1. How long did it take to complete the novel?

 

Four years. Ten different drafts. The original draft is far, far different than the final product. Changes were brought about because of consultative input and feedback from beta readers and friends who have followed the project during its development. Many chapters were completely rewritten. In fact, the opening chapter was a radical departure from the original design.

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2. What were your biggest challenges in writing the book?

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The dominant time frame (1982-1984) and primary location made it difficult to get a handle on local history language especially teen slang/profanity/activities/ trends, etc.

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Another challenge was attempting to maintain readers’ interest and engagement. What was interesting to me might not be interesting to readers.

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Another challenge…was I writing the book for myself or general readership?

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3. How were the locations chosen?

 

The mythical city of Lancaster was typically modeled after industrial cities in Illinois where I once lived and worked, cities like Rockford and Waukegan. Other cities such as Peoria and Joliet also had influence.

 

The North Carolina locale is my favorite part of the country. During my college days at Wake Forest, I visited the region often on weekends and during breaks and fell in love with the Blue Ridge and the region’s history, culture, and people. I wanted the book to be a testament to a region and people, which is often misrepresented and misunderstood.

 

Philadelphia was chosen as a setting for a few, brief chapters simply because

of familiarity in growing up in one of the city’s western suburbs.

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4. What goals and objectives did you have in writing the novel? What message, if any, did you wish to send?

 

I wanted to give a clear picture as to how youth, regardless of their background or circumstances, can be impacted by the juvenile justice system. There is a line in the book that is critical; it is spoken by a juvenile detention deputy supervisor:

 

“I know this boy. He’s a good kid, just a shitty home life, that’s all.”

 

Because of a poor home life, irresponsible parents, and a faulty decision spurred by crisis, a “good kid” becomes embedded in the juvenile justice system.

 

The book is intended to present that all too often potential.

 

As much as anything, the book’s story is intended to celebrate the resiliency of youth.

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5. Were characters specifically modeled after real-life individuals?

 

Intentionally, all of the characters are composites/hybrids. My mother’s name was Esther, but a main character in the book, Esther Rankin, was in no way a duplicate of my mother. I chose Esther simply because I felt it a good fit, and the name was common for the region at the time of Esther Rankin’s birth.

 

In developing the story’s protagonist, Russell Rankin, I relied heavily on my experiences as a juvenile probation officer.

 

I did spend considerable time in naming the book’s characters to make certain that first and last names fit the regions and eras.

 

One consultant felt the book autobiographical; it is not as my personal and family life has little, if any resemblance to the book’s characters and events.

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6. What makes the book unique?

 

When I set out to write the book, I wanted it to be unique and different.

So many novels follow a simple, boring, and prescribed model. I wanted to take risks.

 

The Rankins of Pratt County includes expected narrative and dialogue, but it also includes an official court document known as a social history or pre-dispositional report, a play within the novel (Russell’s sentencing hearing), letters, and diary entries.

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7. Who is the intended audience?

 

Initially, I intended to write the book as a collateral text to be used within the requirements for the undergraduate criminal justice classes that I taught. For years I had used books such as A Question of Freedom, Kids for Cash, Slow Motion Riot, and the Glass Castle to supplement main textbooks. However,

there was no solid novel or non-fiction work that I could find that well portrayed how youth were impacted by the juvenile justice system. Because of that void, I decided to attempt to fill it.

 

Early in the process, I decided to shift the book’s audience from college students to general readership.

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8. How was the book organized and created?

 

It was a very fluid process. I wanted a story about a youth beating the odds, overcoming major personal loss, and success through personal determination and help from extended family and a new community. Main characters were pretty well etched out form the beginning. Clear from the start as was the reason for Russell’s entry into the juvenile justice system. Unclear was the pattern of personal loss. I knew that a first love interest would be critical. Events post high school were developed later on. I also knew I wanted a dramatic and suspenseful conclusion to the book. Sorry – no flowcharts, significant outlines, etc.

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9. Do you consider yourself a professional writer?

 

No. I consider myself more as a story teller than as a writer. In high school and college, I wrote for the school newspapers. As a career probation professional, I have written hundreds of reports, but those reports were always objective, just the facts. I’ve also written numerous professional articles over the years, but I have had no professional, academic training in creative writing. Assorted

employees and friends over the years have told me that they have enjoyed my writing over the years especially when it relates to people stories. My first book,

Growing Up Lansdowne, a childhood memoir, was well received but by a very limited audience.

 

In writing The Rankins of Pratt County, I possessed no knowledge or background in writing a novel; I just wrote. I wanted a product that was raw and subjective as opposed to a formal process that followed strict protocol and established guidelines.

 

There is some writing DNA history within my family. My father, James Truman Bingham, worked for Curtis Publishing for over fifteen years as a magazine writer and editor. J.T. was a good, steady, and disciplined writer. My older brother, Bill, wrote a novel in 1997, Daphne and Clyde, which was never published.