I have heard my wife's family talk about how, as a little girl watching television, she would frequently ask, "Is it true, is it true?" That image, so emblematic of a child's naivete, always generates a chuckle. But it is reminiscent of a similar question I often ask myself when reading a work of fiction, "Is any of this is inspired by the author's experiences, or is it totally made up?"
I am reminded of the classic television show, To Tell The Truth, where a remarkable story is told about a mystery person, and three guests, each of them claiming to be the real person, are quizzed about details of the story to find out which of them is telling the truth. I seldom guessed the right person on the television show, and rarely are we privy to which details of a fictional story are based on reality. What I can say with certainty of course, is how much of my writing is inspired by real people, places or events.
So, I thought it would be fun to share a few nuggets from my writing for entertainment purposes. Some you may already know. Some you may have guessed and can now find out if you were correct. Keep in mind that any people, places, or events I use are starting points only and never intended to be exact representations. The great thing about fiction is you can change it however you want!
Here are ten of them. There are countless others, perhaps for a future post. If you think of any you would like to know about, put it in the comments! (No spoilers, though, please!)
Case, Jack, and Jet - The Case for Truth trilogy: Many have tried to guess which of these characters are based on me or some of my friends. The truth is, I have taken bits of myself and many of my friends and created a compilation distributed through these three characters.
Amberton, Mississippi - The Case for Truth triology: This is a fictional place, inspired in part by several. Without giving away the origin of the name, I'll tell you that I grew up in one place, married a girl from another, and now live in another. You can take it from there.
Papa Mac's farm - The Recruit and The Case for Truth trilogy: No surprises here for those who grew up with me. Inspired by a farm near my home on the outskirts of town, where we camped, fished, and rode ATVs. Yes, there was a barn, and yes, we found some bones one time. But they were from an animal of some sort, I think... A story was born in my mind, though.
Cadaver with gunshot wound - Anatomy of the Truth: This was based on the cadaver we dissected in my Gross Anatomy class in medical school. The moment I first saw him on my first day of school is an indelible memory, both sobering and enlightening. And yes, I wondered what happened to him (but never found out.) Of course, much like the skeleton in the barn, I knew there was a story to be told.
Logan's Bluff - Truth on the Brink: On the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway near Aberdeen is a place called Blue Bluff. I first saw it as a Boy Scout when we camped there, long before it became a destination for motor homes. I remember looking over the edge way back then wondering if anyone had ever fallen over ...
V. J. MacIntosh - The Truth that Lies Between, et al: Think of the three or four most despicable people you knew growing up, and there you go.
Clifton "Tiger" Townsend Sports Complex - The Truth that Lies Between: The baseball complex where several iconic scenes took place in this book is based on the Dixie Youth complex from my childhood. So many great memories!
Forgotten cemetery - They Roam Those Hills: Inspired by a small, overgrown hillside cemetery on family land. I would love to know the stories behind the names on the stones.
Tractor scene with Papa Mac and FBI agents - The Recruit: Legend has it that FBI Agents approached my grandfather questioning if he had attended a local Ku Klux Klan event. He was so insulted by the false accusation that he told them to get off his property and threatened to fight them with a wrench if they did not do so.
Mysterious river table rider - Truth on the Brink: Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Believe it or not, when I asked one of my patients who is a lock and dam operator what was the strangest thing he had ever seen on his job, he told me about a man riding a kitchen table down the river. I told him that story would live on into perpetuity and kept my word.
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