Today, I’m excited to share with you some words from debut Author Katy J. Smith. She released her first novel this month, “Forgotten Voices: Excerpts from Valentina’s Journal,” and I had the pleasure of asking her a few questions about it. It’s a historical fiction piece that focuses on the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1912-1913. This book is a unique telling of the mine conflicts and I highly recommend checking it out.
The Interview:
Q: Start by talking a little about yourself and your writing journey. When did you start writing? What inspired you to do so?
A: Interesting question, simply because I just wrote a blog about a part of my writing journey. I love stories—whether I read them, whether I tell them, or whether I write them.
I sort of kept a diary, and I sort of wrote stories when I was younger. In public school, we had no formal writing instruction nor did we write outside of completing homework. My first true attempt at writing was in the introductory college Composition and Rhetoric class. I loved writing, although, at that time, I had issues with “what can I write?” I had things published in both the college’s literary magazine at that time as well as news stories in the Tech Collegian.
Then I became an elementary school teacher in 1983. At that time, teaching writing in public school, especially elementary school, was daring. Years before it was a county and state mandate, our teachers at Pratt Elementary decided to teach creative writing to our students, from Kindergarten through Grade 6. Our students did so well! (I wish I kept the vignettes of what my students wrote. WOW! They were great!) But, we teachers knew we needed training on how to teach writing. We took the seminars and staff development so we could teach effectively.
I’ve written or told stories since those days. It’s different as a writer because, while I want to tell a story, I want others to enjoy reading it. I have to look at it differently, and I have to employ tons of deep leveling thinking on what makes sense in the story.
I also took two writing courses at Marshall University after I retired. I’d take more, but I need on-line writing instruction due to the thing called ‘everyday living’. Most of those courses, if it’s what I need, fill quickly or aren’t offered on-line.
Someone (I think it was my grandsons) told me, words are just the same 26 letters put in different formations. I like making those different combinations.
Q: “Forgotten Voices: Excerpts from Valentina’s Journal” is historical fiction set in the 1912-1913 West Virginia mine wars, which is an interesting part of the state’s history that I feel is overlooked by folks who aren’t from there or haven’t lived there. Why did you choose that setting?
I’m a retired elementary schoolteacher who loved teaching. I am not good at the retired part of “retired elementary teacher.” On my first ‘official’ day of retirement, I was driving to sub in a 4th Grade classroom for a month. On my way to the school in the following days, I passed by a roadside marker that told the story of the Bull Moose Special, an armored train equipped with a Gatling gun, that shot up a small town of displaced miners who were living with their families in coarse canvas tents.
I knew the story from several sources: my grandfather, a coal miner, told me the story when I was young. I learned about it from my history profs at WV Institute of Technology. The children who live on Paint Creek attend the school where I taught had family stories to tell. Their grandparents, who were children in this time, told me some of their personal stories. Plus, I love Appalachian history, especially the coal history of WV, so I started digging into the region. As I read, I was horrified by the atrocities inflicted on these families, simply for wanting to provide a better life for their families.
So, basically, I couldn’t get the facts out of my head, and then a bunch of “What if…” questions formed in my head and wouldn’t leave.
Q: Your story is told mostly through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old girl, Valentina, whose family is caught in the midst of the mine strike. How did you decide on this unique take for your story? Was it difficult to put yourself in the mind of someone so young?
The grandparents who told me their stories were adolescents in the era. Their stories were heartrending. Their voices and eyes hardened as they talked about that night in their childhoods. Their expressions, as if they were lost in a nightmare, reflected the brutality of that time. Even my husband, who grew up near this area, told me about teachers and subs who told their personal stories. Each person who spoke of that time was conflicted by the events, but those events help to create their character, something that still is an underlying tone in their progeny, the people who still live in the area.
I wanted the story to be completely written in diary form. But I couldn’t develop my characters effectively through a diary format. (I’m not that talented, but I’m trying to develop it!) I taught mostly 5th and 6th graders, so I had an idea of how kids between the ages of 9 to 15 think. Plus, these kids, not a child but not an adult, usually have something that shapes who they become. I call it that defining moment. Valentina’s defining moment was the death of Cesco Estep, her neighbor. She realized it could have easily been the man she loved the most, her Pap.
I think of it as her Scarlett O’Hara moment when Scarlett swears, “With God as my witness, I…”. Valentina vows to find a way to help her family and her neighbors have a better life. She does through true journalistic integrity*, to write unbiased stories.
