Frankie: The woman who inspired my all-time favorite character

When I began writing Under the Tulip Tree in the summer of 2018, I thought I knew where the story was headed. I'd discovered the slave narratives several years earlier while researching slavery in Texas for my plantation novels, so I was very familiar with the word-for-word first-person stories told to employees of the Federal Writers' Project by former slaves in 1936. My goal in writing Under the Tulip Tree was to capture the raw realness of the narratives by creating a character that would bring them to life for readers in the same way they'd come to life for me. The problem was, as I began writing Frankie's story, something was wrong. She was flat. A cardboard cutout of a woman who'd endured one of the most shameful practices known to man. I could have kept writing and hoped for the best, but ultimately I knew something major needed to change. I just didn't know what. 

Getting the character of Frankie right was vital. Not just for the sake of the story, but for the sake of the history behind the story. For the real people whom my characters would represent. The former slaves who shared their stories with strangers back in 1936 deserved my very best in 2018. To accomplish that, I needed to dig deeper. Deeper into Frankie, and deeper into myself.  

I returned to the narratives. While I prefer to read them in their unedited state, with the storytellers' own pronunciation and wording, the little research book I'd purchased about slavery in Tennessee is edited for clarity.  I picked it up, as I'd done dozens of times, and thumbed through the pages, wondering what I was missing in Frankie's story. Because it would be impossible for me to understand what life was like for a person kept in bondage, I relied heavily on the narratives themselves to guide me. 

After searching the pages without success,  I closed it, frustrated. I couldn't keep working on my book until I figured this out.

That's when my eyes fell on the woman gracing the cover of the research book. Of course I'd seen her picture many times before, but this was the first time I truly looked at it. What I saw was an elderly Black woman sitting on the porch of a simple dwelling, deep in thought. There are other details to notice--her braids, her ring, the hole in her blouse--but it was her hand in her lap that captured my attention. 

In the photo, it doesn't seem quite right. The knuckles look too big and there may be a finger or two missing.

"What happened to her hand?" I gasped.

That question---and the answer I eventually imagined---completely changed Under the Tulip Tree and Frankie's story. I won't give any spoilers, but for those of you who have read the book, you know what I mean. Frankie's story poured out from that picture. I did some investigating and discovered that the woman pictured was a sharecropper in Mississippi.  Her name, however, was unfortunately not recorded. 

(Note: I eventually found a second photograph taken from a different angle and it does appear that all her fingers are intact.) 

Cotton sharecropper. Library of Congress.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017770271/

For me, this precious woman has become Frankie. I hope one day I can hug her and tell her about Frankie and how her picture and her life changed me. 

I hope you'll choose to read Under the Tulip Tree and get to know Frankie and Rena. Click the link on the sidebar of the cover for purchase information or you can find the book wherever books are sold.

You can also read why I believe forgiveness is important, even in fiction, HERE.

Every blessing,

Michelle 

Why I Wrote UNDER THE TULIP TREE

Hello!

I continue to be immeasurably grateful so many new readers are discovering my historical novel

  UNDER THE TULIP TREE! 

Thank you! We're closing in on 20,000 ratings on Goodreads, and the book has been an Amazon #1 Bestseller in different categories off and on for several months now! 

Whoop!

While I fully understand there are readers who did not like the book--and that's okay!--many of you are curious as to why I chose to write about slavery. 

To answer that question, as well as many others, I made a video for a book club a few years ago that explains it all. I talk about discovering the Federal Writers Project Slave Narratives, the development of Frankie's character, and how my own background plays a role in my desire to celebrate diversity through my novels. 

Click the link and take a listen! 

WARNING: If you haven't read the novel yet, be aware that there are a few spoiler-ish comments, although I don't give away details of the story itself. 

If you haven't read the novel yet, here's some purchase information!

Blessings,

Michelle

Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.shocklee/videos/513184534313672

Why Forgiveness is Important, Even in Fiction

 

Forgiveness is a major theme in my novel, Under the Tulip Tree. I appreciate the way Publishers Weekly put it in their review of the book: the grace of forgiveness. 

Forgiveness isn't an easy subject to write about, mainly because the act of forgiving isn't always easy. It's especially hard when the person who needs forgiveness extended to them has done the unspeakable to you or to someone you love. 

Such is the case with the character of Frankie in Under the Tulip Tree. In the book, she is a 101-year old woman who was enslaved before the Civil War. It's now 1936 and she's been asked to tell her story--the only story she has to tell-- to a young White woman who works for the Federal Writers' Project, a real government program that sent out-of-work writers across 17 states to collect first-hand stories from former slaves. Those stories--more than 2,300 of them plus over 500 photographs--are now archived in the Library of Congress in Washington DC. 

In my research for the book, I read well over one hundred narratives (and listened to a handful of unforgettable recordings), captured by the raw honesty of the stories these former slaves told. It was that kind of honesty I hoped to portray through the character of Frankie. One of the things that struck me as I read through the first-hand accounts of life in bondage was the lack of wallowing in the pain. They simply told their life's story, with poignant details that left me brokenhearted. 

