Yesterday, we spoke with new author Tracy Winegar about her new book, “Keeping Keller.” It’s the story of a young boy who has autism and the struggles his parents face as they try to care for him without fully understanding his situation. If you missed our conversation and Tracy’s insights into autism, you can click here to get caught up.
Tracy joins us again today to talk about the writing process. Thanks for being here, Tracy. When did you first have the idea to write “Keeping Keller?”
The idea came to me as I was trying to sleep one night. I thought some of the things that had happened to my husband and me were a little unbelievable and somewhat interesting. We literally have lived through many of those same experiences in the book with our son and we have continued to do so on a daily basis. I think it was probably more therapy than anything because I put my worst fear down on paper. At one point my son was so aggressive that we wondered if it would just get worse as he got older, kind of like an impending doom looming over our heads. That thought led to, ‘What if he ended up hurting someone and they took him away from us?’ I suppose it was a mixture of different experiences and fears that led me to write it.
How long did it take you to write it?
To actually write from start to finish was about six months. To get it published it took about a year and a half.
How did you go about conducting the research that you obviously did to
create the surroundings for the 1950s Vance family?
I spoke to people with first hand accounts of the time period, my parents, my friend Wilma Belvill who raised a mentally challenged son during that time period. I read a few books that were published during that time that specifically addressed children with disabilities, as well as searching the Internet, looking up old magazine articles from Time to Good Housekeeping. In order to describe clothing, I purchased vintage patterns and a few old Sears and Roebucks catalogs. That’s also how I was able to describe the toys, appliances, furniture, etc. It was fun shopping for items that I wanted the Vances to have in the pages of the catalogs. The Nancy doll that is described in the book was based off of my mother’s recollection of her favorite doll as a child, and it was really named Nancy. I wanted it to be as accurate as possible, so I made sure I had facts I could incorporate that
would be interesting, but also paint a picture of the time period.
What is your writing schedule like?
I don’t really have one. I write when I get a few moments. I write when the kids are in bed. I write when I should be doing the dishes or the laundry. It’s very random.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m struggling to write another historical fiction that takes place in modern times and in 1964. Something way out of my comfort zone.
It sounds great, Tracy, and I’ll be sure to read it when it’s available. Thanks for joining us—I’ve enjoyed chatting with you.
Be sure to visit Tracy’s website to learn more about her, her writing, and all the things that make her tick.
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