Marjorie Herrera Lewis is the author of When the Men Were Gone.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: You note that you first heard about Tylene Wilson from her great-niece. How did you end up writing a novel about her?--Marshal Zeringue
A: In the instant that I heard of Tylene's existence and what she had done, I knew I would write a book. What I thought at the time was that I'd write a biography, considering I've been a career sportswriter.
After about three years of research -- off and on -- I discovered I had many parts but not one whole. The story had been lost to time. I decided to write a novel so I could memorialize what Tylene had done through fiction, with threads of reality throughout, and bring Tylene's story to life.
Q: What did you see as the right blend between the historical Tylene and your fictional creation?
A: It was important to me to accurately represent Tylene, the human being, so I remained true to her character, to how she lived her life and to who she was. I then took the pieces of what I knew and wrapped a story around them. The real, historical Tylene...[read on]