Lars
D. H. Hedbor is a father, marketer, and technologist passionate about history;
in particular, the Revolutionary War period. To date, utilizing his imagination
and a thirst for authenticity and accuracy, he has published three books.
Raised
in Vermont, Hedbor’s interest in the Revolutionary War grew as he learned that
the lives of the people involved extended far beyond the traditionally storied
battle arenas of New York Philadelphia, and Boston. While the Carolinas’
involvement in the war are known to most armchair historians, there really
hasn’t been much written in the way of historical fiction on the area, or
Vermont’s role for that matter.
Hedbor
had always had a desire to write about the period, and, in his mind, these
seemingly little known areas seemed the perfect settings for his stories. In
other words, while the author is telling stories, they have factual settings
and are surrounded by documented events most of us aren’t aware of. So, here’s
a chance to enjoy a good suspense tale and learn something at the same time.
“The
Prize” was Hedbor’s initial foray into publishing. It’s a story set in Vermont
against the backdrop of the war as it related to Lake Champlain, and a young
boy caught up in events that will change the world. Readers took to Hedbor’s
easy style. The author seeks to entertain readers, and he does that very well.
“The
Smoke” is Hedbor’s latest offering in the series and presents a different take
on the war. In this
book we are introduced to the Haudenosaunee
Confederation, a nation of Native Americans who the Revolutionary War throws
into a state of Civil War pitting brother against brother as the clans try to
honor alliances, only to learn their nation may well become the real victim in
the battle between British and Colonists. The story’s well done, and I enjoyed
the insight and respect given to a people, victims really, long forgotten and
overlooked in the circumstances that devoured them.
If you enjoy the Revolutionary War period, or want something a
little different than you’re used to, definitely give a Lars D. H. Hedbor book
a try.
Q)
What first made you decide to write historical fiction, a genre open to careful
scrutiny?
A)
History has always fascinated me, because it helps to illuminate how we have
arrived at our present circumstances, and to set our expectations as to what
might happen in the days to come. It is
difficult to learn much about the motivations and situations that drive history
from the statistical history that many of us learn in classrooms--dates, names,
body counts, and geographies--but I've always been excited by solid historical
fiction.
Writing
historical fiction permits me to teach history from the perspective that I
think is the most important - that of the ordinary people who made
extraordinary, often heroic decisions, and wound up shaping events in powerful
and far-reaching ways. Not all of their
names and specific deeds were recorded, a circumstance that gives me some
leeway as an author, but their impact on our lives today is inescapable.
Q)
How much research went into creating your characters from the Haudenosaunee
Confederation?
A)
I read several in-depth histories of the Haudenosaunee part in the American
Revolution, as well as their history in the decades leading up to that
time. I studied what I could of the
structure and cadence of their language, and immersed myself in both primary
and close secondary sources regarding their traditions and culture, reading
accounts set down by external observers and by those who still adhered to the
old ways themselves.
A
lot of this research took place, though, after I had already started to know
who my characters were, as I sought to understand how they might see one aspect
or another of the world around them. I
write very quickly, and rely on both a modest library of physical books, and
the far richer resources available online to inform my writing. I was particularly concerned in creating The Smoke, though, that I treat all the
characters with proper regard for their individual strengths and weaknesses -
it's all too easy to fall into stereotype and biases.
I
strive in my writing to put myself in my characters' heads, and to see the
world through their eyes, and to depict their actions realistically, as
motivated by their understanding and knowledge.
It is inevitable that some of my own preconceptions likely shine through
in my characters, but I do put a lot of effort into overcoming that tendency.
Q)
You have an affinity for science fiction and fantasy. So, why choose historical
fiction?
A)
I very much enjoy reading good, character-driven science fiction that doesn't
play too fast and loose with the rules of what's possible (or if it does so,
follows the new "rules" it has established). My favorite sorts of fantasy are those that
seek to establish a consistent and rich mythology, without just invoking
supernatural capacities anytime the author gets stuck on how to explain events
in the story.
In
many important ways, the sort of rigorously self-consistent speculative fiction
I like is not all that different from historical fiction; the main distinction
is that the framework of history can be found already neatly laid out in
academic materials that I think are so dreadful to try to teach from directly,
whereas authors of speculative fiction have a bit more freedom to establish
that framework for themselves.
Q)
Your stories involve the deep underbelly of characters facing turmoil, be it in
their families, or themselves in terms of where they stand and how they’ll deal
with a war tearing neighbors and families apart. Why is the ‘inner’ person so
important?
A)
Most of us face moments in our lives where we must make choices that we are
aware will affect not only our own fates, but those of people around us,
whether family and friends or a wider community. My observation of human nature is that these
cusps are usually not faced blithely, and most of us, when we come to them,
give careful--even agonized--consideration to the potential outcome before
making a decision.
I
have no reason to believe that the men and women who shaped the historical
events about which I write were any different in this regard. Contemporary
correspondence and accounts of events makes it evident to me that it was clear
to all concerned that the American Colonies were in the process of a
world-changing moment, even as they were in the middle of the maelstrom. As is the case today, some people simply
drifted through the events around them, but many made conscious, anguished
choices to break with their pasts and do something unexpected - and heroic.
Q
Any parting comments for fans and readers new to your work?
A)
First and foremost, thank you for your enthusiasm in exploring with me these
small stories of the great events of the American Revolution. One of the primary things that I have
learned, over and over again, is that the great figures we hear about in the
classroom did not stride across the stage of history alone, but were assisted
and pushed there by people not that different from you and I, and whose
impassioned, bold actions made a difference that we still benefit from today.
DA Kentner is an
award-winning author www.kevad.net
Thank you very much for the terrific questions and for your kindness in giving me the opportunity to meet your readers!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! I'm grateful you agreed to the interview.
ReplyDelete