It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Diane Helentjaris, author of I Ain’t Afraid — The World of Lulu Bell Parr, Wild West Cowgirl
Author’s
Bio: Diane Helentjaris often writes about unsung lives. After
spending the middle years of her career as a clinical physician and public
health administrator, she returned to her humanities roots. In 2020, she was a
finalist for the Iceland Writers’ Retreat Alumni Award. Her historic novel The
Indenture of Ivy O’Neill won the 2024 Maryland Writers’ Association Novel
competition in the Romance and Historical category. Her poems and short stories
are featured in anthologies, including her chapbook Diaspora.
Her latest
book I Ain’t Afraid — The World of Lulu Bell Parr, Wild West Cowgirl was
recently released. This biography of a once-famous female bronco rider and Wild
West show performer is, according to critics, “Infused with wry
humor…thought-provoking and a genuinely fun read.” A native of Dayton, Ohio,
Diane lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her family and two ridiculous poodles.
www.dianehelentjaris.com
Deliah Larwence: What inspired you to write
your book?
Diane Helentjaris: I grew up
in a microscopically small place in southwest Ohio, Medway. I don’t think we
had a stoplight back then. Yet, small as it still is, it does have the Medway
Area Historical Association. A few years ago, I read a post on its social media
site about a famous Wild West cowgirl Lulu Bell Parr buried in the Medway
cemetery. I was intrigued and needed to know more.
DL: How do you overcome the challenges
of writer’s block?
DH: Writers’ block is not a problem for
me. I define “writing” with a broad brush. No one feels creative and at their
best all the time, so I match my work to how I feel. When I’m well-rested,
alert, and in the proper mood, I spend my energy creating fresh, challenging
passages.
Other times, I use my day to research, read background material,
telephone contacts to further my research or business needs, enter my business
expenses for tax purposes, research images for illustrations, or go to the
local history and genealogy library to dig, dig, dig. There’re always valuable
tasks to do.
DL: What elements do you think make a
compelling story?
DH: A deft hand and light touch make for
joyful reading. A good writer, I believe, avoids indulging themselves in
overwrought, dense, exaggerated plots. Honesty is critical whether a writer is
creating fiction or nonfiction works. I lose patience with a story which is too
fancified with overdone plot twists, swerving timelines, or unbelievable
emotional responses.
Personally, I believe in being a positive person so, for
me, a compelling story includes sadness and crisis, but it can’t dwell on them.
Gratuitous violence or cruel sexual activities inserted in a story can be a
cheap trick and, contrary to what the writer might want, steal impact.
DL: What obstacles did you encounter
while writing this book?
DH: Very little has been written about
Lulu Bell Parr up to now and many of the articles which mentioned her were not well
researched. Since she was an entertainer in a time — from 1903 to the
early 1930s — when newspapers were often stupendously inaccurate, I had to be
delicate in using period sources. Ferreting out the facts was a challenge. Writing
about marginalized people — women, minorities, the uneducated and the poor has
challenges. Lulu had only a third-grade Education, has no descendants to carry
her story, and left no diary.
Luckily, the tremendous growth in digitized
historic newspapers helped fill in the gaps. I also used ephemera purchased
from online sites like Ebay to document her life. The Medway Area Historical
Association helped, as did those memorabilia collectors who had purchased her
belongings at flea markets, auctions, and from private vendors.
DL: Is there a specific author or book
that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
DH: Not a book or author, but my high
school English teacher Bob Constable — a.k.a. “Yogi” for his imagined resemblance to
the cartoon Yogi Bear. Wright State University had recently opened nearby and
graduates from my high school had naturally enrolled there. More than one had
flunked English. Yogi was tasked with turning that around. He more than rose to
the occasion and with a kind, humorous manner.
Yogi taught us to strip down our
sentences only to those words necessary for communication. He beat into us
(figuratively) not to indulge ourselves in florid words and phrases. Ours was a
rural high school and we had little exposure to highly educated people. Many of
us thought using big words and fancy sayings were what educated, classy people
were supposed to do. Yogi taught us not to do that. I can still hear him
gesturing and shouting “Blurby, blurby, blurby” when we added fluff to our
assignments. He made such a difference in my writing life. And he was a lot of
fun!