*I’m sending kudos to Dr. Ralph Turner of Marshall U’s Dept. of Journalism who taught me much about journalistic integrity way back then.
Q: To me, this novel does a great job of capturing the West Virginian spirit that can still be found in many small communities there. Did you draw from any personal experience to shape your characters and community?
Due to the mountainous terrain and isolation of many West Virginia communities, the people developed grit and self-reliance. This has been proven repeatedly from the earliest days of human settlement in WV, from the Mound Builders, and throughout its history. We West Virginians have a friendliness, but we can also survive. We love you, and we will help you. We will be a good friend and neighbor. But, don’t try to walk over our good-naturedness. We fight back.
Maybe that attitude is true for any small community, not just those in West Virginia. Although West Virginians are still a marginalized group, they have grit and are self-reliant. They help themselves and rarely whine about it. An example would be the 2014 flooding that devastated communities in different sections of the state. Another example is the people who live in a small community of Hico in Fayette County. We’re not hearing about the relief efforts for those who lost everything from the tornadoes in early April 2024. Those folks prayed about it, and then rolled up their sleeves to clean up the devastation so they can rebuild or find a viable alternative.
Fortunately, I’ve not lived through these types of experiences. But I am the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners. Even as a young girl growing up in rural Fayette County, I always feared someday Mom would receive word that Dad was hurt or killed in the mines. I remember the days of union activity and why men went on strike.
The only ‘coal camp’ I lived in was in Landisburg during my senior year in high school. The house was a nice cinderblock home, 3 bedrooms, and a full basement with a free-standing shower stall Daddy used to wash off the coal dust. The other six houses in neighborhood were as nice. The mine superintendent house looked lavish, but it wasn’t. It was an updated Craftsman with more bedrooms, a large front porch, and a wooden frame.
As for the spirit of West Virginia, I think about the ideas that shaped our American history. West Virginians have a strong work ethic, but they expect respect, fairness, and equity from their employers. They try to live by the tenets of their faith. They expect their children to ‘do better’ than they did because of having better educational opportunities. They are law-abiding for the most part, but they will not tolerate an injustice. They expect to be heard in these matters.
I find those same qualities in most rural areas in our country.
Q: This book is also quite informative about the events that took place in it. Was that information you were already knowledgeable about, or did you have to research everything?
It was a combination of both. I’ve always been fascinated by the coal mining history of our region. I knew some things about the 1912 – 1913 Coal Mine Wars. But I researched it as well, mostly to verify what I knew (or thought I knew) was true. Not only did I research about that era, I examined the beginning of the coal industry in West Virginia and how a region bounded by mountains was the leader in bituminous coal mining. Coal mining is the reason we had an era called the Industrial Revolution, which began in those regions of England. I researched its progression through time.
I also examined the impact of the 1912 -1913 Coal Mine Wars on other mining incidents. Within a year, the same Bull Moose Special gunned down another Tent City (with the striking miners living in the same tents supplied by the UMWA) in Ludlow, Colorado. The incident at Holly Grove, WV, set the standard on the importance of gaining basic needs, such as increase in pay, safety on the job, and in not having the script system of currency that can be used at only the one company store. One of the experts on coal mining and the labor union stated the events in Holly Grove taught the striking miners what they needed to do to ensure others listened to their voices.
During this era, from 1912 – 1913, the fight wasn’t only on Paint Creek but also on Cabin Creek. The two hollows are separated by mountains. If it were a flattened area, the distance would be around five to eight miles. The families on the two creeks helped each other, thus the incident of Valentina helping pull up the railroad tracks. *
Fortunately, we live in an era of using the internet. I could do most of my research from the internet resources available, especially from the WV Mine Wars Museum and the WV Encyclopedia, e- WV. But I also read books from the experts of the Coal Mine Wars. I now own an extensive library of their research! ☺
*This incident actually occurred in 1912, not 1913. I took creative freedom to make it one of Valentina’s ‘acts of defiance.’
Q: I feel there’s also a strong message about feminine independence in the story. Was that intentional, or did Valentina decide that for you?
It was a bit of both. I come from a long line of strong women. We enjoy being with our men, but we can fend for ourselves. My maternal grandmother, a quiet and tiny lady, married a coal miner. She could have easily been Valentina. They were the same age and had families who tried to shelter and protect them. Women in WV received the right to vote on March 10, 1920. My grandmother, a married woman around the age of 22 and mother of several children, registered to vote. She was proud of being a registered voter and kept her voters’ registration card in her purse. She voted in every election until her death in 1989, whether it was for the town, the county, the state or the nation. When the men tried to tell her how to vote, she would clench her jaw and then voted how she wanted. She listened to both sides and made her choices on what she determined to be the best choice. Thus, I chose to put some of those characteristics into the Valentina character.