So, as I set out to write the book, one question demanded an answer.

Was it possible for a former slave to truly forgive the people who'd abused them?

I point you to Frederick Douglass, a former slave who escaped slavery and became one of the most famous authors and voices in the anti-slavery movement. His writings are fascinating and eye-opening, and they make me wish I could have heard him give one of his many passion-filled speeches. 

Yet despite Frederick Douglass's vehement words against slavery, he did an astonishing thing.

He forgave. 

"How can I claim to love Jesus Christ and still reserve for myself the right to continue to hate?" he told a crowd at the Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Washington DC. At the time, he was speaking of his hatred for Thomas Jefferson, whose words about freedom in the Declaration of Independence rang false to him. But his forgiveness didn't end with Jefferson. In his later years, Douglass sought out Thomas Auld, his former owner, and forgave him for the mistreatment he'd endured during his time of bondage. "I entertain no malice toward you personally,” Douglass wrote in a letter to Auld some years before their meeting. “There is no roof under which you would be more safe than mine, and there is nothing in my house which you might need for your comfort, which I would not readily grant…I am your fellow-man, but not your slave.” 

As I studied Douglass's life and words, I wondered how many of the millions of slaves came to the same place of forgiveness as he did. The person who'd endured slavery until the very moment it was abolished. Who'd had unspeakable things done to them by another human being, simply because their skin color was different. Were they ever able to forgive their former masters and those who'd abused them?

There is no possible way for me to fully appreciate or understand what it meant to live in bondage. To grasp how utterly helpless enslaved people were against the legal ownership of a human being. To watch their children and loved ones brutally abused, sold away, and used in the most heinous ways. In writing Frankie's story, I in no way cast any judgment on an individual who might have taken their hatred to the grave with them. The truth is, I wouldn't blame them one bit.

Yet forgiveness must play a role in the story, because forgiveness is part of the human story. The story between God and man. Forgiveness isn't something any of us deserve, yet it was granted to us freely when Jesus went to the cross, carrying every sin known to man. All my sins were forgiven before I was ever born. Yours too. Forgiveness isn't something we can ever earn. It has to be freely given by the one who's been wronged, no matter if the person who wronged you ever admits it or seeks forgiveness.

Frankie's journey to forgiveness is inspired by Frederick Douglass and others who chose not to let hatred consume them, despite being completely justified in that hatred. Her journey isn't an easy one. It's filled with pain, anger, resentment, and struggle against what we know God is asking us to do. But it's a journey that must be taken by each and every one of us at some point in our lives. The circumstances that lead us on this journey will be different from one person to the next, but the peace and freedom our souls long for won't come until we set our minds on forgiveness.

If you'd like to read Frankie's story in Under the Tulip Tree, visit my website for purchase options or click the book's cover on the right of this page.

For further reading about people who forgave, visit:

• Forgiveness Forty-Eight Years After John Lewis Was Attacked (article)

• Cousins: Connected through slavery, a Black woman and a White woman discover their past—and each other (book)

• A father forgives his son's murderer (article)

A few years ago we were in Rochester, New York, and had the honor of visiting Frederick Douglass's grave. 

Every blessing,

~Michelle

Selah Awards Finalist!

 

Hey everyone,

I want to share my exciting news with you! UNDER THE TULIP TREE is a Finalist in the 2021 Selah Awards Contest, sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference! For a complete list of Finalists, go to the BRMCWC Facebook page. Winners will be announced at the conference later this year. 

If you haven't had a chance to check out UNDER THE TULIP TREE, now is a good time to do it! Here's a blurb about the story:

Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.

As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?

Thank you, Readers and Judges, for choosing UNDER THE TULIP TREE! It's truly an honor. 

For purchase information, visit my website! 

Blessings,

~Michelle

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt STOP #20

UPDATE! 

THE HUNT IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED.  THE WINNER OF A SIGNED COPY OF UNDER THE TULIP TREE WILL BE NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL.  

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

• The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren's site. 

• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer). 

• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/18 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them. 

• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

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I'm so glad you're here! I'm Michelle Shocklee, a fellow reader, but also a writer of historical fiction. As an admitted history nerd, I dearly love digging into the past through research and by visiting musty old buildings, forts, and battlefields, always imagining what it would have been like to live in bygone days. You can find out more about me and my books here on my blog, on my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. 

My newest release, UNDER THE TULIP TREE, is a time-slip novel based on the Federal Writers' Project Slave Narratives. It tells the story of two women, separated by age, race, and circumstance, who form an unlikely friendship in 1936. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?

"Shocklee elevates the redemptive power of remorse and 

the grace of forgiveness in this moving saga." 

~Publishers Weekly

"With its haunting message of forgiveness, this is a must-buy for 

any Christian or historical fiction collection."