DL: What tips would you give to
aspiring writers?
DH: Don’t waste your time or funds. Spend
the hours and Money you have for your writing on, well, writing. Don’t fritter
away your resources on entering low quality writing competitions, online
courses, software, and services touted for writers. Be selective. Join and
participate in a writing group and in a formal writing organization (like the
Maryland Writers’ Association). Be cautious with your intellectual rights. Read
and make sure you understand any publishing (online or otherwise) agreements.
If you don’t understand it, get legal help. Writing can be seen (inaccurately I
think) as a solitary activity and predators do exist.
DL: What are three fun facts about
yourself?
DH: My last name has the same number of
letters as “Mickey Mouse” so you can sing it to the Mickey Mouse song, for
those of you who’ve seen the Mickey Mouse Club.
I was a Studio Art major when I started
at Michigan State, but graduated as an M.D. In between, I earned a degree in
Interdisciplinary Humanities.
I am gullible at heart. As a toddler,
my dad gave me a little shovel and I set to digging to China. My grandpa gave
me a saltshaker and sent me out to catch birds in his yard by sprinkling salt
on their tail. At eight, my dad was digging a big hole in the yard. He pulled
out a “petrified rabbit egg” and gifted the rock to me. I kept it for years on
a shelf in my bedroom till I figured out the joke.
DL: Would
you like to share an excerpt from I Ain’t Afraid — The World of Lulu Bell
Parr, Wild West Cowgirl
DH: Sure, here you go:
At twenty-six, Lulu knew she was
beautiful. Described as blonde, “a tiny bit of a young woman whose appearance
does not in any way suggest the rough life of the ranch, her features were
pleasingly symmetrical, her jawline well-defined. Her disarmingly feminine
appearance opened doors as well as sugar-coated her strength. In a few days,
when she trotted out on a fancy horse into the roped-off arena, even if she
were one rider among many, she’d get more than her share of attention. She
would have the eyes of the world on her, and she would show them what she could
do.
The Wild West train skimmed over the
steel rails, barreled through the flatness of northern Ohio. On the other side
of Lulu’s window rich rolling farmland spooled out in a green ribbon. The
longest day of the year, the summer solstice, beckoned ahead. June’s sweet
airiness and the fecund terrain charmed the roughneck Wild Westers.
The maniacal busyness of spring
planting had eased for the farmers. Their crops were planted, the lambs born.
The first fresh cutting of the hay had scented the air a month earlier. Only
the raspberries, cherries, and late strawberries were ripe enough to pick and
reserve. Harvesting the rest would come later. Plenty of time for those farming
the fields around Coshocton to enjoy Pawnee Bill’s parade and, if a quarter or
two could be scratched up, take in the show.
DL: What new projects are you currently
working on?
DH: I’m working on two. One is a sequel to
my historic novel The Indenture of Ivy O’Neill. This first book is the
story of an Irish girl kidnapped in the late 1600s and brought to Maryland
where she is sold off as an indentured servant. The sequel picks up after Ivy’s
engagement to the man who bought her.
I’m also working on a biography of my great-great-aunt who has become a folk
heroine in St. Joseph, Missouri, popular with reenactors. Born in the 1860s in
the mountains of eastern Kentucky, she moved west. As Lizzie King, she became a
highly successful businesswoman, known for her philanthropy as well as her
wealth. Of course, not many career paths were open to a woman and Lizzie made her
riches running a brothel.
DL: Where can readers learn more about
you and purchased your book(s)?
DH: Readers can get more information here:
- Website: www.DianeHelentjaris.com
- Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/2chmvtn7
- Facebook: Diane Helentjaris Writer and
Photographer https://www.facebook.com/DianeHelentjaris - Instagram: @DianeHelentjaris
- Blog: https://dianehelentjaris.substack.com/
- Book Buy Links: https://books2read.com/DianeHelentjaris
DL: Thanks so
much for being here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know
you and your work.
DH: Thanks so much for doing this!
Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com
