreed to marry me. You’re not the kind of woman to take guff from anyone.” He straightened his spine. “And just so you know, I did not accept campaign funds from your father, or any other businessman in town. It put me at a distinct disadvantage to my opponent, but I won’t be obliged to anyone who might compromise my values.”

“I’ve never had a reason to doubt you—not until now anyway.” June looked him dead in the eye. “Just this past summer at the charity ball you wanted to break up with me. You said I made you worry too much about my safety that you couldn’t bear to see me take chances. But you must have really meant was that you ceased to love me and wanted nothing further to do with me—until the city council told you they wanted a married man for their mayor.” She shrugged off his hand when he tried to draw her to him. “So you suddenly decided you couldn’t live without me, proposed, and wanted to marry me sooner rather than later. How very convenient, Kit. As soon as the word was out that you were marrying Albert Wingate’s daughter, you won the election by a landslide. Of course you must have felt honorable enough to follow through with our marriage, but that’s not the kind of marriage I thought I was going to have.”

And my last Wilding story:

I DREAM OF YOU

A Dream…A Kiss… And Deadly Secrets

Blurb:

Kyle Red Sky dreamed of the woman with fire in her hair, but when she comes to town, something dark and dangerous follows her. He wants to help her, but she is reclusive, avoids men, and the scarf she always wears around her neck tells him she harbors a dark secret.

Mia Beckett is a survivor. Finally, she has found sanctuary in a small western town far from danger where no one knows her or her past and she intends to keep it that way. But she can’t forget the man she saw once in a dream who told her the paths they walked were destined to meet. However, when she meets Kyle Red Sky and realizes he is the man from her dream, she knows, if the dream becomes a reality, he may die.

Excerpt:

Kyle kicked open the door of his mother’s former dress shop despite the sign that read, “No Men Allowed.” The raging fire upstairs in the private quarters made this an emergency, certainly enough to ignore that sign. Smoke began to fill the shop as he raced up the stairs calling out the name of the new shop owner. “Miss Beckett! Miss Mia Beckett, where are you?”

As he reached the landing of the second floor, he heard someone cough nearby. With the wet blanket wrapped around him he rushed toward the direction of the cough until he found the woman lying on the floor almost unconscious from smoke inhalation. As soon as he removed the wet blanket he wore and wrapped her in its protective layer, he scooped her up in his arms to carry her away from the flames and smoke. The scarf she wore fell away from her neck and her head lolled back against his chest to reveal a thin, straight scar that ran all the way across her throat from her left ear to her right. It wasn’t an old scar, most likely it was no more than two or three months in the past. She attempted to raise a hand as if to cover her throat and replace the silk scarf. He’d always seen her wear a scarf of some description or another around her neck since her arrival in town. Now he knew all those scarves were not her unique sense of fashion, but her desire to hide the scar. She was a woman attempting to keep a secret.

Sarah J. McNeal is a multi-published author who writes diverse stories filled with heart. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press and Sundown Press. She welcomes you to her website and social media:

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