~Library Journal

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If you haven't had an opportunity to read the word-for-word narratives of 1936, I highly recommend searching them out online at the Library of Congress. Reading them was life-changing for me. In the meantime, let me introduce you to a few of the people whose stories inspired some of the most unforgettable characters I've ever written.

Anderson and Minerva Edwards, Ages 93 and 87, Marshall, Texas

Library of Congress, 1936-38

Anderson and Minerva Edwards, a Baptist preacher and his wife, were slaves on adjoining plantations in Texas. Anderson was born in 1844, and Minerva in 1850. They were married after emancipation and raised sixteen children. The first "church" Anderson attended was under a big mulberry tree on the plantation. His master told him that if he was good and obeyed his master, he'd go to heaven. But Anderson felt there was more to it than that, and kept praying until "I felt the change in my heart. I was by myself down by a spring when I found the Lord."

I find their love story and their faith in God incredibly inspiring. The relationship between Frankie and Sam in UNDER THE TULIP TREE is loosely based on them.

Sam Jones Washington, Age 88, Texas

Library of Congress, 1936-1938

His smile is infectious. I can almost hear him chuckling at something the photographer said before snapping his picture. A picture that would, 82 years later, inspire the character of Sam in my novel UNDER THE TULIP TREE.

Sam Jones Washington was born a slave in Wharton County, Texas. He was sixteen years old when the Civil War ended. Like many slaves in Texas, he wasn’t aware of the war or its end until his master told him he was free and would now earn a wage for his work. After the war, he farmed and worked in a factory before retiring. I hope he doesn't mind that I borrowed his name and his smile for my character, Sam.

                                                          Unnamed Mississippi cotton sharecropper

Library of Congress, 1937

I'll never know her name, but her photograph changed my novel.

Her right hand, resting in her lap, looks different. Large and possibly disfigured. As I studied it, I couldn't help but wonder, "What happened to her hand?" That question--and the answer I eventually imagined--changed Frankie's story in UNDER THE TULIP TREE. It changed me, too. 

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Here's the Stop #20 Basics: 

• If you're interested, you can order UNDER THE TULIP TREE on Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook, or at your local bookstore!

• Clue to Write Down: that

• Link to Stop #21, the Next Stop on the Loop: Kara Swanson's site!

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Before you go, be sure to become a Subscriber to this Blog for a chance to win a print copy of UNDER THE TULIP TREE (US only) or an eBook copy of one of my plantation novels! To become a Subscriber and be entered in this exclusive giveaway, just type your email address in the box on the top-right of this page! Easy and done! I'll notify the winner Monday, October 19.

Every blessing,

~Michelle 

It's Release Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 

UNDER THE TULIP TREE!! 

"...for He already had in mind what He was going to do." John 6:6

Today is Under the Tulip Tree's birthday! Whoohoo!! I'm so excited to share this story of unlikely friendship, reconciliation, and forgiveness with readers. I began writing it in the summer of 2018, signed the contract in August 2019, and here we are in September 2020. It's not exactly like the birth of a child, but close. We authors have hopes and dreams for our "book babies." Not just that they will succeed out in the big world, but that they'll serve a purpose that goes beyond sales numbers and reviews. The verse I've quoted above from John 6:6 is the verse I've chosen for this book. Jesus was getting ready to feed the 5,000, but all he had to work with was five small barley loaves and two small fish. Under the Tulip Tree is my loaves and fish. A small offering in the hands of Jesus can do amazing things! 

I'd love for you to celebrate with me. I'll give away a FREE signed copy of Under the Tulip Tree to one of you! Just leave a comment on this post and I'll put your name in a special drawing I'm holding exclusively for readers of my blog. For an extra chance at winning a copy of the book and some other Nashville-themed goodies, all you need to do is become a subscriber to the blog (which currently acts as my newsletter). I promise you won't be inundated with emails--only a few here and there. I'll be giving away several copies of the book over the next months, but only folks signed up to receive the blog via email will be entered as a way of saying THANK YOU for your continued support and encouragement. To subscribe, enter your email in the top right-hand corner of the blog home page. It's easy to unsubscribe at any time...but I hope we'll stay connected here.

Under the Tulip Tree is available online and in bookstores. Visit my website for store options or you can visit my Amazon page. 

Thanks for celebrating with me!

Every blessing,

~Michelle

COVER REVEAL: Under the Tulip Tree

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited to reveal the cover for my NEW historical time-slip novel that will release in September!!

 Isn't it gorgeous?!

To celebrate the cover reveal, I'm giving away a $10 Amazon giftcard to one of you! All you have to do is answer one (or all, if you're game!) of these questions:

The cover has a few clues about the setting, storyline, and time period.

• Just by looking at the cover, what would YOU think this book is about? 
• What city is it set in? (If you follow me on social media, you might remember I posted about it!)  
• What year does this young woman live in?

UPDATE: Our winner was notified. THANK YOU to everyone who participated. Stay tuned for more contests, giveaways, and fun events as we get ready for Under the Tulip Tree to go up for pre-orders!  

Blessings,

~Michelle