Where did you get the idea for the story?
When the movie “Stand by Me” based on the “The Body” by Stephen King came out, I kept waiting for a movie with girls being adventurous, but none was produced that I thought was comparable, so I wrote my own. I have also written a screenplay based on the story.
How much of the story has a factual basis and how much is fiction?
The story is fiction based on a few factual elements. I attended a one room country schoolhouse for grades one to six, then transferred into town for junior high and high school. Looking back, it was exciting and frightening at the same time. The description of the country school are accurate as I remember that time.
My brother, who is younger than I am, was in a motorcycle accident, but he did not lose his foot. I was in high school, and my sister was in college. I was the middle child. It was a traumatic time for the family, especially my parents who did marry very young.
While I and two friends rode horses, we weren’t quite so adventurous.
Was Aliyah a real person?
All characters are fictional. There were no people of color who lived in that area. I had recently learned the story of Elizabeth Cotten and asked myself, “What if she had lived where I grew up, on the prairie in northwest Oklahoma?” Ride of Passage it the result.
How about Stinky Sam?
Stinky Sam is based on a real person and his demise.
Do you have a series planned?
I’ve thought about it. Who would you like to know more about?