DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
Search

Writing 'Call Down the Thunder'

10/12/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​by Dietrich Kalteis

Call Down the Thunder will be released by ECW Press on October 15th. 

Sonny and Clara Myers struggle on their Kansas farm in the late 1930s, a time the Lord gave up on. The land’s gone dry, barren and worthless. And the bankers, greedy and hungry, make life even more impossible, squeezing farmers out of their homes. The couple can wither along with the land, or surrender to the bankers and hightail it to California like most of the other farmers. But Sonny comes up with a way for them to stay on their land and prosper while giving the banks a taste of their own misery.







Any historical novel means doing considerable research. For this one I went through years of archived newspapers, historical accounts, personal memoirs and letters, and hundreds of black and white photographs showing the hardship and damage inflicted by the dusters and drought. The Kansas Historical Society along with a number of websites and texts were very helpful. I gained inspiration by rereading some Steinbeck, as well as Woody Guthrie’s House of Earth, and I really enjoyed the digging and learning about the people and how they survived and adapted. They sure were a tough breed.

From everything I collected, I had to choose carefully, picking only what created the strongest images. There was so much that I couldn’t include because it would have bogged down the story’s pace.

As with my other novels, there’s a lot of dialogue in this one. I like to let the characters interact and let their words show more than they’re telling. And I like to let them tell it from their own perspectives, meaning they sometimes prove unreliable, which often adds some humor. And although I don’t necessarily share their viewpoints, it’s important to let the characters steer their own course, staying true to their own nature, however misguided they may be.

The opening scenes introduce us to Sonny and Clara struggling with their relationship. They live miles from town with no electricity, no phone, and no modern conveniences. Add to the mix a heartless banker looking to collect money they owe but don’t have.

While Sonny is determined to stay on the ailing farm that’s been passed down father to son, Clara’s convinced they need to leave and seek out a better life. As he splits wood in his yard late one afternoon, he wonders why she isn’t back from town yet, fixing supper like she always does. And the notion hits him that maybe she isn’t coming back. 

The scene shifts to Clara, on the phone in the back of the general store miles away, talking to her mother about leaving Sonny and running off to California. Done with the call, she gets in the old truck and drives west, determined never to come back. 

Then life throws some more curves at them, and the reader gets introduced to various townsfolk, rainmakers, city officials and lawmen, traveling show performers, a radio announcer with multiple on-air personalities, and Okies leaving and klansmen coming to settle a score.

I had a lot of fun coming up with the host of characters. And as usual, none of the characters are based on anyone I’ve ever known, but it’s funny by the end of the writing I feel I know each of them quite well. 

And as subplots and sub-characters are introduced, the story continues to shift from his point of view to hers and back.

Initially I had a different outcome in mind, but as the story took shape and the characters developed, a stronger ending came to me by the time the first draft was complete. And that’s why I don’t generally follow an outline, preferring to see where the story takes me.

As far as naming the characters, I’m fussy about getting it right, often changing names to what suits each of them better as the story progresses. Each name has to be a perfect fit, and sometimes I go through several changes before I feel I’ve got it right. The same goes for the book’s title. Sometimes I go from one working title to another before it’s right. And once in a while, like on this one, I nail it before I even start writing page one, other times the right title doesn’t come until the final draft.

Well, I hope I’ve peaked your interest in Call Down the Thunder. You can find a copy at your favorite bookseller or order it online. And you can find out more about me and my other stories at dietrichkalteis.com or ecwpress.com.

Picture
Picture
Photo by Andrea Kalteis
Dietrich Kalteis is the award-winning author of Ride the Lightning (bronze medal, 2015 Independent Publisher
Book Awards, for best regional fiction), The Deadbeat Club, Triggerfish, House of Blazes (silver medal, 2017 IPPY,
for best historical fiction), Zero Avenue, and Poughkeepsie Shuffle. He lives with his family on Canada’s west coast.


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Become a Ghostwriter!
    Picture
    Contribute to DMG
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS BY GUEST POSTING
    Picture
    ARE YOU A GHOSTWRITER? WE WANT TO KNOW!
    Picture
    DO YOU HAVE A GHOSTWRITING BUSINESS?

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About