Like many children, Valentina was sheltered by her family. Yet she yearned for independence and being treated as an equal, like many children do both then and today. She was at an age of rebellion, and she was wanting to be treated equally and equitably. Her mother recognized but yet hated that her child was growing up. Margaret Rose became the unofficial head of household when Walter disappeared. She and Walter’s mother Sylvia worked in tandem to keep their family safe. Valentina had strong models on how to survive in a bad situation.
Yes, Valentina started “talking” to me in the story. I had to rewrite chapters to show her point of view, and then often she would tell me more, so I had to rewrite again. But Valentina’s life changed in 1913, not only physically but emotionally. She recognized she wouldn’t be the girl who played in the creek and shared secrets with her girlfriends. She was growing up, often too fast, in a dangerous world. Fortunately, her family helped her grow and accepted the young woman she was becoming.
Q: Can we expect more titles from you in the historical fiction genre? Are there other genres you enjoy writing, as well?
I want to write more historical fiction! I love history and the ‘forgotten stories’ from the different eras. I’m mapping out another story and researching another topic that too is being forgotten. I would like to write a story about the European-based settlement in western Virginia.
My grandsons and I have discussed different topics over the years. I want to write non-fiction children’s books about our discussions. The boys are creative and forward-thinking. They ask good questions.
As a reader, I enjoy mysteries, perhaps my favorite genre. A mystery doesn’t have to be a whodunit, but it can be something that aggravates a person because there are unanswered questions. That’s the story I’m currently writing, but it has elements of romance in it as well.
I dabble in poetry, but I am not a poet. I’d love to be one though.
Q: Finally, you’re published through Rose Dog Books. There are a lot of ways to publish these days, and a ton of different resources for authors who choose not to go the fully traditional route. Tell us a bit about your publishing experience. What made you choose the way you did?
One of my writing goals is to use a traditional publisher! Wow! What a coup that would be! I researched they types of publishers available, and I knew what I wanted and, more importantly, didn’t want. I didn’t want to have to build a room to house 2,000 copies of my novel. I didn’t want to deal with certain aspects that a hybrid or traditional publisher can handle more efficiently.
Forgotten Voices: Excerpts from Valentina’s Journal is my debut novel, and Rose Dog Press (part of the Dorrance Publishing umbrella) is my first journey in publishing. Once again, I researched different publishers. I liked many of the subsets and skills of Rose Dog/Dorrance offered. I liked they were reasonably close to Appalachia and the coalfields, and, hopefully, would have a better understanding of what the beginning writers need. Overall, I’ve been pleased.
My advice on using any publisher includes:
- Study what the publisher offers you, and see if it meets (most of) your needs. If not, move on to another publisher.
- Follow, to the letter, the expectations of how to submit a query or your manuscript. Most publishers don’t want the entire manuscript. Read those points carefully, and then do what they request.
- Set a budget that you can live with. (Don’t quit your day job!) Then, live within that budget. Also make sure you keep good records and receipts for your income taxes.
- Know your contract, a legal document! Make multiple copies of it, keeping one as your legal document while you can mark up the others. Then make sure both you AND the publisher are meeting the points of the contract.
- Work professionally and respectfully with your book team—from editing and revision, cover design, any book-related matters, and the publicity team.
- Keep in touch with the different coordinators within the book team. If you haven’t heard something from them within a reasonable amount of time, email or call them. But don’t waste their time or yours. Be spot on with your questions and requests. Give them time to find or develop their answers, but also expect a timely response from them.
- Above all else, have a publicity plan that you implement. Use social media. Have an author’s webpage. Write a newsletter or blog that you update regularly. Get your exercise by visiting local businesses and libraries to promote your book. Discover the ins and out of using Amazon and Good Reads. Go to the free zoom meetings on how to publicize your books.
When I have a second manuscript ready, I will go through the process again. I hope by then to have an agent to help me. I may or may not use Dorrance/Red Dog Press again. But, at this point in time, I’m not opposed to using them a second time.
A huge thanks to Katy for spending the time to answer my questions! And congratulations on her release!
You can find her book here:
Keep up with Katy online!
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Aj Elmore, Author 